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Articles : checking if your archery gear is in shape | 10 steps to shoot | Shooting Techniques

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Personal Experience

My first shoot-out was at ports down road at the Archery club of singapore.

My instructor Francis taught me patiently even though I was slow.Out there in front of me was a large soccer field with with a few targets board set out at different distance ranging from 15 to 30 to 50 to 75 meters. I started off shooting at a board at a distance of 15m using a recurved bow. I was excited when I first get my hands on the bow. initially the bow doesn't seems to feel heavy but after a while I was feeling a bit of strain at my forearm and the back muscle.Bearing the pain I was later introduced to others friends who was also practicing down there

My instructor kept reminding me that I have to use the back muscle which is the right group of muscle to use as if by using brutal force meaning using the raw power coming from the forearm and shoulder would cause you to tires out easily. I felt that after a while like probably 2-3 sessions you become abit accustomed to the feeling a drawing and releasing arrow. the back is not that hurting and raw anymore cause after the first shootout though lasting a mere 90mins it left me 2 sleepless night as the shoulder and back muscle was badly worn out.

The real kick didn't came in till I was allowed to shot the 30 m range .I could practically see the arrow slices through the air and hearing a faint thud at the other far end when the arrows makes its way to the target. the feeling is awesome I imagined at the point of time I was Rambo shooting at my enemies. one thing for sure for archery is that you will turn out to be standing straight instead of my usual posture witch is abit 'kiagu'. and another thing is that you will get to feel fresher even though, you didn't realized it, it was only when I was having my smoking break then I realized I must have covered around 2.4km walking up and down retrieving the arrows.

CHECKING IF YOUR ARCHERY GEAR IS IN SHAPE

Here are some tips and guidelines for making sure your bow and related equipment is in top condition. I shoot a recurved bow, so this article is geared towards "traditional" archery gear.

I usually start with my bow, since that's where the big problems can occur. Besides giving it a general once-over, I take care of the items in this checklist:
- Check string for wear, replace if necessary & wax it.
- Check nock points, peep, etc. on your string. Replace if necessary.
- If you use a bow quiver, check its mount. Make sure it's tight and won't vibrate and hum when you shoot.
- Check your quiver... does it still hold your arrow shafts securely? Is the hooded area for your broadheads in good shape?
- Take a look at the bow's finish... is it well camo'd or glare-free? I like to apply camo tape over any surface that might glare.
- Take a look at the limbs, hunting for cracks, splits or other oddities/imperfections. Replace if necessary; a limb breaking at full draw can ruin anyone's day, and may cause injury.

After taking care of the items in the above list, I move on to my arrows & other gear.

Check your arm guard, if you use one. This fairly inexpensive item can save you from a world of hurt if it's in good shape... check straps, buckles, etc.

Next, I give my arrows a good going-over, checking for things like:

- Bent or warped arrows
- Loose or damaged fletchings (repair or replace these)
- Cracked, broken, or badly worn nocks (replace these)

After that, I head out for some practice, to make sure I still know how to shoot this thing.

10 STEPS TO SHOOT

The Steps to Shoot are:

Make eye contact.
Take your stance.
Nock your arrow.
Hook up and get hooked up.
Let the bow hang, flop your hand into the grip.
Draw back.
Bend the bow arm.
Aim.
Release.
Follow through.
Replay.

MORE ON THE STEPS.

1. Make eye contact: Before you walk up to the shooting line be sure to make eye contact with the last person you talked to or to someone else you believe will be watching you shoot. This is a good way to keep on top of every shot and to keep you from executing a single sloppy shot, which as most archers know is not so easy. You need to have someone to show off for, to show what an archer is suppose to look like. Remember, the shooting takes place on the line, not down at the target, which cannot be easily seen by your watcher. The watcher can, however, clearly see what you do on the line, so, no fixing of bad shoots, no bad releases, no looking for the arrows (peeking) and no waving of the bow arm.

2. Take your stance: Make sure you take the stance that you have practiced, the one that you feel most comfortable with. Never mind what it looks like. If you find it comfortable and if it works for you, take that exact stance every time.

3. Nock your arrow: Take your arrow out. Try shooting them in rotation. Nock it carefully on the string with the cock vane in the right direction. Make sure it snaps onto the string with the well-known "click" you have heard so many times during practice. If it does not "click", it is an indication that something is wrong. The nock may be cracked. Take another arrow if it does not fit right.

AIMING AND STRENGTH

Normally when we shoot our bows, we do just that. We shoot. We don't aim, we just shoot. By doing this, not aiming, we don't get any stronger.

We need to practice aiming. The better you aim the more control you have over the shot. By practicing aiming we also build strength which allows us to aim longer. Aiming longer allows us to execute our shot routine better. Without a shot routine we have no recollection of the shot, so we can not 'play it back' and analyze it.

A lot of archers live in areas where they can not practice as often as they like or just need to improve their aiming skills. There have been different methods and equipment invented to keep your muscles in shape, unfortunately, the 'archery ' muscles are not necessarily the same muscles you use everyday or work when you go to the gym. To keep my 'archery' muscles strong, I use a product called 'Rotaflex'. It is constructed to be drawn and held as you would a bow. I suggest an archery workout which includes pulling and holding for 15 seconds with each arm. I do this for 10 minutes at a time. This helps build the muscles that you need for aiming and by alternating arms you don't build one side over the other which helps eliminate back problems.

SHOT ROUTINE AND CONCENTRATION

The human mind can only concentrate on a single thing for about 8 seconds. This is why when we are shooting our mind wanders just before the shot goes off and we miss. We began our concentration too soon. Write a shot routine down. You need to adjust this routine so that you don't begin concentration until you are at full draw. When you are not at full draw you should try to think of something unrelated to the shot execution. Most people do not hold for more than 10 seconds so keep this time for concentration only on your shot.

Try to stick to a shot routine which has 4 to 8 things in it that you can consistently do. Here is my shot routine.

Hang the bow from the Release rope. I hang my bow from the Release rope and put the bow between me and the target before I put my hand into the grip. This helps keep me from shooting left and right.
Draw the bow with the left arm straight out/stiff.
Obtain draw length and anchor by bending your bow arm. My bow is set up a little short on draw length because I feel this allows me to aim better and at the same time it gives more string clearance from my clothes and chest.
Aim. This is where the concentration and strength come in. You need to be able to hold on a spot for several seconds without letting your mind wander to other issues.
Stay anchored and follow through. I like to keep my arms and especially my bow arm between me and the target until after the arrow impacts.
Write up a shot routine of your own. Try it out and adjust as necessary. Once you've found a routine that works for you, write it down and keep it in your quiver. If you start encountering problems refer to the routine to see where you are going wrong.

SHOOTING TECHNIQUES

proper grip

The hand on the grip should be relaxed and not gripping the bow too tight. Shoot with a wrist sling. The fingers should be curled comfortably and relaxed. The sling will prevent you from dropping the bow. As you draw, the meat of the palm of your hand should be pushing the bow away from you. If you walked up to a small sapling and pushed against it with the palm of your hand, not gripping with your fingers, you will create the same feeling as shooting your bow. If you release the string and don?t have your wrist sling on, your bow should fly out of your hand. This prevents torqueing your bow that can cause right and left misses. Remember you must be consistent. Your bow is capable of shooting every arrow in the same hole. It's the shooter holding that bow that usually flaws the shot.

Target panic how to solve?

Target panic is something every shooter goes through at one point or another. Here is an exercise that helped me. Stand about 5 feet from the target. Close your eyes and come to full draw. Feel yourself doing everything right, proper stance, good anchor point, relaxed grip, controlled breathing, etc. Continue to close your eyes. Shoot your arrow. Maintain good follow through, strong bow arm, no head or body movement, draw arm slight movement to the rear, etc. This allows perfect practice and concentration on shooting form without having to aim. Take your time and shoot 20 to 30 arrows like this. This should be done over several days during several practice sessions. Your form will improve. You will feel perfect form. You will feel what a perfect shot feels like. This feeling will become natural. You will become more relaxed in your shooting. Aiming will be an added step when you shoot with open eyes. Shoot at a close distance with your eyes open, 10 yards. Use multiple targets so you don?t damage your arrows.
Concentrate on hitting the center of the bull's eye. Don?t be content with just hitting the bull's eye, you want to be dead center. This type of practice is best for developing proper shooting style. Once you are doing good at this distance move out to 15, then 20 yards and on. Short range shooting is also a good way to check your sights and equipment. Do this exercise and short range shooting through out the year. Your shooting will improve and your target panic will disappear.

when shooting uphill where should we aim?

When I shoot at an out field course I shoot at the top of the bullseye on long uphill shots. Shooting down hill I favor the bottom of the bullseye. I never aim out of the bull even on very long [80 yard] shots. This shows me that 80 yards is 80 yards and 20 or 30 yards is still 20 or 30 yards flat, uphill or down hill. The pull of gravity is still pulling the arrow down from the bow to the target at an even drop over the same distance. I don?t know if my way of aiming is by the book but it works for me. The bullseye on NFAA targets is very small . Do a horizontal straight line shot at the same distance up hill, down hill and shooting on flat terrain and see what your own results are. By aiming at a horizontal line only, you concentrate on the up and down and not the right and left. Shoot several arrows. See how your arrows group.

How to avoid bow string slapping onto bow arm?

one common mistake is that they let their bow hand slide too far to the inside of the grip causing the bow string to contact their bow arm. This causes all sorts of problems, mainly very poor arrow flight especially with broadheads. A lot of people don't even know this is happening because they wear an armguard all the time. by rotating the grip on the bow will help to solve the problem.

Recommended Reading

bow and arrow: the comprehensive guide to equipment, technique and competition--- by Larry Wise

archery steps to success(steps to success activity series)---by Kathleen M. Haywood

archery anatomy:an introduction to tecniques for improved performance----by ray Ax ford

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