I have been struggling w/ my shooting

[Friends call me Pac]

I don't know what happened but last year I felt absolutely deadly while shooting instintively.  This year my shooting has been all over the target, one day showing weak another day showing stiff and somedays I was lucky to hit the hay bale.

Tonight I started from scratch.  I used the same arrows as last year (2016) but I decided to start bareshafting and adjusting the leangth to get back in tune.  By the end of the day and after several changes to leangth, strike plate thickness & tip weight I finally began shooting really tight groups at 20 yards and centered on the bull's eye.  My bareshaft and fletched arrows were flying beutifully.

For whatever reason the arrow set up that worked so well for me last year just wasn't working.  I can't figure out why.  Maybe I changed something in the way I shoot.  Anyhow thanks to the things I have learned from the Gang over the last 2 years I am back on track and feeling great about my shooting again. Thank you so much.

[moebow]

Pac,  It wasn't the "tune" of the bow and arrows that changed!!!!  Your form changed.  Most of us are way too quick to blame equipment when we should be looking at the bow's "ground contact" (look at ourselves!!).  If it worked last time and doesn't work this time, IT"S NOT THE EQUIPMENT!!!!!!

That said, did you change something in your form?  If so, then, and only then, will a "re-tune" be necessary.

[levibear]

Moebow is spot on....have someone video tape your shooting...i shoot competition shotgun and this works wonders in picking out small form errors.
Then start thinking about your mental process has something changed between your ears.  

[Friends call me Pac]

"That said, did you change something in your form? If so, then, and only then, will a "re-tune" be necessary."

"Maybe I changed something in the way I shoot."

I'm thinking a retune was necessary & since I'm shooting the best groups ever it sure seems like it worked.

[Spectre]

Concentrate. Maybe you have lost your focus.

[stevewills]

i believe sometimes tunining your equipment will give you the confidence and because of that you shoot better.i went out toay and couldnt hit squat changed my bh and np and stared pinwheeling my 3d targets at 30 did it make that much of a difference,dont know but it worked

[Lamey]

Im fairly new to all this but found if I just take a couple days off, and dont even pick up my bow,  I shoot better.    More than a couple days seems to be too much,  but 1 or 2 really works for me.

If I find even a hint of frustration creeping in,  I stop put everything up and generally take that day or 2 off.

[Bowwild]

PAC (If I may be so bold),
If you were using the same bow, rest (shelf), arrow, broadhead, etc. then of course the difference had to be your form which includes your thought process.  "In archery if your mind wanders so too will the arrow."

If I want my groups to GROW all I have to do is focus more on aiming than follow through.  The opposite is amazing!  I'm continously blown away at how well the "eye" can aim when all I do is think (and see of course) about my aiming point. As I'm moving from pre-draw to anchor I'm aiming, by the time I'm at my anchor I begin to focus on follow through and in 2-3 seconds the arrow (from anchor) is on its way.  Before the arrow has gone more than 10-15 feet from my bow the draw hand is on my shoulder and the bow hand has moved forward and dropped (a few inches) down and to the side (right side for me since I'm a lefty).

Congratulations on working through it.  Now you have the confidence that comes with experience to know you will always be able to return to form and continue to enjoy this wonderful discipline of archery!

Have you ever been in England at Mendenhal RAF Base?  I'm headed there in mid-November to visit my USAF son-in-law and daughter.  Looks like I'll be teaching (at no charge) some school teachers and archery shop folks "NASP-style archery" on November 22nd.

[chopx2]

Glad you figured it out!

One thing I would suggest along the lines others on here have said is this...video yourself shooting well now. That way if this happens again video it and you will see the differences and be able to correct your form.

Until I filmed myself the first time I had no idea how helpful that would be.

[bornagainbowhunter]

The video sure does work.  If you have good form already, it is a real confidence booster.

[ken denton]

Howard Hill was said to burn a hole in what he was shooting at, and also if he was just looking at something! He saw what he was shooting at and he picked a small spot on that object!
I know my brain wonders when I shoot with other people because I am thinking about what we are talking about. Good luck.
Ken

[brinkwolf]

What I did was take a break(doesn't have to be two years like I did) than start over working on nothing but form. So far the past few weeks my form has gotten much better and my shooting is fun again.

[Friends call me Pac]

First off I would like to apoligize to Moebow for my reply. I know I can take constructive critisism much better than that. My reply was rude and uncalled for.

"If I want my groups to GROW all I have to do is focus more on aiming than follow through. The opposite is amazing! I'm continously blown away at how well the "eye" can aim when all I do is think (and see of course) about my aiming point."

Thinking back over the last few weeks I believe this is exactly what was going on.  I know I've really concentrated  on aiming thinking that was my problem.  When I was shooting well before I didn't really wory about aiming.  I looked at the target and the arrow was on its way and everything felt natural.  

Until yesterday my shooting had felt mechanical for lack of a better word.  Maybe starting all over was what was needed to get me back in the groove.

[Mudd]

Good on you Pac!

It takes a real man to stand up and admit when he feels he did someone wrong. I'm not saying you did myself, not my call to make, but you felt it was and corrected it in a way that not only I can admire but so can anyone reading your post can and most likely will.

Thank you for leading by example!!

God bless you brother!
You are welcome in my camp any time!

With the love of Christ!
Mudd

[lpcjon2]

I had the same problem not to long ago. I was the part of the set up that was out of tune.I went back to the basics and I am back on again.Besides I kinda liked shooten at blank targets and doing a little self help with my form.  

[moebow]

Pac,  No offense was perceived or taken! No apology necessary.

I saw the comment that maybe you changed something in your shooting.  I was just trying to point out that we -- as a community -- tend to go to equipment fiddling way too fast in many instances and don't look to our form changes.  Those form changes may be on purpose or done through unrecognized "evolution".

My thinking is that if a form change happens, for whatever reason,  IF it is a change that is consistent, your arrows will still group even if the form change has caused a tuning mismatch in your equipment -- maybe not on your intended target but a group non-the-less.  That is when a re-tune of equipment will become necessary.

As several others have said, you seem to have solved the problem to your satisfaction -- good on you!!!

[Bowwild]

To those interested:

Here's a tip provided by a good friend who has forgotten more about archery, than this 45-year archery veteran will ever know.

I told my friend (past Olympian coach)that when I have a shooting session where shots just didn't feel right, and not so coincidentally my results were also lacking, I'd end the session with very close shooting -- 7 yards. My theory being at super-close range I could focus on solidifying my form and forget aiming (the targets's nasty "job" is to cause us to abandon form).  

He told me to do just the opposite. He advises, to step back to my point-on distance (30 yards for my set-up) and shoot some arrows without worrying about where I hit but focus on form -- shots that feel right.  It is very important to place more of your shot effort into the "back of the shot" - follow-through more than aiming.

Interestingly, I've only been doing this for two weeks and without intending, my effective range is slowly approaching 30 yards and I was barely at 20 when I started this process! Now I'm super solid at 20.

[seabass]

when i am out shooting and start doing poorly,i stop shooting for the day.when you start getting frustrated you start getting bad habits.i learned this from g fred asbell in his books.this is true for me.when i get frustated i just keep getting worse.take the day off and clear your head.you will find that you'll do better the next day.good luck,steve

[Bowwild]

I remember the first time I videoed myself shooting. My wife thought I had all of a sudden become one of the most vain people on the planet.  It was enlightening though... and the hunting boots looked even better than I thought!

[mwosborn]

Agree with seabass - when things go bad - stop for a while - return later and think "pick a spot" and "follow through".  Seems to get me back on track.

I also like to shoot just one arrow at a time with 5 - 10 minute breaks in between.  Works well while I'm working in my garden or something.  Stop every once in a while and shoot an arrow.  Surprising how different it is than shooting 12 arrows one right after another.