Help with short drawing

[Tiredtim]

I'm really not sure how to word this but I'm going to try. I seem to have developed a habit of just pulling and letting go.  I don't anchor.  I try but for some reason I never do. Not sure if I'm some how afraid my bow will blow (I built it 3 years ago and really have no reason to think that).  Any one got any psychology that will help me slow down and  get better?  Thanks ahead of time.

[osage outlaw]

If you figure it out will you let me know?

[Pat B]

What is your draw weight? Sometimes we try to shoot bows that are too heavy for us and the extra tension pulls the string form our fingers be fore we're ready.  Also, try a deep hook draw with the string is the last crease in your 3 fingers, draw slowly until you hit anchor, hold for a second or 2 then relax your hand.

[Ezra Knight]

I have that problem sometimes if I try and draw too slowly. I think that just ties in with what Pat said though

[bradsmith2010]

you can practice your form with a light bow,,
some shoot without hitting an anchor,,
especially on a short draw bow,,
it you want to hit anchor and pause and then pull through the shot,,
then you have to practice like that,,
if you want to shoot with no anchor,, then practice like that,,
its up to you,,
if you are hitting what you shoot at,, that is what is important,,

there are lots of ways to shoot a bow,, and many opinions on how to do it,, but bottom line is hitting where you aim,,

you pull the string back and let it go, simple, ,but also complicated,,,

at one time when making sinew bows,, I shot heavy short draw bows,, I never hit anchor,,and it suited me for deer hunting,,  now I am elk hunting with a longer draw bow, I do hit anchor and pull through the shot,, but that is how I practice,,

if you want to do that,, stand close in front of the target,, close your eyes and pull to anchor, open your eyes and shoot,,, so you get the feel of it,,
then practice hitting anchor and  shooting like that only ,, till you get used to it,,

[DC]

I fight with the same thing. Funny part is if I draw the bow with no arrow I can hold full draw as long as I want.

[PEARL DRUMS]

You have target panic, Tim. So do you, Don. So do I.

[DC]

You have target panic, Tim. So do you, Don. So do I.

Yeah, I know. Makes me so ashamed A lighter bow helped while I was using the lighter bow but go up 4-5# and my fingers just go their own way.

[PEARL DRUMS]

The light bows will catch up to. Shooting at a target with no spots is a good start. Just draw, anchor and release. Where you hit is irrelevant. Most of it comes from your eyes and single conscious thought being on the "spot". Even though your draw arm and release fingers aren't ready, you still release early because your eyes are telling your mind you are locked on. Its a real b*tch......

[Tiredtim]

You have target panic, Tim. So do you, Don. So do I.

This is exactly what I thought.  Miss a doe 2 years ago by telling myself, "She's going to bolt! She's going to bolt!"  Didn't anchor, aim well or even look at a tiny target.  Shot right over her.
Thanks for the advice!  All of you!

[Pat B]

Generally when you shoot over a deer you are looking at the deer and not the spot. Try to eliminate the deer in your vision and only see that small area(spot) where the arrow will go.
I very rarely shoot at a marked target. I pick a spot on the butt and hit it. Next arrow, a different spot and so on.

[paulsemp]

I have the same problem and have for years. the last month or so I've really been trying to work on it. Chris AKA Pearl Drums gave me a great piece of advice that someone else told him that has been helping me a little bit. 

"The shot does not start until you hit full draw".

When I am shooting I say that over and over in my head and it seems to help. I have a long way to go though

[bradsmith2010]

keep working on your shot,, even if that means up close and not aiming,,
get your shot down,, then start to aim at something again,
if you can execute a good shot ,, then the aiming will fall into place,,
I dont shoot at any kind of target,,just spots on a bail,,or stumps or a can or cup in the dirt with a blunt,,
shooting groups is not for me,, I will do it sometimes,, but to vary the target seems to help me,,
I shoot so many different bows,, sometimes I put a piece of tape at full draw on the arrow,
I pull to full draw and see the tape,, then execute the shot,, that helps me get consistant with any bow I shoot,
I have the tape on my stump shooting arrows ,, and reference it to make sure I am hitting a consistant draw,,
you have to remembet to have fun,,,,,,, so do what ever that is for you to make your shooting fun,,
if that is moving targets ,, then do that,,
today I shot a 130 yard shot across a revine,, that was fun,, I shot over the stump a couple of yards,, but not bad,,
pretty good line,,

[Mo_coon-catcher]

I had that problem. And every once in a while it will rear its head again. At my worst, I would miss an entire hay bail at 10 yards because the thought of missing would creep into my head. So I would short draw de yo thinking that if I draw less I won't lose my arrow as bad. If only get to about 20" And then flinch horrible.
 I picked up a bunch of tricks and ideas from some videos pearl drums lent to me a while ago. The biggest fix, was to go to a large unmissable target. Get about 3 yards away. Close your eyes and shoot. Make sure you do every shot exactly how you intend to shoot. By not looking at a target, the target panick doesn't set in. So you can properly do the shot until it becomes muscle memory. Do this for a couple dozen shots a day for a week, with no true target shooting. Then when you do go to shooting a target, make sure your saying in your head, that you will hit the target.

After doing a bunch of blind bail shooting to get good muscle memory and getting a positive thought in your head. Then just let ye ahot happen. You'll be back on to hitting what you want again. I'm definitely learning, any negative thoughts will show up in your shooting. Same goes for positive thoughts. Every now and then I go through the blind bail drilling again. It's especially helpful when changing bows. Especially if it's a major shift in draw weight or style.

Kyle

[Lee Lobbestael]

I think you should look up Joel Turner and find a psychotrigger that you can work through. A psychotrigger is something other than your subconscious mind,that tells you when to let go of the string. A clicker is an example of a psychotrigger. You hit full draw, look at what you want to hit, and than ONLY focus on the movement that gets you to your psychotrigger. You can't focus on aiming (your subconcious is great at aiming) or the trigger itself. You only focus on the movement that gets you to your psychotrigger. So with a clicker you would tell yourself, "keep pulling keep pulling keep pulling" until the clicker goes off. I know most people don't want to put a clicker on their wood bow, but there are many other options out there for psychotriggers. For example you could use the head of your broadhead touching your knuckle on your bow hand as a trigger. Or the feather on your arrow touching your nose. I shot for years with good success using my index or middle finger on my bow hand as a trigger. I would keep it open until I was locked on at full draw and then I would focus on curling my finger back toward my bow handle. When it touched the bow I would release. I killed many deer with that method. That one is very simple to try. But check out Joel Turner. He is an aficionado on the topic and has helped many people. He puts on clinics and even has a clinic in DVD form you can get online. There are also many podcasts out there with him and his number is on the internet for you to contact him personally. He put his number out there for that reason and I have talked to him several times. He has helped me a lot.