I should have been a weight lifter!

So, today I shot in the Surrey Indoor Champs. I had high hopes going into this completion having won it last year.

I started the first 6 arrows very well, having shot a 59. The next 6 turned out a 57, so 116 for the first dozen, a nice start. Thats when the problem started. I started getting really pumped up to the point that I got the shakes. This meant I could not draw the bow without the arrow jumping off the rest. If I was weightlifting it would have been ideal with all that adrenaline flowing! When this happens I get really stressed. So, I swapped my thin blade for the wide one normally used for my fat alloys (I was shooting my outdoor arrows). The problem is that this altered my sight marks significantly in that I had gone from the middle to bottom right on the 9/8 scoring zone. I then spent the next 18 arrows or so getting back into the middle. The rest of the round was pretty good but the damage was done. I finished up with 565, not so good.

The next session was far better, and I shot 572, a competition PB. I did not punch any shots and pretty much all of the shots were executed as explosive surprise shots. The only down side was not relaxing some time so the aim was not quite steady so some were a bit off. However, its probably the best indoor round I have ever shot and am very pleased.

I am also very pleased with the Mathews, it is shooting very well, especially with the draw length reduced down. I had changed the stabilisation the day before and took off 500 grams of weight from the bow. I lengthened and but lightened the long rod and just left one side rod to balance out the sight. This seems to be working really well and I am able to aim much better. The extra weight I did have meant I was tensing up if the shot did not go off in time. I look forward to shooting this setup outside at distance.

Using a hinge release

Last night I got out my new Scott Longhorn hinge release and tried to shoot a complete round with it (although I did not score). So far I have only shot random ends of practice with it.

The biggest problem I have is learning to relax, and it is critical when shooting a hinge style release. The other issue is how do you activate it?

I started the evening trying to relax the index finger and pull with the rest, which works sometimes but it is a form of punching. I then tried to make a relaxed fist around the handle and actively pull around the elbow off the back. This seemed to yield the best results. In some ends the shots were fantastic, but others were not as I did not get the hand pressure on the handle right, or my bow arm was too tense and the aim was erratic.

The other issue I need to address is after drawing the bow with the release aid in a forward position, I need to gain confidence I can grab the rest of the handle without it going off. I has not so far but this just needs more practice to gain that confidence. I am happy with the speed the release aid is set to.

So, what do I think? I think that practising with the hinge release and mastering it will eventually pay off, but like anything, it needs time and patience.

Also, I shot with my new cam that has reduced the draw length down to 27" from 28". It feels a little cramped and I need to increase the length of the D-loop to help bring the elbow round and correct the anchor point which is a little too far forward. However it does mean I have much less facial contact from the bow string itself.

A lesson in compound archery

Here is a video of Braden Gellenthien shooting a world record 120/120 with 8X's. If ever there was an inspiration and something to aim for, this is it. He demonstrates great alignment and follow through on the shot.

Tension is bad

I shot tonight indoors and it was good, as well as bad. The good was I shot using my trigger release and did not have a single punch. It was bad because I could not get the shot off sometimes. I did not get enough pre-load on the trigger with my thumb and despite pulling the shot would not go. This caused tension and the collapse of my shot.

It was only after driving home that I realised that a lot of this was down to my release hand having too much tension, therefore pulling did not allow the hand to contract and activate the trigger during back tension.

When I have relaxed my release hand before it has had a remarkable effect, so I need to get this into me shot routine and work on it.

However it was not all lost, there where some fantastic shots tonight that nailed the X, and no punches (came down instead which is good). It seems that in the last few weeks the punching has subsided, although definitely not cured, yet.

Shooting at distance after long break

Due to the weather being much better today, I managed to find some time to get down to the range before it got dark to get back into shooting the maximum distances, in this case 100 yards. Its not since the Inter Counties match back in September that I have shot 100 yards, although I have shot a few 70m ends at the club since.

After getting a sight mark I was pleasantly surprised at shooting some good ends, with a solid 50/50 split of arrows in the gold and red. OK, not earth shattering, but considering I have been focusing on indoors the last 5 - 6 weeks I proved that from a standing start I can still get good groups at 100 yards.

I followed on from Saturday's shooting, ensuring that my draw elbow was round and in line, and this had the expected affect of rooting the aiming dot on the gold. When the shots were executed cleanly the arrows landed (mostly) in the gold.

I am very pleased with how this went, and am looking forward to the outdoor season already. If I can get a good run of distance practice over the winter, and get the niggles sorted with my bow and setup, I should be in for some good scores next year.

Alignment is critical

I spent a few hours at the Quicks indoor range on Saturday due to the poor outside weather. After a few ends my aim was not as it should be, with the dot moving around to much. Whilst it was pretty much in the gold, something was not quite right.

Then I discovered that my alignment was wrong, in that the line from the tip of my elbow, through the arrow and through the bow hand wrist and finally the grip was not a straight line. This was simply down to my draw elbow not being pulled round onto the back muscles. It only took about 1/2" of movement to bring it in line, and suddenly my aim steadied to the point it was locked on the X ring most of the time.

I also shot my trigger release and managed to shoot most of the shots without punching the trigger. Out of the 70 or so shots only about 3 were punched. I still have issues with not pre-loading the trigger enough, so this needs some more work. When I did pre-load properly, the arrows nailed the X ring with surprise shots, with the shots going off within the optimal time frame of about 2 - 3 seconds.

I was also pointed out to me that whilst my elbow alignment was good, my front shoulder is not pointing towards the target enough. When doing this properly, it makes my draw length correct. No need for that new cam! By not having the front shoulder set properly I am shooting from a slightly collapsed position.

So the moral of the story is that alignment is crucial. Just a small amount to extra movement can make a huge difference to the steadiness of the aim because the body is using the bone structure to support the weight of the bow, and not the muscles.

Coaching

At the weekend I had some coaching from a club member and former England archer Tim Roberts.

Tim shot for England many years back and was kind enough to spend some time with me to go over some issues I am having, mostly around target panic.

When in front of a blank boss, like a lot of archers, I have no trouble at all executing a good shot, repeatedly, over and over again. Other than a few minor issues, my basic form is good and everything looks right. It certainly feels right. The feeling I get when shooting at 90m when a perfect shot is executed (the ones that land in the 10/x and you know it before its even hit) is the same that happens in front of a blank boss. So I know the technique is there.

However, as soon as there is a target then the fear of missing is over powering, and the more you fear it the more chance you will miss!

I think that having coaching will help. Having somebody there to tell you what needs work but most of all what is good will help with my confidence and ultimately help me overcome my target panic. If I am confident then I will be relaxed and this helps.

Goal setting

I shot a Portsmouth round at Friars Gate Archers tonight and before I set out I said to myself I wanted to shoot a 570. So, I shot the round and shot a 570 dead! I did this at the FITA 18 competition at the weekend where I said I wanted to shoot 560. In the end I shot 557 and 563, so an average of 560.

I recently watched the excellent Performance Archery videos by Alistair Whittingham, and he said you should set goals and look to achieve them, and only be a few points above or below. It maybe a coincidence but it seems to work. Choose a goal that is achievable and go for it. Once you are comfortable with setting goals and they can be achieved, raise the bar a bit and try and hit it. There was a time when I did not like setting goals because I feared that I would put pressure on myself and therefore fall short. Now I can and its starting to pay off.

As for the round tonight, I shot OK, but I am still punching a few shots but it was much better and came down a lot more when the shot was not right. Some of the shots were fantastic and nailed the X. I have not shot my hinge release with the Drenalin in a round because the trigger feels right with the bow and as soon as I get the draw length sorted I will do so. I am shooting the hinge in practice because the end result does not matter.

As a final note, shooting the Drenalin is a real pleasure. The Guardian is definitely going.

2nd Stag Hill Archers Indoor Tournament

Well, this is my first ever blog! I am going to record all of my archery notes here in the hope that it helps me to refine my archery technique and preparation in the future.

Anyway, I have just shot a double FITA 18 at the 2nd Stag Hill Archers Indoor tournament. I shot 557 and 563 and won the double compound round.

I felt I shot OK but am still punching the trigger on occasions. I can get away with it 7/10 times, but my best shots are the surprise ones without doubt. All I need to do is wrap my thumb around the trigger and pull against the wall. I do this with a very heavy trigger and it works well when I am patient and allow the shot to go off sub consciously.

I shot for the first time with a large black dot on the scope. I have tried this before and I never liked it, and have always shot with a large ring. However, my aim was steady with the dot just bouncing around inside the gold and when the shot was executed properly this was an X every time. Just got to trust my technique and good scores will follow. The dot I think has helped to improve the aim overall so I will stick with it for now.

I also dumped the Bowtech Guardian for my Mathews Drenalin LD. I got this around July, second hand from Liam Grimwood on eBay. The draw length is too long (by about 1"), but it shoots so well compared to the Guardian. The feel and balance is far better and I am able to add stabilisation to better effect. The Guardian is too top heavy and can kick badly during the shot. I had to add a ton of weight just to get a reasonable feel from the Guardian.

I am really looking forward to shooting the DLD over the next year, especially when I get my new cam through to bring the draw length down.