dathein

How many shots do you take in a typical practice session?? I think I taking way too many since by the end of a session I feel like I couldn't hit the broad side of a barn.

I'm currently shooting approximately 200-300 arrows per week in my quest to improve my accuracy. I'm trying to incorporate Byron Ferguson's techniques from his book "Become the Arrow". My sessions start out great for the first 30-40 shots (good placement, groupings, etc.). But after that my shots start to fall apart, which leads to more bad shots in a quest to figure out why my shots are starting to fall apart. It's probably because my arms are starting to become tired and I'm probably answering my own question, but I could use some advice being a greenhorn and all.

So back to the original question, how many shots do you take in a typical practice session??

Wahya

Sometimes just one arrow. Most of the time I'll shoot until I start getting tired or my shooting starts going downhill. If I'm shooting bad to start with, there's no sense in going any further. I put it up and try again later, because if I keep on shooting, odds are I'll develope some bad shooting habits and we all know where they lead.

Make em sharp and shoot em straight, or leave em home.

Strutter

Sometimes one, sometimes hundreds. Depends on how it feels and sometimes I limit myself to just one shot to see if I can hit the spot under the guise of knowing I have just one shot. Funny, but when I hit that one shot in the morning, it seems the whole day goes good. If I miss, then it seems it's a not so good day. Kinda puts a little pressure on to make the first one count. Remember to have fun with it.

Strutter

IrishLad32

You were right...you're getting tired. You can't shoot well when you're too tired. Even though I'm new to all this, I've found that form is the number one element of accurate shooting. If the form isn't consistent, you got nothin! If you're doing good for 30-40 shots, you're doing well enough to hold it down for hunting it seems. I've read account of Howard Hill shooting around 400 or 500 arrows a day. However, most of them were for form. So maybe after you take about 50 shots and you're noticing things going down. Walk to about one or two yard from the target but, and just do form drills. Close your eyes, and make sure your form is own. If you condition your muscles to remember your form, you can shoot longer. You also need to be careful of damaging your muscles. If you're truly fatiging, don't push too far. A little push is good, it'll condition and strengthen your muscles, but don't do too much. I don't know how many shots I take, I just shoot 'till I start to fatigue, or 'till I run out of time. If you feel like you're practicing too much, then you are. If you feel like you can't handle your bow, then you can't. A lot of accuracy is mental. The act is a physical thing, but it's a mental thing to know when your shot feels right. That can only be accomplished by practicing. Your mind remembers how the shot should feel. That's why good practice is so important. If you practice bad habits, your mind is going to remember a bad way to shoot, which makes it even harder to learn how to shoot correctly. When I play hockey in high school, the coach said it's not the quantity of shots you take, but the quality of shots you take. It applies to archery too. Taking good shots is a lot more important than taking a lot of shots. Shooting a lot won't make you a good shooter, shooting well will make you a good shooter. If that means standing point blank of the target face-giving just enough space for the arrow to safely clear you and the bow-and closing your eyes and making sure your form is on, then go for it. I don't think the amount of shots you're taking is relevant, just that you're taking good shots. If you think, "If I take 400 shots a week, I'll be a good shooter in six months," you're setting yourself up for failure. If you take it one shot at a time and think, "If I can find how to take one good shot, and duplicate that shot, I can shoot well," then you're on the road to success. You have to find out what works for you, but I'd suggest shooting 'till you start to fatigue, then getting really close and closing your eyes. This will allow you to focus totally on your form and not where the arrow will go. 'Cause at this point, it's not about where the arrow's hitting. Shoot a few more arrows like that so you know you're not developing bad habits, like plucking the string on your release, short drawing, not holding your bow arm stead, etc.. In the end, you need to do what works for you. It may be different than my suggestion, and that's fine, as long as you find what works for you. Have fun.

God bless,
Brandan

dathein

Thanks for the advice. You are probably right. As I fatigue, I'm sure my form starts to go which in turn makes the shots become iratic. I just need to disipline myself to stop when I begin to get tired. Well, a bad hour on the range is still better than a good hour in the office.

JimPic

Take the advice of what these guys are saying.If you're shooting a good 30-40 arrows--call it a session and do it again the next day.Some days I'll shoot 50 arrows great and some days I pack it in after 1/2 dozen-just gotta know when to stop.