My backstory is that I started shooting in April 2014 after my daughters became interested- because, you know, (Hunger Games). I fell in love after shooting their little scout-class bows (since upgraded), acquired 5 more bows in short order (For myself- A Black Widow target bow, a Jeff Massie Longhorn, and a Martin Panther) and two nice recurves for them. At least one of my 11 year old daughters seem to be moving on to other past-times, but my other has got the most elegant release...College scholarships are dancing before my eyes like sugarplums.
So, when I started I struggled to reliably hit a 40" bale at 20 yards. Wait- who am I kidding? 10 yards. I'm sure I looked a sight- pulling a kids bow and fiberglass arrow back to about 25 inches while tramping around a muddy back yard (as frightened neighbors drew their blinds) and checked up on local ordinances: "He looks dangerous. Does discharging that thing count as a firearm?" Then I upgraded- much to my wife's dismay. How many hobbies does a man need? There's grass to mow! But struggled to hit a 20" target at 30 yards. I started to re-learn some basic principles of form: Bow shooulder too low. Loosen the grip! Stand up straight! Move to 3-under release? Find a better anchor! What happens if I raise my brace height to TEN inches? So, I peaked again in January, hitting about 30-40% in the 5 ring at 20 yards for three months. Less after a beer or three. What am I doing wrong?!
Well, that's the heart of this post. Within the last three weeks or so, I began rewatching vidoes, re-reading comments, and all of the subtle and not so subtle remarks that people have made have started to fall in place. Some of you are pure instinct shooters. Marvelous to watch- incredibly hard to imitate. Some of you who probably have struggled consciously and found cerebral solutions, or at least have taken time to explain your problem, and those that offer practical advice- have helped the most. Jimmy Blackmon, Arne Moe, Jeff Kavanagh videos have helped immensely. Watching a video of my form in comparison (is my nose really that big?)- so embarassing- has been a game changer. I estimate I've shot an average of 5 hours per week for 11 months. What is that? Well, two statistics tell the tale: $1100 and change in equipment @ 240 hours that's $4.58 per hour and amortizing quickly. Pretty good bang for the buck when a movie costs at least $11.00. Or: 25,920 arrows at 108 shots per hour. Clearly, I'm not a natural talent. It's taken conscious effort. I have relearned my draw and release more times than Tiger Woods has reinvented his swing. Well maybe not after this year... I've upped my 5 ring count to about 55-60% (I don't really keep score any other way- look at this way: were I to hunt, wild game has 50/50 odds of survival. I call them fightin odds) with a few brilliant flights that all go in the 5 ring for no discernible reason. I suppose gods do walk the earth now and again. I might make it a consistent 80% in another 1500 hours or so...
I want to give a big shout out to all of you who have taken the time to comment and offer feedback and suggestions to other users- your comments have helped me so much. You really are keeping the craft alive. And such a beautiful craft. It's altered my outlook in so many ways.
Topic: Thanks for helping me with my shooting form (Read 714 times)
