My cure for target panic

[poekoelan]

I suffered for a long time. I read many things on the subject. One video ( Push Release ) helped me more than anything. The technique decribed in the video didn't help, but it got me thinking about how I aimed.

I tried for a long time to be a pure "instinctive" shooter. I found it didn't work for me at all. I became the "bad" kind of snap shooter. So I threw all those techniques out and tried to gap shoot. I still couldn't come to my anchor point. So I would reach anchor and have my friend count then I would release. Arrows still went everywhere.

The past six months have been very productive. I dropped down in bow weight a little. I restricted my shooting to 10yrds, and I only shot 3 arrows per round. While I was doing this ( and after I saw the Push Release ) I got to thinking. Even though I thought I threw everything about instinctive shooting out, I realized I was still doing one thing that held me back. I was aiming during the draw. This caused my premature release. It was my "trigger".

So I compared shooting a bow to shooting a rifle. You don't aim a rifle til you get it up in shooting position and have your finger on the trigger. So told myself not to aim my bow until I was at full draw with my finger on my tooth. Only then do line up the shot.

I am back to my heavier bow with much improved results. Didn't do any blank bale shooting at all, just switched to a lighter bow for a couple months, cut my distance in half, and most importantly, told myself not to "aim" during the draw.

Years of frustration are beginning to end because I found my trigger. Everyone's trigger is different, and figuring out what your trigger is is the most important step. If you aim during the draw, and you are familiar with rifle shooting, this method may help. Pretend your bow is a rifle. I have to give credit to the Push Release DVD for this, I didn't like the technique described in it, but it helped me identify my trigger and come up with my own solution.

I still don't hold long, probably less than two seconds if I had to guess, but my arrows are starting to group much better.

Austin

[McDave]

I think your post illustrates the fact that there are many ways to "cure" target panic.  Maybe "remission" would be a better word than cure, if my experience is any guide.  That also seems to be the experience of those who made MBB 4: it will probably come back.  If it does, you just have to tackle it again, either with some method you devise yourself or some other method, such as those discussed in MBB 4.

[kbaamigo]

I was in much the same boat. Jay Kidwell helped me out tremendously. Just by drawing and then moving all around the target without focusing and then let off, I was able to take the "trigger" mechanism back from my brain. Doing this for a number of sessions and following the rest of his guidelines, got me back on track. I now do much as Austin said and follow the arrow point back to anchor and then focus on the target for a couple of seconds. I still have to watch the back tension once in awhile and do a let off session off and on but feel much better about being in control.

[poekoelan]

McDave,

I believe you are right on about remission. Things aren't quite perfect yet, was shooting today and caught myself twice aiming during the draw. But it is much much better now. Maybe I never really had target panic. Maybe I was just over bowed and never thought about not aiming during the draw? I don't know. I do know that after I tried to switch to gap shooting, aiming during the draw was the one part that I somehow forgot to quit doing for a long time. But as soon as I dropped about 10 lbs in bow weight and equated shooting a bow to shooting a rifle, things started to quickly get better. What is MBB4?

Kbaamigo,
My problem isn't my back tension, it's dropping my bow arm slightly on the shot. This always causes me to shoot low left. But things are getting predictable now, if I blow a shot I know why I did. This was never the case in the past. Archery is starting to get fun again.

Austin

[McDave]

MBB4 = Masters of the Bare Bow, Volume 4.

This is a 4 volume set of DVD's that many of us have used to improve our shooting.  Volumes 1 and 2 illustrate a variety of shooting techniques shown by a number of good archers and bowhunters.  Volume 3 goes more deeply into techniques for learning to shoot the bow.  Volume 4 goes into the mental aspects of shooting the bow.

[Ravenhood]

Thinking I have "cured" target panic is my first step at getting it back.

[ron w]

From my experience there is no cure, you may beat it for a while but it WILL reappear. Everytime I think I have it beat, I have to work thru all the stages of the shot to get back on track. My form of TP is a bit different than some. I can get to full draw.......but if I'm above my intende target I can not get down to it. If I'm below I can come up. Just came working on the basics and focus on each segment of the shot.      ron w

[Bowwild]

When you miss your intended target for no apparent reason, and then FEEL BADLY about it, target panic is around the corner. (Tim Strickland).

It can be prevented and cured. The fix is fleeting as some have written above if trickery is attempted.  

I had it from 1984-1995. No issues since. I cured it myself but not the correct way. Since then I've learned why and how.

Many archers, especially bowhunters (like me) get it because they have some or all of these issues:

1. Are overdrawn with the drawing elbow so far back they can't get their back into the shot.

2. They try to hold the bow still while aiming.

3. They put too much emphasis on aiming and none on follow-through. An archery shot is a very animated thing. The drawing arm and bow arm both move the instant the back of the drawing hand is relaxed. To allow or try to hold either one still prevents proper follow-through. Sort of like hitting a ball with the bat and stopping the bat the instant the ball is struck. To stop the bat all kinds of bad stuff has to happen BEFORE the ball is hit or string release occurs.

4. They try to trick their minds instead of moving their mind from aiming to follow-through. Once you've aimed, forget about it, your mind can do that while you think about finishing the shot.

5. They feel bad about a miss.