3m to 5m shooting not the panacea to the pandemic

KidCurry

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Eight weeks ago I started my 3 to 5m shooting practice. I thought it was going to be the panacea to shooting form improvement through the pandemic. I'm now questioning that thought.
There is something not right and it's proving hard to track down. Form looks really good. The release is smooth and natural. The draw is controlled and draw weight is getting easier. I think it may be equipment related but it could be physical or mental. The problem is, by now, I would have been shooting a lot at 90m. I would know where arrows were going at release. High left/low right, whatever. Now they go in the middle, every one. This sounds good but it isn't. I can see small movement in the arrow impacts but there is no constructive feedback as there is at 90m. I have no way to measure if it is equipment or me. In fact I think it may be doing more damage than good. I may cut down to a couple of times a week or just reversals for now.
 
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geoffretired

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I am doing similar shooting, though at a different level and for a different purpose.
I don't want to sound as if I am "teaching granny to suck eggs" but one of the hidden dangers that catches me out is brought on by having no "arrow flight time". Because the arrow is there already, there can be a tendency to break off the eye contact with the target, as there is nothing to watch. I realise I am watching when I see the bow follow through; I don't always notice when I have switched off.
It's a bit like hearing a chain saw in the distance; if you get busy on something for a while you don't notice if it stops. You do notice if it starts up again,though.
Would you notice anything significant if you did some blind shooting?
 

Whitehart

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IMO What you are missing is the sub conscious interaction and instinct that you get from shooting 90m your brain makes 100's of adjustments each shot to put the arrow in the gold based on all your past experiences.

I think this is why inexperienced archers who have had a good indoor season and expecting it to be replicated (especially handicaps) for the following outdoor season are generally disappointed and confused that it does not happen.

Short range shooting is just a fitness exercise.

Keep up with the fitness but it might also help to just watch great archers shooting 70m it also helps the subconscious to remind its self what you have taught it.
 
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little-else

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you also need to elevate the bow to shoot 90m so you get a different feel compared to short ranges.
I have to shoot at a boss that is on the ground aat 20m so my shoulders are in a totally different place geometrically and I feel permanently "tucked up" compared to the normal for distance shooting.
Another fault you wont ntice is short drawing as the drop of the arrow due to the slower speed will be negligible at the short range
 

KidCurry

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you also need to elevate the bow to shoot 90m so you get a different feel compared to short ranges.
Another fault you wont notice is short drawing as the drop of the arrow due to the slower speed will be negligible at the short range
I'm good with elevation as I shoot high on the boss. At 3m I can get a lot of elevation. Even though I shoot BB I clicker train a lot to check draw length. I think Whitehart is right. I think it is those tiny errors that your subconscious corrects. Every shot looks good but feels empty. And I've run out of YouTube videos that I haven't seen at least 5x. Mind you the Korean women form never gets boring.
 
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Timid Toad

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Keep at it - your body will be fit and you can retrain your brain quickly when you get back outside - you'll also need to relearn wind, rain etc, too! It's just very boring. I put music on and blast through it like a gym session. So may sets of so many reps.
 

KidCurry

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... Would you notice anything significant if you did some blind shooting?
Hi Geoff ... I don't. In fact blind shooting feels perfect. Every shot feels identical. Same as blank boss. Ahhh.. what I would give for a 30m target right now :)
 

Corax67

Well-known member
I agree with you KC, something just feels off for me too.

Shooting short range is driving me to distraction - I’ve always hated blank boss and 10-15yds even with a target on with baby limbs is making me more frustrated than not shooting at all.

Time to put all the kit safely away and see what happens in the brave new world.


Trains time 😁



Karl
 

Kernowlad

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We’re doing the 5m wabtool league with our club and we’re really enjoying it.
I can shoot up to 30 yards in our garden but happy with this cracking little bit of entertainment.
Top scoring spots are smaller than the width of my arrows.
 

Stretch

Well-known member
If you think your execution is good then it probably is. If the shot feels right and feels the same every time then it probably is. If the visual side is disturbing you just close your eyes and don’t look.

I have shot some of the best scores of my life off the back of 2 weeks shooting 5m or so (And FormMaster). Believe me when I tell you that it didn’t look great in the context of tiny targets.

Stretch
 

Riceburner

Active member
you also need to elevate the bow to shoot 90m so you get a different feel compared to short ranges.
I have to shoot at a boss that is on the ground aat 20m so my shoulders are in a totally different place geometrically and I feel permanently "tucked up" compared to the normal for distance shooting.
Another fault you wont ntice is short drawing as the drop of the arrow due to the slower speed will be negligible at the short range

err - I'm hardly an expert* - but shouldn't your upper body be doing the 'same-thing' regardless of elevation? It was my understanding that the best way to be consistent in form, but change elevation, (angle of the arrow against the ground), is to bend at the hips?
(Ok - I'm thinking of the differences between shooting short distances and clout, but surely the principle stands/)





* well - 'ex' is something that has been, and a 'spurt' is a drip under pressure.... draw your own conclusion! ;)
 

dvd8n

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err - I'm hardly an expert* - but shouldn't your upper body be doing the 'same-thing' regardless of elevation? It was my understanding that the best way to be consistent in form, but change elevation, (angle of the arrow against the ground), is to bend at the hips?
(Ok - I'm thinking of the differences between shooting short distances and clout, but surely the principle stands/)
Yes, I was always told to bend using my hips and keep my torso in the same position.
 

KidCurry

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Both my neighbors were out this morning so got a chance to shoot 20yds without risk of killing someone. Hummm.. 3-5m is not the lock-in panacea. Portsmouth 553. Was expecting 560+ :( However draw weight was a doddle :)
 

geoffretired

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Both my neighbors were out this morning so got a chance to shoot 20yds without risk of killing someone. Hummm.. 3-5m is not the lock-in panacea. Portsmouth 553. Was expecting 560+ :( However draw weight was a doddle :)
So, apart from finding draw weight easy, in what ways were the shots different?
 

KidCurry

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So, apart from finding draw weight easy, in what ways were the shots different?
I think it was the front end as the back end of the shot feels good. I think it is the aim mostly and it's the bit I'm not getting feedback on at 3-5m.
 

geoffretired

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Could it have anything to do with bow arm movement being "confused" for want of a better word. I am just thinking that at 20y a small sight movement will move more obviously against the target face; compared to the movements appearing less obvious at 3-5m.
Did your lower score result from more poor shots or fewer x's?
 

KidCurry

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The shot feel was very good. There were less 10s. My normal shooting would revolve around a number of well executed 10s then a real woops-a-daisy of a release. The release is now smoother, probably a result of the lockdown practice, but the front end feels less sure. But at 20yds the feedback of the shot is back. Not as profound as 90/70m but it's there. I think it's the little adjustment/corrections Whitehart mentions a few posts back.
I have an indoor bow which I am using at 3m. If I get a chance I will try my outdoor bow which carries more weight. Indoor is about 850g but outdoors is usually about 1.2kg. It may settle the aim :)
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