trouble reaching psychotrigger

[Lee Lobbestael]

Does anybody else have trouble reaching there psychotrigger (whether it be a clicker or feather to the nose) after fifteen shots or so? I don't have much trouble untill I start to tire out and then it can take six seconds or so to get a shot off. Even if i'm concentrating on pulling. When this happens I just have to keep shooting to prove to myself I can still pull to the psychotrigger!     This makes me even more tired and lowers my confidence. This happen to anyone else?

[CLICKERMAN]

Lee,

This is usually not a physical strength issue, it is a mental strength issue.  Shooting with such concentration can be mentally exhausting at first.  To check, try pulling through your trigger when you know you are not going to shoot the arrow.  If that is physically taxing, you need to lower your bow weight, if you are able to pull to the trigger with no problem knowing you are not going to shoot, it is a mental issue and you need to strengthen your mental system through determination and making the decision that your are not going to shoot the arrow unless it is perfect in concentration.

JT

[McDave]

There are two possibilities: either your muscles are just getting fatigued, or you are tensing your opposing muscles so they are  working against each other.

You can tell which one it is.  If you're tired, like you would be on your 15th bench press, you know your muscles are just exhausted. In that case, you just need to rest until your muscles recover.

But if you just feel like you're hitting a wall, and you don't feel exhausted, then your mind is interfering with your body. In that case, you need to do some mental exercise to occupy your mind to get it out of the way of your body. There are a lot of ways to do this, from focusing on your breathing, to saying a mantra, to saying a word when you reach certain critical points in your shot. The whole point is to occupy your conscious mind and get it out of the way of your body so your body can make the shot it knows perfectly well how to do.

[Rossco7002]

You could try repeating your manta while inhaling rather than exhaling. I've found this aids in expansion and allows me to reach my trigger more easily when I'm shooting my heavier bow (68@27).

Let us know what works.

[Paul WA]

Since I have been told not to shoot a bad arrow I only take 2 with me to practice with, having a bum shoulder I tire quickly and after 2 I am just flinging arrows...PR

[yekrut]

I have the same problems, its all mental for me its not bow weight, just having some trouble with it.

Interesting.  

I had trouble reaching the "trigger" too. The darn bow felt like it weighed 100#'s because I was anticipating reaching the trigger. Then, it dawned on me that reaching the "trigger" is not the end of the shot.  I have to concentrate on reaching conclusion, which is beyond the trigger. My conclusion is for my finger tip to brush the bottom of my ear.  During the expansion part of the shot sequence, my only thought is to reach conclusion, and the "trigger" just happens along the way.  :^)

[Diamond Paul]

I think Jim has a good point; you sound like the feather to the nose, or whatever it is for you, is triggering the shot, but it shouldn't be.  What you call a "trigger" would be what I would call my anchor; I get there first, then the shot really "starts" when I engage my back to execute the actual shot.  The bow fires whenever it fires once I engage the back; I don't consciously decide when it will fire.  Sometimes it longer, sometimes not.  What you are describing might also creep into the realm of target panic; some people manifest target panic through an inability to get the bow all the way back to anchor.  I certainly hope this is not the case in your case.

Diamond Paul,

I think he’s acknowledged that he has target panic.  Here’s the thread that will explain more about his dilemma and what he’s trying to accomplish--I think.

  http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=6;t=006578

[Diamond Paul]

Ok, I'm sorry to hear that.  Target panic is tough; I've never had it shooting instinctively, but I dealt with it when I shot compounds with a scope and release.  To me, it almost seems like you need some kind of aiming device to experience target panic, as seeing the sight move around, on and off the "x," makes it pretty hard to go ahead and execute the shot with any confidence.  But, since target panic really boils down to "fear of the result" (i.e., missing or making a bad shot), I guess instinctive shooters could have it as well.  Work through it, it will eventually resolve itself.

[dragonheart]

Check your set up.  A predominant archer/coach recommends that a recurve shooter with a clicker will pull only one mm to activate the clicker once reaching anchor point.  Keep a dynamic shot that simply slows at anchor and transitions to the back muscles.  Avoid stopping and holding at full draw.