This is the method that has worked for me especially on game. Thanks. Bill
Bill -
I'm kind of doing that to beat target panic. I look at the target initially and kind of turn my attention to the draw/anchor process then eyes back on the target. Seems to work.
Ron
Exactly what I do, allows me to focus on setting the shot up and then aim and then transfer to pull to my trigger.
I do nothing to focus on the shot untill I have hit my anchor point. Me and my son play a game sometimes when we practice that lends its self to this style of shooting. We have 3 different colored dots on the target. When I reach full draw he tells me which dot to shoot.
Toby
Bullfrog,
This is the method taught by many (most) formal archery coaches and the way I teach and shoot. Aiming is only done AFTER reaching fulldraw/anchor then the shooter moves on to the next shot sequence steps.
Others use "mellon's" approach with good success. A lot of it just depends on how you learned and your own personal approach.
BUT as Ron points out, I've had REALLY good success with my students showing symptoms of TP by getting them to stop stressing so much on the target and concentrating on a mental shot sequence and ONLY incorporating aiming as a single step that happens AFTER reaching anchor.
Your mileage may vary but I suggest it is worth looking into. Why aim a gun before you load it, so why aim a bow before it is drawn??
Arne
Aiming is only one of several steps in the shot process. When I focus on the shot sequence and process first and aiming after having built the shot the difference is night and day. Before I shot this way I had lots of problems and a good dose of TP or something similar.
Working with this myself lately. Like Jock, I'm finding I shoot better when aiming is done after draw, anchor, bow arm, and back tension are set. For me, aiming has been being sure my dominant eye is directly above the arrow, and the sight picture comes into clear focus.
This is a good post and should really help others ESP those dealing with the panic. Most times I feel it creeping on when practicing I just talk myself through the process and watch myself draw then when at anchor my atention goes to the target. Works very well
I don't "aim" untill I'm at anchor. I look where I want to hit but I'm not "burning" a hole at that point, I draw, anchor, aim and release, this is all done realatively quick though
I see that Brian says he looks but doesn't burn til after anchor. Ive been trying this with good results after having some minor tp from trying to really burn but not being able to get that solid anchor. Do you guys sort of look at the spot but use your conscious thought to anchor then take conscious thought to the spot and burn?
This is how I can describe what ive been doing; I try to burn after a solid anchor but its usually not very long maybe a second or so because I shoot a 70# recurve. Been having much more consistent shooting lately since doing this method.
I just find it funny that ive shot trad for several years with the burn a hole in your spot mentality, which seemed to work. But this method seems to work just as well. Just my 2 cents.
I pick the spot I want to hit then draw. Ounce I have hit a solid anchor all focus goes to the spot. I burn a hole in it till the bow goes off. Some times this takes just a second and other times it feels like forever! I have gone as far as to shift my focus from one target to the next while at full draw. I find this method to be a real asset in the hunting woods. I have come to full draw started to burn my hole and the shot disapeared. I then shifted focus to the next deer in line and started to burn a new hole on the new shot opportunity. The bow went off and all went as planned.
Toby
I had to retrain my way of shooting and concentration after struggling through target panic this year. The way I shot a bow before was out of control but somewhat accurate at short ranges 10-15 yards. I would just keep my eye on the target the whole way through the process, pull back quickly, slightly touch anchor if at all and let it rip.
Now....
I look at the spot in which I want to hit, draw slowly to anchor while looking at the point of my arrow to make sure I am at full draw and feeling my anchor point. Then reacquire the target and release. This process has allowed me to use back tension and acquire better form. Its working but its taking some time to retrain the whole shot process.
Thanks,
Ron
This is an timely thread. As Arne said, most of the better coaches will teach that aiming is to be done only once you are at anchor. According to Rod Jenkins, Arne and others, once at anchor you need to do a quick mental inventory of your bow/string hand grips, your anchor, and your alignment.....once satisfied that they're good, you can then "commit" to the rest of the shot sequence.
Many of us get so caught up in all of the physical elements of the shot sequence that the mental aspect of aiming gets passed over as our mind wants to do something physical. Once aiming.....accurate aiming, comes back into play, this can lead to target panic in one form or another for a lot of us.
Having been plagued by this since March, and having attempted to cure it with the help of Rod, Joel, and even a guy here in Texas who bills himself as a TP guru and produces a hypnosis tape to cure you, I decided that if aiming is the problem, aiming should be the cure. I have to get comfortable aiming again.
Beginning at 10 yards, I drew to anchor and did nothing but enjoy the aiming itself. Whatever happened with the rest of the shot sequence did not matter in my mind. Heck, if you can't aim without anxiety, good form doesn't matter. You can see where I'm going with this....bridge drills with the focus on simply getting comfortable at anchor and aiming. As the number of arrows shot this way increases, anxiety at aim decreases and our mind naturally returns to running the conclusion of the shot sequence in a proper manner.....which helps with the results of good aiming.
:D
Rob - Agree but for me 10 yards I was flawless with my shooting form and anchor but when I moved back to 20 yards I would lock 2-3 inches from anchor and couldn't do a thing with it except let the arrow fly. Now I look at the spot in which I want to hit...aim, then draw back to anchor while watching the tip of my arrow, then reacquire the target and do all the checks you mentioned.
Just knocked the vital out of my 3-D target this morning at 20 yards while using this controlled shot sequence. It's amazing what we need to do to retrain ourselves from snap/quick shooting to a more controlled hold and anchor process. I'm definitely more accurate and in control using the hold and anchor process versus the touch and go approach.
Ron
I was in the same "locked off target" scenario Ron. Until I went back and worked solely on getting comfortable aiming while at anchor, with the arrow point under the target and not thinking about anything else, was I able to start fixing this issue. Happy Aimer....that's me. :laughing:
Rob - I'm not there yet but working on it. I think the natural thing to do is just aim, draw, anchor and shoot. For now I just bypass some of the more natural aiming process to get to anchor and hold.
Ron
Rob - I'm not there yet but working on it. I think the natural thing to do is just aim, draw, anchor and shoot. For now I just bypass some of the more natural aiming process to get to anchor and hold.
Ron
Good luck Ron....you'll whip it. I'm still in the middle of the fight myself.
Interesting little comment re this kind of stuff from K S Lee, a Korean coach with a good reputation. He believes that if an archer uses the correct shooting sequence he cannot get target panic. Since I quit concerning myself so much with aiming and worked on the sequence my TP symptoms have diminished significantly. Just sayin'...
I agree Jock. It's just as time goes by, sometimes our "limited aiming focus" gets a little sloppy, can lead to TP, and we need to go back and work on just that segment of our shot sequence.....to fix the site picture in our minds eye. Then we can go back to running the rest of our shot routine with focus and confidence.
I focus on the target right from the start and try to make the mechanics of draw and anchor almost automatic -- I don't want to think about it. If I focus on the target it seems that I get myself and the shot lined up correctly which makes it all go better from that point
At anchor I pause and "burn the hole" in the target (good analogy guys) and try to make the release automatic when I have it all lined up.
If I spend a lot of thought on the form I don't focus on target as well. To practice form I stand a few feet from the bag and don't bother with aim, just concentrate on form. I start out each session with a few shots like that. Afterwards, I don't have to concentrate on form since I've "reviewed" it already and have it pretty much set
IMHO
sam
I once had a bit of a struggle and beat it by looking at the target,closing my eyes and feeling myself come to full draw and anchor...then open my eyes and bear down on my spot and make the shot. Drawn out but fixed my problem and got my confidence back. I now draw the bow to anchor then bear down and in my mind say "right there" before the shot. Makes me hold and focus.RC
I just (last fall) switched to lefty after a lifetime of target panic. If I aimed (rightie) while I drew, odds are my release would be whenever my brain said I was done, and that could be at 24" or 30".
Now, I use a very defined set of motions. I draw back below my face, more or less straight across my shoulders to the stop. The stop is my natural wall when my shoulders come together. I can't vary from that. Then I lower my face / raise my hand to my anchor point. At this point, it is not a huge move, everything is nearly there already.
Then I get my face down till I see a certain sight picture, which now includes the arrow, although I don't consciously "aim" using the arrow, continue the pull/push and release after a short bit. I do not short release and I now practice making SURE I don't release quickly.
So far I am shooting better than I ever have, with no thoughts of TP. I don't want to pre-aim ever again. Sure works for some, but never again for me.
Now, That said, when I see game I always get a view of the critter and decide if I want to take it, then lock in on the spot I want to aim for and forget the rest except to monitor body and head posturing.
ChuckC
My longterm case of the panic is perhaps incurable, but I find this topic relevant and perhaps even hopeful, so I'll toss this out: I'm stuck on learning how to shoot by not aiming until after I've reached full draw and settled in. I believe my panic is primarily rooted in the "burn a hole even before drawing" approach. I can shoot beautifully and panic free as long as I don't aim at anything specific (a bullseye, a leaf on the ground, whatever.) Once I aim at a specific point, the arrow is released well before full draw is reached. Lately I've been trying to get to full draw before aiming, but so far I've not been successful. If I focus on the arrow as I draw, the release comes just as soon as I try to change focus to the target. If I draw off target, the release comes as I try to swing on target. Same thing with eyes closed/opened.
I will greatly appreciate any help I can get with this obstacle. Thank you.
Read Jay Kidwell for TP. He is a sports psych and helped many athletes in different sports. I have a few top class athlete friends (Olympian, Div 1 collegiate)- they all have mastered these same techniques. Its all about how the brain functions. You can't just "work" it out. You actually have to practice and train your mind.
Good stuff
KSdan, I read and watched the Kidwell piece today and put it to work this evening. It made an immediate difference. I have that version of tp called premature hold. The drills he recommended helped. I have a lot of work to do still, but, I can see getting over this stuff now! Thanks!