Shooting one arrow at a time?

[Rusty in Fla.]

I've heard people time after time advocate the method of practice of just shooting one arrow at a time. I've done it myself, but after reading a recent thread on practice I got to wondering if we aren't allowing ourselves to maintain just one more mental crutch by thinking that we can only shoot one arrow at a time. Unless we are strictly formal target shooters shouldn't we be shooting in all kinds of conditions, at all kinds of angles and in all kinds of light?
   I know on a few occasions I have gone to a club shoot at different clubs and shot a coon shoot or a poachers round, whatever they call it. It is basically a match shot at night in either total darkness or just by the light of a flashlight. For whatever reason I seem to shoot better at night than during the night.

  Just food for thought...

[zetabow]

Think it depends on what you shoot, I prefer to shoot groups because I shoot IFAA Field rounds, this requires 4 arrows per target, I need to build mental and physical stamina to shoot 112 arrows per round over a 5 day tourney, so I shoot a doz arrows at a time starting at 10y and work my way back every 5 yards, this kind of training works very well for me.

Do what works for you, I see no reason why not to do both walkback and one arrow shots in you practice routine. I like to do different things each session with specific goals to keep it interesting and fun.

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IFAA World\\European champ, Fita 3D world champ

[hcorrigall]

Zeta-All we get is that we should shoot only 1 arrow at a time.Walk-get the arrow and shoot again? How do we know if we can replicate the shot again if we dont shoot another arrow.Are we only good for one arrow where its supposed to be? Or can we put another there in the same spot??I think it would be good if we had shoots where scoring is done on 2 arrows.I recon that would show consistancy.Am I right or wrong-im relatatively new to this so any input would be beneficial to me.

[eric-thor]

hey guy' heres my two cents .:ok,i do a lot of both  think .i understand both side of the arguement . the thing is one arrow , i get this concept and totally agree with it, in this respect: the shot / shots you have made are in the past .the quiver full of arrows has"no" bearing on the shot you are about to make ... the only arrow that matters/should matter is the one you are about to loose at your target; no matter ;paper,foam or meat. this is a great mind set ! far better than:"well if i miss this one than i allways have more arrows". this leads to bad habbets becomming ok ;cause you have more arrows ! i know that because ive done this longer than ive shot well. now i have much work to train and break old habbets !!!i wish i learned right in the first place!!!  

[texbow2]

I shoot both groups and 1 at a time. Mixing it up helps make it more fun for me. One session I may shoot 5 arrow ends at a 300 round target at 20 or 30 or 40 yards....the next I may shoot 1 arrow at a time at a 3D or small dot changing position(stand, kneel, sit)and distance with every shot. The closer I get to hunting season the I'll also practice out of my double bull or a mock tree stand I have on a hill

[Diamond Paul]

I think that if you shoot instinctive, then one arrow ingrains the idea of picking a spot and putting your whole concentration on it for one shot, as in hunting.  It is very hard for an instinctive shooter to sit there and concentrate at that level for a group of arrows.  Also, you don't want to get in the habit of, in effect, consciously "gapping" to correct for high and low misses, which you will, I guarantee, do if you shoot several arrows at a time.  On the other hand, I think gap shooters are well served by shooting groups to ingrain the precise gap needed at a given distance, maybe even doing the Byron Ferguson thing and having two aim points, one for the arrow and one for the focus (actual target).  Could be wrong, but makes sense to me.

[Don Stokes]

Dan Quillian used to say that it was better to shoot one arrow a day well than to shoot 100 arrows a day poorly.

I do some multiple-arrow target shooting, but my best practice is roving with a single judo arrow. Every shot is different, and it replicates hunting conditions better than anything else.

[71flh]

I just got back from Byron's school a couple weeks ago. His meathod is 90% focus on the target and 10% on the tip of the arrow. Just point the arrow as you would your finger, and focus. I have targets at 20 & 30 yards that I warm up on and make sure my form is correct, then I hit my "walk through the woods range" (11 targets & growing) where I will shoot one arrow at each target. This works for me.

[cbCrow]

I vary my shooting sessions. Some days I use 1 arrow, the next may use three. There 2 things that I use constantly every time I shoot, that is I blank bag for at least 12 arrows and never shoot from the same spot. I vary from 5yds. to 22yds ,from side to side, never the same spot.  

[jackdaw]

OK..her's my two cent worth. I was shooting earlier this week with a friend of mine, (also a trad shooter), and he was very agitated with his shooting. We have both been shooting alot over the last 5 months and he felt he was very inconsistant for all the practicing we had done. The first thing I noticed about him was the arrow had barely reached the target and he was rapidly grabbing for the next arrow in his quiver...there's no way I could keep up with his pace. Finally I told him...STOP! I told him to pick his best arrow, and I picked mine, and the quivers went on the ground....INSTANTLY shots went right to point of aim , for the last 25 minutes of practice....INSTANTLY!! it literally forced you to focus on making that one shot count. Call it a mental crutch if you will...but it's a damn good one!!I'm a firm believer in the one arrow concept.....my opinion....john

[Rusty in Fla.]

I can and have done the one arrow thing. The one thing I can't get my son to do is to start shooting at very short range and work backwards like some have suggested.

[eric-thor]

if hes young , just focus on him being safe and having fun . thats all that matters when thier young.

[swampdrummer]

I usually take 3 arrows out with me. Shoot close up. Almost blank bale range for 9 or 12 arrows then I start moving back for another dozen shots or so. Then I pull arrows and toss them back down range.Any where from 5 yards out to 40 or so. I do that until I'm worn out then go grab my light,30# bow and go back to the blank bale. very close for another 10 or 20 minutes.
Some days I get home late and have stuff to do. I step out with 1 arrow. 1 shot off the porch ( about 23 yards) and call it quits. 99% of the time.that one arrow is a kill shot...

Only time I shoot a bunch of arrows at the same time is when I'm practicing out of a tree stand. Then I take everything I've got up in the tree and shoot till there gone.

[Rusty in Fla.]

Naw, Jr. is 21 now but he generally outshoots the old man anyway.

[monkeyball]

I once knew a guy that was new to Archery and 3-D shoots.From asking around he had found out that you got one shot at each target,so he shows up at his first shoot with one arrow.....what a guy!!!!

[BrokenArrows]

You can still rush one arrow at a time, or make 6 arrows feel like one at a time... it's all in your head. Different folks use different tricks for getting their head in the right place. For example, some shoot 6 arrows, but put the bow down and pick it up between every shot...

[eric-thor]

yes brokenarrows , a agree completely. and do all of what u just said. its part of my inconsistancy that im working to repair. and maby what keeps me rounded as well.
though im striving for excelence with every arrow, what ever that takes to get there.
its definately a journey possibly one of my most difficult ,next to my children,and life itself.

 

[The Butcher]

How many did he have left at the end, lol.  After reading, bare target bag, is what I do the most of, because the bag is in the back yd, and if I get only 10 min a day, that's ten I would not have gotten elsewhere.  But stump shooting with judo's, is hard to beat for the hunter.  Don't get me wrong, nothing replaces form. You must repeat the form time and time again, till it is natural.  But good practice is the key.  If you have a day your not shooting well, try tomorrow.  Don't build on bad habits.

[Whump]

Whump Sez: My 2 cents on 1 Arrow.  I shoot about 30 shots every time I practice but the "FIRST ARROW I SHOOT" is the money shot. If you are a hunter you should strive to make that 1st shot go in the kill zone and the accuracy of that first shot will tell you what is going to happen when you drop the string on your quarry. I don"t pull  after the shot, but I concentrate on putting it in the kill. After you make that first shot you can go for a good group. To be able to walk out to the target cold and drop the first shot in the kill will build your confidence and boost your shot psych . The mental portion of this game is just as important and as big a factor as form and shooting skill.  The one arrow mentality is driven by the idea that if you have to shoot 3 times to get on target then you will  be eating vegetables all winter. I say shoot till your satisfied but never take the first shot for granted---The first shot is the most important shot of your practice.  Hunt Safe.

[KEG]

I'm like Whump in that with my first arrow I try to simulate a hunting shot being as accurate as possible. I then work on form shooting 4 or 5 arrows before retrieving. I do not just fling arrows but concentrate on each shot. I feel for me this is the best way for muscle memory. I finish by shooting one arrow at a time (then retrieving) concentrating on accuracy. I finish with a good shot. I like to have a positive last practice memory.