Practice technique???

[threeunder]

Hey guys/gals,
First let me start off by saying that I am relatively new to trad shooting (longbow).
I've been shooting now for a couple of years and totally love it.
My question is this...one of the things I do when shooting is starting at about 3 yards I'll shoot, turn around move back a yard and shoot, turnaround move back a yard.....etc.  Out to 25 yards or so.
Doing this helps me eliminate the target panic I get starting at around 17 yards and on out.  Is this hurting me in any way?

Thanks
Ken

[pdk25]

I'll be interested to hear what others say on this topic. I've been shooting trad for a litle over a year and I do the same, except I start around 10 and move back in 5 yard increments to 30.  I also sometimes shoot my first arrow from 30 and then arbitrarily change the distance.  One shot at 25, one at 15, maybe back to 30 and so on.  I personally haven't noticed any problems, but since I hold my anchor for longer than most I haven't had any problems with target panic.  I just do this to help my distance judgement.

[reddogge]

I couldn't adhere to a regimin like Ken's.  Too restrictive for me.  My shooting practices take several forms.  

1. Walk the target out about 20-25 yards and shoot different distances.  A little boring but good for working on form, equipment, etc.
2. Shoot at tennis balls, foam balls in the yards with Judo points.
3. Rove around the yard with Judos and shoot at anything at any distance.  I also carry one in the quiver and shoot it when quitting hunting or walking to the blind in the daylight as kind of a warmup.

[Langhorn]

Whats up fellas?!  Ken first off, I believe it is worth saying that each individual has a different way or routine or preference if you will on the way they shoot and practice.  I would say if your method of practice is helping you for now, lets say by getting the jitters out by taking a few close shots, keep doing it man!  However, you do not want to become reliant on close practice shots to bring you to proper shooting form in the long run for obvious reasons. Keep tabs on your progress according to your practice routines.  I think that ultimately you will find that there is one thing(often a state of mind) that will totally take your shooting to the next level, then you build on that.  For now though, if it is proving for a more productive practice session, let em fly!  Good Luck and never, never, never quit!

[zetabow]

I shoot IFAA Longbow so a lot of my practice is walkback, every 5 yards back to 70yards.

To keep it interesting I play a game sometimes where I put a single vegas face on and start at 10 yards and move back five yards every shot to see how far back i can get, if I miss I allow myself another shot, if I miss that I have to go forward half the distance I reached.

It keeps me foucsed and feeling like I'm in a tourney under a little pressure situation, the distances I'm weak at and miss I tend to spend more time on whereas the distances I'm confident at I just flow through, I always find just shooting arrows can be little dangerous as you get bored and pick up bad habits, it really helps to have something to keep you focused and challenged and on a good day I'm pretty tidy out to 50 yards.

[Pruneemac]

I like all the above advice. We started a game called "Speed Archery", each week we meet at someones house and they get to select the game (we have devised many) some weeks we shoot for speed (4 seconds to draw and shoot against another shooter) other weeks we go for score on a dart board type target. range from 25 yds to 70 yds.

Point is, I think by only shooting out to 25 yrds you haven't built confidence in your ability to judge distance and hit a target at that distance. Shoot at 50 yds. for a while and then move in to 25 and see how easy it feels. Here in the west a 40-50 yd shot is about average. Good Luck!

[zetabow]

Agree pruneemac, lets face it archery practice can be boring and you need to find ways to keep yourself challenged and focused, otherwise you cant progress.