# sporatic lefts and rights...mostlt lefts. is anchor really that important??



## richl35 (May 15, 2013)

It sounds to me like your anticipating your shot and it is causing you to flinch. I think they call it target panic. Its all mental and one real pain in the behind to get over.


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## mike 66 (Jan 21, 2010)

without seeing you shoot its only a guess; rt hand shooter with a long dl....you will miss left..... anchor is very important it MUST be in the same spot if it floats bad things can happen..... the grip can cause left-rt miss to so can a few other things.....


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## aread (Dec 25, 2009)

Mike is spot on.

I too suffered from the L-R misses. I had to do several thing to get control of it. 

A solid consistent anchor did the most for eliminating the problem.

Consistent foot position helped.

A longer DL helped me because I was went a little too far in making sure I wasn't too long. The longer DL allowed me to get my shoulders better aligned and that made me a lot steadier. However, I did go a little far and had to back up a bit.

My bow hand was pretty good, but improving consistency helped.

Getting my peep height set to fit me and my form also helped.

Think about the anchor. If you move it 0.1 degree at your face, you change your point of impact by 1 1/4" at 20 yards. If you move it by 1.0 degree, you change your point of impact by 12 9/16".

In my experience, a floating anchor can easily send your arrows left or right by 4" to 6". It will feel like a great shot, but end up way off. The more consistent your anchor and the other factors, the fewer Lefts & Rights you will have.

Allen


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## oldgeez (Sep 29, 2002)

thanks allen..you have helped me a lot in the past. i'm about to e bay my stuff after 30 yrs of shooting. these l's and r's have just come on in the last 5 or so years. the grip was a problem for a while, because of a bad bow change..alpine with a hump in the handle..i'm back shooting a Mathews now, and thing are looking better. this anchor point thing still escapes me after all these years. it would seem from a geometrical stand point with 4 points lined up, it wouldn't matter that much. larry says light face pressure, and that's what I go by. firming an anchor point involves facial contact, which the griv and everybody, I trust, says is bad


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## aread (Dec 25, 2009)

Something that's helped me recently is a change in my release & how I hold it.

Previously I kept the back of my release hand as flat as I could in order to keep muscle tension out of my hand. This is what most coaches recommend. However, on advice from Blue X, I changed my grip so that my fingers are one joint deeper into the release. Sort of like holding the release like brass knuckles. Because of my fat fingers, I had to get a different release. The Zenith Comfort Three Plus with the larger finger holes is working well for me now.

The brass knuckle grip causes my knuckles to stick up and I get a much more consistent anchor with my first two knuckles straddling my lower jaw between them. Kind of hard to explain in words what a picture would show instantly. But my shooting is a lot more consistent.

BTW Blue X is a great guy and an even better coach. He's a bit expensive, but well worth it. My scores are improving in direct proportion to how closely I follow the shot sequence he worked out with me. I've worked with Larry a few times & I think Blue X is much better.

Hope this helps,
Allen


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## oldgeez (Sep 29, 2002)

this is quite a coincidence..that is exactly how I hold my stan 3 finger. I only know of one other person that holds a release that deeply, and he no longer is active. I do it for the exact same reason that you mentioned. the pointed part of the knuckles protrude out and you can really feel them on your lower jaw bone. this is where I'm very suspect because the knuckles can slide forwanr and back, as well as in and out. sometimes, I can bearly feel the knuckle touching as this part of the shoot slips into the subconscious. I'm really getting weird ideas about lengthening my draw length to get the knuckles BEHIND my jaw bone. I'm really hesitant because this will intail longer arrows and another cam for my Mathews. I think I'm freaking out, maybe for nothing, as most shots go right down peachtree. it's the occasional l and r that kill your score


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## aread (Dec 25, 2009)

Now that's funny! I've ordered a new cam to shorten the DL on my Mathews to get my knuckles a little further forward on my jaw.  

One advantage to having a little room for the knuckles to slide along the jaw is that it helps provide a consistent "knuckle track". This should provide a little more consistency. 

After getting help from Blue X with a shot sequence, I really understand the importance of one for consistency. My previous shot sequence was little more than pull, aim, shoot. Well actually it had a few more steps, but I never really work on it enough for it to help me. Now my shot sequence includes steps for pauses, breathing and go/no go and a lot more. It's about 4X as long as my old sequence. I find the more closely I follow the new sequence on each shot, the more consistent my scores. So if you are usually shooting good and get a few bad ones, a good shot sequence can really help you.

Hope this helps.
Allen


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## oldgeez (Sep 29, 2002)

my shot sequence has gotten so laborious over the years, it's really ridiculous. most of the time is spent with the bubble. I have other major issues with the bubble. I've tried everything to just make it settle..it won't. it slides to the left, then it slides back to the right. the only way to keep it right in the middle is to introduce a little finger action..it's taking up way to much of my precious shot time. this is probably a question for another thread. the anchor is the main concern right now. the jaw bone slide is really not what I do. my knuckle barely touches my jaw bone. i've thought about jamming it in there, but it's not natural and feels forced; and I don't want things that don't just feel natural


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