Effects of using a Clicker..

[DanielB89]

I have never messed with one because, honestly, I thought they were useless.  Why do I need something mechanical to help me shoot a traditional bow?  

Well,  I saw an ad on here where someone was offering one for free, so I took the offer.  For that price, if I didn't like it, I would just pass it on.  

Well, this is day 2 of trying it out, probably 50 or so shots in and I have learned a lot about a me and a tradbow.  

I am so so so so so inconsistent.  Like so inconsistent, it doesn't even make sense to me.  

I am one of those guys who draw and settle into my anchor, usually creeping forwards slightly(or so I thought) then releasing.  Well, with this clicker, I will come back to anchor(some times it goes off while drawing, i'm way over drawing on those), then I will settle in and try to engage my back muscles and pull through the shot... some times it feels like I have to pull a 1/16th of an inch to get the bow to go off, some times I feel like I have to pull for 2 more inches.  

I have noticed that i'm shooting much better.  Arrows are almost always where I want them to be too.  I now know my previous struggles with shooting were because of my inconsistencies.  I think I was varying in draw length up to 1/2".  


I am very pleased with the immediate results of the clicker, but I am a little displeased with my inconsistencies.  

I'm hoping some of this will become engrained in me..

[ThePushArchery]

Daniel, that is awesome. The clicker, when first implemented, is an eye opener for sure! I had the same experience!

[McDave]

I have had similar thoughts and experiences, Daniel.  Just yesterday, I was chronoing two similar bows to get an idea of their relative performance.  The recorded speeds varied within a 4 fps range, showing a slight preference for one of the bows, on average, although the ranges overlapped.  I have chronoed these bows before showing no significant difference in performance.  My chrono yesterday also showed a 4 fps average decline in speed for both bows from the previous test, most likely indicating that something in my form has changed, since I doubt that anything has changed in the bows or my chrono.

Recently, someone posted a YouTube video of someone doing a chrono test on a bow.  His recorded speeds for 5 shots were all within 1 fps.  

It has been many years since I used a clicker, but I have an obvious need to improve my consistency, so maybe I should try one again.  There must be a reason all the Olympic shooters use one.

[DanielB89]

How do you guys typically set up your clicker?  


I sat mine up with using it as a "psycho trigger" and I noticed an immediate increase in accuracy.

[Dan Jones]

DanielB89: If you haven't already done so, you might want to get acquainted with the ideas of Joel Turner. You can find him on the web, on You Tube, and there is a long, long thread here on the Shooter's Forum. The gist of what he has to say about a "psycho trigger" is that you must concentrate on the movement that leads to the "trigger," in your case the click, and not on listening for the click. This should reduce the inconsistency. In my experience, this is easier said than done.

[ThePushArchery]

Daniel,

If running a clicker, yes, I set it up as a psychotrigger. Draw, anchor, aim, start my movement / expansion phase until it pops. When it pops, that's my release signal.

[DanielB89]

MAtt,

it's crazy to me how inconsistent I can be with my phychotrigger.  Some times i'll come back, aim, and then start my movement and click, I shoot.  Other times, I will pull and pull and pull and think its broken, then it goes off.. lol.  But I have noticed that releasing from the same location everytime has tightened up my groups  A LOT!

[Dan Jones]

DanielB89,
I suspect that Joel Turner would jump on what you say - "I will pull and pull and pull and think its broken, then it goes off..." Turner repeatedly asks "What were you thinking about during the shot?"  It would appear that you were thinking about/listening for the sound of the clicker. I believe Turner wants you to give your absolute, undivided attention to the movement that activates the clicker.

[Dan Jones]

DanielB89,
I suspect that Joel Turner would jump on what you say - "I will pull and pull and pull and think its broken, then it goes off..." Turner repeatedly asks "What were you thinking about during the shot?"  It would appear that you were thinking about/listening for the sound of the clicker. I believe Turner wants you to give your absolute, undivided attention to the movement that activates the clicker.

[DanielB89]

Maybe so.  I'm not 100% sure what Joel would want.  I just know that sometimes it feels like the click is right there and sometimes the click seems like its a mile away! lol.  

i'm going to keep trying it out!

[McDave]

I have taken Joel's course, and appreciate all the work he has put into it.  No doubt for many people it will be the answer they were looking for.  For me, Rick Welch's method of "holding untill the shot goes off" works better.  However, I have the same inconsistencies Daniel wrote about.  I believe a clicker would reduce my inconsistencies by using it as a draw check.  In other words, draw until the clicker clicks, and then "hold until the shot goes off."  I wonder how that would work?