Why can't I hold on target?

[Rossco7002]

I shoot lightweight (42 - 50lbs) bows and I'm a strong, fit guy. I can come to full draw on a brick wall and hold there pretty much indefinately however when I draw on a target the arrow is gone after about a second. If I really bear down and concentrate on holding I can stay there for about 3 seconds but my accuracy then deteriorates because I'm concentrating on the hold not the shot. I also I get kinda jittery and notice the point of my arrow swaying around in the bottom of my periferal vision. My release can also suffer and is not as consistent as when I pull all the way through to release without a distinct pause.

As per the subject header "why can't I hold" for a couple seconds on target before release? Thoughts and opinions please.

[Rick Richard]

I had the same problem and the way I over came it was to draw the bow, hold and then let down without releasing.  I did this for a week or so before going back to shooting.  I think this was a form of Target Panic. I still incorporate this into my practice routine.

[zetabow]

Good advice from Rick after a week of drawing and letting down, break yourself back into releasing with random shots releasing 1 in 5 Draws and only decide to release after you've totally settled into aim. As you get better reduce to 1 in 3 shots. When youre back on track dont stop the exerises, do it one a week just to keep everything together.

Being able to stop and restart the shot at any point is VERY difficult for a lot of Trad shooters (you will only ever see the top tourney shooters do this).

If it doesn't feel right DONT commit to the shot, you end up digging yourself into a hole which is hard to climb out.

[ranger 3]

Very good advice here

Originally posted by ranger 3:
Very good advice here

Yes indeed!!!

You may be lucky enough to have caught it in time so you can overcome it.  Good Luck to you.  Follow the routine and don't shoot (commit to the shot) until you're settled.

[mahantango]

Good advice. Try to break it NOW. It only gets worse, trust me, I've been fighting this for a couple years. I'm spending this winter doing the same draw, anchor, hold, let down drill to try to get my shot under control.

[Gregg S]

One other suggestion is to try a clicker. This changes your mind set. Now, as you come to anchor your brain is screaming SHOOT! With the clicker your brain already knows that even after you get to full draw you will not be shooting until you start pulling through the shot and when you do hear the click the arrow will be on it's way without a thought (suprise). Once you use this for awhile you may find that you are now able to go back to shooting without it because now you have convinced your brain that you CAN hold at anchor and then pull through the shot when you want to. It helped me instantly to get control of my shot but it still took awhile to get control of it without the clicker.

[reddogge]

Try sitting in front of a blind bale and shooting with your eyes closed. That helped me when my shooting gets jumpy.

[Rossco7002]

Guys,

Thanks for the suggestions here, very helpful. I really feel that getting this kind of control built into the shot will pay huge dividends with regards to accuracy on the range and in the field so I'm dedicated to mastering it.

This afternoon I spent and hour shooting just one arrow at a time. I would come to full draw and hold for several seconds while really concentrating on the target then let down. The next shot I'd do the same thing but let the shot go after bearing down on the target for a few seconds. I found that to master this I really had to stop caring when my arrow landed and just let things happen.

Initially I was spraying arrows. It was very hard to overrule that 'SHOOT NOW' command in my brain and still keep my form together when the shot went off a few seconds later. Having said that I was pleased to see real progress by the end of my training session where I could hold for 2-5 seconds on target and then allow the shot to 'just happen'. My form began to come together again and the shots where falling where I looked (most of the time).

For the last 3 years I've really been working on this without much forward progress but with the season (successfully) ended and the purchase of a lighter weight bow I have taken away the mental pressure of maintaining accuracy so I can concentrate on improving technique (if that makes any sense).

Steve M - thanks for your input. My interest in developing this control actually stems from watching some of your Youtube vids. The relaxed hold at full draw is very well illustrated there.

[USN_Sam1385]

I have been aggressively battling this for the past 6 months.

It has gotten to the point that I CAN NOT even come to full draw before releasing the arrow. However, just like you I can draw back and hold indefinitely with ease if I KNOW in my brain that I am not having to actually take the shot.

It is certainly a terrible form of target panic.

I ordered a clicker 2 days ago, and it should be here tomorrow. I am optimistic that it will help.

[Jock Whisky]

I find that most of us with this malady put way too much emphasis on burning a hole in the target from the getgo rather than building the shot first and THEN focusing on the target.

We can concentrate on the target until our eyeballs pop out but if we haven't completed the sequence of steps required for a good shot we will continue to spray arrows all over the place. Don't ask me how I know this.

JW

[zetabow]

Originally posted by Rossco7002:


Steve M - thanks for your input. My interest in developing this control actually stems from watching some of your Youtube vids. The relaxed hold at full draw is very well illustrated there.

Well I had same problem 12 years ago, so some light at the end of the tunnel knowing it's a problem that can be overcome. I had it bad and took about 2 months of work to get the control back and 12 months to shoot tourney without any fears about the problem rearing it's ugly head again.

Even today those execises mentioned feature in my regular practice routine.

[Rossco7002]

Steve,

This may sound odd but I find the less emphasis I put on hitting the target the better I shoot when I'm practicing like this. I concentrate on technique and if I don't worry about where the arrow goes I generally hit where I want - if I don't I can also figure out the form issue that caused the miss pretty quickly.

Does that jive with your experience?

[zetabow]

Originally posted by Rossco7002:
Steve,

This may sound odd but I find the less emphasis I put on hitting the target the better I shoot when I'm practicing like this. I concentrate on technique and if I don't worry about where the arrow goes I generally hit where I want - if I don't I can also figure out the form issue that caused the miss pretty quickly.

Does that jive with your experience?

Yes and No, to shoot in training this is where my focus is but to be truely competitive in tourney I have to let the form run itself and have total focus on where I want the arrow to hit, if I do have a form issue I can do a few shots with more emphasis on form for 1-2 shots to find/fix the problem.

You're right about not worrying where the arrow goes and all the practice has allowed me to run my shot sequence with total faith, to take the stress out of hitting/missing I judge my shots not by the end result\\score but by how well the shot was executed, you can shoot well with focus mostly on form but for me I found getting my best results the real focus has to be on where you want the arrow to go without any doubts on self ability.

Self doubt is what makes us miss, either in one's own ability to maintain form or in aiming, you can do something about form, aim you have to accept it will never be 100% correct just that when you decide on your aim that you commit 100% to that decision even if its wrong, you have better chance of hitting than missing this way. For example on a long 3D shot I cant decide if it's 55 or 60 yards because of tricky terrain I will make my choice (even if I'm not sure) and shoot it with 100% faith, because the slighted doubt will impact on my form and will guarantee a miss.

[LongStick64]

Right on Jock, I think in the same way, build a solid foundation for the shot and learn to shoot from a position of strength. I think many who can't reach anchor are probably using more arm power to draw the bow than back, and many don't incorporate the transfer of load to the back at full draw. So you end up with a shot routine that is solely based on getting to anchor. Very easy at that point for the mind to control the shot and bring in TP.

For me shooting a bow is not a mental exersize, I want to leave my mind out of it as much as I can. I'd rather focus on my back tension than the target. I can see the target alright, it's right there in front of me, no need to obsess about it, instead I'll keep an eye on the target but I'm focusing on maintaining the pull.

[USN_Sam1385]

I just got my clicker this evening.

I installed it on my bow, tweeked it to where the click goes off about 1/16" past the corner of my mouth. That way I get set at the corner of my mouth, then pull a tinnnnnyyy bit more and hear the click.

I already feel less of that target panic just having the clicker on there. It takes the 'decision making' out of the shot. Somehow the burden feels as though it is on the clicker, rather than myself.

Target panic probably sounds ridiculous to someone who has never dealt with it. That a full grown man can become incapable of drawing a bow to a certain point without releasing.

Another thing I feel that added to my target panic is having a very small target. If I miss the 3 x 2 (approx.) target that I have; the arrow will go off into the woods completely. That adds more pressure onto the shot.

I need to build a giant backdrop. Something like 6 feet tall by 8 feet wide. If I missed, oh well.

[8leg-lover]

I mentally talk my self through each shot. My personal style begins as I'm at about 3/4 draw. My mind says "grip" which ensures my hand is in it's proper low wrist position, then "anchor" which tells my nose it needs to be touching the back corner of my shield cut feather, then "hold-get still". These last to occur while I'm aiming. Some of these terms may sound familiar. That's because I've taken parts of how guys like Rick Welch, Larry Yein, and Rod Jenkins shoot. I use just the parts that work for me. This results in about a 3 second shot cycle. It has greatly improved my shooting especially out around 30-40 yards.

[poekoelan]

Rossco,

I suffered with your problem for a long long time and it only got worse, to the point where I couldn't even reach my anchor. I'm still in the process of fixing it but I have made much progress. It sounds like you may be in the early stages of target panic. The earlier you beat it, the better

For myself, I don't care how long I hold as long as I reach my anchor, line things up, and pull through the shot with upper back tension.

Here is how I came around: I think of shooting my bow the same way I shoot a rifle or pistol. Think for a second about shooting a rifle. You don't even consider squeezing the trigger until the stock is on your shoulder and the sights are lined up. Think of your bow the same way. Don't even think about releasing until you've reached your anchor point and you've lined up the arrow with your intended target.

I practiced this a couple months without giving a HOOT about where my arrows went, only that I reached my anchor and got things lined up. And I thought of my bow as gun the whole time.

I got through it about year ago and have since moved on to trying to perfect my form, concentrating on using upper back tension and pulling through the shot.

Forget that it is a bow and think of it as a rifle and see what happens. It worked for me, it may or may not work for you. Good luck

[zetabow]

Even today I still dont give a hoot where my arrow goes, I just know in the back of my mind if the shot is executed well and my aiming focus is strong the arrow will find it's mark, this attitude takes a lot of pressure out from the shot.

Originally posted by zetabow:
Even today I still dont give a hoot where my arrow goes, I just know in the back of my mind if the shot is executed well and my aiming focus is strong the arrow will find it's mark, this attitude takes a lot of pressure out from the shot.

Exacly!