Practice differences.

[fnshtr]

I just finished shooting... terribly. Yesterday I was on fire. Shooting at a block target and every shot yesterday was in the white bull from 8 to 25 yards. I was ecstatic. Then tonight it was the opposite.

I think I was just too tired. Better to just quit and wait until you are recovered.

My wife's piano teacher says that when you play a piece and make a mistake... it is very easy to make that mistake again. Not only that, but that you need to play it right 10 times in order to re-establish proper muscle memory (brain/finger coordination).

Probably true in our sport also.

[jackdaw]

when I started shooting traditional archery I shot with a friend who was doing the same. We could spot the others fsults and it helped alot. Shoot close up until you master the distance...then move back and repeat it. CONCENTRATE...!!!!

[Knawbone]

I ( loosely ) concentrate on 4 things: form, arrow to body alignment, anchor,release. Most importantly also is to FEEL the shot and to mentally SEE the shot and FOLLOW THOUGH. Many other things come into play of coarse... bow arm extension,grip position, firmness of grip, position of release fingers, the list go's on, but work for the FEEL of the shot while developing consistency. I said LOOSELY.....concentrate but relax, relax, relax. Think more about what is going right, not what is going wrong!  For shooting practice I shoot 3 arrows. For hunting practice I shoot one.

[mike g]

Always try and end a practice session with a great shot....
    Let your mind store that shot in your subconcience.

[Joe03]

What I have been doing is practice with 3 arrows. I leave the good hits in the target and pull and reshoot the bad ones until all hit where I want them to. Then I break.

[DennyK]

Good Form + Concentration = Good Shooting  

[poopfly]

This is how I became a better shot:

Shoot at a blank bale. Stand about 6 feet back and don't aim. Close your eyes if you must, but no aiming.

What aspect of shooting do you need to improve? Release? Anchor? Follow through, Etc? Concentrate on only that aspect that you are trying to improve.
 
 This is like dry fire practice with a rifle. After a while you will begin to notice what you did wrong on that bad shot. Stop shooting for fun and go back to the blank bale and concentrate on that aspect of your shooting.

Get a good shooting coach to speed up the process. Not always possible, but real improvement can be made if you find the right coach, which is rarely the guy standing next to you at the range.