# Barebow training technique advice.



## pilotmill (Dec 10, 2008)

*Barebow training*

I use a clicker on my barebow to work on timing and draw consistency, tend to get lazy with it if I dont use the clicker for practice. I also use my olympic freestyle set up to hone my sight picture. While I string walk on barebow I find that using a sight helps build my concentration and having some sight marks gives me confidence at different distances, totally psychological I am sure. I love to shoot freestyle some so it does give me an excuse to have a backup bow set up. Gar.


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## Viper1 (Aug 21, 2003)

Grey -

Despite the thoughts in some circles, consistency is still the most important aspect of any shot. Form is how you develop that consistency. 

Every "barebow" shooter I've trained learns how to use a sight and a clicker somewhere a long the route, whether they plan on using them long term or not. Likewise, every sight shooter learns to shoot instinctively as well, although the methodology is a little different.

The clicker does a few things: 

1. Most importantly it gives the "barebow" shooter enough time at anchor to get his act together. 

2. It confirms draw length consistency to a degree that would be impossible without a draw check. 

The sight is critical to form training as it takes "aiming" out of the picture and therefore removes a lot of the "what the heck happened" questions. Any misses are form related. In other words - no excuses ...

Corollary - any time someone tells me that they can shoot better without a sight than with one, I KNOW there are form errors that need to be addressed. 

Once form is down (consistent), then you can start worrying about barebow aiming systems.

my .02 anyway ...

Viper1 out.


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## strcpy (Dec 13, 2003)

IMO sights are an option, a clicker is not for long term recurve shooting (even if it is only one of the glue on "cricket" things).

Sights are useful for a barebow shooter to gauge consistency. I do not find it very useful to use them very much but there are times when it is difficult to know if it is a sight issue or a subtle form one. Sights - even if it is just a pin, fletching, or any type of aiming point attached to your riser - mostly just make sure you are aiming in the right place.

Clickers, however, do a great deal of things. Even though I do not know of any barebow class that allows a draw check they are great for practice. If used properly they teach draw consistency, back tension, and help you "slow down" (or rather you keep control of the shot instead of granting it to something like sweeping across the target - otherwise known as "target panic"). I use one all the time, though I normally just remove the sights from my Oly Recurve and shoot it "barebow" (bow doesn't shoot well or balance without all the stabilizers and such and whilst working on my mental game it doesn't much matter which now is in my hands). 

Other than the sights feeling "wrong" (as said I shoot Oly Recurve too - it feels wrong to use a sight with a different anchor, bow balance, and the other subtle differences) I do not find much usefulness in them. They can be decent to shoot for a few times to diagnose a problem but other than that - nope. 

I can write more if you want and I am sure some above me can too (indeed part of what I would write will be rehashing things I originally read from them applied to my own specific case). I will mostly say read Viper talking about using a fletching for sights and read all you can across the different archery boards and books about a clicker. Also note that almost no one out there *likes* a clicker from a pure enjoyment of shooting aspect. However I will also note few relay runners like practicing passing batons too, most football players do not like running sprints, in fact all sports I've ever seen have their highly disliked drills that are integral to performing at your best. For us (recurve shooters - be it barebow or not) it is generally blank bailing and the clicker. I, personally, enjoy blank bailing as a type of physical meditation but in no way do I like the clicker - could I melt the dang thing and send it spiraling into the sun I would, yet it is one of the most important devices I have to keep my shooting honest and as good as I can do given my ability and time to practice.


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## Greysides (Jun 10, 2009)

Thank you both for your replies.:cocktail: Clickers never were involved in my basic training so it looks like a lot of reading up is in order.

Thanks again :thumbs_up..............greysides out....


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## Floxter (Sep 13, 2002)

Strcpy, the IFAA allows an under-the-arrow clicker in both Barebow Recurve style and Barebow Compound style. The NFAA, while it doesn't have a Barebow Recurve style, does allow an under-the-arrow clicker in Barebow (Compound) style.


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## strcpy (Dec 13, 2003)

Never shot IFAA. I knew the NFAA used to allow an under the arrow but thought it was illegal in all "barebow" classes now. But then I only shoot traditional and open recurve.

I guess I never really understood "no draw checks" anyway - I just cut my arrows to length and pull until the end of the arrow is even with the front of the riser (I shoot "traditional" so no rest - could do the same concept there too). Frankly in a barebow division the little bit of consistency lost from that to a clicker is irrelevant. 

I can't believe I'm the only person on the planet to use some form of relationship with the riser and arrow for a draw check.


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## wte (Apr 18, 2006)

Greysides,

Something to consider. If you string walk, and not all barebow archers string walk, but if you do then the use of a clicker is almost impossible IMHO. The reason being that if you have a solid anchor point and string walk, the arrow is not being drawn back to the same point at every distance. For example, at my longest distance when my tab is at the nock, the arrow is being drawn back to its max and at my shorter distances when my tab is maybe 2-3 inches below the nock, the arrow is not being drawn back as far even though my anchor is exactly the same for all distances. This makes it impossible to set up a clicker regardless of style of clicker you use (attached to riser or attached to limbs). The only way to make this work, and again this is IMHO, is to have a different anchor point for all the different distances. again just my two cents worth. If I am incorrect, maybe someone else could shed some light.

WTE


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## strcpy (Dec 13, 2003)

You are correct, however I would still advocate using one whilst doing things like blank bailing. You would also have an issue with the standard Oly type clicker as it obscures the tip of your arrow, though there are several types of clickers that do not have that issue.


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## Greysides (Jun 10, 2009)

wte said:


> Greysides,
> 
> Something to consider. If you string walk, and not all barebow archers string walk, but if you do then the use of a clicker is almost impossible IMHO.
> 
> WTE


Thanks for that, and 'yes', I do stringwalk. I would only anticipate using a clicker to practice a consistent drawlenght, probably at a bale- as strcpy says, and would not be using it in competition.


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