Target Panic Reality Check

[muley40]

Thanks John for posting the photos,hope they help some members how to make tab sear,

[Flingblade]

I would like to try a tab sear but don't have anything here that would work.  It seems most are using the blades from a compound rest.  Does anyone have an extra blade from one of these rests they would be willing to part with if I sent a s.a.s. envelope and a couple bucks?

[CLICKERMAN]

Flingblade,

I use a Speed Fin .023 or 015 from Specialty Archery.  They are in the Arrow Rest Accessories link on the Specialty Archery Website.  They are actually a rest arm from a Bodoodle Arrow Rest like a Pro Lite II or a Timberdoodle.  The pictured sear is just like the one I designed.  There are pictures of my sear placement further back in this post.

JT

[CLICKERMAN]

Randy,

Please call me and I can help you out.  You are correct in saying that you need to work on the concentration part of the shot activation.  Ask yourself on those shots that lock up, what are you thinking about.  If it is not pulling, or you don't feel you muscles moving, your mind is in the wrong place.  Let the shot down, analyze your thoughts, then try again.  You have to make the decision that you are not going to shoot a shot unless it is perfect in concentration!!!!!

JT

[Flingblade]

Thanks Joel.  I just ordered the .015 and .023 fins.  I didn't know they sold those separately.  From your pictures it looks like I will need a very small short panhead bolt to attach.?  Once the position is determined do you glue it to keep it from rotating?  When using the tab sear do you bring the feather to your nose and hold there to maintain consistent draw length?  Although I have had good success with the feather to nose I am looking forward to giving this a try!  Thanks again!

[South MS Bowhunter]

Joel,

Had time tonight to try what we talked about, and I can tell what confidence I had when talking to you on the phone does not materialize with bow in hand.

Same grembling are there and in force!  I’m not able to use the feather to the nose as the trigger as I currently shoot split and the feather is not near my face much less my nose even when drawing far past my cheek seeing if it would work.  

So I tried to use my middle finger as the trigger and anchor with the base of my thumb touching the bottom of my ear lobe and using the mantra keep pulling till the middle finger touch the corner of my mouth.

I would break down before it would touch and usually I could feel my thumb sliding past my cheek on the way to the ear lobe and this cause much resistance too keep pulling.  

I did have trouble maintaining focus to keep telling myself to keep pulling but did recognize this.

[South MS Bowhunter]

DP again  

[CLICKERMAN]

South ms,

You are just now starting to realize the mental battle that is going on in your head.  If your feather is not close to your face, the easiest psychotrigger to start with is a clicker.  Using your fingers on your face is an anticipatory trigger and will not work very well.  Please call me back, I have some questions for you.  Your answers will be very important to your success.

[buzzcut]

Clickerman,
First, thank you for your thread.  I have been following it and it has helped my struggles with target panic.  I feel I understand the concept fairly well, but I am struggling finding the trigger.  I have toyed with different types of glove triggers, but my fingers are so short that any attempt to press a button or snap attached to my hand is downright painful.  Any trigger on my face is clearly an antcipatory trigger for me.  My main question, it looks like I should try a clicker, but will I be stuck with that, or is there something to move on to after that. Could a clicker be attached to the bow handle and acivated with the bow hand with the same result as a tab sear? Thank you.

[CLICKERMAN]

Buzzcut,

Yes a clicker can be attached to the bow handle and activated with the bow hand.  I have tried it and it works great if you can figure out how to attach it to your riser handle.  Depending on the configuration of the handle, you can also make a tiny ridge on the handle where one of your fingernails is placed.  You can snag the ridge with your fingernail, apply pressure, and it will pop off the ridge as a surprise, actually works pretty well.  However the concentration, like always, must be placed in the movement that gets you to your trigger.  So you mantra might switch to "Keep Pressing..."  That is the mantra I use for my tab sear.  You will essentially be putting a sear (sharp, hard edge) on the handle instead of on the tab.  Call if you have any questions on how I set it up.  253-686-3623

Good Luck,

JT

[buzzcut]

Thanks for your reply.  I'm looking at different types of clickers to attach.  I've actually found a small hair clip my wife uses, which might work quite well  

[Flingblade]

Joel,
I have a question about the tab sear.  When I shoot and I am saying the keep pressing mantra sometimes I am conciously aware of the thumbnail popping off the sear and sometimes it seems the thumbnail pops off and the release goes at the exact same time.  It seems more of a surprise release when it happens at the same time and I can't conciously remember the thumbnail popping off but I am concerned that I didn't actually get to the trigger and it is the dirty little gremlin trying to get back in the game.  When I am aware of the trigger it is like a muzzleloader going off where you here the click and the bang separately.  Which should I be striving for?  Are you always conciously aware that the trigger happened?  I was going to call you with this question but I thought others working with the sear may be interested in your response.  Thanks.
Gary

[cch]

When I see joel shoot, it is just like a muzzleloader going off. You can hear the click and then he shoots. When I use it I have the problem of pushing it and releasing at the same time. I have gone back to the feather to my nose as that seems the most accurate to me.
Chris.

[Flingblade]

Thanks Chris.  I am going to keep playing with the sear for the next couple weeks but like you I may go back to the feather to nose.

[CLICKERMAN]

Flingblade,

When shooting a psychotrigger, the movement that gets you there should be your entire world.  When I shoot a tab sear, I draw back and aim, then I put my thumbnail on the sear.  Once it is attached to the sear, I am concentrating on pressing it so intensly that I can feel it moving, just like feeling your back muscles moving when pulling through a clicker.  I just keep the movement going until it pops.  The gremlin is waiting to release and the pop of the sear gives him permission to do so.  If it pops too fast, I don't release.  If it is taking too long, I don't release.  I have made the decision to only shoot the shot if it is perfect in concentration.  That perfection will be recognized with a time frame as well.  If it pops too soon, I was not fully committed to the shot yet and I let down.  If it is taking too long, I was committed to the shot, but something in my head is keeping it from popping.  That too is recognized by a thought of "Man this is taking forever."  I am able to recognize that thought and let down.

So it really boils down the committment to the shot.  If it pops before committal, let it down.  If it pops too long after committal, let down.  

If you shoot a shot that is perfect in concentration, you will be able to recall specific details about the shot.  I.E. the movement of your thumb, increasing pressure on the sear, and ultimately what you were thinking about during the shot.  

So to answer your question, my release happens as soon as my mind realizes the sear popped.  It is virtually instantaneous, as it should be with any psychotrigger!!!

JT

[Flingblade]

Thanks for a very good explanation Joel.  The "man this is taking forever" thought is a frequent one for me and I need to work on letting down when that happens.  I am going to try a different tab as the Black Widow 3 under tab I am using is too soft. The leather bends as I press down and sometimes it doesn't pop at all.

[McDave]

man this is taking forever

Thanks for posting this.  It helps me to understand what Joel means when he says to be aware of what your thoughts are as you draw the bow.  When I'm drawing a bow that I should be able to easily draw to full draw, and seem to hit a mental wall where I can't draw it any further, I'm thinking the same thing: "Man this is taking forever," or "Uh oh, I just hit the wall where I can't draw the bow any further."

The point I failed to realize until now is that those are also thoughts that I should be aware of.  Up until now, I thought of them as just being reactions to things that are happening, and didn't really think of them as conscious thoughts.  It also follows that if those are thoughts that I should be aware of, then there was probably a thought that immediately preceded it that was something like, "I hope I don't hit the wall."  That is a thought too.  Clearly if I wondered in the middle of drawing the bow if my fly was unzipped, I would identify it as a separate thought, because it is unrelated to drawing the bow.  But thoughts that are an integral part of what I'm doing are also thoughts that are capable of being identified, and focused out if necessary, which is what I need to learn to do.

I believe what Joel is saying, and I'm just now beginning to get, is that if my mind were focused enough to where my only thought was pulling, I wouldn't have other thoughts like, "I hope I don't hit the wall," or "I just hit the wall," and maybe then I WOULDN'T hit the wall!

Sorry if it seems stupid that I wouldn't be able to identify my own thoughts.  But possibly it might help someone else to know that you may be ignoring thoughts that could really be a part of the problem because they are so obvious that you just tune them out.

[cch]

ttt

[KSdan]

I would HIGHLY suggest Jay Kidwell's book too.  Sports psychology applied to archery. Very similar insights to this post.  I have a number of friends; pro, olympian, collegiate, athletes who use this same stuff applied to many disciplines. One of my good friends trains Pro Golfers in this stuff.  I think Kidwell has seen 100% cure of TP with Olympic archers thus far.  His book is the best $12 investment any bow hunter can make.

My 2C
Dan

[Flingblade]

I thought I would post a picture of the tab sear I have been using with good results for the past three weeks.  I started with the full length blade for the bodoodle rest and tried the same position that Joel uses but noticed I had to contort my thumb and the blade was tearing up my face.  I cut the blade down to about 1/4" and tried eight different locations.  I finally found the right location high in the center of the tab.  That is what was comfortable for me.  I like the fact that no further major muscle movement is required to activate the shot; however I do have to be more concious of maintaining back tension.  That was automatic with the feather to nose.  I am going to stick with this for the rest of this year and see how it works come hunting season.