If your instinct is trained and is written in your muscular patterns and in your mind, do you need too shoot a lot of arrows still, or just one good one?
Bryon Fergusons book says one perfectly shot arrow is far preferrable to many improperly shot arrows.
If you have everything dialed in and your form is good then you don't need to shoot a lot of arrows every day. I like to practice at roaming ranges. Everything from 5 yards to 40 yards. I walk around the woods and stump shoot, or just move around my yard and shoot from varying ranges, with no second shot from the same distance. Your skill is perishable. I have found the first one to go is the ability to hit at various ranges well if I don't practice.
If you can string your bow and just shoot one arrow and stop then you have more will power than I do. I have to fling a bunch when I start flinging because it's so darn fun.
One shot a day????
Is this a trick question? ????? :D
QuoteOriginally posted by Axis Hunter:
If your instinct is trained and is written in your muscular patterns and in your mind, do you need too shoot a lot of arrows still, or just one good one?
Maybe once in a while one arrow a day may work. But how many arrows is needed to keep your strength, muscle memory, form, and instinct in tune may require many many more depending on what you want out of archery.
My problem is, my first arrow is rarely perfect! nor my 2nd, 3rd ,4th..... :)
I THINK my form is perfect but the arrow just doesn't seem to agree.
What Bob said. Conditioning and muscle memory are being sacrificed with one arrow per day. Shooting one arrow between retrieving is fine and is more of a "have your cake and eat it too" sort of deal. You force yourself into making that one shot count but still get the benefit of conditioning and muscle memory.
If I only shot one arrow a day I would lose all my strength at my age. I shoot at least 40 or 50 everyday, sometimes more.
Howard Hill shot many, maybe hundreds, of arrows every day. When he wasn't actually shooting arrows, he would often pretend to shoot arrows and visualize the path of the arrow through the air to the target.
About 8 months ago, I started shooting just about every morning with some friends. We vary between stump shooting at unknown distances and target shooting at known distances. I would guess I shoot about 50 arrows every day. My shooting has improved a lot since I started shooting with them. Before, I would probably average 5-10 arrows a day, which I don't really believe is enough to hone your form.
Interestingly, when you shoot at the same archery range every morning, after a while there isn't any such thing as an "unknown distance" anymore, even though it is a rather large range covering many acres. Even if you throw a tennis ball out in the middle of a field, you have walked across that field enough times, and shot at enough other things in that field, that you have a good idea of how far away the tennis ball is. This was brought to my attention when I shot at another archery range recently, unmarked distances, and didn't do anywhere near as good as I did at my home range, since I wasn't familiar with the territory.
Usually my first shot is the best that was why i was wondering. Whenever i go out to practice i probrably still end up shooting 20-25 shots or more
Instead of shooting just one good arrow a day, why not shoot many good arrows. ;)
I travel a lot for work, sometimes for up to two weeks at a time. When I return I have to start over from 5 yards and work on form, then at 10, then at 20 then I go out and do my walk through range. I don't have the option of shooting just one arrow, I shoot whenever I can as much as I can.
I agree with you 110% McDave, I shoot instinctive and try to give no thought at the distance that I am shooting, but in the back of my mind I know every single foot from here to there and there to here from shooting over many years in my back yard. I use judo points out in my back pasture once in awhile, and that does help.
Axis Hunter, a fellow trad ganger suggested to me a while back that I shoot one arrow at a time, then go to the target or whatever I am shooting at, and shoot that one arrow again, use only one and you will find you will be shooting much more consistant, and the better you are shooting, the more fun you will have. It has worked wonders for me.
Just my opinion, but if you arn't shooting at least 20 arrows per day I would think your muscles used for shooting the bow would lose there tone. Again, thats just my opinion. I shoot about 20 arrows in the morning before work and 20 at night before dark, I think it helps different situations in that in the morn the sun is at my back and in the eve it is in my face. Sometimes I shoot after sunset for practice in low light conditions.
yes its a little bit of a trick question but i think one perfect shot is better than 100 bad . but i cant just shoot just one even if its a perfect shot .
i start out blank/blind bail for at least 3 sets of 3 . before i shoot for targets. than im havin fun and working on keepin things on the track im workin on . i like to finnish up with a perfect shot as well .
QuoteOriginally posted by eric-thor:
i think one perfect shot is better than 100 bad .
Maybe so....but if you are trying to learn to shoot, you aren't going to improve very fast shooting ONE arrow a day whether its GOOD or BAD.
How good of a basketball player you going to be by shooting one shot a day?
How good a golfer you going to be by hitting one golf ball a day?
How good a baseball player you going to be by swinging the bat once a day?
How good a field goal kicker you going to be with one kick a day?
You can't learn anything by not doing it.
Once you learn to shoot, and get to the level you want, it doesn't take a lot of arrows to keep the rust off.
QuoteOriginally posted by Terry Green:
QuoteOriginally posted by eric-thor:
i think one perfect shot is better than 100 bad .
Maybe so....but if you are trying to learn to shoot, you aren't going to improve very fast shooting ONE arrow a day whether its GOOD or BAD.
How good of a basketball player you going to be by shooting one shot a day?
How good a golfer you going to be by hitting one golf ball a day?
How good a baseball player you going to be by swinging the bat once a day?
How good a field goal kicker you going to be with one kick a day?
You can't learn anything by not doing it.
Once you learn to shoot, and get to the level you want, it doesn't take a lot of arrows to keep the rust off. [/b]
Yes, what Terry Green said, and the thing that all of the above have in common is they know how to use the right form and consistent practice. Now that I am getting more used to drawing and releasing consistently without thinking about it, I am seeing bigger jumps in accuracy improvement with fewer arrows shot. 25 shots with consistent form and release is better than 250 with poor and inconsistent form.
to me that would be like taking one run down the ski hill or playing one hole of golf, even if they were perfect I could see no reason to stop with one.
Only way I could stop with one arrow is if my bow cracked on the first draw, as I don't have a backup bow at the moment.
I'm also a firm believer in failure. Success gained through failure is invaluable to me. I've become a better shooter because I've so many terrible shots before the bullseye.
terry i really wasnt promoting only shooting 1 arrow a day . that wasnt my point at all . just that quality is better than quantity . i used to shoot 150 -250 arrows a day and i stunk but i was havin fun . after 5 yrs and seeing a few others shoot much better .i started the mission of figuring out how to improve my shooting and now i shoot less arrows than ever ,but i learn more every day and shoot better than i ever did when i shot much more volume.
i still love to shoot but i have more fun shooting than looking for my arrows. :coffee:
One shot a day is IMHO is not an effective way to condition yourself and continue to keep good form.If you don't shoot a few arrows at a time then how will you ever know what ranges you can shoot at.Do you have to walk to your hunting stand? Do you practice difficult hunting scenario type shots?Have you ever had buck fever?We all may be able to shoot in the back yard an arrow a day accurately in a perfect setting but practicing with many shots and scenarios will make you a better shot and get you a cleaner kill.
Next time out knock,draw,and release as fast as you can and let us know how accurate you are.Snap shooting a dozen arrows will improve you accuracy beyond your imagination.Remember in the field whatever can go wrong usually does!being a well rounded shooter can make a meal! :archer2:
QuoteOriginally posted by eric-thor:
just that quality is better than quantity .
I hear ya Eric.....but who say's you can't have both???
A quantity of quality is best of all....I have to go along with Howard Hill on this one. :)
i sure dont think you ,me ,or anyone else cant shoot many arrows perfectly "one at a time ". its my goal and im sure it's yours as well, and no doubt we are not alone on this one. :campfire: :coffee: :coffee: :archer2:
QuoteOriginally posted by Terry Green:
....I have to go along with Howard Hill on this one. :)
Usually a safe bet when discussing archery.
I shoot approx. 40-60 shots a day.But i always make sure the 1st 1 counts.Thats all you usually get in a hunting situation.Hope this helps.
I like to shoot one arrow per pull,another words,draw,anchor,shoot,go pull it. Balloons work great for me,blown up to the size of a deer's heart,they give you a good visual to concentrate on and also when you make a good shot.I usually shoot until I pop it then shoot until I stick the deflated balloon again.Then call it quits.
Closer to season I will put up some type of deer target,shoot at closer ranges,and at different angles. That usually has me ready to go till October.Good shooting,
Craig
Who can shoot just one
One good shot a day is great. Sometimes takes me about 100 shots to get it!
Your goal should be EVERY shot is a good shot. You won't get there with one arrow per day.
Once you get that one good shot, why would you quit until you can turn that into 25 good shots in a row; or 50, or 100.
Just shooting one a day you will never know if you can do it twice in a row.
One arrow a day? I'm sure one arrow at a target, good or bad then move to the text target is the best practice, but for me I think shoot as many as you have time for.Just stop before your worn out.
I like artboy's comment. Do just one arrow at each target and move on but make that arrow count. Too much emphasis on groups these days. That's why stumping is good practice.
I shoot 3 matched arrows at each target. I found that standing there with a bucket of arrows just helped me practice bad form. (I have 3-4 targets placed around my yard). I shoot from different spots and distances so the 3 targets are more like 15 since I'm on a hillside so I'm also shooting uphill, downhill and flat- left to right and right to left. My drill is this: I pick a spot on the target. (I have 4" spots on the bags) If I'm out of the circle, however, I stop and go pull the arrows and start again. Even if it's my first arrow. This is an effort to shoot a quantity of arrows, but concentrate on quality, (not keep making more bad shots), and shoot from varied angles and distances. Also to make the first shot count. After all, when you hunt, that's the object right?
I can only tell you this. When I started shooting trad and instinctive a few years ago, I did well to hit the target at all, and lost quite a few arrows in the process. Now I always hit the target and my spot gets smaller and smaller, and my do overs less and less. So this worked for me.
Good luck
Sam
I remember the old Lay's potato chips ad where nobody can eat just one. Well..I'm that way about shooting a bow.
I just can't shoot one arrow and walk away.
Just ask my poor old shoulder.heehee
I could never just shoot one arrow a day, thats like telling a kid that he can only have one cookie. I shoot to have fun and stay in practice.
I have gotten to the point that I can cut off at 30 arrows. Shooting right handed If I am not flinching, I have fun piling up the arrows. I almost always find a little something here or there in my shooting that needs a few arrows worth of attention. Even if my first arrow was good a still need to tell myself "It's just a target, it is not going anywhere, take your time". Then if a few arrows later, I catch myself doing something not up to par, I need to fix it. My years of hunting has shown me that if there is a problem in the form, it will show up when a large buck comes into range.