Shooting practice.

[mspink]

I am in training in the air force and have little time to shoot my bows I've made. I am pretty good w them most of the time but I don't get nearly as much practice as I want to. I was wondering if there was something I could do to improve my skills  with the minimal time I have to practice.. Any pointers would be appreciated. I am good enough to put four or five arrows into a paper plate at around twenty yards but want to be able to group tighter.

[Pappy]

That sound pretty good to me. I would suggest when you practice ,don't try to see how many arrows you can send down range,just work on making every shot count.I don't get a lot of time to shoot either,so I try and take advandage of what practice I get.
   Pappy

[Pat B]

I agree with Pappy. Putting one arrow where you want it to go is more important that tight groups to me. I used to shoot 50 to 100 arrows a day. With that many shots I found myself getting sloppy so now I shoot maybe a dozen arrows each session, concentrating on each arrow. This can be done in about 5 minutes.
  I keep my regular bow and arrows where ther are visable. When I come in I grab them go outside take my shots and that is it. If I find myself shooting soppily I stop shooting until the next session.

[Wolf Watcher]

Hawk Huston taught me to concentrate on my form (was sloppy with my left arm) and to aim at a very small target.  So I have some 3/4" bright stick ons that I use and it really helped me.  I have some wide rubber bands from my knee surgery and I use them for strength.  Now I wish I could shoot like the Hustons!  Joe

[crooketarrow]

   I only shoot one arrow  and aim small,concenate.

[aero86]

Good adive guys!  I was shooting at a box today and after I had gotten my form down I filled a small 6x6x6 box with newspaper and stood a bit aways from it.  I was pleased to be able to hit it 3 out of 5 times with a brand new bow and 2 unspined arrows. 

I'm thinking of finding some small stuffed animals, throwing them out in a field and walking around and shooting at them

[JW_Halverson]

Beanie Babies and Blunts  Good idea.

I drilled a 3/8 inch hole in a golf ball. epoxied a busted arrow shaft into the hole and jammed it point first into a hay bale years ago.  My groups immediately improved from looking at a smaller target than the pie plate. 

Nowadays I shoot blunts at a 10x10 ft white mesh net hanging in the back yard.  Most times there is nothing to aim at because I am watching the arrow flight to expose my form flaws.  On days when I feel like a dose of humiliation, I hang a spraypainted whiffle golfball on the net. 

Earlier this winter I  had a guy over that hadn't shot archery in 25 years.  He picked up my 50 lb sinew backed osage bow and without so much as a pointer on how to draw, he started driving nails!  He hit the golf ball on the net twice and the other 5 shots were within 3 inches of the ball.   Needless to say, he is no longer invited over to embarass and humiliate me.   

To quote the person that coined the phrase, Mark Baker, "Aim Small, Miss Small".

[PeteC]

Practice by shooting at an acorn,one arrow,one shot,go retrieve.Start up close,then as you improve, keep increasing your distance.When you get good enough you have trouble seeing the acorn,start using a sweetgum ball(porcupine egg).By then you should be shootin' good enough to get the coon.  God Bless

[Tethered Falcon]

if im shooting badly ill probably  throw arrows at the target until i cant shoot anymore, then again if my first three arrows are all good shots i just put the bow away for the day
 

[Pat B]

Falcon, when you are shooting badly that's when you should put the bow away for the day. When you're shooting well you should continue shooting to make good shooting a habit. 

[sailordad]

YUP LIKE Pat said
i treat my shooting like making points or bows
if i aint having a good day i stop and walk away
if all is going well i keep going at it 

[Tethered Falcon]

ill keep that in mind, thanks 

[Wildchild]

Know im a bit late on this thread, but havent been on in a while due to computer problems. I liked all of the advice on here, i usually shoot at a tennis ball hung in front of a hay bale, and try to start around 20~25 yards, and move back 5 yards every 5 or so shots. And like Pat said, put the bow down if your shootin bad, it'll only frustrate you

[JW_Halverson]

I haven't touched a bow in over two weeks.  Lotta bad attitude and frustration to work through.  Then the Sturgis Motorhome Rally and Trailerparking came to town with all the roar and crap that goes with it.   In the next few days the World's Largest Theme Costume Party ends and I'll consider making/breaking bows and shooting again. 

And for those of you that may have been offended by my comments on Sturgis, remember the words of a Bandido friend of mine..."It ain't for bikers anymore, unless they wanna go look at tourists."

Sorry about the rant, I'm packing up my soapbox and calling it a night.

[cryostallion]

I haven't touched a bow in over two weeks.  Lotta bad attitude and frustration to work through.  Then the Sturgis Motorhome Rally and Trailerparking came to town with all the roar and crap that goes with it.   In the next few days the World's Largest Theme Costume Party ends and I'll consider making/breaking bows and shooting again. 

And for those of you that may have been offended by my comments on Sturgis, remember the words of a Bandido friend of mine..."It ain't for bikers anymore, unless they wanna go look at tourists."

Sorry about the rant, I'm packing up my soapbox and calling it a night.

good rant!

i also cannot shoot if i am frustrated about something.  more often than not it just compounds the frustration.

i am a morning person, so i am at my best shooting when the sun's rising, air's cool, and i've got a strong cup of coffee