Who else has lost their confidence before?

[Brianlocal3]

Ok, so here is the story.  I got my new NM Superior a few weeks back. I start shooting it, and yeah, its a lot different than the recurve I had.  Its also 16 #'s heavier. So I treat it like I would the gym and I am now at the point where its comfortable.  
   I have been shooting it very well, routinely and without doubt making 40yard shots. I even took 2nd last monday at a league shoot.
   But I have never worn an armguard, ever. And now this low brace height on this LB is eating my arm up, so i made an arm guard.  I also got new arrows on saturday. Now I have never been a tunaholic. I have been shooting bows for about 23 years and never was a tuner kind of guy. I shoot my fieldpoints adjust the bow to the arrow. Then I slap on a BH and BH tune my FP and BH to impact the same location. And all that involved was moving rest, moving nock point and now building out the rest on my recurve.
   With this LB I am limited pretty much to arrow tunning, so I stepped up into the big boy league to try bareshafting (first time ever). My two fletched at 20 hit good. My two bare bury into the ground 5 feet in front of target. so I lower my nocking point (it was at 5/8  when i started) I get down to 1/8' high nock and i start hearing arrow on wood. But my bare and fletched are hitting the same spot but now im 3 inches left and 5 inches high.  
    These are the same fletched arrows I just buried into the bull.  This goes on for 15 minuted moving my nock.  Now im frustrated and know i need to stop. So I put up the bareshafts and grad a 3rd fletched for some fun danelion shooting.  And I cannot hit a dang thing anymore.
   I have never been an overthinker on stuff. I just shoot. Now for once in my life i figure ill try to get a bit more involved and learn the indepth skills of my hobby and its dang near ruined me!!!!!!!!!!!!  I am now second guessing everything I am doing to anchor point, to release, stance, and i have convinced myself it must be the bow. And i KNOW its not the bow, its the shooter.  
   So has anyone done this?  I am done shooting for the day. Im not going to shoot again untill Sat.  And I am going to shoot a few practice shots, and put my BH on and see what happens. I give up the bareshaft Im going back to Redneck tuning and Im going to get my sanity back I think. I BOW out, im not good enough to hang with the big dogs, im just going by what i know has worked for me.

[Bjorn]

Bareshafting takes a bit of commitment and some practice like most things; and with practice you just KNOW that the arrow nose diving in mid flight has nothing to do with nock point! I don't blame you for finding it frustrating and laughable!

[cbCrow]

" I have been shooting it very well, routinely and without doubt making 40yard shots. I even took 2nd last monday at a league shoot."
If that statement is true, which I don't doubt, than set it back to where you had it and shoot. Remember if it ain't broke don't fix it.

[T Lail]

"just let your mind go limp" and enjoy it......Best advice anyone ever gave me to get my confidence back........

[Brianlocal3]

Originally posted by cbCrow:
" I have been shooting it very well, routinely and without doubt making 40yard shots. I even took 2nd last monday at a league shoot."
If that statement is true, which I don't doubt, than set it back to where you had it and shoot. Remember if it ain't broke don't fix it.

That is kind of what I am going to do.  I think I learned to much here recently, as in I have book learned too much. I was never shown how to do anything differently, just reading. And in this art of shooting the stickbow a clear mind is a straight shot.  
   I stepped outside of my comfort zone, and got wobbly feet.  I put that bow up, and grabbed the NM Huron. Back on target.  I did change my grip up with the LB though and am liking it alot better. I am no longer hitting my forearm with the string. I do believe that was a big mind game, I was anticipating the sting.  I rolled my grip around placing my big thumb nuckle pretty much center of the bow, instead of using the web between my thumb and index finger.  It has helped alot shooting this style of handle. I do not like my arrow flight a whole lot right now, but it is windy.  
   I will not be making any adjustments to the bow till this weekend. All shooting for the rest of the week will be at moving targets and dandelions. Im just keeping it fun for now.  This weekend im putting on a broadhead and getting it back to normal.

[Rob W.]

The only time I hit my arm is when I'm tired. Its not very often that I actually feel tired becuase I like to shoot so much but after a long day at work I sometimes hit my arm. I have to make myself put the bow up. 16# is a big jump. Be careful not to start some bad habits with that weight jump.


Rob

[Brianlocal3]

Rob,
I have def. been keeping an eye on that . I took my arrow on my recurve and drew back to a good full solid anchor and had my wife sharpie a line. And I put a cloths pin on that mark to practice my draw with the heaved poundage. And in the beginning I was trying to short draw. But I got that squared away. Now I am learning this new grip.  
    I love the way the LB grip feels I just need to learn how to properly grab it

[cbCrow]

Here is a link that may help you with the grip;

 www.dickwightman.com

sroll down to Howard Hill, once there scroll down to grips and look it over.

Hope it helps, Chuck

[Terry Lightle]

Been there done that,it will pass

[Brianlocal3]

Thank you Chuck.  
Bear claw, I'm hoping just sticking to what I know will bring it back.

[Iowabowhunter]

I feel your pain. I am using my grandfathers Hawkeye recurve by Indian archery. I have GT 3555 and 5575 arrows, field tips weighing from 85-300 grains, even cut the shafts different length and cannot for the life of me get good arrow flight. I have shot other guys bows (curves and lb's) with their setup and would feel good hunting with theirs lol, perfect arrow flight on most. Unfortunately I think my problem is the bow!

[Brianlocal3]

Thats a problem alright, now you HAVE to buy a new bow!!  I think bareshafting is not for me. My shooting is back on par but I'm scared of bareshafting like the plague.

[huskyarcher]

Keep slingin man, this is what makes Trad so much more fun! anybody can settle a pin and squeeze! good luck to you brother!

[Bonebuster]

I never got too wrapped up in bareshaft tuning for the EXACT reasons you described. Almost word for word.

I simply build an arrow that I think will be close, and shoot.

Then, I carefully set up, and shoot through paper at various close ranges. Wood shafts need a little more distance to produce a good tear through paper than carbon (I don`t shoot aluminum anymore), but when I get a good "bullet hole" through the paper I set up with a BIG, WIDE, unvented, two blade broadhead and shoot. I vary between shooting a field tip and broadhead of the same weight.

Shooting a wide, two blade at thirty plus yards WILL show you if you have tuning issues.(IMHO) There is NO confidence builder like being leery of shooting a broadhead next to another arrow.  :D

[WESTBROOK]

At this point I have lost all confidence!

A month ago, going into turkey season, I was amazing myself, I was consistantly popping baseballs out to 25 yds with broadheads. Now any resemblance of proper form is gone down the crapper!  

Eric

[threeunder]

I started out last bow season as being my "change over" season.  Loosing the training wheels and all.  I was shooting extremely well and had a ton of confidence.
We can't hunt on Sunday here in Virginia, so on the 2nd Sunday of season (after hunting 3 or 4 days) I walked out to shoot some.
I had a horrible shoot that day.  Blew my confidence, and the next day, I was back in the woods with my compound....confidence is essential for me
Ken

[Sam McMichael]

I guess I'm lucky in a way. I have never been especially athletic or well coordinated, so shooting like Robin Hood has never been in the cards. So a bad day is not such a crushing blow to me. When it all goes to hell on a toboggan, I just put the bow down thinking things will be better tomorrow, and they usually are.

Archery, like life, is cyclical - some days you are up, some days you are down. This happens to all of us, and if you think about it, it happens on the job a lot as well. Yet, after a bad day, we all get up the next morning and go to work confident that we are good at what we do.

This is our recreation and should prevent ulcers, not cause them. We do this for fun. Besides, no matter how shaken you are, your dog still thinks you are a hell of a fine fellow, and he's probably right. Be serious but too much so.

In the final analysis, confidence comes from skill, and that skill comes over time and is a function of repeated good form. Hang in there, the consistency and it's resultant confidence will come.

O.K. Sam is off the soap box.

[Brianlocal3]

Thanks everyone. Jon posted about bareshaft earlier and solved my dilemma, without the cock feather as my anchor I'm lost. I'm going back to BH tune. It's worked for years and years. I'm not changing now.

[Larry m]

It's a matter of being knowledgeable about your setup. Correct spine, how severe your deflection (paradox) is, fletch length, point weight, brace height and nock point. Play around a bit. I normally start with spine and not concerned about to long of a shaft. From there I work it down. Longer fletch stiffens and heavier point weakens the shaft. Your goal is to have your arrow fly where your looking. It's easy to lose confidence if your guessing and hoping. Your ultimate goal is enjoyment!!

[The Whittler]

Do you ever wonder why women and kids do so good with stick bows.

 They don't over think, they just know what they have to do and just do it. Ya I know it's easier said then done.