I've found that practicing my shooting every day, even just for five minutes, has helped me tremendously. But many folks don't have a range in their back yard, and finding time to drive to the range constantly can be difficult at best. The good news is that you can practice indoors without a bow or a target, and it's VERY effective.
The answer is to use a bow simulator. It's not as fun as shooting a real bow, but after a couple of weeks of daily practice, you'll be surprised at how much more confident and natural your shooting is with your real bow. I shoot about 20 shots with my home made bow simulator each evening.
You can buy bow simulators professionally made, but they're very expensive. I made mine with a neoprene covered 4lb dumbbell which weighs about the same as my bow. The only disadvantage is that the dumbbell's handle is round and fairly thick, but I like the heavy feel.
DIRECTIONS
1. Drill a tap hole in both ends for two eye-screws or eye-bolts. Be sure to use a drill bit that has been hardened to drill metal or you'll ruin your bit!
2. Dab a little epoxy on the eye-bolts, insert them into the holes, and snug them down. Be sure that they're turned to face the same direction.
3. Once the epoxy has dried, take some sturdy cord (parachute cord is perfect) and tie it to both eye-bolts so it's the same length as your bow's draw. Leave a little excess in case you need to make further adjustments. It's essential that you get the string length perfectly matched to your bow so your anchor point at full draw doesn't change.
4. Attach a string loop too, even if you don't shoot a loop on your bow. Loop material is very tough and will withstand many shots, it's also similar in diameter to your bow string.
OPTIONS
For travel, I pack a lightweight rig made out of a wooden dowel.
For a truly custom job, you could also shape a piece of wood to fit exactly like your bow's grip. Just trace your bow's grip outline, cut it with a band or coping saw, and sand away!
For the ultimate simplicity, you can make a bare-bones rig with just a simple loop of cord.
If you've got some metal working skills, you could also fashion a simple bracket for a bow sight. But I actually like practicing without a sight better, and it's very effective.
PRACTICEWith a bow simulator, you can practice your shot routine, aiming, and proper back tension. You can even simulate "blank bale" practice without a target by facing a blank wall.
Even though a bow simulator doesn't have a sight, you can still practice aiming. Just hang a target on the wall, or simply pick a small spot somewhere. Draw back your bow simulator, close an eye (if you close one to look through your peep sight) and drill a hole in the center of your target with your open eye. Then start your release activation.
Try practicing your release with your bow simulator with your eyes closed. With your eyes closed you can really feel which muscles are contracting, and you can make corrections to your form.
You can even get some hunting practice in! Tape a small picture of a deer or other animal to the wall and aim at it. If you've got a hunting DVD or have some hunting shows recorded, set your self in front of your TV armed with your bow simulator, and take some "live action" practice with the critters onscreen.
When I first started shooting a bow, I didn't really think about anything except firing the next arrow, hoping it would be better than the last. Naturally, my arrows rarely hit where I was aiming because I wasn't being consistent. For each shot, my feet were placed a little differently, I was holding the bow slightly differently, etc.
The key to being a better shot is consistency, and having each step in your own shot sequence memorized will help you make progress from a fair archer to a good archer in a relatively short time. The shot sequence is a critical foundation for taking your archery beyond simply flinging arrows.
Every time I am shoot an arrow, I say each step in my mind right before I execute it. It is amazing how a shot sequence can improve your accuracy and confidence.
If you don't have one, a shot sequence is easy to make.
Below is the sequence I came up with for myself. It's working for me now, but may be modified if I feel the need. Yours may be similar. You can word it differently, add steps, or eliminate steps as you like. Experiment a bit, but keep in mind that the real value of a shot sequence is that you have it memorized and internalized so well that you can do it on autopilot, if needed... so don't make too many changes, or you'll never memorize it.
I'll add a brief description for each step in an upcoming post.
1. Nock up
2. Posture up
3. Hook up
4. Set hand
5. Visualize on target
6. Pre-aim and level7. Draw to anchor
8. Center sight
9. Commit
10. Start back tension
11. Aim
In archery, arrows have a tendency to go where you're looking, no matter what your bow's sight tells you. It's like throwing a ball. Traditional archers who shoot longbows and recurves know this, but it also applies to compound bows and target recurves with sights.
From the time you reach anchor, to the time the arrow hits the target, your aiming eye should be completely focused on the center of the center of the bullseye, or whatever target you want to hit.
The problem is, it's difficult to keep your eye totally focused on the bullseye, especially when you release the arrow. I've found that my eye tended to wander at the exact moment of release. This would make me miss.
However, you can eliminate small flinches that can scatter your arrow groups by using laser guided arrows.
Militaries all over the world use lasers to guide missiles and bombs with incredible accuracy. Infantry on the ground shine a laser spot on a target, an aircraft fires a missile which homes in on the laser and hits the target with precision.
I imagine that my arrow is a laser guided missile. I project a laser beam from my eye to the aiming point and keep it locked there until the arrow has hit. The arrow simply follows my eye's laser beam right into the bullseye. Simple, right?
It's especially important to keep your eye (and mind) totally focused on the center until the arrow has hit. Even if your attention wanders off the center of the bullseye for a fraction of a second, or your vision drifts an inch, that's probably where the arrow is going.
I am grateful to live in a country that's free and prosperous.I am grateful we have millions of acres of parks and national forests to enjoy nature as it should be.I am grateful that I live in a country where so many archers are free to practice their passion and share their knowledge.I am grateful that we live without the strife, disease, and poverty that have plagued many places for centuries.Let us do all we can to help the less fortunate,
and always be mindful that our freedom isn't free.Happy birthday America, and may you always prosper!
Since this is my first post, it's fitting to talk about the first shot that we all take at practice.
When I go to the archery range, I take my first shot with my eyes closed at a large target that is VERY close, only 5 yards away. Why? It takes the pressure off, lets me relax and really pay attention to how the shot feels. You can feel your body alignment and reaction to holding your bow at full draw MUCH better without any visual distraction. This not only builds confidence in my shooting, it really helps to get my mind in the right frame for the rest of my practice session.
Of course, I follow my usual shot routine that starts with nocking an arrow, checking my stance, etc., but after the sight settles on the target, I close my eyes until the shot goes off. I don't care where exactly the arrow goes, as long as it safely hits the target bale.
I'll usually shoot about 8 to 10 arrows with my eyes closed to get in the groove. Then I'll move to shooting with with my eyes open.
Try this out the next time you shoot your bow. By making it a habit, it has helped me tremendously with improving my form, increasing my confidence, and making me a better shot.
