Target panic

[justyhntr]

Any of you have a good way to work through target panic. In 30+ years of shooting a bow off and on and the last 8 years almost daily I've never had a problem. The last few months have been a frustrating nightmare. I'll shoot 2-4 good arrow then things go south, all over the target, punching the trigger. My head is all screwed up. Any ideas would be appreciated.

[Timberstalker]

Back tension. There’s tons of research out there on this very thing.

Or step away for a little while and then go back.

[RadSav]

First three things to do before going completely crazy with 1,000 different suggestions:

#1 - Get your eyes checked.  Diminishing vision is a real trigger for target panic.

#2 - Start shooting at large black or white spots.  Some colors and covering up small dots are major triggers.

#3 - Get rid of multiple pins.   Once target panic starts to effect us clutter is the enemy.  Don't have to get rid of multiple pins forever, but you will do yourself a favor working through issues by eliminating all but one.


One other thing to note is that "Practice makes perfect" is a bunch of crap!  "Perfect practice makes perfect".  Practicing without discipline only leads to undisciplined results.  If you are having issues after four arrows then quit after four arrows for a good amount of time.  28 days or more preferred.

[N7XW]

Switching to a longer brace height and more forgiving bow before coming back to shooting my more aggressive hunting bow fixed it for me.  Nowadays I prefer accuracy, forgiveness and consistency over high arrow speed and draw weight.

[BULLBLASTER]

If you start to do punch the trigger draw back and aim a few times and let down. Also as said above bigger bulls eye helps a lot. What works for me to make it go away Imis if I make a bad shot or flinch one I put the bow down for the day.

[stickslinger]

Set a target up at five feet draw back close your eyes and concentrate on form and trigger control, you will start to build good habits that will become natural

[blackpowderhunter]

Set a target up at five feet draw back close your eyes and concentrate on form and trigger control, you will start to build good habits that will become natural

yup.
buy yourself a big target, and set it up close.  don't aim, just concentrate on form, and dont worry about where it hits.
i went through this myself. sucks, but youll get through it.
your biggest enemy is between your ears 

[justyhntr]

Thanks everybody, I'm going to take a couple weeks off from the compound, spend some time with the recurve. When I pick it back up I'm going to remove the sights and shoot close for a while to get my mind and body back into a proper release.

Radsav, I think your #1 is probably one of the biggest cause, as I push the tall side of 50 there are some things that just don't seem to work like they used to. I've really noticed that once I get past 40 yard I'm having a hard time focusing/seeing my spot. Of course my mind still says I'm 35 so it's a little hard for me to admit that my body is aging.

[RadSav]

Radsav, I think your #1 is probably one of the biggest cause, as I push the tall side of 50 there are some things that just don't seem to work like they used to. I've really noticed that once I get past 40 yard I'm having a hard time focusing/seeing my spot. Of course my mind still says I'm 35 so it's a little hard for me to admit that my body is aging.

Ain't that the truth!  This year I hunted deer with my recurve.  My mind told me to use my old primary bow.  Went out and shot a couple dozen arrows first day.  I could not even pick up a soda with my left arm for the next five days.  Body wasn't just telling me...it was yelling at me!!  Ended up shooting my buck with a 52# recurve instead.  And it was still painful if I shot more than a dozen arrows per day.

True target panic is all about "panic" when you cover up what you are aiming at.  When your pin becomes a big blurr or you have multiple images of the same pin covering up a blurry dot it can become physically impossible to settle the pin.  Then really bad things happen like hovering the pin and dropping as you shoot.  It may start as a mental problem, but it quickly becomes a physical problem as well.

For me, I have to go back to basics each time I feel it coming back.  The last time it came back it came back fast and aggressively.  Yet, after getting glasses it simply disappeared on it's own.  I still have my usual good days and bad days.  However, the good outweigh the bad now that I have eliminated those multiple ghost dots and clarified the target.

[Robinhood]

For me if I start getting bad habits, whatever they may be. I start using my middle finger to pull the trigger. It feels weird and makes me concentrate on pulling the trigger. I have shot long enough, 40 years, that the rest is second nature and just happens without thinking about it.   

[Special T]

I have a buddy whom suffered target panic. He switched up between recurve and compound going the opposite direction and used a back tension. I've been told by some great shooters that shooting both styles is beneficial...

My favorite practice form shot is a close target with a dot. Aim close my eyes count to 5 then shoot when it feels right.

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[Hot Lunch]

Try a tension or hinge release. I would highly recommend a Nock On silverback.

[justyhntr]

Thanks every one for the tips. I spent a bit of time shooting without sites. When I put sites back on I picked up a EZV site to try, I like the idea and the site but my eyes are a lots worse than I thought and the side marks were just a blur making it difficult to site in. I ended up pulling 2 pins out of a 3 pin mover I had laying around making it a single. This set up is working well. I will still be keeping my shots under 40 for the late season until I get my eyes taken care of.