Another newb question...when to stop.

[kevsuperg]

Try shooting 1- 2 arrows a day, every day when you're not shooting a session.
 Just try to make them well placed.
 You'll be surprised after awhile how good you'll become .
 Kevin
 

[Brandi]

When you go to shoot those pine cones, you really should invest in a couple of judo points.  They are practically indestuctable, and unlosable.  They will pay for themselves many times over.  Just look at any dealer who sells traditional gear, and they will have them.  I recently had my wife order a pair (they are packed two to a card) for two of our Grand Daughters from Amazon.  They were a little more, but the free shipping was less than ordering and paying S&H.

Murray

About the judo points.  Almost all of them are 100 grain.  I shoot 125 grain points, do I need 125 grain judo points? 

The 100 grain points seem to be 12 or more points for $10-15.  The only 125 grain judo's I found were $15 for just two points.  They were made by Zwickey so I assume they are much better quality.  Honestly I'd rather buy two points for $15 that won't break than a dozen no name that may break for the same money.  The 125 grain Zwickey points look like they are really well made compared to the other brands.

[Part Time Archer]

I shoot 2 arrows then retrieve them .By that time your muscles are ready for another 2 shots.

[durp]

Yes u want 125 to match ur target points...i would go with the zwickys...by the way welcome to the addiction 

[mj seratt]

If I remember correctly, the judos my wife ordered were $12.00 and maybe some change.  She gets free shipping on her orders, I think from buying so durn much.  These are 5/16 inches, and weigh 120 grains each.  I didn't ask what size shaft you were shooting.  My wife shoots a 46 pound bow, at her draw lenght and her shafts are all 5/16 size.  You can also find 11/32 in these weight ranges.  I only made two arrows up with judos, one each for my Grand Daughters, and one shot each is plenty in their backyard.  We use ping pong balls as targets.  You will need to know what size arrow shafts you're using before you order.  Best of luck!

Murray

[blacktailbob]

You definitely want the real Zwickey Judos as the few foreign made knock offs fall apart (bent or lost springs) after only a couple shots.
This is truly a case of "get what you pay for" in a product.

[Brandi]

So I'll definitely be going with the Zwickey judo points.  They say that the fit all arrows with exception of one type and I don't shoot those so I should be good.  My arrows are Gold Tip Hunter XT 500's so pretty common arrow.

[woodchucker]

5 GOOD arrows.... Are better than 50 Bad arrows!

[Crooked Stic]

Maybe you could post a pic of your form.
I am no expert but plenty here can help with that also.

[Rob DiStefano]

Archery form is key - there are basics and then there are the form modifications to suit our personal physiology.  Get the form right from the get-go.  This may require private training with a trad archery coach.

Daily gentle reps with an extended draw length will do wonders for handling bow weight.

Zwickey judos are the way to go - don't be concerned with a 25 grain point weight difference.

Roving practice with ONE arrow is good after bale work to get your instinctive aim down pat for distances of 5 to 20 yards.

[Brandi]

My issues have improved quite a bit recently thanks to the advice I've gotten from you guys.  One other thing that helped a LOT was something I learned from a Clay Hayes video on anchor points.  I was using the corner of my mouth but moved it up to my nose.  My groups got much tighter and my accuracy improved as well. 

Combine that with shooting fewer arrows with longer rest periods in between and the other tips I've picked up here and I'm pretty amazed at how much improvement I've had in such a short period of time.  Yesterday I shot 6 groups of 12 arrows (with some breaks in between) and my 6th group was as good or better than my first which has never happened before. So thank you for that everyone! 

I'm looking forward to getting the judo points and hunting some pine cones!

[Wudstix]

Plenty of good advice.
 

[mj seratt]

Well, once again my poor old brain didn't realize that you might not be shooting wood arrows.  That's all we have here.  So ignore my talk about 5/16 and 11/32.

Murray

[Brandi]

No problem at all! 

[Bowwild]

Lots of very consistent advice among these posts!  After a proper warm-up (which most don't do...I didn't for years) properly executed shots are key.

I would recommend warming up with a loop of string (String Bow) that when stretched out like a bow is your draw length. Practice your shot sequence with the string (non-elastic), including follow-through. 

When done properly the non-elastic string will jump out of your hand because of active muscles in the draw and bow arms.Pretend the string bow is your real bow. Then when shooting your actual bow, pretend it is the string bow.  This focuses you on the process rather than the result.

This is taught to about 2,000,000 4-12th graders ever year in 11 countries, mostly in the U.S. You can do a search for "NASP String Bow" and find videos.

In my earliest days of hunting with recurves (70's) I would build my shooting muscles by drawing the bow without arrows and hold for an increasing amount of time, counting down in my head.

I even did this in the mid-70's in my dorm room at college. I'd get to where I could hold the draw for 60 seconds even though only 3-5 seconds were needed when actual shooting.

Oh, be careful even with this exercise to warm-up and not cause yourself shoulder issues.

This made my 50 pound draw weight bows a piece of cake to manage.

[Hawkeye]

Two thoughts from my experience:

For nearly thirty years, 95% of my practice has been with Judo points shooting at tennis balls, leaves, dandelions, etc.  Normally, I have just one Judo tipped arrow, and end up randomly shooting at targets from 5-50 yards, although 15-20  is probably the average.  I never enjoyed shooting field points at a fixed target much, and my version ends up being great practice for hunting.  I have MS, so my sessions aren't usually long because of fatigue and balance.  I will shoot somewhere between 7 and 30 or so arrows, depending on how I am feeling for the day.

The other thought is something I read long ago about the retired basketball star Larry Bird.  He was one of the finest pure shooters that game ever saw, and it was said he had a personal rule when practicing: Always quit on a successful shot for the sake of your mind.  I have adopted that through the years, and feel like it is a really good step for the mental and psychological aspects of archery.  If I am having an off day, I settle down, concentrate on form and shoot at a few arrows at a relatively close target until one feels right and results in a hit.  Then I make note of how that shot felt, and QUIT for the day.  Other times, when I've been shooting well, and suddenly have that magical moment when everything feels right, and something in your brain knows you are going to (and DO) hit the target even as you are just releasing the string, I say to myself, "Self... remember that!...." and quit.

It is amazingly satisfying when your last shot with a judo point center punches a tennis ball at 33 yards and "sends" it flying ten yards farther with a rewarding "thunk".  Something like that always makes me say, "Enough for today.  Remember that."

Best wishes in your journey.  It sounds like you are really off to a good start.

Daryl

[Brandi]

Got my Zwickey judo points and was looking forward to whacking some pine cones. Then comes another injury (not bow related) so a week plus of doing nothing to aggravate it.  Finally went out to hunt pine cones because they were everywhere.  Except they weren't.  I guess since the colder temps hit the squirrels decimated them. 

So I found one of the cats ping pong balls that had a dent in it.  Chucked it across the yard and missed it by a couple inches.  Picked up the arrow (judo point stopped it perfectly) and threw the ping pong ball as far as I could.  Drew my bow and hit the ball perfectly.  Unfortunately the ball exploded into several pieces.  I think I'm going to order some tennis balls lol.

[durp]

Good to hear ur up and running  lot more fun than shooting groups at a target face 

[Wile E. Coyote]

I would suggest that you do exercises with your bow and no arrows. This can be easily done inside at home anytime you have a few minutes. First draw the bow to 1/4 draw, hold for the count of 3-5 then extend draw to 1/2 draw, hold again for 3-5 sec. then to 3/4, hold, then full draw and hold. Let down in the opposite progression, down to 3/4 then 1/2 then 1/4 holding 3-5 sec at each stop . Do that multiple times. Then draw to full draw and slowly let down over a 5-10 count. do that several times.

The benefit is that you will gain strength handling the weight without developing bad habits which can and will occur if you try to improve your strength while shooting arrows.

Good Luck, give it a try I think you will see your strength and accuracy improve .

[Deno]

If you use tennis balls, put a slice in it or cut it in half to remove the air so you're not chasing it 40 yards down the trail.     Good Luck 



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