Practice makes perfect, Hopefully.

[Squirrel Master]

#2914

Hey everybody, Suirrel Master here again. Are there any thoughts as to a specified work out regime, so to speak, that I should be following when on the practice range? (i.e. my back yard and subsequent green space) What I mean is, should I set a length of time per shooting session, start with known distances(10,15,20yds) then work on unknown distance, then go to varying hunting positions at known and unknown distances?

Does the question make sense? I am simply wanting to MAXIMIZE my time on the range especially due to the fact that it is a physical workout and the body does tire and then form goes out the window (at the extreme end of a work out).

Thanks ever so much, SM.

[rwbowman]

#14581

Being rather new, I can’t elaborate on a specific routine yet, but I find it best to only shoot one or two arrows at a time, then retrieve them from my target. This helps me keep my fingers ‘fresh’ and avoid soreness and fatigue. I’ve been shooting for around an hour a day for the same reason. Hope this makes sense and am anxious to see what seasoned others have to say.

[Arne Moe]

#14607

SM, Most archers don’t want to hear this nor do they want to do it. The fastest way to be able to hit something at various distances is to NOT try at the beginning. Set your self up at 6 feet and with the target at shoulder level and work on both blind bale and blank bale for the first month or two. You can absolutely concentrate on what you feel in your shot and will be able to tell when you should stop due to fatigue. Get yourself to a point where your form is repeatable and comfortable! DON”T WORRY ABOUT HITTING ANYTHING AT FIRST! Form first, form first and I might add, FORM FIRST!

If you have the self discipline to do this, then later when you try to hit something, you will have a solid basis to analyze each shot. I tell my students that if they will do this, they can be a pretty good shot in 3 or 4 months. If they insist on shooting at a target at various distances, they MAY (but probably won’t) be a good shot in a year or two. Your choice. FWIW

[CareyE]

#14609

I am no expert and will only relay my experience. I started shooting at close distances to work on form. I only shot for a few minutes and then gradually built up the shooting time. You can start with knowing the distance of your shots to get a feel for the aiming points of whatever shooting technique you follow. I would then start to move around and shoot from various distances and all the while build up the shooting time. But mostly, have fun finding out what works best for you.

[David Petersen]

#14707

There is no substitute for having a mentor or friend who really knows his stuff and can point out errors in style, release, etc. that could otherwise trouble you indefinitely. So far as practice regime, I shoot when I feel like it, sometime just an arrow or two, other times way too much which can hurt your body and accuracy. The thing about practice is, without coaching, if you’re making mistakes and don’t know it, all you’re doing is practicing negativity. Except when setting up a new bow or arrows, tuning, etc., I never shoot for “practice.” I shoot for fun. Find a pattern that makes you look forward to every shooting session rather than feeling like a duty. Enjoy …

[NY Yankee]

#14750

I like what Moebow said. In my experience. I would rather go and loose 6 good arrows at 10 yards than go all over the range and loose several dozen that dont hit the mark. My motto has been “Proper Practice Promotes Perfect Performance.” I think if you spend the time and get to where you can hit your mark every time at 10 yds, Then move to 15 and repeat. Once you find your max yardage and get that burned into your brain, then you should start roving and learn to hit at various distances while still maintaining what you learned at the range. By no means should you continue shooting if you get tired, bored, or frustrated. Wait until you have returned to normal again. Patience, practice, and persistance.

[skifrk]

#14843

I am going to agree with 2 people Moebow and David in that great form is important and important to practice a lot the first couple of months. Sometime it is good to find a coach near you who can help by critiquing your form for to help with moving you forward.

[Squirrel Master]

#14856

Thank you every one for chiming in. Is there any way to find out where other TRADBOW members live? Im in Houston,Tx and would be excited to find someone local to shoot with.

[William Warren]

#15176

Hey Squirrel,

Welcome. If there are no mentors readily available here’s a trick I sometimes use to critique my own form. Have someone video you drawing and releasing an arrow from the side then take a look. You could compare your form to others (vids on youtube)or even post it here and I’m sure one of us would chime in with lots of advice!!:D

Duncan

[Squirrel Master]

#15478

Duncan,

:idea:I think I very well might take you up on that offer, thanks.

[SteveMcD]

#16016

Welcome Surrel… what Moebow and Dave P said about sums it up. An archer is only as good as their practice. Practice is not about Quantity of arrows OR time. It is about Quality of both. 10 perfect arrows is 100 times better than just flinging arrows for an hour. My practice 90 percent of the time is mostly form – easier said than done, it takes concentration and being honest with yourself. My philosphy has always been – if your form is there and you are confident in it, the bow will do the rest. Some days I may shoot for an hour or more, usually break it up starting out practicing form and than afterwards focusing on distance and accuracy. Some days I may shoot 10-15 perfect arrows and say to myself enough, I can do no better today. Nothing is better than having a mentor, go to some shoots and ask for a little help at least have someone watch you shoot and give advice.

[Squirrel Master]

#16869

Thanks so much to all for your input. I reckon Ill just have to go down the lists of suggestions and see what works. All very sensible advice.

Well, wondering if my bow was a little loud, I did a bit-o reading on the ole world wide web. Come to find out that my brace height was a bit short at about 7 1/2 inches. SO, I put a few twists in the string and opened her up to 8 5/8inches. The noise was reduced quite a bit. I didnt go any further because at 20 yrds my point of impact is the same as my point of aim. I assume that if I open the BH any more Ill start shooting low. Now, Im only shooting 390grn arrows and have been guided to up my weight considerably, 650 grn neck of the woods. While I dont really have any reference or experience to judge bow noise levels, will a heavier arrow help to reduce my bows audio signature?

[Arne Moe]

#16878

I don’t see where you mention the draw weight of your bow. Knowing this will help a little but a GENERAL rule of thumb is an arrow weighing about 10 grains per pound of draw weight. So, if you have a 45# bow, a 450 grain arrow will be a good starting point. The noise issue can be caused by any number of things such as string slap on the recurve tips, arrow slap as it passes the riser. Finally, yes, it can be caused by too light weight of an arrow. Many bows will be quieter with heavier arrows as the arrow picks up energy from the bow. If the arrow is too light it doesn’t absorb as much energy and what is left over can show up as noise, bow vibration/shock, etc.

I’m not sure why you think that by raising the brace height will make you shoot lower. I would suggest that an inch and 1/8th change in brace height is a LOT of twists in your string.

In my experience, too, a point on of 20 yards is really a short point on distance. Most three under shooters find a point on of 30 to 35 yards and many split finger shooters are in the 50-60 yard range. You must have the arrow nock REALLY high on your face( very close to your eye) Not wrong just unusual.

[Squirrel Master]

#16908

Moe,

50#. So roughly a 500grn arrow. Call me crazy and I concede that I am just starting out BUT my point of impact was 4 inches high compared to my point of aim. At 20 yds I had to aim 4 inches LOW to get a center ring hit OR if I aimed at the center ring POI was 4 inches high. Now that Ive changed the brace height my POA equals POI at 20yds. All the reading I could find for my bow indicates an 8-9inch brace height. I increased the gap by about 1/4(roughly) inch, restrung, shot and repeated the process until I got to 8 5/8. As I was going through the process I notice my POI was a little off until I tried changing my POA at which time I notice a gradual lowering of my POI.

And, yes, I guess my nock is about level with my cheek bone using my middle finger to anchor in the corner of my mouth. However, it seem that the LARGE majority of hunting that I anticipate on doing folks are taking game at a max of 20-25 yds with trad equipment. I could be way off though.

[Arne Moe]

#16918

I was just making general observations about point on range, not trying to suggest that what is working for you is wrong. Aiming is an individual perception thing and can be different for everyone. For example, I shoot split finger and my point on distance is 56 yards and my perceived gap at 20 yards is about 2 1/2 feet (30 inches).

I will suggest that with your 390 grain arrow, you are shooting at 7.8 grains per pound which is REALLY light. This may be a very large part of your noise problem. Plus many bowyers recommend not going below 8 grains per pound. You are close to that but I think heavier will be quieter.

[Squirrel Master]

#16929

hey moe,

I know you are giving me good info and Im not taking anything in a bad way. Im just fielding observations out there and trying to find a general consensus. I appreciate any and all opinions. I just nice to have folks to share the passion with.

So, am I doing damage to the bow shooting so light? I plan of getting my arrow weight up here in the next week.

AND, am I twisting or otherwise damaging my bow by NOT using a stringer? I brace my stick with my legs, flex the limbs and slip the string on. Anything wrong with that? Thanks again for your time Moe.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

#16934

Moebow wrote:

I will suggest that with your 390 grain arrow, you are shooting at 7.8 grains per pound which is REALLY light. This may be a very large part of your noise problem. Plus many bowyers recommend not going below 8 grains per pound. You are close to that but I think heavier will be quieter.

x2!! Git that weight up! And git it up front!

And I don’t recall what kind of bow you’re shooting, but I’d highly recommend using a stringer for any bow. Especially if you’re shooting a recurve. The likelihood of damage to the bow and/or yourself is worth spending $10 on a stringer.

[Arne Moe]

#16943

What Smithhammer said! You MAY or MAY NOT be damaging your bow with the light weight arrows — BUT why take the chance?

Same with the bow stringer. Long bows are more resistant to limb twist than recurves BUT — Why take the chance???

[Squirrel Master]

#17118

Rock on guys!! My next shopping list: bow stringer

EFOC 🙂

[CarolinaBob]

#17876

Arrows depend on their intended purpose, for targets and plinking the ones you have are fine. For hunting depends on what fly good with broadheads. I myself never bought into that heavy agenda as the largest animal I hunt are whitetails. Mr, J, Howard shot some big critters and Mr. Welch shoots big critters with fairly light arrows, I shoot a 45# bow with 380 arrows.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

#17982

I’d say that suggesting he increase his weight above 7.8 gpp doesn’t necessarily equate to “going heavy” – it just means getting the weight up to what most bowyers consider an acceptable minimum weight for shooting with a trad bow (typically 10 gpp), and not potentially incurring damage to the bow over time. I wouldn’t consider it a truly “heavy” arrow until he almost doubles his current weight.

And I know there’s differences of opinion about this, but my thought is that if you’re going to hunt, then target practice is hunting practice. So why not target shoot with the same weight you hunt with? Then there’s no re-adjustment period to a heavier arrow, no need to re-tune, etc. come hunting season, and you know exactly how your hunting arrows will perform inside and out.

[Arne Moe]

#17999

Plus, I’d point out that the question was about QUIETING a noisy bow, Not hunting. 10 grains per pound has been a fairly good rule of thumb for many years and is frankly FAR from being “heavy weight.”. Shoot what you like Bob, you’ll get NO argument or criticism from me, I was just giving an IDEA to help quiet a noisy bow.

Arne

[Squirrel Master]

#18143

I suppose I didnt clarify my intended use of said arrows. I do want a quieter bow, for hunting. Im wanting to build the arrows that I have now (Gold Tip 3355 full length) for hunting and will utilize a few set up at hunting weight only with field points. Now what is it that shooting a 10gpi or less arrow will do to ones stick? And how does NOT using a stringer potentially do damage?

[Arne Moe]

#18162

As far as light weight arrows go, think of the extreme. What happens (or can happen) if you shoot a bow without an arrow? If you were to do this, you will be “dry firing” your bow. All that energy is contained in the bow and NONE is transferred to an arrow since there isn’t one. Laminated bows CAN start to de-laminate or break when they are dealing with all that energy being trapped in the bow with no place to go. With a VERY light arrow there is energy transferred to the arrow, but still some that has to be absorbed by the bow. So think of it as being close to the dry fire example. It is simply a fact that the heavier the arrow (to a point) the more energy is transferred to the arrow and the less is taken by the bow. That is why so many bowyers void their warranty if the bow is shot with arrows that are less than 8 grains per pound.

A bow stringer simply helps to keep you from twisting the limbs of your bow and is safer for the user. Most of the old methods CAN either damage the bow or worse if done incorrectly or without close attention can injure YOU. Use a stringer!

[Squirrel Master]

#18346

Moe,

Good info, thank you. It makes sense about “dry firing” your bow. I dont, I was just curious. Well this thread certainly turned up a ton of great responses. 😀

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