gzg38b

"PRACTICE? We talkin' 'bout Practice! NOTthe game..... PRACTICE!...." (Allen Iverson)

I'm having a hard time finding the time to practice anymore. I might sneak 5 or 10 shots in a week at a blank bale from 10 yards and that's it.

MyHNI Vegas league round is the only time I shoot all week. I usually shoot my league round after I get off work at around midnight in my basement. I think it's going to be tough for me to improve when all I shoot is 45 to 50 arrows per week.

Is anybody else having a hard time just finding the time to practice?

GMMAT

All I'm doing.....is shooting 20 blank bale shots every evening (from about 5'.....without a sight on my bow).

One day a week I'm going to shoot a 10yd Vegas game.

One day I shoot my 20 yd game (this league).

Saturday mornings I shoot 3D with my friends.

But I am touching and shooting my bow, every day.

buckeye

I have not shot any practice except for 2 rounds before the league started...I did however go shoot indoor 3D last weekend.

GMMAT

Impressive scores, nonetheless, Scott.

Do you find that this type shooting (paper) helps your 3D shooting......a little?......a lot?......Tremendously? What about when you first started?

I'm a beginner at targets.....in reality.

Rick James

I'm shooting a lot of blank bale in the basement (10-15 shots a night) and then following this up with a 10 yard 450 round 4-5 nights a week as well. Beyond this though, the only shooting I'm doing each week from a full 20 yards is the score I turn in. At most, I'm shooting 250-300 shots per week I guess right now.

GMMAT

Matt:

Would you suggest I shoot some more 10yd? What if I split it up a bit.....say 20 BB and a 300 Vegas?

Also....do you keep score on all your 10yd games?

rybohunter

The only shooting is for this league. It's all I can do to just fit the round in.

buckeye

Yes and no... I believe it helps by keeping form in tune and muscle conditioning....

However I find it a hindrance as it does not help me "aim" on foam...... I feel I was having trouble at the indoor 3D from not shooting 3D since the HNI get-together and getting used to having a defined aiming point on the paper.... I was having trouble committing to the shot at the indoor 3D which lead to a rather poor showing.....

I never shot a full round of Vegas until last years league.... I have shot the face quite a few times previous but never a "game". NFAA 5 spot is the game of choice around here.... It is the game I have shot by far the most.

I was not good when I first started and improved very little the first year I shot a league..... My high score the first year may have been low 280's..... Low score low to mid 260's..... I had very poor form and no follow thru at all.... Looking back I was a wreck [&:]

I am self taught in all aspects of hunting and archery and did not have the luxury of a website like this to get me on the right track back then..... I got bit by the "3D bug" and I took to it rather well and started winning almost every local HC shoot half way or so thru my first year of competing...... That confidence and practice led to much improved indoor scores the following year...

I believe I shot my first 300 on 5 spot my second year in the league and shot mid to upper 290's each time...... Whenshooting now in shooting form an off game would be 298 and a good game obviously 300.

Again I have not shot a crowded line in a few years though..... These are based on shooting in my basement and my old clubs the "mosquito bowmen" and "trumbull rod and gun" after hours with a couple buddies.

I plan to go down to the mosquito bowmen and shoot a round on a crowdedline one day soon to see how I shoot on the line with all the other guys again.

Little did you know your short question ould get a novel in return
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Rick James

How long have you been doing the blank bale? My coach always says that it takes 3 weeks to burn something into muscle memory and that's what the blank bale is for. The 10 yard games are for confidence, and aiming. If you have been at it (BB) long enough to know it's burned in now (you should know this from your golf days) then yes, switching over to the 10 yard games are going to help you make that next step. I'd also be doing 10-15 aiming drills a night. Just start your shot sequence, draw, anchor, settle on the target, and focus on holding and burning a hole through the X. When that window of stability passes (anything after 6 seconds for me) I let down, let the muscles recover, then do it over. Adding 10-15 of these into a routine for you would be a great thing right now. 10-15 blank bale shots, 10-15 aiming drills, 300 vegas game at 10 yards. Do that routine 3-4 times a week with one full 20 yard game mixed in there and thats a fantastic training routine for you right now (assuming the blank bale has burned into muscle memory).

MO_Bowhnter

I've been on my road to recovery shooting 45-50 blank bale shots a day for the past week now. It's starting to get burned in but maybe 1 or 2 shots in there where it doesn't feel quite right. I'm going to try to stick with this for another week and start shooting some 5 or 10 yard vegas games along with my blank bale. Hopefully by the 5,6,7th week of league I'll turn in a score to compare to some of youu guys.

I think I'll keep with the blank bale for awhile because it does so much for you not having to think about aiming and develop that feel of a great shot.