Mentally Challenged Shootin'

[GregB]

I've been doing quite a bit of shooting here lately, and although I'm making progress...I'm still not as consistant as I'd like to be. Shooting a bow is such a mental process for me (probably why I struggle with it ).

 Some days I'll go out to shoot and everything is clicking and I shoot great. Other days are a struggle. I've had target panic for several years now. If I ever let a little doubt enter my mind during the process of shooting, it's a fair bet I'm going to be off. If I can maintain my concentration through the shot, the arrow usually ends up where I want it.

When I miss, it's often by a wide margin due to flinching my arm. Arrows end up low/right of the aiming point. I've tried exercises such as drawing and not releasing the arrow, and also shooting with my eyes closed. They do seem to help...I just havn't had the patience to practice them for long.

What is really frustrating to me is that I have confidence that my bowarm is initially where it should be for an accurate shot prior to release. I just can't always hold that arm solid through the release without sometimes flinching. I have no trouble reaching anchor, just in what comes afterwards. The bow weight doesn't seem to be a problem either. Just a mental thing...

[DanaM]

Try havin some of yer plum wine first.
If that don't work maybe its yer string have Pat make ya one I hear their so dang good that they
immediately improve everything from shootin better to curing what ails ya

[Pat B]

Greg, here are a few things that have worked for me in the past. Shoot only one arrow, retrieve it and shoot again. Sometimes having other arrows in the target creates a false target and that's where my arrows go.   If you find your shooting is less than par, give it up for the time being. Don't creat bad habits that are quite difficult to loose.  Gice yourself a game plan,ie   concentrate, draw, anchor, release and followthrough. Use a montra that works for you.   Sometimes I find that when my shooting is off I will concentrate on the target and push my bow out towards the target come to anchor and shoot instead of holding the bow up and pulling the string to anchor...and, like Dana said, if you need a magic string, just let me know!    Pat

[Coo-wah-chobee]

..........Maybe somebody will explain to me what target panic is ? Not a brief explanation but an in depth explanation of what it is supposed to be.......bob

[Justin Snyder]

..........Maybe somebody will explain to me what target panic is ? Not a brief explanation but an in depth explanation of what it is supposed to be.......bob

Greg, that is not what I would call target panic.  Just mental doubt or mental fatigue.

Bob, I cant give you an in depth explanation without talking in circles.  You get thinking too much and your adrenalin gets pumping and you cannot shoot accurately.  Basically like buck fever, but with any target. It could be caused by a large buck, or can be caused by people watching if you aren't used to shooting in public.  Anything that causes you anxiety and keeps you from shooting good.  Justin

[Coo-wah-chobee]

             ..............So your description of "target panic" is anything that inteferes with concentration on the task at hand (shooting arrow). Is that correct ?....bob

[Justin Snyder]

Well,,,,  anxiety and adrenalin causing you to miss would be closer. You could be concentrating, but be shaking so bad you miss.  Like I said, buck fever would be a form of target panic.  But I guess it could be caused by just about anything.  Justin
I told you CIRCLES.

[DanaM]

Jeez bob ya took all the fun outa that topic, thats way to clear of an explanation

[mullet]

Bob,It's more like when you get to target number 12 out of twenty and you have a super score.Kinda like on your way to a perfect score bowling.
   You start thinking about every way you can screw up your shot on the next target till you just go to Sh$#%.Like you said though,you just quit having fun and lose all your focus that you didn't realize you had to start with.BECAUSE you were having fun till you got serious and competitive.
    Wine does help ,and one of Pat's world famous strings would probally help with the confidence.
       
         P.S.are those strings expensive?

[Justin Snyder]

Good question Eddie. Pat told me that I wasn't going to get one.  We didn't even get to discuss price.  Justin

[mullet]

   Well maybe we could get on the Christmas list?I think it would improve my shooting.

[Justin Snyder]

I don't know if it will improve my shooting, but it certainly cant get any worse.    Justin

[GregB]

Justin, I think it's target panic..although with maybe some mental fatique mixed in. I will get to double clutching at full draw sometimes. Yesterday I had one really bad flinch and released the arrow (sometimes I can keep from releasing when I flinch), the arrow hit the ground in front of the target low/right from about 15 yards distance. I have one of those large foam targets like they were selling at the Classic, and I was shooting for the center of it.

Pat, I think you're probably right. My friend Anthony has been telling me to shoot with just one arrow for a while now. I've been shooting with four arrows, the first three may be in there tight and I get to thinking ...just one more now. Well, you know what usually happens then. Maybe one of your famous strings might be just the confidence I need?

Bob, trust me...the less you know about target panic the better off you'll be. Don't know how long you've been shooting a bow, but if you shoot a lot for many years like I have...chances are you might find out sometime. Probably exercises you could practice as part of your shooting process to help keep from ever getting it.

Dana, I'd probably turn into a wino trying to beat it if I continually knocked the edge off with plum wine. I think I'll save what I have left for Marie and Sarah to get saused on, I mean enjoy!

[Coo-wah-chobee]

  ...................................bob

[DanaM]

Greg I shoot so poor I don't worry about target panic, I feel blessed when ever I hit something even if I was'nt aimin at it.
Always be ready with the comment "I was aiming there what a awesome shot"
I don't think you should give Sarah and Marie anymore wine, look what it did to them last time, the whining went on for weeks.