It can be the littest things that make a difference!

[Mudd]

Overall I have made tremendous progress in this self imposed challenge of mastering the shooting of the classic straight limbed American longbow.(IMHO)

But I have not done it alone by any stretch of my imagination.

 I had the help of several folks, Tony Van Dort, Spanky Neal, and Nate Steen of Sunset Hills. I am most grateful to each of them for their input and critiques of my form.

As you folks know I have been making myself some videos for training purposes. These I have been sharing with my team of trainers and listening closely to the feedback then applying it as consistently as possible.

Just when I think that it is all coming together something was pointed out to me that I wasn't aware was happening. I went back and reviewed the videos and there is was as plain as day.

Just prior to release my arrow would creep ever so slightly forward(maybe a quarter of an inch)

I study that danged video until I was almost sick of watching it, trying to figure out the cause. All to my frustration...lol

Well today I was just making a friendly call to Nate just to see how things were going for him and the subject came up because it isn't something that is ever very far from the front of my thinking.

Nate was able to give me the answer immediately and I have to say he was "spot on". Thank you Nate!

Apparently I was releasing my back tension before I was releasing the arrow and only by milliseconds.

I had a young man over for some shooting this afternoon and was able to put it to the test.

1st I shot as I always had and Josh verified that the creep was there. Then I changed over to keeping up my "push" on my bow hand all the way with the arrow to the target and... Voowalla!!  no creep whatsoever.. Wohoo!

My accuracy wasn't what it was before but I'm not worried about that at the moment as I am fairly confident that it will come back once this becomes second nature to me.

My whole point to this is dual fold. One our shooting problems can be very tiny and even more difficult to figure out(alone).

Point two, we aren't in this alone and need to be willing to ask for and accept help from others.

This is the very best place to find that kind of assistance and develop some very close friendships.

Thank you Tony, Spanky and Nate! I appreciate your assistance and more importantly your friendship.

I hope to get the pleasure of meeting face to face someday.

God bless,Mudd

[GRINCH]

Thats what friends are for,I shoot with some guys that will always point out my errors and that really helps.

[Mudd]

Unfortunately I don't have any experienced traditional shooters in my neighborhood which is why tradgang holds a special place in my heart

Even without close by help, I can count on tradgang folks to come to my aid.

God bless, Mudd

[Walt Francis]

A knowledgeable friend or coach can help improve everybody's shooting.  A video of you shooting, because you can see  and understand exactly what they are refering to, lets them do it in a more efficient manner.

[Looper]

I'm in the same boat as you, Mudd. My shooting has improved immensely since I joined this place way back when.

[Steelhead]

"It can be the littlest things that can make a difference"

It certainly can and the devils in the details.

Many times we are not aware that we have slipped a bit and are not doing some of the things that make for an overall quality shot.Creeping is one of the things that can make a noticable difference in accuracy.Thiers many others ofcourse and I am guilty of one or more of them at one time or another.The details cetainly add up quickly.

Its good to be able figure it out and work on corrections.Most the time we are left alone to struggle with it and sometimes dont even know what the problem is.Its good to have a trained eye to point out some of our flaws if possible.

I have started canting bow more lately and my right and left hits have practically vanished as I am getting the arrow aligned better with my dominant eye.I have made a few other adjustments and my accurracy has gone up quite a bit as of late.

I think creeping,loss of back tension and not getting a dynamic release has been a problem for me at times and always results in poorer shooting.Its something
I have worked on and it pays big dividends for the archer to work that out no question.

[Steve Clandinin]

Tradgang period has helped my shooting drastically ,but not just my shooting but my overall respect for my fellow man(and ladies)Yes,we have it all here.

[Thumper Dunker]

Yep this place has helped me out lots.Thanks.

Mudd, you've come a long way in such a short time.    

In a few weeks I will become "grasshopper"!  It'll be great to glean tidbits from guys that have been there - done that!  

The hill thread has pulled a dandy group together..a ton of experience to share and learn for sure.

[Osage61]

Mudd I was glad to read your post as I have not only found good shooting advice here previously, but also good equipment information about spine; arrow weight; canting the bow; string slap etc etc.
I visit here everyday and I bet I've learned something each time. I used some advice from NightWing recently (he was helping someone and I tried the tip) and it helped me to tune my 10 year old's bow. You are very much correct in your statement Sir  

[stringstretcher]

Mudd.  I am not sure if you are willing or able to, but I for one would love to see your videos, and the explantion of the areas you find wrong so I could learn from them as well.  I am sure others would love to see them as well, so if you can and are willing, would you please share them?

[Mudd]

stringstretcher you might want to check out Tony's Osage Royale thread. I think there's a couple of videos there.

God bless,Mudd

PS: Thanks for the kinds words guys.

[Bill Carlsen]

There's more to it than just picking a spot and releasing the string, isn't there?

[Green]

Congrats on your progress Mudd!  It's certainly easy to say that TG and the folks here are making all of us better shooters and hunters on a daily basis.  

X2 on posting your videos Mudd....we can all learn.

[magnus]

That's great Mudd. Always a helping hand when we need it.