Concentration help...

[snakebit40]

Probably nothing new and not the first time its been said, but I came up with an idea the other night.

I was reading Byron Ferguson's "Become the Arrow" and read a part where he was talking about picking a spot on game. He said that a friend told him you can 100% of the time find something to aim at on an animal, whether it be a piece of hair, a sun spot, ect.

Anyways that got me thinking, how can I "train" myself to pick out the smallest spot possible. Well my target in my back yard is a big round hay bale. I have some spray paint for targets on it. But I was thinking to have one side with targets and another with nothing painted or added to it. That way I can have a target if I want or pick out small pieces of hay or a sun spot ect. on something some what uniform to help train myself to do so on a animal.

So what do you guys think? Stupid? I just started doing it yesterday and was going to wait and see if it worked but hunting season is a long way away.    

[buckeye_hunter]

Not a stupid idea at all. We have a course here locally that has a number of blank bales. When we shoot, there is always the challenge of "picking a spot".

It is kinda fun, especialy since none of the other shooters can be 100% sure what you are trying to hit. That way, if you miss, they have no idea! Not that I ever miss a shot...    

[BOWMARKS]

I think its a good idea. I have been doing this same thing on a 4 foot square target at my local indoor range and has improved my shooting.

[centaur]

Yes, the more you can focus on a tiny spot, the better the odds of hitting it or at least very near to it. I like the 'button' idea in Masters of the Barebow 4; think of a button on the place you want to hit. Same idea, just a bit of a different way of looking at it.

[LONGSTYKES]

Good Idea, I blank bale all the time. Doing so helps me a lot on focusing on a small spot.

[wtpops]

What I have done for years now and seems to work for me is I stick one of those stick on orange dots, the kind you buy for BB gun or pellet gun targets, on my target, the ones about the size of a dime( buy the way I hardly ever hit it   ). When I’m hunting my brain will superimpose that orange dot on my target, its helps a lot in low light situations when it’s hard to see a hair or crease

[Bowwild]

Your idea is terrific! Learning to look for a spot on a uniform looking object (like a deer) is key to prevent "aiming" at the entire beast or bale!

Once you have burned the sight picture you seek in your mind, before you come to anchor, then forget about it (aiming) and concentrate on your follow-through. Your mind can aim, whatever your system, without your conscious effort. This is focusing on the "back of the shot" instead of the result.

[Jeff Strubberg]

You can practice concentration without any archery equipment at all.  

Next time you are standing around, try focussing on a single ridge in the brick of a wall, one hair one someone's head, the end of a twig on a tree.  You'll besurprised how much better you get at creating your own "spot".

[Bowwild]

Cool advice Jeff!  In my younger days that's similar to how I learned to judge bowhunting distances.  I'd pick a mark (town sign, trashcan, tree, etc.) and guess the distance. Then I'd quietly pace it off.

Of course that staring trick might get you some feedback, especially if it's a hair on a woman's chin or upper lip!

[PaddyMac]

The first time I heard "Aim small miss small" was from my dad. I must have been 9 or 10 and we had a single shot remington .22. He put a can out on a rock against a bank and said, "See the can?" Yep. "See the blue circle on the can?" Yep. "See the 'O' in the blue circle on the can?" Yep. See the ant in the 'O' in the blue circle on the can?" I looked at him. "See the head on the ant in the 'O' in the blue circle on the can?" I'm tilting my head at him now. "See the left eye of the ant in the 'O' in the blue circle on the can?" I'm just thinking he's gone nuts. He says, "Shoot him in the eye. Understand?" I did.

[bofish-IL]

I like to practice by attaching a balloon blown up about the size of a 50 cent piece. I buy a pack at the Dollar store and stick a nail through the stem of the balloon into the deer target or block.

It gives you something to focus on. The only drawback is replacing the broken balloons.

[Silver_Wolf]

I like the idea of the balloon...You get more "bang" for your buck...

[oldbohntr]

Great thread!   This reminds me of something I need to get back to.   In the 70s, my company protected the shafts on sample motors sent to my customers with stacks of Styrofoam “doughnuts” – exactly the size and shape of a glazed doughnut.   I had just gotten over the only 18 months in my life that I ever shot a wheelie bow, and was trying to figure out interesting ways to practice in my basement in the winter.    At maybe 15-17 yards, I tried hanging these on a string in front of my backstop/bale.   Soon figured out that when I attached the same size target to the bale, it felt like a good shot when I hit the doughnut, or even came kinda close to it. ( Coming off a compound with sights, I expected more from my new recurve bow!! ) But, when it was hanging on the string, it didn’t feel good unless I shot through the hole!   If I hit the doughnut, it usually swung/turned aside, or bounced away.   No mental reward there!
You already know what happened: I got a heck of a lot better at shooting through the hole!   And, I had to wait until the thing stopped swinging, or was twisting veerrry slowly, so I had to be extremely patient before drawing, hold concentration,  and if it was moving at all, to anticipate exactly when to release.   It took all I had to get that arrow through that hole!   Not claiming that I was ever able to consistently shoot through a 1” hole at that distance…..but, my groups tightened and …..it felt darn good when it happened!!!    
Many times in my life I’ve gotten away from good practice habits. …sometimes it’s a big comfort to go shoot my bow, even if I’m not in the right frame of mind to do it well!!! (not good practice, I admit.)   Now that you’ve got me thinking,  I’m  gonna “cook up a few doughnuts”.

[Kiwi craig]

I used to do a lot of target shooting a while ago both with a recurve and one those things with training wheels hung off the ends.
What we used to practice was to shoot the same shot over and over again. This means going through the same shot sequence in your head and tacking the arrow out of the quiver in the same way and loading and drawing the bow the same way every time. Then as we were drawing the bow telling ourselves to aim harder over and over until the shot went off.
This worked very well target shooting but it’s going to be a lot harder using traditional gear.

[joekeith]

oldbohntr.......I like that idea.  Some "donuts" would be good practice and add a little fun.  I'll have to make some up.    
On the other hand.....donuts, mmmmm  

[Cool Arrow]

joekeith: You're not by any chance in law enforcement?
    Larry

[Mudd]

Originally posted by joekeith:
oldbohntr.......I like that idea.  Some "donuts" would be good practice and add a little fun.  I'll have to make some up.    
On the other hand.....donuts, mmmmm    

Hahaha!!!  Homer Simpson came to my mind immediately... talk about focus.... not!!!!!...lol

A candle in the dark is my best tool for helping with concentration.

God bless,Mudd

[Zradix]

I have a Printed out life size pick of a broadside deer that I tape on to a big piece of card board.

After I shot out the vitals I replaced the vital part with a new piece of cardboard...Whola!
I had a deer target with "blank" brown colored vital area.
After I shoot a few holes in it I either put in a new piece or run some Brown packing tape over it just to keep it blank.

In this pic it's pretty ate up.
Doesn't take much to redo when needed.

 

[PaddyMac]

This morning I decided to concentrate on form. Shot clock. Alignment. Anchor. Back tension. Release. Keep my (split) fingers apart. Follow-thru in bow and string arms. Didn't worry about my shots. Just focused on hitting the target dead center and doing exactly the same thing every single shot. My groups really tightened up but high and a tad to the right each time. Didn't change where I was looking but just kept focusing on consistency and my groups were tight and kept landing in the same spot, just not the right spot.

Working...

[Rusty Snuffers]

I "stump" shoot in my back yard as often as I can (stupid pinched nerve is killing my practice this week).  My stump is usually one of two mounds of dirt that I've let get a bit weedy.  I'll pick a leaf on a morning glory or some other weed and try to nip the very tip of the leaf.  Next shot will be at another leaf or at a stalk of grass, trying to cut the stalk just where it hits the dirt.  I've been splitting lots of stalks and nipping lots of leaves in recent weeks using that practice method.

Now, if I can keep my nerves in check and the adrenaline level down a bit next time that deer walks out, I'll be just fine.   :D

Rusty