# Practice Habits



## 12-RING SHOOTER (Jul 27, 2010)

What are your practice habits? I am loooking for answers from the target shooter perspective, but everybody can chime in. I am supposedly shooting too much and I am not practicing correctly, so I am looking for some new habits. I am looking for the people who shoot Back Tension, that would be helpful.

Thanks,
Dylan


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## Robinhooder3 (Jun 18, 2008)

once you learn back tension DRILL IT INTO YOURSELF, to make it second nature. I'm no longer having any issues with target panic and I don't punch, but I practice mondays and thursdays from about 5:00 p.m to 8:00 p.m and tuesdays are all day outdoor practices. If your having problems with back tension that is understandable, it is one of the biggest hurdles in archery. You should use your shoulder muscles to draw the bow back instead of your biceps and then when you are at full draw keep pulling against the wall. When you have your finger on the trigger and you are about to execute the shot there are a number of different ways you can use back tension. The way I do it is I set the pin where I want to hit, put my thumb on the trigger then continue using the same muscles I pulled the bow back with, to set off the release. Before it gets too bad, you should look at getting a back tension realese.


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## HarryH1 (Sep 8, 2010)

A mental checklist is very helpful in these cases. If you use a mental checklist, and you know you need to practice something to correct a certain form issue, then you just add this to your mental checklist that you go through w/ each shot, and you will then make sure to correct this specific issue.

Check out this article for more info: Archery Lessons - The Mental Checklist

Good luck.


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## countryboy173 (Jul 18, 2008)

Make every shot count, don't just fling arrows for the hell of it.

If I could listen to this, I would be a MUCH better shooter..


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## 12-RING SHOOTER (Jul 27, 2010)

I have a BT release, i was doing great with it, but now i am getting hung up and im stuggling with it.


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## N7709K (Dec 17, 2008)

During indoor season, i shoot 3-4 times a week about 150shots at 20yds(two 5spot rounds for score and some extra). On the days that i don't shoot at 20yds or after i get home sometime i will shoot another 150-200 shots at 10yds in the basement to work on form.

in the off season i shoot for a couple hours a day minimum


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## SET THE HOOK (Dec 30, 2004)

Ok let me chime in, he flings arrows! he shoots BT good, but on the line gets hung up, at times he will shoot 150 arrows a day..he shoots best when he doesnt shoot alot, after getting a cast off his hand last fall, he picked up his bow and shot a 300 41 x 5 spot. so i believe he is getting bad habits the more he shoots.

heres the kicker...hes flinching his head after the shot and it pushes the arrow! he doesnt do it blank bailing, everything is perfect. his misses are by a 1/8 " but its the difference in a 5 or 3 for league.

So basically i told him no targets....BB 25 arrows a night to get it to feel good and find a proper shot sequence and it should come together and dont get frustrated when you he cant beat the oldman..lol


I think he just needs a good practice routine that he isnt shooting a 500 arrows a week with 200 of them being good shots if you get my drift.


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## Robinhooder3 (Jun 18, 2008)

12-RING SHOOTER said:


> I have a BT release, i was doing great with it, but now i am getting hung up and im stuggling with it.


in what way are you struggling with it? Are you learning to anticipate the shot?


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## 12-RING SHOOTER (Jul 27, 2010)

yep, on the line ill get hung up with it, then i end up anticipating and i whip my head.. i do this because i feel like im holding everybody up when im the only BT shooter on the line. when i dont get hung up, everything feels great.


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## Ignition kid (Oct 7, 2008)

I'm not so much of a back tension shooter just more of a "squeeze the trigger" guy, but what I have learned is to always have a system, and to do that system repetitively to where it is second nature to yourself. It becomes extremely important for bowhunters because when the moment of truth arrives the majority of the time you yourself aren't doing any of the work but your conscience is basically taking over and during practice sessions if you do the same system every time and it is basically nothing to you after so long than you will be thankful for it when the moment of truth arrives when bowhunting whatever. Both of the deer I have shot so far this hunting season I barely remember even thinking through anything, all I told myself was to "pick a spot", when the deer walked in I would tell myself what pin to use, where to aim, and so on and not to slap the trigger but to bring my finger over the trigger and to just squeeze and I am so thankful I did that because now I have 2 deer in the freezer. You just need to keep a system in your head and to concentrate on the spot or whatever you are aiming at and to make every shot count like your one and only shot, because perfect practice makes perfect.


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## N7709K (Dec 17, 2008)

Dylan,

Do you have a second release that isn't a hinge? You may find that if you shoot blank bale with the bt to get it second nature and then slowly move up to shooting scores with it the flinch will go away. If you have a second release, shoot league with that one until you have your new release down 100%


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## Questie (Feb 7, 2010)

Ignition kid said:


> I'm not so much of a back tension shooter just more of a "squeeze the trigger" guy, but what I have learned is to always have a system, and to do that system repetitively to where it is second nature to yourself. It becomes extremely important for bowhunters because when the moment of truth arrives the majority of the time you yourself aren't doing any of the work but your conscience is basically taking over and during practice sessions if you do the same system every time and it is basically nothing to you after so long than you will be thankful for it when the moment of truth arrives when bowhunting whatever. Both of the deer I have shot so far this hunting season I barely remember even thinking through anything, all I told myself was to "pick a spot", when the deer walked in I would tell myself what pin to use, where to aim, and so on and not to slap the trigger but to bring my finger over the trigger and to just squeeze and I am so thankful I did that because now I have 2 deer in the freezer. You just need to keep a system in your head and to concentrate on the spot or whatever you are aiming at and to make every shot count like your one and only shot, because perfect practice makes perfect.


:thumbs_up: +1, hit it right on the head.


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## Ignition kid (Oct 7, 2008)

Thanks questie, I try to say things right, usually doesn't work out though


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## Rory/MO (Jan 13, 2008)

Over the summer shoot as much as I can every day practicing good form. When the season rolls around shoot one broadhead into my 3d deer every couple of days to make sure I'm still sharp.


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## SET THE HOOK (Dec 30, 2004)

N7709K said:


> Dylan,
> 
> Do you have a second release that isn't a hinge? You may find that if you shoot blank bale with the bt to get it second nature and then slowly move up to shooting scores with it the flinch will go away. If you have a second release, shoot league with that one until you have your new release down 100%



Its second nature no doubt already...hes having a bit of problem under pressure, hes shooting really good for the most part, hes going to just blankbale through it, as far as a release..a trigger is his enemy!


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## Sighting In (Feb 5, 2009)

SET THE HOOK said:


> Its second nature no doubt already...hes having a bit of problem under pressure, hes shooting really good for the most part, hes going to just blankbale through it, as far as a release..a trigger is his enemy!


This is going to be kind of blunt, but if he is having real trouble under pressure, it isn't down pat enough. He should be at the point where he is confident that he can make a good shot every time so that when it counts he is ready to perform. These videos might help explain it better than I can. It might also be a good idea to watch all of them; you might learn a few things you want to fix.

http://www.performance-archery.tv/?q=node/44

http://www.performance-archery.tv/?q=node/61


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## N7709K (Dec 17, 2008)

Does he have a strap release or a thumb trigger?

Adam posted some good videos


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## 12-RING SHOOTER (Jul 27, 2010)

Sighting In said:


> This is going to be kind of blunt, but if he is having real trouble under pressure, it isn't down pat enough. He should be at the point where he is confident that he can make a good shot every time so that when it counts he is ready to perform. These videos might help explain it better than I can. It might also be a good idea to watch all of them; you might learn a few things you want to fix.
> 
> http://www.performance-archery.tv/?q=node/44
> 
> http://www.performance-archery.tv/?q=node/61


I know how to shoot BT, its that when i switched to a Scott Longhorn from a Carter ONLY i started to get hung up. Its a big difference going from a release that has no travel to a release with a lot of travel. I could shoot my carter well in pressure, im just still getting used to the new release, and i need to get rid of my bad habit of pulling my head as the shot breaks. So i was just asking the practice habits people have to try and break my habit, and yes Jacob, i have a strap release, but it would be a step backwards to use that, instead of getting used to my release.


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## N7709K (Dec 17, 2008)

Yep Dylan, strap is not gonna help.. can you adjust the travel on your scott?


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## 12-RING SHOOTER (Jul 27, 2010)

yep, but i have it set as light as i could possibly have it. if I set it any lighter it will release pre-maturely.


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## N7709K (Dec 17, 2008)

when you pull a shot does it hit to the left? or right?


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## SET THE HOOK (Dec 30, 2004)

1/8 to a 1/4 left


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## N7709K (Dec 17, 2008)

Could it be that his anchor is floating away from his face? that will cause a left miss for him


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## SET THE HOOK (Dec 30, 2004)

yeah the DL is a touch long, we have it as short as it can get, to the point the draw stops are cheated a bit, hes shooting really good but needs to learn to let down better when he gets hung up instead of forcing the shot.


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## N7709K (Dec 17, 2008)

I think you hit the problem on the head right there... could you shorten the loop a little?


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## SET THE HOOK (Dec 30, 2004)

N7709K said:


> I think you hit the problem on the head right there... could you shorten the loop a little?


we have shortened it and can go about a 1/8 more or so, might help a bit...he just needs to grow! we were hoping he would of fit it better when it came in but still a tad long, hopefully in a few months a growth spert will happen LOL.


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## chasin feathers (Sep 10, 2010)

i shoot traditional all the way, no nothing except a tab, and i take a small "break" between each shot. i have a certain part of a song running through my head right before i shoot. i also breath in, breath out, shoot


did u guys know that the japanese archers practice only form for a year, without making a single shoot, then only shoot at like 10 yards for another year, then go from there?


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## hoytarcherygal (Sep 13, 2010)

koreans dont even pick up a bow for about about a year


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## chasin feathers (Sep 10, 2010)

i couldnt wait that long


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## hoytarcherygal (Sep 13, 2010)

i couldnt either but apparently it works because they are amazing archers


chasin feathers said:


> i couldnt wait that long


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## Ignition kid (Oct 7, 2008)

hoytarcherygal said:


> i couldnt either but apparently it works because they are amazing archers


amazing or not I would die having to wait that long not to shoot a bow, I would be sneaking a mini bow with me to shoot afterward


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## N7709K (Dec 17, 2008)

but take a look at how disciplined their archers are....

just sayin


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## Sighting In (Feb 5, 2009)

I think it's the whole Asian culture. Kind of promotes that kind of discipline, and it pays off. Korea didn't go to the World Cup this year until the 3rd stage, and they nearly swept it. They are good. 

My coach actually taught Brady Ellison in High School. He was telling me that when Brady first went to the OTC to train for Recurve, the head coach took his bow and locked it up for a month. He did nothing but stretch band work for a month, and shortly after he was allowed to shoot again he became the best archer in the OTC. He is now ranked number one in the world.

It may suck, you can't say it doesn't work.


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## Mathewsju (Jan 19, 2008)

ok dylan, here's my 2 cents worth...
first, your draw length is a touch too long, but there isnt much you can do to fix that unless you try a different more compact release or change around your form a little (which i wouldnt recommend). so basicly your just gonna have to get used to that. i did notice that you shoot much more consistently when you are shooting animal targets, most likely because you cant see a center point of aim so you arent focused on not missing the shot (ik its worded badly)...basicly, you shoot your best when you arent worried about or cant see the bullseye. with that said, your follow through is much stronger and more consistent when shooting animals versus 5 spot. you need to stop worrying about where the arrow hits...shoot a shot to shoot perfect form, dont shoot a shot to hit the center. if you shoot perfect form you will begin to shoot much more consistently, especially under pressure. (im may be wrong on this but...) it also seems like you try to control your follow through from time to time when you have a weak shot, and that seems to be when you start to cheat and peak around your bow to see your arrow. your follow through looks consistent but imo you lack the explosive aspect associated with the shot breaking most likely because you are more concerned about/trying to keep the pin in the center. its better to shoot a stronger shot (more explosive) and not hold as steady than hold steady and have a weak follow through, at least imo

bottom line, we can give you all the advice in the world, but you need to try things (one at a time!) to see what works for you... i have dealt with similar problems for year and ive spent plenty of time asking questions and fumbling around in the dark, but in the end i just had to listen to what people said and try it and modify it to your own style


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## SET THE HOOK (Dec 30, 2004)

Mathewsju said:


> ok dylan, here's my 2 cents worth...
> first, your draw length is a touch too long, but there isnt much you can do to fix that unless you try a different more compact release or change around your form a little (which i wouldnt recommend). so basicly your just gonna have to get used to that. i did notice that you shoot much more consistently when you are shooting animal targets, most likely because you cant see a center point of aim so you arent focused on not missing the shot (ik its worded badly)...basicly, you shoot your best when you arent worried about or cant see the bullseye. with that said, your follow through is much stronger and more consistent when shooting animals versus 5 spot. you need to stop worrying about where the arrow hits...shoot a shot to shoot perfect form, dont shoot a shot to hit the center. if you shoot perfect form you will begin to shoot much more consistently, especially under pressure. (im may be wrong on this but...) it also seems like you try to control your follow through from time to time when you have a weak shot, and that seems to be when you start to cheat and peak around your bow to see your arrow. your follow through looks consistent but imo you lack the explosive aspect associated with the shot breaking most likely because you are more concerned about/trying to keep the pin in the center. its better to shoot a stronger shot (more explosive) and not hold as steady than hold steady and have a weak follow through, at least imo
> 
> bottom line, we can give you all the advice in the world, but you need to try things (one at a time!) to see what works for you... i have dealt with similar problems for year and ive spent plenty of time asking questions and fumbling around in the dark, but in the end i just had to listen to what people said and try it and modify it to your own style


Josh, thanks for the deatailed breakdown, and i agree totally with everthing you said, besides the dl being a bit long which wont take that long to grow into, I do believe its all mental, 2 out of 5 attemps at a 300 game he has done it 2 times, but it seems as of now hes having some mental issues that will work out fine, I have the same isses 3d targets animal targets I'm fine, spots thats another story..i choose not to shoot them..lol.


as he BB last night , I asked him how does every shot feel? also said to him are you hanging up? he said every shot feels and goes off perfect!! now my question...is Target panic still looming on the 5 spot??


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## Mathewsju (Jan 19, 2008)

SET THE HOOK said:


> Josh, thanks for the deatailed breakdown, and i agree totally with everthing you said, besides the dl being a bit long which wont take that long to grow into, I do believe its all mental, 2 out of 5 attemps at a 300 game he has done it 2 times, but it seems as of now hes having some mental issues that will work out fine, I have the same isses 3d targets animal targets I'm fine, spots thats another story..i choose not to shoot them..lol.
> 
> 
> as he BB last night , I asked him how does every shot feel? also said to him are you hanging up? he said every shot feels and goes off perfect!! now my question...is Target panic still looming on the 5 spot??


possibly a little bit of "target panic". although i do believe he is executing a surprise shot, i think his focus is on the wrong things, and that is his problem...he needs to be very critical of his shot sequence and if there is absolutely anything wrong/doesnt feel right he needs to admit it and know it wasnt a "perfect shot." 
i would have him shoot and keep track of how many perfect shots he has during a round/practice session (go by percentages). he can keep score, but the thing that he should strive for is to increase the percentage of perfect shot...whether his score is 20 points lower or higher makes no difference if he shoots more perfect shots, he will soon fell absolutely confident in his form and follow through, which will allow him to aim/focus on the center without any worry about a breakdown in form that would lead to a bad shot or not hitting the center

ive also noticed with myself that i shoot my best when i take the time to shoot 4-6 rounds at a target face concentrating on perfect form. this irons out all minor issues and brings back my confidence and muscle memory. after that i will shoot focused on the hitting the center...when i do this, i tend to shoot my best scores


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## Mathewsju (Jan 19, 2008)

i forgot to mention as a side note. ive noticed that it is more important to have a strong follow through when you have a higher holding weight (less letoff) so you dont creep forward. it will help to be more consistent. i tend to shoot a very relaxed form of bt with my monster bc it has 80% letoff while i shoot strong bt with my target bow bc it has 65% letoff. with that said you need to find a happy medium between a strong shot execution/follow through and still being consistent from shot to shot...of you try to pull to hard it will be very hard to replicate from shot to shot


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## hoytarcherygal (Sep 13, 2010)

and if you really want to succeed you will do anything to make it happen. i know that if i go the chance to learn to shoot over there or even Coack Lee at the OTC i would jump on it. even if it meant loosing the ability to actually shoot for a while because in the long run it would most definatly pay off. 


Sighting In said:


> I think it's the whole Asian culture. Kind of promotes that kind of discipline, and it pays off. Korea didn't go to the World Cup this year until the 3rd stage, and they nearly swept it. They are good.
> 
> My coach actually taught Brady Ellison in High School. He was telling me that when Brady first went to the OTC to train for Recurve, the head coach took his bow and locked it up for a month. He did nothing but stretch band work for a month, and shortly after he was allowed to shoot again he became the best archer in the OTC. He is now ranked number one in the world.
> 
> It may suck, you can't say it doesn't work.


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## SET THE HOOK (Dec 30, 2004)

Mathewsju said:


> i forgot to mention as a side note. ive noticed that it is more important to have a strong follow through when you have a higher holding weight (less letoff) so you dont creep forward. it will help to be more consistent. i tend to shoot a very relaxed form of bt with my monster bc it has 80% letoff while i shoot strong bt with my target bow bc it has 65% letoff. with that said you need to find a happy medium between a strong shot execution/follow through and still being consistent from shot to shot...of you try to pull to hard it will be very hard to replicate from shot to shot



Agreed, now another thing he said to me i just remembered, i asked him what he thinks about a FD while aiming at the X his reply was making the release go off!! well we all know that shouldnt be in his mind at all....the X should be in the mind, guess what gets me is hes been shooting BT for 2 years and been successfull at it and now his brain isnt working the right way..lol


Were going to go at it with alot of BB shooting during the week, then go with some Short range 5 spot (limited amound of shots) and more BB to see if his Subconsious mind can take over while at FD, and then some more BB.


I'm sre it will work itself out.


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## Sighting In (Feb 5, 2009)

I'm going to add a little note about draw length, here. If it is not set perfectly for him, fix it so that it is. Move the mods, or if it is just a bit off find a press and twist (or untwist as the case may be) the string so that it fits him NOW. You CAN NOT shoot proper form and proper back tension with a draw length that is not right for him, even by a little. I know all of the pros, and even myself, can feel the difference of just a single twist on the string, and they will not shoot quite as well if it does not fit. He will not hold as steady, and he can not execute as well. Get it set for him, and when he grows adjust as necessary. Don't wait for him to catch up to the bow, make the bow go to him.


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## N7709K (Dec 17, 2008)

Sighting In said:


> I'm going to add a little note about draw length, here. If it is not set perfectly for him, fix it so that it is. Move the mods, or if it is just a bit off find a press and twist (or untwist as the case may be) the string so that it fits him NOW. You CAN NOT shoot proper form and proper back tension with a draw length that is not right for him, even by a little. I know all of the pros, and even myself, can feel the difference of just a single twist on the string, and they will not shoot quite as well if it does not fit. He will not hold as steady, and he can not execute as well. Get it set for him, and when he grows adjust as necessary. Don't wait for him to catch up to the bow, make the bow go to him.



Adam,

I talked to him about trying to get it to fit him... way it sounds new cams are what is needed..

I do wholeheartedly agree that is has to fit him.... if it doesn't it will push shots out even when they feel very solid or when you shoot great form


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## Aaron Groce (Oct 10, 2009)

if you have to hav it set that light for it to go off i dont think you are using true back tention


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## SET THE HOOK (Dec 30, 2004)

Cudas only go to 27" there is no cam swap to make it fit, i will take it to the guy and see if he can tweak it...He Does shoot it with BT...think a few are missing the point here, BB he says everything feels perfect...target face...everything doesnt feel perfect!

think its more issues of the mind here.


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## SET THE HOOK (Dec 30, 2004)

Aaron Groce said:


> if you have to hav it set that light for it to go off i dont think you are using true back tention



That issue of it going off is on him...he likes to let off of the peg to early sometimes. he has it set pretty slow right now.


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## N7709K (Dec 17, 2008)

From the pics i got, the draw doesn't look too long apart from the locked bow arm. Just make sure he isn't pushing through the shot


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## SET THE HOOK (Dec 30, 2004)

N7709K said:


> From the pics i got, the draw doesn't look too long apart from the locked bow arm. Just make sure he isn't pushing through the shot


yeah, i think some were thinking its overly long but its not, next week we will go see his coach and get some advice and a bow tweaking and go from there.


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