# Short range (garage) winter practice



## 4 Fletch (Jan 25, 2014)

Well we've had snow and cold and today even tho it was a balmy 15*C (60 for you stuck in measuring from the last millennium) wind was gusting 70-90Kph, rendering backyard archery practice unpossible. 

Got me thinking (dangerous, I know)... 

Way back when I shot IPSC, i made a few miniature metric targets to scale and put them around the basement. Walked around w a belt full of empty magazines practicing target acquisition and reloading on the move. Seemed to help maintain muscle memory and hand-eye coordination. 

Sooo... if I put my 18-1 on some milk cartons about shoulder height, and shot only a few yards away from it, will it help me maintain my trad form over the winter? 

Or will it hurt me in the long run? 

I don't expect to be accurate, as at short distance the arrow is in the process of straightening itself. 

Garage is maybe 10 metres long, tops. Doubtful I'd be able to use the entire length. What's the minimum distance from the target? 

Thanx for your opinions.


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## Thin Man (Feb 18, 2012)

I've shoot seven yards in my garage and am in there just about every day of the week, either during the morning and night darkness, or if the weather is too nasty for the backyard. I'll even fling some arrows for kicks before I hit the sack and before going to work. The garage offers you 24/7 shooting accommodations to suit your needs and schedule. 

Shooting is shooting, and you can either maintain or develop archery technique at any distance, including up close and personal, right up through the aiming processes. I often shoot a very light "form thinker" bow in the garage to allow me an effortless draw in order to place tenacious focus upon any form element that I want to work on. This is perhaps the most important tool in my arsenal for this very reason, and the garage environment is an excellent one to allow for such technical development. 

Make sure you get a backstop in place behind your target to prevent damage to the walls ... oddball shots do occur, especially during radical form experimentation.

I can't think of a single downside to short-range indoor shooting. I love it and get just as excited, and work just as hard, shooting indoors as I do outdoors (though, of course, outdoors is preferred when available!).

I've got a BB/pellet range and a dartboard in the garage, as well. It is indeed the "Projectile Room" o' my dreams. 

Good luck.


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## Joe Ryan (Jun 8, 2014)

Hey fletch, garage shooting is a great place to work on form. I use a target bag from 5yds away, except i shoot with my eyes closed and try to "feel" the shot execution. With no target, you have removed any periferal distractions and can concentrate on form, feel, and follow thru. It's a great way to i grain form so it becomes natural when it counts.


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## Viper1 (Aug 21, 2003)

4 - 

I'd just spend the time blank bale shooting and detail your form work.
As the weather gets better you can transition back to a real target.
5 yds is a pretty standard distance for that, since we usually bare shaft at that, so anything more is just gravy. 

You might want to set up several "dots" since at that distance, arrow on arrow damage is pretty common. 

Viper1 out.


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## Easykeeper (Jan 2, 2003)

I'd go crazy in the winter if I could only shoot outside, it's usually cold, dark, or cold _and_ dark when I'm home during the winter. I shoot at 8 yards from my kitchen to my utility room at a Block target. It's fun, keeps my form in shape, and scratches my archery itch enough to maintain what little sanity I still have.

The only downside is it takes me a few arrows to get my sight picture back a normal ranges after long periods of only shooting up close. I tend to shoot a couple inches high in the house but over time I eventually start nailing the spot. Then when I move back outside I shoot low until I readapt. It's not an issue unless I shoot indoors a lot, like over the winter. 

And yes, arrow damage is an issue up close unless you shoot multiple spots.


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## T2SHOOTER (Feb 26, 2014)

Built my own six yard garage target with shrink-wrap thrown away by many stores. I collected enough to stuff a super large box, wraped with a few old blankets and tarps, and it works great. I've set up mirrors to check form, and I shoot almost daily--with door open I can shoot up to 12 yards. Even after, living in California with no nastiness, I've gone to range, shot either the practice range or walking range, I'll come home and shoot blank bale for form check. Answering your question, the garage target works really well as explained above.


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## Jeb-D. (Sep 21, 2011)

The Garage target defiantly helps me keep the form polished. One thing I have found is that when I used to shoot instinctively and I had only been shooting in the garage for several weeks or months, it would take a long time to find my groove when I got back outside. Once I started using a conscience aiming method, the transition between garage and outside was minimal. In either case it will be beneficial vs. not practicing at all.


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## Ekku Zakku (Sep 7, 2014)

I put a hole in my garage door once... make sure your target is good enough at stopping your arrows XD


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