There are many ways to shoot a longbow well.
Some are similar to the way Howard Hill shot, others lean toward Olympic archery style, and others fall somewhere in between. They all work----when done consistently and with perfect form, each and every shot.
However, there are three easy ways to make sure you shoot poorly. The three deadly sins of the archer.
I am sure I will see many, many shooters at the North American Longbow Safari next week exhibiting these sins, but the problem is, most shooters don’t even realize what they are doing wrong. And that is why they don’t shoot consistently well. With just a little coaching, they could all shoot much better than they are now.
And so, without further adieu, here are The Three Deadly Sins of the Archer (according to Rik).
NOT REACHING FULL DRAW.
This is the most common error I see. For the most part, it is not caused by being over bowed. It is not a physical issue------it is all in the mind. Some do it because they are trying to get rid of the arrow as fast as possible. Others do it because they panic just before they reach full draw. Others do it because that is how their friends all shoot and they think that is the way it should be done. This archer’s sin takes more work than the other two to fix, but it’s not rocket science, and many great, great shots have put in the hours of practice needed to overcome the error and consistently come to full draw, each and every shot. They are now “Happy Campers.”
DROPPING THE BOW ARM.
You have probably watched dozens of people at every 3-D shoot you have attended making this mistake. At the exact moment they release the string, they drop the bow arm, either straight down, or down and off to either the left or right side. This archer’s sin is caused by not following through with the shot until the arrow reaches the mark. The result is erratic arrow placement. The solution is to keep your bow hand on target until after the arrow strikes. If you can do that, you are well down the road to consistent accuracy.
STRING HAND FLYING OUT FROM THE FACE. Many call this “plucking the string” but that is an inaccurate description for the problem. If you “pluck” the string straight back, directly in line with the arrow, you can shoot phenomenally well. That is called “follow through” with the string hand. Watch an Olympic archer shoot, and you will see what I am talking about.------they are well coached. Some of the best shooters either don’t move the string hand at all upon release, or they follow through with the string hand as I described above. The archer’s sin is to move the string hand out from the face upon releasing the string. This will send the arrow either slightly left or slightly right, depending on whether the shooter is left or right handed. Either way, it is not conducive to consistent, accurate shooting.
As we all know, there is no “one way” to shoot a longbow well, but there are definitely ways to MAKE SURE you don’t shoot well. The three examples above will assure it.
P.S. Pat asked above what kind of bow “Gone Outback” is. It’s a 66-inch Sunset Hill takedown. A Bamboo Beauty. Nate made it for my third trip to Australia. Even the compound guys I was hunting with there had to admit, it’s one great-looking bow.
Topic: HH bug got me ... Part One! (Read 348769 times)
