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Tips from the Experienced Club Members on Improving Skills and Gear Preparation
Spread the knowledge. Submit a tip to be posted on this page to the web master. Please state "Archery Tip" in the subject line of the email. You may want to question bow hunting tips submitted by John Deer or Jane Doe. |
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Fire your release with your arms, not your fingers 2-11-12 (tip from Shawn Dixon but spoken by Bobby Flores)
When shooting with a trigger style release place your finger against the trigger, aim and then pull your arm backwards to engage the release. This helps in keeping the sight on target. I've found that I am able to maintain the steadiest shot on target by not locking my forward elbow and firing by pushing the bow forward into the target with the forward arm while pulling back at the same time. This actions limits the drift I of my pin on the target. |
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Shooting uphill or downhill 2-11-12 (tip from Shawn Dixon but spoken by Bobby Flores)
When your target is at a different elevation then you, do not drop or raise your arms. Pivot at the waste to shoot uphill or downhill with accuracy. |
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What kind of bow do I need? 1-17-11 (tip from Bobby Flores)
This is the most popular question in archery and the answer is simple, one that fits you and your needs. Not to be sarcastic or give a short answer but it is that simple with a few good pointers from a knowledgeable instructor or archer. There are many different types and styles of bows on the market for good reason; we are all different with some common features. Your first step in finding the bow for you is one question away. What type of archery (shooting) do you want to do? Just for fun every now and then, backyard, hunting, competition or competitively. Decide which one and look for bows that suit that type of shooting and the dollar amount you can afford. A low end bow for fun in the backyard is much less than those designed for competition, and are night and day apart. A couple of things you need to know in order to get that bow are critical to having fun with it. DRAW LENGTH, DRAW WEIGHT. There are other factors to consider with the type of shooting you want to do like axle to axle length and brace height and type of release, but for now we will discuss the first 2. The follow applies mostly to compound bows. Recurve and Longbows are different as they don’t have wheels and let off. Draw length is a measurement of how far you are going to pull the bow string till it stops. You will hear the term ANCHOR POINT and that simply means a spot on your face that you stop at. Lots of little stuff to consider here as that stopping point differs with the kind of release you use or if you want to shoot with your fingers. Without getting to deep let’s keep it simple for now. To get a good starting point, get a tape measure and a friend. Put your back against the wall and spread your arms apart keeping them on the wall, be relaxed and DON’T reach. Have them measure from one finger tip to the other. The formula to use is that number in inches divided by 2.5. Take for example that your wing span was 70”. Divide that by 2.5 and you get 28. 28” would be a good draw length to start at. Look for bows that allow for a decrease or increase of an inch. Stay away from bows that have only one length if you are a beginner or still growing. A good instructor will fine tune your draw with release type and bow designs. Draw weight is how hard is it to pull the bow string to anchor. Bows come in draw weights that range from 10# to 80#. When you see the label on the bow and it reads 40#, that is the maximum poundage. Most bows can be turned DOWN about 10#. To find out what draw weight is good for you, start LOW. Take that 40# bow and turn it down to 30#, sit on a stool with your feet flat on the ground and draw the bow back without bowing your back and keeping the elbow that is pulling the string a least level or above your shoulder. If you can do this comfortable and under control have the weight turned up and try it again. If at 40# you find that it is still fairly easy, go to a 50# bow. Take that bow at its max poundage of 50# and try to draw it. If it is difficult to draw, that is a good weight bow to get because when you crank it down to 40# to begin shooting, your strength will increase and you can turn the bow up. DO NOT let a sales person go past that 10# decrease from the max as it will put the bow out of specs and will not perform. This is your money and to put out hundreds of dollars for a bow you need to GET THE RIGHT ONE FOR YOU NOT WHAT THEY HAVE ON THE SHELF!!!! Look around at different shops and other archers to get a feel for a bow and where you can hold one. Let off is important to remember as it relates to the draw weight of a bow. Let off is a percentage that the bow will relieve as it rolls past a certain point in the cam/wheel design. This would be the poundage you would actually be holding. That 40# bow with a 75% let off, your holding weight would 10#. Modern bows will have a let off ranging from 70%, 75% and 80%, the more let off percentage the less poundage you will hold. This is just a very basic view of what you need to get a start on shooting a bow. Lots of other small things need to be considered in finding the right bow for you and a well-seasoned instructor will fine tune that bow for you to have success in achieving your goal. Find an instructor that is not out to sell you a bow. Let them take you through the process to identify your proper draw length and draw weight. The instructor should have a few bows that are light in draw weight and have a good range in draw lengths to size you up. Be patient and find that bow that fits. |
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How to shoot a compond bow 3-6-11 (Most of this content was copied from the Archery Gold site)
Shooting a compound bow is different from shooting a recurve or longbow especially in one aspect, and that is the holding weight at full draw. A compound bow has what is called Let-Off which means that the holding weight decrease dramatically at full draw. Typically the let off lays in the range of 65-80%, i.e. the holding weight for a 60# bow with 65% Let-Off only has 60 X 0.35 = 21 lbs holding weight! Yet there are several similarities in the shooting technique among all types of bows. The principle of backtension is the same for all types of bows. Stance: Place an arrow on the ground pointing directly at the target. That arrow is your shooting line. Stand on the shooting line with one foot in front of the shooting-line and the other behind the line. Your feet should be shoulder width apart and you should just try to stand firm and yet relaxed with equal weight on both feet. Keep your legs straight but not unnecessary rigid. You might put the foot behind the line a little bit forward and you will then maintain what is referred to as an open stance. How many degrees the open stance should have is individual.An open stance might give better clearance between the bow string and your arm. Many archers also feel more stable when an open stance is used. The open stance is preferred by some elite archers because it gives them a better feeling of stability when shooting in the wind. It's important to use the same stance every shot, so some markers on the ground or some tape on the floor can be used. There is nothing wrong with a square stance, i.e. stand with your feet in line with the target as long as you don't encounter clearance problems. Many archers use an arm guard for protection for contact with the bow string as you'll see in pictures below. 
 Square Stance Open Stance Prepare for the shot: Nock the arrow. This means place the arrow on the bow. Ensure the Nock clicks onto the arrow. Most archers shooting compond bows use a release. This is a device that attaches to the string or a loop attached to the string as seen in the pictures below. Other archers prefer finger tabs which attach to the fingers placing leather protection between the fingers and the string for comfort. Attach the release to the string under the nocking point, or to the loop if you have one. 
 Set the hand in the grip. The pressure point should be on the thick part of the thumb muscle, the force from the bow should go straight into your bow arm. You should be able to have your bow hand wrist perfectly relaxed without any tendencies to twist in any direction. Your bow hand fingers must not grip the bow; use a bow sling or a finger sling to catch it at release. 
 Bow Hand Pressure Point When the bow is drawn back it will be suspended between the pressure of the front arm and the release or fingers attached to the string. do not grasp the bow. The bow will rest between the thumb and index finger. The remaining fingers be relaxed in a curled fashion along the side of the bow. Lift the bow and draw arm. Point the bow roughly at the target. Your bow arm shoulder should have a natural position. Don't rotate it up or back, just lift the bow arm and let the shoulder find its natural position.  Draw the string: In one smooth motion draw the string to your anchor. Use your back muscles as much as you can when you draw the string. Your draw length should be determined with help from an experienced archer or coach, and a good line should be sought after. That's the arrow and the draw under arm should be in line seen from behind. Anchor: The anchor point is an individual preference. While keeping your head up straight, try to get the string to your nose tip. This gives you a reference point to keep your head in the same position every shot. Many archers add a device to their bow string referred to as a "kisser button". The kisser button will be installed onto the bow string where it will contact the corner or your mouth when at full draw. This provides an easy reference to maintin a consistant anchor point. Aim: A "peep sight" is typically added into the bow string. An experienced archer or coach should help you align the peep sight so that if you keep your head facing straight ahead, then draw the bow, then turn your head toward the target your eye will be aligned properly with the peep sight. Your brain will automatically try to focus in the middle of the target. Don't worry if you aren't perfectly still. This will improve with practice. The key to attain a calm sight-image is relaxation. It's impossible to hold the bow still with a high tension in the draw arm. Remember that it is your muscles on your back that have to be used to hold the string. Check your vertical alignment.  Release: Fire your release in a very gentle manner, a feeling of a surprising release is desired. A very successful method to accomplish this is to apply some more backtension with the draw arm shoulder blade and use that force to fire the release. There are some releases that are designed with backtension in mind and they don't have any regular trigger. Never "punch" your release, this will almost always result in undesired movement in the shot moment. Punching the release is the most common mistake amongst compound archers. Follow through: At release, keep your focus on the target and if you have the right pressure against the target your bow arm will be still in the release moment and then move right forward. If your bow arm drops in the release moment there is a risk that it does so before the arrow leaves the rest and thereby influence the arrow. If this is the case, increase the pressure against the target. If you are using your back muscles as you should, the draw hand will move backwards at release.  Repetition of this shooting process will hone your skills over time. Good luck! |