Tuning vs. Form

[Hogcoots]

Just an observation from a guy relatively new to trad archery.  I have been shooting strictly traditional over the last year. I am no expert and continue to learn. I see alot of arrow/bow tuning threads looking for perfect flight, making the bow faster, getting the arrow to penetrate farther, etc. I am learning that for me shooting form has potentially more impact upon the above than all of the equipment tinkering that I have done.  For instance, today I got the chronograph out and simply played with my release. I could increase or decrease ft/sec by as much as 15 fps simply by tinkering with the release.  I also notice that with the same arrow, I can get nock left, nock right, arrow porpoising, and perfectly straight flight dependent upon anchor point, good release, dropping/torquing the bow hand, etc.

Just from my experience today, I am going to be less inclined to make equipment adjustments and spend more time on my form in pursuit of good arrow flight.

[Bowwild]

Yep. When I shoot left, right, low or high the answer is usually something I need to do better next shot. The mind must stay on track.  

The bow and arrow are the easiest part of the accurate shooting equation.

[JimB]

Form definitely affects flight but the arrows still need to be tuned to begin with.If the arrows aren't tuned,the broadhead arrows won't impact at the same place as the field point arrows.The main point of tuning in the first place.

Also,a well tuned arrow is the most forgiving of errors in form.An untuned arrow also squanders a lot of the bows energy,before it impacts the target and can drastically reduce penetration.

Working on form is a good thing and an ongoing process.Tuning for proper arrow flight is usually a one time thing and then you are done.If I shot untuned arrows,I wouldn't know when my form was good.When they are well tuned,I can see errors in my form and work on them.

[Huntschool]

Form, Form, Form....  exactly.

I just came back in this minute from shooting.  I am working on a new arrow setup (read tune).  It was chilly in the barn and I did not "hit" form on the first arrow... Thats a no no in my book.

Sooooo... stepped up closer and did the form thing for six shots...  step back and arrows did what they were supposed to do... LOL

Form, Form, Form....

[Rob DiStefano]

the good shot foundation is still form.

if you can get an arrow to fly well on one shot and not the next, what's the culprit?  

[Kenneth]

Originally posted by Hogcoots:
Just an observation from a guy relatively new to trad archery.  I have been shooting strictly traditional over the last year. I am no expert and continue to learn. I see alot of arrow/bow tuning threads looking for perfect flight, making the bow faster, getting the arrow to penetrate farther, etc. I am learning that for me shooting form has potentially more impact upon the above than all of the equipment tinkering that I have done.  For instance, today I got the chronograph out and simply played with my release. I could increase or decrease ft/sec by as much as 15 fps simply by tinkering with the release.  I also notice that with the same arrow, I can get nock left, nock right, arrow porpoising, and perfectly straight flight dependent upon anchor point, good release, dropping/torquing the bow hand, etc.

Just from my experience today, I am going to be less inclined to make equipment adjustments and spend more time on my form in pursuit of good arrow flight.

   This has been my experience as well.  I used to spend way too much time tinkering when I should have been working on form and shooting.

[Rob DiStefano]

this is why working on form requires one good arrow that not only flies well, but retains consistency shot after shot after shot.  for this, wood is not good.  stick with the uber consistency of synthetic shafting.

[Easykeeper]

I am also one who is the weak link in the bow/arrow/shooter system.  Shooting unfletched shafts is a great self teaching device for me.  A bit humbling, but you will know when you are doing it right or wrong...

[Huntschool]

Seems we all agree... Now if there was a simple way to keep the form consistency thing without all this practice... oops.. what am I saying.. LOL

[Kenneth]

Originally posted by Easykeeper:
I am also one who is the weak link in the bow/arrow/shooter system.  Shooting unfletched shafts is a great self teaching device for me.  A bit humbling, but you will know when you are doing it right or wrong...

I just started shooting a bareshaft for form (I always use for tuning) because one of my anchor points is the feather in the corner of my mouth and I'm trying to break that and reestablish my anchors.

[bigugly1]

For me the three largest factors are form, mindset and tuning in that order. I find with my bow braceheight means a lot. With a fletched arrow with field tip of any weight I can place the arrow where I want it as long as it's close to being tuned to bow. If my form is off and my minds not in it, I have no idea.

[KEG]

One must also remember that when your form changes the shaft that was perfectly tuned to your old form may no longer be tuned to your new form.

I was following Terry's instruction for correct form and got my back more involved. This increased my draw length which weakened my shaft.

Make sure to check your bare shaft tuning when working on form, the change of impact in my shooting was not me but the arrow no longer being properly spined.

Some get trapped by the 'thou shalt NOT' with their form, think instead what you ARE going to do and then do that, forget about the do nots. It helps to have an arrow that you know just has to be the right shaft for the shooter and the bow.  It is difficult to learn form and tune arrows at the same time.

[Bowwild]

Abosolutely  "pavan"!

It is so difficult but vital to be positive in your thinking.  Notice in my post above I referred to "what I can do better" rather than accentuate the error.  When I see a young person get all over themselves for a result they don't like, I focus on trying to change the way the archer "reflects" on the shot process instead of the result.  The result is fleeting, form is yours once you understand and can do it.

Tell a lineman "not" to jump off-sides and you have just placed the wrong thought in his mind. Instead, "stay on-side" is the the thing. "Come to anchor" rather than "don't snap shoot" is the way to think (and coach). "Follow through" instead of "I didn't follow-through"..... on and on.

Several years ago the country of South Africa tried, for a year to reduce highway deaths with "don't" signage: Don't Be Reckless, Don't Drive Drunk, etc.  They abandoned the campaign when they noted highway deaths INCREASED!

I watched a video of two champion recurve (FITA) shooters a couple of weeks ago. I won't name them. As the competition came to a close with both archers dead-locked, you could see in the face and drawing hand of the one who eventually lost, the change in his thinking as pressure interrupted his heretofore perfect form. The result was "8"s instead of the 9's & 10's he had been shooting. (Of course, I'm certain the fellow who came in 2nd could shoot circles around me, in his sleep.)

[Bjorn]

Good work 'hogcoots' you have discovered in your first year what some will never notice at all.

[McDave]

Agree.  Even with less than ideal equipment, with good form you can get good shots.  Some have probably heard the story of Howard Hill going around the audience and taking whatever arrows people happened to have with them, and then shooting them all into a tight group.

I have been shooting my longbow recently with wood arrows.  I can accept that I won't be as accurate with the longbow and wood arrows as with my recurve and carbon arrows, because the wood arrows are heavier, so have a higher arc, and aren't as close in weight as the carbon arrows.  But I find that in addition to that, my mind is playing with me and I am making a lot of form errors: plucking, torqueing, dropping the bow arm, etc., that I don't usually make when I shoot my recurve.

I just got through sorting my wood arrows and separating 7 of them that are fairly straight and close in weight from 3 that I can't seem to straighten completely.  I marked the 3 so I would know when I shot them, and then decided to shoot those three crooked arrows in the backyard for a while.  I must have been more relaxed or focused when I shot them than I have been recently, because I was putting those 3 crooked arrows into as tight groups as I usually get with my carbon arrows out of my recurve.  Hopefully, this will give me the confidence I need to shoot the 7 straight ones better than I have been so far!

[Bow Bum]

The OP is a very smart person. Compared to me anyway. It took me MORE than a year to figure the form/tuning thing out. I sure am glad I did...

B