Aim!!! try this aiming drill

[Hoytstaffshooter83]

Aiming is of vital importance when it comes to target shooting or hunting... but as I have said before most of us conciously trigger the release (not good) so to help with aiming and to show some of you just how dependent on that you are.. try this...........

stand 10 ft away from a a target.. draw back and aim for 10 sec at the bullseye..... just stare at the center.... DO NOT TRIGGER THE RELEASE... then let down and wait a minute or so and repeat.... alot of you will flinch alot once the pin is in the center because you have taught yourself to fire the shot when the pin is in the bullseye.. your mind says "NOW"!! but really all you should do is look at the center of your target, if you move off center keep looking, your mind will bring the pin back to the center.. and then the shot should just happen.... no "NOW"!!!   ater a minute try again.. keep doing this for a few days or until you can aim and and not flinch and want to make the shot happen.. then move back to 15 and repeat.. then 20 then eventually 20 yrds.. once you can aim for 10 sec at 20 yrds and not flinch.. you are ready to start shooting....... PM me when you get to this point and I will help you with the next step... master this and you will become a much better shooter/hunter

[@RCHER]

That's great, Hoyt. I'll give it a spin. Thanks for sharing.

[bow-n-head]

I have had this problem before. I will give it a try thanks hoyt.

[runamuk]

Isn't this basically instinctive shooting?

What you describe sounds very much like throwing knives or darts where you don't consciously aim you focus on where you want it to go and relax into the throw.  I even did this when riding horses you "see" where you want to go first and then you just sort of go there when it all comes together correctly. 

[Hoytstaffshooter83]

instinctive shooting is not aiming, its instictive.. like throwing a ball.. with a compound you have sights and you aim... but most people do not aim correctly or execute the shot correctly, this is a drill to help with both

[GoldTip]

If your flinching every time your pin touches the bullseye then you have target panic.  This is a good exercise to help break yourself of this malady, but I would be hard pressed to believe "alot of you will flinch alot once the pin is in the center."

[Hoytstaffshooter83]

if you punch the trigger most will.. and id say 90% of bowhunters dont execute a subconscious release. and target panic is alot more then just punching the trigger.. thats just one form of it

[Little John]

I always execute a subconscious release when there is a 360 Bull screaming at me at 20yds   

[Hoytstaffshooter83]

shoot enough tournaments and you would...........

[Little John]

I shoot lots of tournament, and don't claim to never punch the trigger.
There are people that punch the trigger and there are people that lie about it.

[robb92]

Thanks for the tip! Will try it out.

[Hoytstaffshooter83]

I shoot lots of tournament, and don't claim to never punch the trigger.
There are people that punch the trigger and there are people that lie about it.

c

your right some do, I dont

[DOUBLELUNG]

I shoot lots of tournament, and don't claim to never punch the trigger.
There are people that punch the trigger and there are people that lie about it.

Yep.  Those that say they never have, andthose that say they quit.  Oh wait, that's the two kinds of liars about masturbation, right?

Anyway, good advice.  To group consistently, you have to have confidence when your sights are on target.  Thanks.

[Hoytstaffshooter83]

lol anytime

[jroc92980]

Thanks for the tip Hoyt going to test this out

[Archery King]

This is a very good tip i get this a lot when i target shoot.  But if you ask all the bucks that have stood in front of me they would tell you i squezzed the trigger   

[NW-GSP]

I will start this tonight!

[elkoholic]

had this problem last night ... I separated my shoulder  a few months ago so I havent been able to shoot  at all... well last night I figured it was time so I went out and i was punching the trigger as soon as my pin hit the spot, been a bowhunter for 16yrs now and have never had an issue, I knew how to correct it(same as you described). took a few minutes to fix the problem but I got her nailed now... shoulder held up pretty well but is a little stiff this morning.... Another thing to try is be about 5yrds from the target and aim and hold then right before you shoot close your eyes an just focus on the trigger release....

[Da stump]

Let the force be with you Luke.

[Slider]

My buddie punched the trigger and didn't even know it!!! Yes you did? No I didn't. Yes you did? No I didn't........LOL We were at an Archery shop in Oregon shooting after they set up a new bow for him and the guy that owns the store was watching him shoot and told him he was punching the trigger. He was like HUH?........LOL

[NW-GSP]

are you guys saying that punching the trigger is when you pull the trigger as soon as your sight lines up with what your trying to shoot 

Im a newb to archery so any advice is welcome

[Hoytstaffshooter83]

yes that would be the major way that it is done, basically it is a conscious release, your mind says "now" when the pins hit the middle....... you should execute a sub consious release where your concious mind is only focued on aiming, your mind cant do both at once

[colockumelk]

I'm gonna start doing that on windy days wich in E-Burg is most days.  When it's not windy I can't pass up the opportunity to shoot, since lately that's only been about one out of every four days. 

But thanks for the tip.  Lately I've been trying to concentrate on holding the pin on the sight while I tense my back muscles up to make the trigger pull.  It's worked better than what I used to do. 

[adam.WI]

I'm new here so my input might not go far yet, but I used to do this a lot, both punch the trigger and also the drill. If you don't believe it will help your crazy. When I was maybe 14, just getting into competition shooting I was all over the place shooting around a 200 nfaa. I began focusing all work on the trigger with a few different drills, this one and blank bail primarily and with in two months shot my first 300. So try it, YOU MIGHT LIKE IT.

[Instinct]

hmm this drill seems like it works, i noticed that myself that i wobble and cant really hold steady past 40 50 is wabbely but hit the target area and 60 really straining.

[Todd_ID]

hmm this drill seems like it works, i noticed that myself that i wobble and cant really hold steady past 40 50 is wabbely but hit the target area and 60 really straining.

Less beer while practicing does wonders!  J/K

[NW-GSP]

I dont want to sound like a tard but I have a hard time staying steady at 30 yards, maybe im doing something wrong

[xXx Archery]

I dont want to sound like a tard but I have a hard time staying steady at 30 yards, maybe im doing something wrong

Your draw lenght might not be right ...having the draw lenght right is the most important things in aiming. when the draw is right you can use bone on bone, its all about form.

You will hear a lot of talk about shooting at a blank bail to improve your shooting skills, or even to help you get over a bad case of target panic. Blank bale shooting does have it’s uses, but you need to be careful to leverage it the correct way. The over use of blank bale shooting can cause severely damaging effects. Practicing on a target face at close distance is a completely different tool that is much more versatile & useful.
blank bail shooting can be useful as well as harmful if you are not careful. Blank bail shooting is often referred to as the defacto default method for curing target panic. In all honestly blank bailing has very little use as it pertains to curing target panic. Let’s discuss exactly what blank bailing does for you…
...Blank bail shooting takes the target OUT OF THE EQUATION
...Sight picture become irrelevant
...Conscious mind can disregard aiming & focus entirely on shot execution
...Allows you to focus completely on the FEEL of the shot

Given the fact that the target & aiming is completely removed from the picture, you are now free to completely ignore your sight pin & focus on pure execution of the shot. You will notice that shooting your bow at a blank bale is a breeze. Do not be fooled by this however!!! By overusing blank bale shooting you are likely to develop a false sense of security & when you attempt to shoot at a target face once again, your subconscious mind will put up a little bit of a fight. When you decouple aiming from your shot process, you inadvertently train your subconscious mind to skip that step as well. It does not take very long for your subconscious mind to forget that very important step. This creates a scenario that tends to actually LEAD to target panic!!!

Close distance target face
Practicing your archery skills at a close distance using a standard size target face is a very useful tool. Far too often archers are taught to leverage blank bail shooting rather than close distance shooting as a learning tool. Sometimes the reason behind this is simple logistics. Many archery shops or shooting centers may not have a moveable target bail which can be leveraged in this manner, so blank bail shooting is often the only alternative. It has become more common for archery shops to have a close distance or movable target in order to accommodate youth archers. You should leverage that very same target to improve your shooting skills. Here is what close range target face shooting does for you.
 
·        Maintains concurrent sight picture & aiming as part of your shot process
·        Sight picture stays relevant
·        Sight picture is MUCH more calm & stable at close distance allowing you to build confidence in your shot execution
·        Build confidence & self image by reaching & surpassing scoring goals at short distance
·        Flexibility to increase distance slowly until you have reached standard scoring distance such as 18 meters or 20 yards
·        Builds confidence by allowing you to complete a normal shot under relaxed conditions
 
 
The beauty of close distance target face shooting is that it allows you to build confidence in so many areas while maintaining all of the critical shot process components. With a more stable sight picture you are able to quickly overcome your apprehension about the effects of the PUSH- PULL process on your sight picture. You will quickly see that as you build your muscle memory for the proper execution & expand aggressively rather than timidly, your sight picture will be more stable than it ever was before you started leveraging the PUSH- PULL method. You will be able to reach & surpass your scoring goals which quickly & positively reinforce your self image. Your subconscious mind does not know the difference between 5 yards& 20 yards. You can quickly & easily shoot better than your average which will help you realize that anything is possible.



 

[bow4elk]

Awesome info xXx - Bottom line is that bad habits lead to Target Panic.  Follow xXx Archery's advice to get on track and/or PM me - I've coached a ton of hunters out of this damaging "disease".

[NW-GSP]

thank you for the advise and I will start shooting close distance, Im not getting target panick or anthing like that but I just have a hard time keeping the pin lined up with the target  ( Im not sure if that makes sense) its just like if your looking at something close with a pair of Binoculars its not hard to stay on what your trying to look at but if your looking at something small with them at a long distance it gets harder to stay steady. would a different stabilizer help?

[Instinct]

hmm this drill seems like it works, i noticed that myself that i wobble and cant really hold steady past 40 50 is wabbely but hit the target area and 60 really straining.

Less beer while practicing does wonders!  J/K

lol i do love my beer thats for sure