Theres good practice , and then theres just going through the motions

[moleman]

As of late ive been putting in looong days at work, but without fail I always manage to throw a few arrows down range after work, if for nothing more than physical conditioning, and my shooting has been so- so.
Well tonite I went out with the attitude and determination, to hit everything I shoot at, and by golly, thats just what I did! Seems ive just been going through the motions lately and not practicing....good practice, by picking small spots and mentally putting my all into it.
Just going thru the motions is fine for physical and form conditioning but in order to get it done right you gotta put your heart, mind and soul into every shot.
Anybody else ever catch themselves just going thru the motions?    

[dragonheart]

Quality practice.  I have to guard against "just shooting arrows".  Make my shots count.

[Burnsie]

Yep, when I approach it with the right frame of mind, I always shoot much better.

[Mudd]

I absolutely never practice!

If I thought I had to practice I'd most likely become disenchanted and quit because the word "practice" sounds too much like work.

I love shooting my bows and shoot every day at the smallest targets I can see from 1 to 30 yards.
Shooting moving targets is a blast as well.

I have a self imposed limit for hunting at about 25 yards and even the the conditions have to be almost perfect for me to drop the string.

I also enjoy shooting out to 100 yards so when I reset my range a few weeks back I made that a doable shot by moving my back stop and having a load of 2 in rock brought in so water in the yard wouldn't be an issue.

My back stop is about 10m feet wide and 5 feet tall.

With this set up I can truly enjoy shooting each and every day.

I do my best to make each shot count because in hunting situations I'm usually limited to one shot.

God bless,Mudd

PS: I'm sorry to be so long winded but being stuck inside feeling like dog dirt with the beginnings of a sinus infect allows for more time to write.( I did do some shooting outside today with two of my young friends plus I flung a few on my indoor range.)

[ChrisM]

Just going through the motions has given me some bad habits that only lots of good practice can fix

[Knawbone]

I catch myself going threw the motions all the time. Then when I decide It's time to get the crap shots out of the way, I get the determined face on and pay attention to what I'm doing. Sometimes I think i try to hard, instead of following good form and follow threw.

[Lineman72]

I have found that if i take a couple arrows with me i really take my time and focus more.
 and i like my portable block target, gives me the option to shoot from my porch, picnic table, rooftop, shooting alley tunnel shots between trees, making a game. Thus like Mudd says, its not work, but enjoyment with repetition.

Mudd, i hope you feel better sir.

[moleman]

Well stated Mudd. As with most of us shooting is a pleasure and not work, if not it just wouldnt be fun anymore.  
Lineman, I think the phrase...Enjoyment with repetition.. is an awesome description of what we as traditional shooters do to hone our shooting skill. For as Mudd stated, without the love of shooting, it then becomes work.
   

[Matt Green]

Smaller target helps me. I filled a milk jug with the spray foam insulation and use it -  just toss it and shoot where it lands. If I shoot at a larger target its like safety net - no real penalty for missing. With the jug though, I focus more.  Good post. Mg

[Greyfox54]

I fall into the trap of having too much on my mind when I practice . A lot of things have been bugging me , but when I comepletly , or almost , put things out of my mind I get back to shooting well. Archery truly is a mental sport . Fred

[stagetek]

Whoever said "right frame of mind" said it all.

[Mudd]

Originally posted by stagetek:
Whoever said "right frame of mind" said it all.

X's 2

For me the "right frame of mind" puts me in "Sherwood"!

Archery is, if nothing else a mental game(90% plus) and challenge.

God bless,Mudd

[Easykeeper]

Yes, yes, yes...I am guilty of just "flinging arrows" more often that I would like.

Part of my lack of attention goes to what Mudd said though, I just like shooting my bow.  It's relaxing and sometimes downright therapeutic for me.  It can help me clear my mind of the days stress...but not always, and then I'm back to "flinging arrows".  Still better than not shooting though...

     

[JNewman]

I have a nasty habit of flinging arrows and not focusing.  When I do that my shooting goes to trash. however if I catch myself, and just shoot 1 arrow at a time, reflect on it, pull it, and start over  I can get myself back on track.

[McDave]

I you want to get better, it helps to focus on what you're doing, every shot.  I spend a lot of time doing that these days.

But frankly, that wasn't the reason I took up archery in the first place, and certainly wasn't the reason I switched from compound to traditional bows.  I was in a high stress job at the time, and "just flinging arrows" was a great stress reliever.  I'm too fidgety to meditate, and never wanted to start smoking pot, so archery does the trick for me.  Now that I'm retired, I have a lot less stress, but if something happened to get me all worked up again, I wouldn't hesitate to just fling some arrows!

[Lineman72]

I know this forums about trad archery, but coming from a background with firearms, sometimes slinging lead down range in rapid fire still brings a smile to this face. So i guess slinging lots of arrows down range not so focused, can be fun and theraputic as well. :-)

[Brianlocal3]

I have found if I'm just wanting to fling arrows it helps to do trick shots. I like to practice fully Horizontle, reverse can't, over the shoulder etc. then it does not enggrain bad habits into your shot sequence