Tuning Tip - Use your smartphone

[YosemiteSam]

A while back, Clay Hayes had a video about arrow tuning where he suggested using the slow-motion feature of a smartphone camera to look for tuning issues.  I finally tried it out last week and am amazed at how well this works.  It simply took a lot of the guess-work out.  He recommended using a friend or spouse to take the video.  I just used a bungee cord to hold my phone at about 7' up & pointing slightly down.  When I'm ready, I nock an arrow, hit record & then step in view of the camera so it's looking over my shoulder and downrange to the target.  Once the shot is off, I don't even wait to see where it strikes, I just turn around & hit stop.

Among the things I learned about my setup & form are:

1. My bow arm pulls the bow into the arrow's path upon release.  Correction: maintain pressure toward the target.

2. My arrows were wobbling left-right.  But under the camera's scrutiny & maintaining a vertical hold, I learned that the arrows were porpoising.  After a quick nock adjustment down, the arrows straightened right out.

3. Shooting very heavy-for-weight arrows can potentially mess up the tuning.  450 grain arrows out of my 47# bow would flex away from the riser & clear the riser completely before the fletching & point would rebound back.  The 680 grain arrows wouldn't quite clear the riser before the tail & point are rebounding.  Correction: maintain that pressure forward to avoid any sideways movement that might strike the tail of the arrow before it clears the riser.

Making those simple corrections helped tighten my groups up a little, too -- always a good thing.

I'd highly recommend performing this simple slow-motion test with your hunting setup.  A little wobble is fine with me when I'm just flinging arrows in the back yard.  But getting that laser-straight flight gives me a lot of confidence in the woods.

[McDave]

When you say “maintain pressure toward the target,” do you mean you were collapsing before you corrected this, or are you talking about maintaining more of a positive followthrough by keeping your bow arm up longer than you were before?

[knobby]

My son and his buddy have been using their phones for tuning for years.  A couple years ago I thought I had tuned my bow very well, as my 3D scores were better than they'd ever been.  He got his phone out and, while I was close, it improved with a little less tip weight.  I wouldn't have done that without the slow motion video proving it.

[carbonflyr]

good tip!  thanks for sharing

[Yooper-traveler]

Once I’m out to 25-30 yards tuning I drive my wife nuts getting her to record my arrow flight.

[YosemiteSam]

My son and his buddy have been using their phones for tuning for years.  A couple years ago I thought I had tuned my bow very well, as my 3D scores were better than they'd ever been.  He got his phone out and, while I was close, it improved with a little less tip weight.  I wouldn't have done that without the slow motion video proving it.

When shooting right handed, upon release, my bow arm was moving left, into the path of the arrow as it was flying off the rest.  My bow arm was pulling back, not pushing forward.  Sort of like khatra in eastern shooting.  But with the arrow on the left, it's hurting the shot, not helping.

[Captain*Kirk]

Neat tip! Can you link the Clay Hayes video? (he has a lot of them)

[Daniel G. Banting]

Yooper: You know it is best for your lady to record from behind you?! :>)

[Yooper-traveler]

I’m not anything to look at from any angle, but if I had to guess, I’d look better from behind lol