# Shot Execution



## aread (Dec 25, 2009)

It's great that you are thinking about your shot sequence. That's going to take you a long way in this sport. You would be surprised at how many archers don't even write down their shot sequence.

Execution of the shot should take 3 to 10 seconds. This is the time period from when you commit to your follow through until you complete your follow through. It seems that the very top level target archers often take much longer than this. But I assume that you are not that level yet. You shouldn't be aiming until you have committed to your follow through. So your shot sequence should be:

Calibrate (put the pin close to the X), commit to follow through, begin aiming, follow through. 

Don't start aiming until you have begun execution. There should not be a step called "release" in your shot sequence. Release is just something that happens as you move from commit to follow through. Many archers, begin aiming too soon. In a recent seminar, the US Olympic team coaches discussed this as have some of the old time coaches I've talked to.

Aiming is visual and mental focus on the exact spot that you want to hit. If you have to shift focus after you begin aiming, you have to re-establish aiming focus. this is not good for accuracy. There are two approaches to aiming. Most compound coaches teach that execution should run subconsciously. Some compound coaches and nearly all Olympic recurve coaches teach that aiming should be done subconsciously and execution done consciously. Pick one and stick with it.

Fatigue is often due to lack of physical conditioning. But it can be exacerbated by recruiting too much muscle during your shot. The most stable form is based on aligning your skeleton so that the loads are supported more by your skeleton than your muscles. The more you can carry the load of holding in your back, the less fatigue will be a factor. This requires that your shoulders be down.

Hope his helps,
Allen


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## Ray Ray (Aug 1, 2005)

Allen has some very good points, & I would like to add one. In league shoots, not so much at the practice line, I find myself not taking that second breath before aiming & execution begin.

In other words I draw & try to shoot on the same breath. I shoot much better when I take a breath, draw to anchor, take a breath, aim & execute.
On the one breath shots things start to get fuzzy, I also feel more tired due to oxygen deprivation.


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## ShiiFtyy (May 22, 2013)

Thanks guys! Very helpful responses  I'll keep those in mind the next time I go to the range
I thought it'd be worth addressing considering that I wanted to participate in the upcoming event in Proline Archery and sometimes taking that one shot just takes way too long and it just becomes increasingly harder as I go through to the 3rd arrow.

Maybe it's also because I just changed to the 3 spot and I've had a lot of difficulty with it before 

Nice sig btw, Allen
I should probably look into a coach haha


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## aread (Dec 25, 2009)

If you find yourself taking too long to execute a shot, let down. It's one of the key skills that an intermediate archer needs to learn in order to advance. It's one of the hardest shots in archery, but letting down will improve your scores or at least show you what to work on.

A drill that will help you with this is to draw and hold. Don't release. Make sure you are using the same muscles you would use during a regular shot, and hold as long as you can keep your form together, then let down. It's one of the most boring drills you can do, but it's also one of the most effective. The good news is that you can practice it anywhere. Just be sure that you put on some extra insurance to avoid releasing an arrow by accident. I use an old Formaster tied pretty tight so the sting can only travel an inch or so. http://www.3riversarchery.com/rigid-formaster-archery-training-aid.html

It's pretty pricey to buy, but you can build your own for a few $.


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## ShiiFtyy (May 22, 2013)

aread said:


> If you find yourself taking too long to execute a shot, let down. It's one of the key skills that an intermediate archer needs to learn in order to advance. It's one of the hardest shots in archery, but letting down will improve your scores or at least show you what to work on.
> 
> A drill that will help you with this is to draw and hold. Don't release. Make sure you are using the same muscles you would use during a regular shot, and hold as long as you can keep your form together, then let down. It's one of the most boring drills you can do, but it's also one of the most effective. The good news is that you can practice it anywhere. Just be sure that you put on some extra insurance to avoid releasing an arrow by accident. I use an old Formaster tied pretty tight so the sting can only travel an inch or so. http://www.3riversarchery.com/rigid-formaster-archery-training-aid.html
> 
> It's pretty pricey to buy, but you can build your own for a few $.


I really appreciate the help so far

And yeah, you make a good point; often I try to force the shot when I start to struggle - sometimes it works well, sometimes it doesn't 

I'd love to give the formaster a try if I weren't shooting a compound bow  
Worse comes to worst I can probably just do the same thing in front of a shooting block in my backyard


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## I'M DK (Jul 4, 2012)

You can connect a Formaster to a compound the same as any traditional bow.

DK


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## aread (Dec 25, 2009)

I'M DK said:


> You can connect a Formaster to a compound the same as any traditional bow.
> 
> DK


Yes, but if you leave any slack at all, you will get a very unpleasant jerk. With a recurve or longbow, the jerk is not quite as unpleasant.

In this drill, the formaster is just a safety measure to avoid an arrow through the TV.


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## AJ the TP Guru (Jul 29, 2011)

The OP's concern is not his alone. Many archers try to overthink the shot. Often this in fact, can lead to target panic.


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## RCR_III (Mar 19, 2011)

You've had some good advice in this thread, and I'm a little late to the party, but I am willing to bet I can work with you on how you draw the hinge, load the pressure into it, and execute with it and get you fixed in a certain window. You said you sped the release up, which kinda threw a flag for me. So many times an archer will speed up a hinge and think it'll help execute faster. And at times, set up and used correctly, it can. But, you're already using a hinge with a safetly, which leads me to think you're still slightly tentative with a hinge and probably not putting the correct pressures into the release to be aggressive with it. So slowing the release down and getting more aggressive on pressures will engage you into the shot more and help your release execution happen sooner. I have some written information on my website on this about setting up the hinge and a couple videos as well on it all, but feel free to pm me or email me as well and I can help you out any way I can to get you shooting the way you want to.


ShiiFtyy said:


> Hi all!
> 
> Lately during practice as I aim to shoot, I realized that I've been taking way too long with every shot and therefore I get tired quickly.
> 
> ...


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## ShiiFtyy (May 22, 2013)

RCR_III said:


> So many times an archer will speed up a hinge and think it'll help execute faster. /QUOTE]
> 
> Haha yeah exactly me
> I'm pretty sure it did the opposite considering I ended up worrying about whether or not I'd have a misfire
> ...


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