# Wish you would have known when starting?



## dm33 (Sep 23, 2020)

So I have decided that I want to get into indoor target shooting so I have something to do during the cold Minnesota winters. I have gotten myself a bow that is intended for target shooting and am looking at getting it setup this fall/winter. I have done an indoor event before with my hunting setup, so I know general how they are run. My question is for those who have been shooting indoors for a while:

What do you wish you would have known about indoor target shooting / bow setup / arrow setup (or anything else related to shooting indoors) when you were first starting?


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## Mahly (Dec 18, 2002)

Proper form and draw length.
At the very least, how to fit a bow.
Also how and why different releases work the way they do. 
Started target shooting with a bow at least 1.5” too long, and a horrible “Concho” style release. 

So, looking back as this thread came back up, I am editing to give a bit more info.


1) Form. How, why. 
2) “surprise release”
3) Hinge releases, Why (see #2)
4) How valuable nothing is (follow through)
5) Don’t trust pro-shops, until you KNOW you can trust them.
6) That I did NOT indeed have a 33” draw (see also #1)
7) That archers, even great ones are superstitious to a fault. (Buy gear based on logic and your skills, not because shooter X uses it.)
8) That “back tension” alone doesn’t make a release fire. (Ok, once I learned about #2-3)
9) That less let off generally helps in target archery
10) That no one cares how you are shooting, virtually no one is watching you.

Bonus 11) What target panic was, and why it happens (see 2,4,5,8,10)


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## Ryan_823 (Sep 24, 2018)

Mahly said:


> Proper form and draw length.
> At the very least, how to fit a bow.
> Also how and why different releases work the way they do.
> Started target shooting with a bow at least 1.5” too long, and a horrible “Concho” style release.
> ...


agreed!


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## carlosii (Feb 25, 2007)

Find a good coach. Wish I had done that when I started in archery.


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## msh441 (May 22, 2020)

My biggest point of confusion so far as I dip my toe into target archery has been arrows.

Arrows are measured in 64ths of an inch diameter, and are frequently converted to decimals on manufacturer’s spec sheets.

There are maximum for each governing body depending on what rules system is in play: 23/64 (USAA/World, IBO max), 26/64 (ATA max), and 27/64 (NFAA, Vegas, Lancaster max).

If you’re going to buy/build some dedicated target arrows, start with 23’s, as they will be acceplable wherever you go.

This seems so simple in hindsight, but my head was spinning for a couple days before someone explained it to me.


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## Bikeman CU (Nov 27, 2005)

You can't buy a good score. You only get points for where the arrow lands. You will never get extra points for your color matched equipment or the shirt you are wearing. If you "think" you should let the arrow down, let it down.


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## 953281 (Sep 27, 2020)

I took archery as a PE class in college. One of the guys in the class was into field archery. Had a nice recurve bow (this was before compound bows showed up), nice quiver and Port Orford cedar arrows. Always regretted never chatting with him and getting involved into competitive archery back then...mid 60s. Dad always said hindsight is always 20/20.


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## j_0_h_0 (Sep 10, 2016)

Form form form and more form. Everytime I had issues I went back to form and found my issue in that


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## Padgett (Feb 5, 2010)

1. You are going to suck really bad in the beginning so just get that in your head and enjoy the line time.

2. Get a rear facing hip quiver where the fletching is behind you, do not use the ones where the arrows stick out in front.

3. Your normal sight pin will vanish and you are screwed, make a black dot with a sharpie and take out your pin. I prefer a black dot that covers the 10 ring. 

4. Make friends with the strong shooters at your local indoor leagues and ask and ask and ask,  they can be a wealth of knowledge.

5. Arrows can suck really bad, I am a shooting machine guy who group tunes my arrows to the same hole and I have seen easton aluminum and carbon express pro level arrows shoot softball sized groups. So picking a batch of good arrows to trust to be dead on is a big deal. I personally recommend to guys who can not group tune gold tip xxx shafts and your choice of point weight and fletching. They always group awesome and shoot good.


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## Padgett (Feb 5, 2010)

Don't overthink your first year of indoor, you need to just get in your truck and get your feet wet. Indoor just takes time to get line time for nerves and perfect your execution with thousands of shots alone on the line and with 20 people crowding you.

I will say that indoor is one of the most important things that happened to me because you can get away with being a average shooter in 3d and put up good scores but in indoor it will expose the truth about your shooting. It lead me into becoming a hinge shooter and getting a fully decked out target bow. Within 2 years I was shooting 60x rounds in practice sessions and winning indoor leagues with 56 to 59x rounds. I have shot 29x vegas rounds twice in league nights which felt so freaking awesome. I still hate indoor and always will but I show up and put in my time because it helps my shooting so much. I treat it training time with friends instead of being alone at home.


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## Zach_Denton (Apr 10, 2015)

Dont shoot indoors at the same poundage you hunt with. To much weight leads to fatigue. fatigue leads to bad form and bad form leads to bad shooting. Lower the poundage and have fun!


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## j_0_h_0 (Sep 10, 2016)

Getting your bow and arrows tuned up is one of the most important things I have found in indoor tournaments. The small issues I have seem to show up more in indoor.


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## johnconnor200 (Nov 13, 2020)

This is an awesome thread. Big thanks for all the input from everybody.


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## LMacD (Mar 16, 2015)

Most of all, as a forum member said a few years ago, "learn to make good shots". I wish I had heard and internalized that comment about 20 years ago.

I know: It sounds obvious, but when you unpack the statement, there's a lot of wisdom in there. What is a good shot? "Making" good shots implies repeating them, and I think if your goal really is competitive shooting, it means repeating them often enough to be competitive, not just being at the shoot with cool gear and getting the odd x ring. BTW: I'm not claiming to be a 300 30X Vegas shooter, but I continue to practice towards the goal.


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## Fates (Sep 10, 2020)

Padgett said:


> 1. You are going to suck really bad in the beginning so just get that in your head and enjoy the line time.
> 
> 2. Get a rear facing hip quiver where the fletching is behind you, do not use the ones where the arrows stick out in front.
> 
> ...


I already messed up it looks like, based on #2. Why are the arrows facing front in the quiver a potential negative? I turn my quiver around my belt ‘til the arrow nocks are outside of being in contact with any of my bow or self (they somewhat face directly away from target) - is it the contact that’s the concern (With other shooters as well?)?

On #3, I’m using a 1 pin slider sight right now, but I’d love to get a dedicated target scope. What would be the best value setup for a beginner? And also, where is a good online source to buy these from? My local shops are all very hunt-centric which is great, but don’t really carry much if any target items. These scope setups seem to be on the very pricey side - I’d like to dip my toe in without losing a leg. Any recommendations on setup and where to buy are hugely appreciated.

Thanks - have a good one!


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## 1/2 Bubble Off (Dec 29, 2016)

Zach_Denton said:


> Dont shoot indoors at the same poundage you hunt with. To much weight leads to fatigue. fatigue leads to bad form and bad form leads to bad shooting. Lower the poundage and have fun!


^^^This^^^ I made this mistake. 

My biggest bits of advice I can give are these:

1) Invest in a bow press, drawboard, and the tools you need to tune!!!! The biggest improvement to my scores happened when I learned to tune the bow to ME!!!! I shot for years with a bow tuned by my local archery shop. I shot well but seemed to find myself at the top half of the middle of the scoreboard..... Once I started tinkering/learning, my scores improved a lot in a very short time!!!!

2) Accept that you will more than likely NOT be a "stud" the first few years!!!! The only thing that will truly prepare you to shoot in tourneys with lots of people watching, is to get out and shoot at places where people will be watching!!!! Tournament pressure is a real thing. I've been shooting Vegas 300 rounds (low 20's X count) about 70% of the time in practice.... I've only done it once in an actual tourney/league (with witnesses).


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## Sir SickALot (Jun 19, 2014)

The need for a qualified coach. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## SonnyThomas (Sep 10, 2006)

I quit shooting spots a long time ago. Little to no training other than shooting at home. Got started in 3D. Fixed pins, shooting off the string, index release. Took in my first Indoor and took high overall in Bow Hunter Free Style with a 294 on the 5 spot. Just my bow hunting rig and used for 3D. High score again the next year with a 296. Same bow hunter class.

I didn't know a thing, really other than it sure was a lot shooting. 60 shots on the 5 Spot. 

So a little educated and I still shot good. My Indoors were wrong, but two 3rd place in Indoor State Championship. 6 and 8% FOC was the wrong, so I was told. Same for Field, my semi fat shaft CXL 250s were too fat and my 7.09% FOC just wrong. Took Champion and 2nd place the following year in State Field Championships.

Never knew what back tension was, never even gave it thought. Never gave thought to a thumb release or hinge until just before the last two Indoor events I shot. Wish I never switched from a index release and for no real reason I'm hooked on a thumb release and hinge is far second.......

Actually, I'm glad I never joined AT before I did - September 2006. By then I had placed and won a 100 times over and put dozen deer in the freezer. I start shooting a compound in 1999 and started competing in 2000.


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