Hi All:
I apologize for my absence. I was traveling in remote parts of PA with little connectivity.
Alvey and Stagetek, thanks for your orders. Your Handy Clickers are on the way...perhaps you even have them already.
Bigdadjon has it right. It’s about finding a shooting blueprint and sticking with it right through the click. The blueprint is sometimes referred to as controlled process or closed loop shooting.
You can see the controlled cycle in this video of me shooting with a Handy Clicker ().
It typically takes 6-24 months for any activity (shooting a bow) to become completely subconscious or automatic. This is why new shooters are often excellent shots right out of the gate. Nothing is automatic so their brains are allowing them to think through and act upon every step of the shot without confusion.
Target panic creeps in when the brain subconsciously and uncontrollably anticipates the next step, which is often acquisition of a certain sight picture. This sight picture/release relationship compels you to shoot before you have reached anchor; or forces you to hold off target and then swing on for an erratic release.
The Handy Clicker breaks the connections among the stage of your draw cycle, your sight picture, and your urge to release. It takes away the automatic movement and compels you to follow a controlled, step-by-step process. It moves the shooting process to become deliberate and physical instead of subconscious and automatic.
It’s somewhat like squeezing the trigger of a rifle.
It’s far easier than you might think, because introducing something new to your shot resets the entire sequence, as if you were a newbie again.
That said, it certainly takes effort and mental grit. You have to stay focused and in your shot cycle. Saying something to yourself (a mantra) can be helpful. So for example, you lock into your draw, maintain back tension and say “keep squeezing, keep squeezing,” until the click goes off.
For most shooters, I think it will take 50-100 shots to get used to the Handy Clicker—that is getting it adjusted and deciding where it works best, bow hand or string hand. Then it will take another 50-100 shots before you start seeing marked improvement in accuracy. Once it all falls together, you’ll see a giant leap in your accuracy.
I hope this is helpful and please feel free to ask questions or make comments. My goal is to help archers do better.
Keep the Traditional Spirit Alive!
Ron