slowing down

[ghostryder]

i have bow hunted for years, have gotn some nice deer, but i have a bad habit i am trying to fix this year. i shoot to fast when kisser touchs corner of mouth i release. this doesnt help my groups much. any one got any ideas that may help me?:mad:

[Little Roober]

Try keeping your finger behind the trigger of the release until you are ready to shoot.

It works for me good luck.
steve

[HoytRLWinstonGuy]

Firm up the sensitivity of your release so that you cant slap at the trigger. Make it so you need more back tension for it to go off and it might make you slow down a bit. An old target shooter I used to shoot with would try to keep the pin in the bullseye for a three count before releasing to stop the target panic.

[HoytKimberShimano]

I used to be a terrible shooter with the same symtoms. Get it back, anchor, and let it fly. I have since found that a few things have helped me dramatically.

1. A bow that fits. It's so much easier to hold and be relaxed when the bow fits.

2. A peep sight....a big one because I was always skeptical about not being able to see through it in low light...but it serves it's purpose and has helped. I still use a kisser button as well.

2.5 Decreasing my poundage some....

3. My aiming mentality... This may be hard to understand or may even seem off the wall, but a friend told it to me and it has made a HUGE difference. (I believe that this is some of the philosophy that Bernie Pellerite has in his book, but cannot say for sure.)

Here is a synopsis of how I go through a shot. I essentially draw back and try to get the pin on the target as soon as possible with smooth motions. Once I see that the pin is on the target I try to FORGET the pin is even there, just looking past it and staring at the SPOT that I want to hit. The key is to concentrate on that spot!!! I know that it sounds weird, but it has helped me immensely. When I execute a perfect shot I cannot tell you where the pin is when the shot breaks, I can only tell you the spot that I was concentrating on. I'm not sure how well this will work with a live animal in front of me, but I'm confident that it will. The other half here is to not think about the release or pulling the trigger as suggested in the post above...combine the two and the results are amazing. Unfortunately I don't have the release part down yet myself....

I was skeptical about this aiming technique at first, but was sold when my friend challenged me. He offered to "pull the trigger for me" while I just focused on that spot and aiming. What do you know...three arrows slapping together in the center....I was sold.

Hope this helps....

[Joe Archer]

Any change in form that you make in archery has to be practiced, and practiced, and practiced, and practiced until it becomes habbit. In your case I would start by drawing, anchoring, aiming, and holding. Count to 20 with the pin on your target then let down without releasing. Do this until you feel comfortable. After that count to 20 then SLOWLY squeeze the trigger so you do not know when it will go off. Hold the pin on your target and follow through until the arrow hits. <----<<<

[ghostryder]

thanks for all the input guys,i have bow in shop now giiting it tuned up, gitting a peep and a string loop added. hopefully that and slowing my shooting down will help me shoot better goups . . ghost :bash:

[deepwoods]

It was already mentioned above but getting on the target quickly will make you a better shot IMO. I see so many guys drawing the bow back pointed in the air and then they sloooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwlllllllyyyyyyyyyyy lower it to their target. I get anxious just watching it. Draw the bow straight back with the pin on the target. It will get you to "the bull" quicker. If anyone can't do that I would say they are shooting to much poundage.

[Kelly Johnson]

When it starts to get serious for you....

Pick a tiny little spot. Like a quarter at 20 yards. Draw and aim...move the pin to gte there...breathe, aim, aim and START SQUEEZING your trigger. If you can utilize Back tension that's great but at LEAST squeeze the trigger instead of "attacking" it.

Try to make the "squeeze" last 2-3 seconds WHILE YOUR AIMING. That will force you to slow down.

Or find an indoor spot league....that cured me from the snap shooting scenario with a quickness ;)

[smbassman]

I had the same problem when I began shooting a release a few years ago. After giving up on the release the first year, I finally found a way to get over the mental twitch. I got out my old 20# L'il Indian recurve and taped a match stick sight to it. I shot that bow for two weeks, going through a mental checklist on each shot. Mine went something like this - Draw, solid anchor, check grip/wrist alignment, line up pin, hold, hold, and release.

This was like a training regiment for the mind and I have not had this problem since. My consistency improved greatly and since I am in better control mentally on every shot, I know exactly what went wrong on every bad shot(though they are few, nobody's perfect). No more shooting 4 arrows and having one shot a few inches outside the group and thinking "I must have flinched". I can now say before I see where the arrow hits "my grip was too tight" or "my release wasn't smooth and straight" and best of all "that was perfect".

Until you have mental control of all parts of your form, improving accuracy will be very difficult.

[Michihunter]

Use a countdown approach. Number the steps in your shooting procedure and mentally take count. That was a suggestion by one of the best teachers I ever had. It works great and will become second nature after time.