Why cant I get my hand to my face #@!$!!

[Koko Bow]

Try as I might, I cannot seem to get my draw hand near my face for me to find an anchor.  I have been working on other things like back tension, grip pressure,.. but I cannot seem to get that hand near my face.  Any thoughts on what I may not be doing that is keeping that hand from getting to my face??  I heard someone say bring the hand to the face and not the face to the hand.  This is perplexing.  I can look off target and my hand cozies right up on my face when I draw.  Uhg!

[Davt]

Get yourself a very light wt. bow similar to  what you shoot i.e. longbow for longbow, recurve for recurve. I mean real light, say 35-40 lbs at  your draw. Set it up with some nice arrows that shoot well. Then, use that bow to practice on a fairly regular basis, not long shots, keep them real close where it is easy to group tight groups and hit where you want to. This will allow you to shoot relaxed and get the bow back without mental or physical stress, This will allow for some muscle memory to take place, as well as be fun. Make sure you shoot the heavier bow a bit as well.

[jhansen]

Try getting real close to a target, preferably a fairly large one, about 6 feet away.  Look at the target then close your eyes.  Now come to full draw with your eyes still shut.  Concentrate on reaching your anchor point.  Now let down without shooting.  Do this a few more times.  Then look at the target, close your eyes, come to full draw, and release.  Remember, you should be so close to the target that there is no way the arrow can miss completely.  Where the arrow hits the target doesn't matter in the least.  You are working on form alone.  Be patient with this.  You will have a tendency to want to jump ahead to "real shooting" but don't do it.  If you don't become comfortable with your form you will never shoot well.

John

[sendero25]

Koko Bow..I wish I could offer some positive advice, and if you figure it out, let me know!
Looking at your avatar, you seem to anchor about the same place I do.  If the base of my thumb is anywhere near my cheek, away she goes!  I have the worst case of premature release/target panic and I have tried everything to cure it, so far to no avail.
I've tried a light bow (35lbs), Dr. Kidwell's book and pvc bow drills, blind bale shooting, etc..
My next step is a clicker.  You may want to give it a try.  I'll let you know if it works for me!
I am not overbowed, I can draw any of my bows with ease to a proper anchor without an arrow or a target in front of me, but let me get ready to shoot a real arrow, and it feels like my 47# longbow goes from 47 to 100 lbs in the last inch to reach the corner of my mouth.
Best of luck, and keep us posted what works for you, there are others of us out here with the same problem!
John

[Koko Bow]

Thanks guys.  A light weight bow seems to make no difference - for me anyway.  I am wondering if I have a head allignment issue??? Maybe I'll try to post a pic.

[Ravenhood]

I put a clicker on until my muscles got used to it.

[ivoryhunter]

I have a similar problem, which I would guess is a form of target panic, when I am drawing on something that I would not shoot like a log that is part of my backstop I can draw my 60lb. bow to behind my ear if I wanted, yet if I am focusing on a shot I seem to hit a brick wall in front of my face with even 40lbs. I have been trying to work through this for awhile without much success, I did try a clicker for a couple of weeks but perhaps did not give it a fair tryout as it seems several people say it takes a month or so of practicing with it, so I may try using one again.

[Koko Bow]

IH - I can draw on target or off target but can't seem to get that hand on my face to even determine where a consistent anchor could be.  Talk about frustrating!

[Gene R]

i had target panic so bad that I could not come to ancor for the life of me. I would release about 2 to 3 inches from anchor. I got J Kidwell's book, Instinctive Archery Insights. Helped alot, also, he is on this site and will help you overcome this problem. but in my humble opinion it is good to get the book and follow the practice drills. You CAN overcome it, I have been having really good luck as of late, and if I get to where I want to release early I go back to the practice and it goes away. Good luck!

Practice drawing with your right eye closed and left open, do not release.  when that is effortless, do the same with the left eye closed, then draw with the left eye closed anchor and open the left eye, do not shoot.  When you can do that smoothly, then do the same with both eyes open. When you can can do it with both eyes open and not suffer from the heebie jeebies, shoot.

[NJWoodsman]

This will help:
1."Don't Shoot" or "Wall Drill"- face a wall (no target), come to anchor, hold, let down

2. When this is confident, go to blank bale. Think "2 anchor", one is your face, the other is the target. Tell yourself you are only going to shoot if and when you have those anchors, and can maintain that position for a couple of seconds.

3. If you don't get to anchor, let down, don't shoot.

[LongStick64]

I've been down this road and I know what you are going through. What worked for me is a complete commitment to bale shooting. Until I committed to shoot at the bale and only the bale and only at 5 five away every single time I shot. After a solid 2 months of doing nothing but bale shooting, I started to increase my distance. Each time making absolutely sure to move back to square one if I didn't feel comfortable.
The other thing a good friend of mine who has studied hypnosis told me to think of is to work on some mind power skills, to forget about the distance and stop focusing on distance, bring the target mentally closer. Focus on the target not how far away it is.

[Kingstaken]

From your picture ya elbow appears to be high with possibly torquing the string up and you don't seem to be at right angles to the target and no cant or bent head .
I would try the following:
Draw a line parale with a target and stand perpendicular to the target.
Raise the bow hand canting the bow to about 2 O'clock bending ya head slightly down parallel into the bow and draw back to your mouth.

[Koko Bow]

I appreciate the input guys.  BTW the avatar is an older one and things have improved leaps and bounds since then.  I seem to be fixing things one at a time. This is the last thing I'd really like to fix - lol!

I am also wondering that since everyone's body is different I may be trying to force to an anchor point that is not right for ME. Hmmmmm.

[jhansen]

English archers of old drew back to behind the ear.  This must have put the arrow a long way from the eye.  I've seen people anchor by touching the index finger to their collar bone and shoot accurately.  This was even further from the eye.  I've come to the conclusion that what matters most is doing everything the same way each and every time.  Our brain is a wonderful thing.  As long as the bow is drawn to the same distance (equal power each time)and pointed in the correct direction, the arrow will fly in the same trajectory and our brain will learn to put it where we look.

John

[kenn1320]

Ive had target panic show itself with this problem, but yours might not be that problem. For others that have posted on this, TP is the obvious culprit. If you can hold at draw, but just not feel your face, its not TP in my opinion. This is where you have to do some moving around to get an anchor. If your head is high and back, you likely wont ever get your hand to your mouth. Right or wrong, I kinda lean into my shot. Not lean toward the target, but lean as if my ear is going towards my belly button. This puts my head in line with that magical line between your left hand and right hand/elbow. That being said if I pursposely try to feel an anchor, I find it takes my mind off the target and I dont shoot as well. I cured my short draw(bow would stop drawing about 1" short like it hit a wall) by purposely only focusing on my drawing. It would be similiar to what others have discribed above I guess. I would purposely say draw the bow fast and hard till my finger is in my anchor, then focus on the target. Every now and again I find it happens occationaly, but only after Ive shot a lot of arrows in a session. I get that wall, then do a "pump" where I give it a tug and release and that is usually the best shot of the day(dont ask me why, I have no idea). Im no coach, self taught so take this advice for what it is.
Ken

[Rick Enos]

You might try shooting left handed.I'm told the right side of the brain controls what you do on the left side.If you try left handed shooting the right side of the brain is controling the motion.This sounds crazy but I know quite a few people that switched to left handed shooting because of target panic.Its the only thing that worked for them.Just try pulling your bow back with your left hand I'll bet you hit anchor....

[bowslinger]

I feel your pain!  I have intermittent problems with getting my draw hand (right-hand shooter) to my anchor point.  This usually ends up with my right hand away from my face when I release.  

When I pull my hand away from my face at the time of release, I almost always shoot right.

From reading other posts here and watching a few instructional videos, I finally thought maybe I was not coming to full draw.  But I would have sworn and bet money I was coming to full draw.  

Two things that you can try.

1) Draw your bow as you normally would and try to remember how it feels.  Draw again facing a mirror and see if you have proper arm/shoulder/elbow alignment (see Terry's form clock sticky at the top of this forum).  You should be able to force your hand to your face while looking at your reflection while at full draw.  If you feel stress in your right shoulder, you are not using proper back tension.

2) Make or buy a Formmaster.  That was the ultimate tool that absolutely proved I was not coming to full draw.  With the first several tries with a gerry-rigged version, my right arm was pulled sharply forward, indicating I was holding the draw with my right shoulder, not my back.  Each time I tried, I swore I drew back even further, but still got the same result.  I finally really hauled back and drew hard.  My right arm did not budge on the release.

I have since made my own poor man's copy of the Formmaster based on a post on Tradgang.  Once I started using it, I finally felt what back tension really feels like.  Now when I short draw, if I imediately stop and replay the shot in my mind, I sense the lack of back tension.  By coming to full draw, my hand automatically seems to pull into my face. If I draw and can't feel my anchor, I know I am likely shortdrawing by either not extending my bow arm all the way and holding/pushing it out through the entire shot, I am literally short drawing with my bow arm and not getting my right elbow back and into proper alignment, or a combination of the two.

Don't let your frustration overwhelm you.  If you can drive a car, hold a job or do your own taxes (or any other much more complicated tasks)you can figure this out!

Good Luck!

Mike

[Kip l Hoffman]

My guess is that you have a real good case of target panic.  this is caused by stress.  you want to hit the target and are so upset when you miss that you deliberately do things that cause you to miss.  Thus you have a built in excuse for missing.  IE, you don't come to a proper anchor.  

Being as this is a mental problem you probably are not going to get over it.  Or it will come with lots and lots of self determination.

It is hard to accept missing, but you must learn to do it.  One of the reasons i came back to traditonal archery is it allows me to miss occasionaly with out feeling the extreme anger at myself that i had when i missed a shot with all of the mechanical gadgets that come with compounds and sights etc.

What i am going to suggest as a cure may seem totally insane but i will absolutley guaranteee you that it will work.

We will assume to start with that you are a right handed archer.  GO BUY YOURSELF A CHEAP LIGHT POUNDAGE LEFT HANDED BOW.  That is right, you read me correctly.  Get a left handed bow.

I can hear ou rihgt now saying that you are right eye dominant.  So what.  You were throwing rocks at frogs long before you ever even heard of eye dominance. You use both eyes to look at a pretty girl, you are using both eyes when you read this letter, use both eyes when you shoot your bow.  When you are using both eyes, dominance means nothing.  

There is no way that you can expect yourself to shoot a left handed bow and hit anything.  No one in their right mind including you would expect you to hit any thing but the dirt shooting left handed.

You have shot long enough now that you know the proper form and you know how to shoot properly.  Take that knowledge and apply it to your left side.  It is like starting all over again with the wealth of knowledge that you have learned along the way.

It is most important to pick out your spot before you even draw the bow.  When you get back to full draw and your left hand is firmly anchored against your jaw bone, THEN TAKE ONE LAST LOOK AT THE SPOT.  If you are shooting at an animal, it will give you one last moment to show respect for the life you are about to take.  If you will take this last split second to look at your spot your brain will release the arrow when your brain literaly goes forward to the spot.  Remember the "Force is with you."  It truely will be.  

You are going to train your mind to release the arrow when at the very end of the shot your brain goes forward to the target.  You will literally feel your entire world go forward to the spot.  Once you have conditioned your brain to go to the spot with a light poundage left handed bow you can work the poundage up.

You may be able some day to take this same form back to your right hand but it really makes no difference if you do or not.  You will be shooting well and enjoying it.

Remember, you are training your self to release the arrow when your brain is focusing intensely and soley on the target.  

I know this works as I taught myself to shoot left handed.

I am new to this site but will help you all that i can.  Target Panic is a serious and terrible illness.


Best of luck,
Kip

[mambashooter]

After reading all that advice I