Trigger thumb position

Been thinking and working on my thumb position on the trigger for a while now. I purchased my new release aid a few months back and have been able to get a much more positive position, but its still not perfect.

The problem has been that I have come to full draw, anchored and settled into the aim, and then move my thumb onto the trigger. This has then caused my aim to become unsettled because I have had to move to get into position. Also I have not been able to really get the right part of the thumb on the trigger, and generally its too far forward towards the pad of the thumb. This has left no potential movement left in the hand to activate the trigger. Having it further back allows the back of the hand to relaxed and act against the trigger.

This has resulted in me changing my shot sequence to position my thumb after I have drawn the bow but before I have anchored and settled on the aim. This has allowed me to get the right position. I have been practising today, and once I had got into the rhythm of doing this every time I was able to shoot some really good shots back to back.

It will take a while to build this into my sequence sub-consciously (got 4 years of shooting to change!), but I am looking forward to this improving my shooting that little bit more.

2011 Surrey Field Champs

I attended my first ever National Animal round shoot at the Surrey Field Champs; no practice, no estimating system; and shot a respectable 575 out of 640.

It was the three misses in the morning session that stopped it being a far better score. I was fooled totally by the long range targets, all about 45m plus, and I was 5m out on all of them. The morning session finished on 280. The afternoon session was much better, no misses and I ended on 295 out of 320. If I had converted the misses to tens, I could have had 605 and joint 3rd.

The rest of the round was well shot. But, that is something I can sort out with practice and by developing a ranging system, rather than just ground walking by eye and guesswork. What I am really pleased with was my shot execution. It was a top notch performance in that respect, even with difficult slopes (well, the most difficult I have ever shot!), and my pre-shot sequence was good; ensuring the bubble was level, alignment, trigger placement and pressure etc.

I feel that with field I am far more relaxed than when shooting at a target competition, and as a result shoot my natural shot. With field, there are so many other variables to consider that shooing the shot is just one part of that. Target is much more focused on score and outcome.

So, having done this, I am more convinced than ever that field is something I want to not only do more of, but excel at as well. But I need to make a decision as to whether I still give target shooting priority as I chase GMB. I have been told that field will improve my target shooting and so could compliment it well, but I need to ensure I practice the 90m/70m targets every week to keep that skill level up. GMB is my ultimate goal in target, and having spent the last three years slogging away and getting ever closer, I cant afford to throw that work away now.

When I get to GMB, I will then switch completely to field and see how far I can get with it. But I do think that field archery will make me in the long run more relaxed generally, and this will transfer to target shooting. I know when I am on form I can put in GMB level scores no problem (I do it in practice, so that proves it to me!).

Some field action!

Haven't posted for a while, deliberately as I try an focus more on shooting than writing. As its Winter, time for shooting is a little sparse, and I am only getting about 150 to 200 arrows per week. I am not that worried too much yet, as I am continuing the weights and this is keeping me strong. I have decided to take part in the Winter Field Archery League (WFAL). I have always fancied doing some field shoots, and having done two Foresters rounds, I have got the bug and want to have a crack at FITA Field. Why? Well to keep things interesting rather than spend all Winter shooting at 18m indoors or 90m outside. My priority is still target, so I will not sacrifice the long distances too much, but I believe in doing something different to keep the motivation levels up, and to continue with a level of competition other than just indoor comps. I shot my first FITA Field on Sunday, shooting two 12 target marked rounds (WFAL rules). I put in two solid scores of 181 and 189, not too bad for my first go. I was pleased with my form on the second circuit, and some great shots. I must however ensure I have a coherent plan for the Winter, so I don't drift around and not make progress. I have rested a little over the path two months, but its now time to start ramping things up a little.

Release aid update and weight training

Release aid really going well. My shots have been very strong now that I can get the thumb trigger in the same place each time. Also, I have been doing weights for the last four weeks, only dropping two nights as I had shot a lot on those days. Upper body looking and feeling really strong and powerful. This has translated into rock solid aiming and has built my confidence up. I have a week off due to holiday, but will be thinking about what I want to do over the winter (indoor and/or field). My indoor arrows and bow are coming together nicely now and an keen to get shooting with it very soon.

Friars Gate Archers Summer Field Shoot

Took part in only my second field shoot ever, which was a Foresters round. I had shot the FGA Spring shoot earlier in the year, and had shot a half reasonable score back then for my first ever field shoot. I went into this just wanting to relax and enjoy myself, and I did, adding 90 points to my previous score, to bag 900 for a 28 target round. This landed me a close second place behind a top score of 940. This was the first round I had shot with my new release aid, a Stan SX2. I had swapped this for the Carter JbC, simply because the Stan allows me to get the thumb position I want. I can naturally place the bone of the thumb on the trigger, without having to hunt for the position like on the JbC. I often ended up putting the fleshly part of the thumb on the trigger and this lead to lots of inconsistencies. It worked! Once I had got into the groove I was really drilling the shots home, and with some good distance estimation not missing much in the middle. Looking back I didn't really think much whilst shooting, just got on with it and my technique took over and got the job done. The indoor season is now starting, and I am close to completing my indoor set-up, which is my old C3. Looking forward to it.

End of season and a new beginning

It's been a while since I last posted, and that has been deliberate. I have cut short my last outdoor comps and have tried to cut away all the archery "fluff" around the edges to firstly give myself a bit if a break and to try and focus on the core aspects of this sport that matters. At the end of the day its a hobby, not life and death.

My last comps were the Andover FITA Star and the Kent County Champs. I put in two solid MB scores of 1332 and 1339, but left the KCC halfway through the round as my mind was not in the right place. I have worked hard this season and needed some down time.

Looking back I have had a really good season, my best ever. Eight MB scores on the trot, some in difficult conditions (weather has been rubbish this year). The highlight for me is my 1350 FITA at the UK Masters, which was a competition PB and I finally got my 1350 Star. Just the 1400 Star to go...

I am now looking forward to the winter season with confidence and enthusiasm. My C3 is being converted to a dedicated indoor bow with 50lbs limbs so I can focus on technique. I am also doing the FGA field shoot and hope to do some more field over the winter to keep things interesting and fresh, ready for next year.

First real low and some lessons learnt

I shot another practice FITA this weekend in preparation for next weekend's FITA Star. It was a little windy and I knew shooting the hinge would cause some mis-aimed shots.

However, I allowed the breeze to affect the shot too much; becoming tense whilst I fought the dot into the middle which made things worse and I really did not shoot as well as I could, and should.

In the end I put in 1330 (313/339/329/349). The 70m distance was pretty good, as was 90m considering, but 50m and especially 30m was not well shot. I forgot the basic principles of shooting.

In fact I was so unhappy with 30m I shot a dozen @ 30m again, this time really applying myself, and put in 120. It proves that regardless of the weather, being relaxed but strong in the shot will return a good score.

However in hindsight this was a good lesson. It proves that even when I really do not shoot my best, and the weather is not great, I can still shoot a solid MB level score. However I am lacking a bit of confidence and need a good solid FITA Star to settle any doubts that I can shoot good scores with the hinge under competition pressures. Lets hope for good weather this weekend.

Shooting the hinge; more practice PB's and my first competition

Have shot a new practice PB of 686 for a 70m 720. Some really great shots, some mistakes still but it felt really good. Also coupled with a slight tweak to my stabilisation to move the COG forward a little.

I shot the hinge on the first day of the Surrey FITA weekend, on the 70m 720. Conditions were far from ideal, and got blow off for a 4 and 6 on two ends. However, it showed real promise in hard conditions, and without those gusts I would have been close the to leaders.

Unfortunately the first day was abandoned due to the weather, and was unable to make the FITA due to family issues. I now look forward to the Andover FITA Star, hopefully the weather will be calm and I can really test my progress at competition level.

Practice FITA

Shot a 1359 (324/337/343/355) FITA in practice today. Was nervous, stupid really in practice, but I guess its the anticipation of shooting so well with the hinge recently I am getting ahead of myself. I didn't shoot that well, far too much tension but when I did force myself to relax the shots were great.

50m was brilliant, putting in a practice PB of 343; shot when relaxed and letting the dot float around the gold. This distance has really improved for me over the last 6 months, and has been really strong.

The Surrey Champs are this weekend. I have two days before hand to practice and get together my form. I know if I shoot my best, and am not nervous I can put in a big score. Even today, with nerves and not so good form I can still shoot a good score, so I have nothing to be nervous about! All I need to think about is the 1350 I shot at the UK Masters and draw on that confidence.

Another PB...

Shot a 680 FITA 720 @ 70m. A PB by one point. Again shot the hinge. Some iffy ends and about seven 8's shot in total, but they were made up by some blistering ends of 60, 59's, 58's.

I know the poorer ends are just getting to grips with shooting the hinge properly, but already I am putting in better groups and scores after just a few hours using it. I know I will get better with it and am excited about using it. I just need to relax and keep pulling and it will dump them in the X.

My aim is a little steadier than when using the trigger release. I may also set the hinge a little faster as well. But overall, progress is good.

Finished the night with two 10 arrow ends @ 70m. Put 16 in the 10, 4 in the 9.

Practice update...

Shot a 662 Long Metric during the week, which is a new county record. Shot OK but struggling a little with the trigger release, so after the round I got the hinge release out and shot three ends of 11 arrows @ 70m. I put in 32 golds out of 33 arrows. I don't get the hinge out that often but this really felt good.

So tonight I shot a Short Metric with it and scored 694, a practice PB by one point (and would have been a county record, but no witnesses...). Dropped some silly shots but overall most of the shots were fantastic, really committed and explosive.

After the Short Metric, I shot an 11 arrow end at 90m, and again the shots were really nice, a couple of reds but put in X X X X X 10 10 10 9 8 8.

This leaves me with a dilemma. I have the Surrey County Champs in a few weeks, and if I can shoot this well with the hinge, do I ditch the trigger release? I will practice more with it in weeks leading up to it and see how I get on, but its looking pretty good.

2011 Allington Castle "Sir Thomas Wyatt" Double York

This was a tough shoot, windy on the first day and blisteringly hot on the second day. I shot 1224 and 1222 with a total for the double of 2446 (which increased my county record by 42 points). Two more solid MB scores.

I was very confident going into this shoot of winning both days, which I did but was pushed hard all the way. However what won the event was consistent shooting. Much of it was not pretty due to the conditions, but my game has developed a much tougher mental attitude now. Even when I am nervous (which I always am, something to work on still), or the conditions are not good, I am making myself hard to beat. On the day I made less mistakes than the following pack. Over the 288 arrows, I only had 3 outside the red (one at 100yards, and two at 80 yards - one being totally down to me).

I now have three weeks until the Surrey County Champs. My goal is to win those champs, so I can put the York rounds aside now and focus on the FITA distances, hope for good weather on the day and push onto GMB.

But, I must get over the nerves. I have no need to be. Nerve free I can shoot huge scores (i.e. at the club), but this is still holding me back in competition. I have shot 6 comfortable MB scores this year under pressure so I can do it. But it will happen, I am sure.

I am now halfway through the outdoor season and delighted with my progress. I am much better than last year, far more consistent and shooting high level MB scores. Last year was more high and lows. Even if GMB does not happen this year, I am patient and will strive hard until I do.

2011 Essex County Champs

Not a good day for weather but a good days shooting overall. I won the visitors award (and overall, winning by 32 clear points) with a 1234 York. A comfortable MB score in difficult conditions. It rained most of the day, and down range had a nasty changing tail wind that pushed groups left and right at 100 yards.

The 100 yards distance was a solid 598. 80 yards was excellent, and I put down a distance PB of 424, shooting four 106 dozens.

60 yards was a little disappointing, losing focus and putting in two reds, so this is something to work on. Just because its 60 yards and near the end of the round, I still need to attack the distance and make sure of each arrow.

My frame of mind going into this was its was down to the other competitors to beat me, and I was sure of the win before I started because I was confident of my form and technique. There is still a lot of work to do, but I feel I am going in the right direction.

One area that has improved is my mental approach. Bad shots are followed by going through the shot process step by step to ensure the next shot is as good as it can be, and I have clear goals and objectives each time I shoot.

UK Masters practice video

Just a short video of me practising the day before the UK Masters on the range at Lilleshall.

More PB's and re-gained my MB

A lot has happened in the last week. I shot the Middlesex County Champs, the SCAS FITA Star and this week end at the UK Masters.

Middlesex was interesting weather, with really tricky winds. I was not at my best but shot a 1210 York and 1324 FITA to put in two early MB scores. Both rounds had bad patches but I went back to basics and really pulled them around. Whilst I was disappointed with shooting badly at times, I am really pleased with my mental strength and application to not let it affect me and work the problem. The highlight of the weekend was my 342 @ 50 on the FITA which is a competition PB. With both scores I finished 1st in the Middlesex champs (as visitor but also overall for the gents compound), and 2nd in the FITA.

This weekend was the UK Masters, and I was hoping for a comfortable MB score to complete the three scores needed, and I did that, just missing out on a GMB score by two points (1350). I started nervously, but shot 323 @ 90m. 70m was still a little nervy, but finished on 336 for a competition PB. 50m started well with a 114 and 113 dozen, but a sloppy 108 left a lot to do to hit GMB. I needed 358 to get GMB on the nose. I started with a 119 and 120 dozen, but then a sloppy 117 meant I was short. However, I did get to claim my 1350 Star badge. I finished 30m on 356, still a competition PB. Overall I am very pleased with my performance but there are still a lot of avoidable points being dropped.

The Saturday was the 50m 720 and H2H. I was very windy and I struggled with a 651. The H2H went OK, winning my first round and then narrowly missing out in the next round to a GB Squad member, which I pushed hard until the last three arrows were the wind ended my chances of an upset.

So overall, its been a good week, but there is still room for improvement and I am sure it will come.

A windy day but a well shot York

Had a club trophy shoot today, shot a York and put in 1244. Down range was very very windy, but the shooting line was quite calm for some reason.

Had a plan, tried to execute each shot as a single arrow, and generally shot well. Just need to take that into this weeks York/FITA at Middlesex. Stick to the plan, and most will land in the middle.

I feel very strong at the moment, and have the basis of a good technique for this season. I just need to have confidence in that technique and my system.

New arrows, my first field shoot and some PB's

Been a little while since I posted, so a quick update.

I shot my first ever field shoot at Friars Gate Archers, shooting a Foresters round. I had some practice a few days before (am some a few weeks before that) with some distance estimation. I shot a respectable 810 points, didn't come last! Distance estimating is a really hard skill. I got it right on most, but badly wrong on others.

However I have got to say I really enjoyed it and will definitely do some more field once the target season is done and dusted.

I have also got hold of some Easton Carbon One arrows, 450 spine. I got these as a backup and straw target alternative to my Protours. I have to say they are a really very good arrow for little over £100 all in. I shot these at the field shoot and was very pleased with them. I have also since shot two new practice PB's with them; 679 70m and 359, 3 dozen @ 30m.

I am now working hard to get ready for the Middlesex County Champs (York), SCAS FITA Star and the UK Masters. Overall I feel my best form is coming back week by week. My shot execution is OK, and the C3 is shooting well (have since got a new C4 though!).

2011 Andover Saxon

Had high hopes for this shoot, but ended up with a poor 1186 (York). Struggled to read a tricky left/right head wind and C3 cannot deliver arrows fast enough to minimise wind drift. The Monster would have eaten the wind for breakfast! I also shot with 110gn points to get a decent sigh-mark which didn't help, although all my sight-marks for the three distances where way down.

I had also identified that my draw length is too short, and had a longer cam but no time to fit it before the shoot, which would have helped.

On the plus side, the C3 is a sweet bow to shoot, just need learn the art of reading the conditions.

Mixed weekend of shooting

Last weekend I spent time at two clubs, with the hope that getting out from the comfort of my own range would help with competition preparation. It was a very useful exercise. On Saturday I shot at Swan Archers, and attempted a York (which I abandoned after 100 yards on 584 points).

Lesson number one, trust your bubble. I levelled up the bow with the slope, not looking at the bubble and promptly sent several arrows off to the left.

Lesson number two, bloody keep pulling! Some of ends were very poor, so pre-occupied getting to grips with the new surroundings I forgot to shoot properly. Other than that, the good ends were fantastic, but I must keep my focus and discipline.

Lesson number three, when the sight marks are wildly out check the nocking point. The serving had separated and slipped. Consequently at all distances my sight marks were junked. I must check the basics when things go wrong.

On Sunday I shot at Worthing Archery Club, and shot the new 50m FITA compound round, and put in a respectable 663. This was despite some sloppy (again!) ends and a 5 when a fletching came off.

At the moment my focus is poor. I have the ability and the technique, I don't have the mental game sorted at all. I really need to get this nailed. I am hoping that once the real comps start this will be the boost and motivation I need. I am not too worried yet, there is plenty of the year left.

Double Portsmouth, and finally my 'A' classification!

After two years of trying, and always getting two of the three scores needed, I have finally gained my 'A' indoor classification. I shot two back to back 581 Portsmouth rounds to night.

There were some really nice spells and some great shots, but still littered with sloppy and avoidable shots. However the lighter trigger is starting to make sense now, and I am able to relax more and allow the shot to go off with little concious effort.

I attempted to talk to myself in my head during the aiming phase, but this proved a little harder, and kept switching back to consciously trying to put the dot in the middle. But this is a hard skill to learn, and it will take time and practice to get the mental routine ingrained.

Arrow tuning and testing from the Monster

I headed down to the field today to get sight marks and attempt a paper tune from the Monster with my 420 PT's and some 380 PT's that I have (just fitted a new string). I originally got the 420's for the C3, but I am going back to the Monster as I suffer badly form sight marks (strange shape head). The arrows are configured thus:

420
27.5" shaft length (all cut from the front)
120 gn Tungsten points

380
27" shaft length (I believe these are all cut from the front, as they are second hand)
120 gn Tungsten points

All arrows have the same pins, nocks (solid green Bohning Blazer) and vanes (1.5" X-Vanes, hot pink of course!). The vanes are fletched the same distance from the end of the shafts.

The 420's according to the charts and AA are marginally weak. The 380's in this configuration are spot on. The bow is setup as:

60lbs
27.75" DL
24 strand string (452X)
28 strand cables
Monster 7 modules (this is an M6).

The paper tune showed up the same 1.5" left hand tear for both sets of arrows. Also slightly high (~5mm) but that is through choice. Moving the rest further out to the left did decrease the tear but both arrows continued to shoot with the same left hand tear consistently over and over again.

I then shot 30m and 50m with both sets of arrows and couldn't spot any difference. The good shots landed in the 10. The bad ones, well no arrow is going to save me! After that I shot just the 420's. Even at 90m, the good shots all landed in 10 size groups. The bad shots, again fizzed off.

So what does this tell me? Stop worrying about bloody spine and get one with shooting! As long as I don't start shooting Easton Jazz arrows or something stupid like that, then it does not really matter. The good shots from the M result in awesome groups. Its down to me to sort out the bad ones and build some consistency.

So there we go, some real world testing, hope that's useful.

Coaching session with Liam Grimwood

Had a good session with Liam on Tuesday. We worked on some mental aspects, which is the area I need to really focus on now. My technique and form has nowhere to really go now, he said it looks good and wouldn't change anything.

To progress I have to get my head sorted out. The main on is around aiming. I have a tendency to wrestle the dot into the middle. So to combat this, we tried a technique he uses, which is to talk out loud in his mind to pre-occupy the concious mind to take it away from aiming.

During the session we worked on this, and it seemed to work quite well. It got to the stage were I wasn't really concious where the dot was on the target, but the arrows pretty much always landed in the gold @ 70m every time, other than the odd stray when I lapsed a bit.

We also tried a lighter trigger, because it was evident that a stiff trigger was causing me to also fight the bow a little as well. A light trigger is a bit hairy at first, but soon forgot about it (tried it again to night and its feeling pretty nice).

One quantifiable outcome of this was my shot execution timing was like clockwork; it felt really consistent every time, and had sped up by a few seconds.

So, the coming season's focus has now switched to really working on mental strategies, moving away from pure technique.

At last, some decent weather and a good days shooting

Today was a really great day for shooting, and I spent about 7 hours down at the range getting the Monster tuned in and sight marks for all the FITA/York distances.

After attempting a paper tune, I promptly gave up. The Monster never paper tunes that well, and settled for a 1" left, but level tear and got on with getting sight marks and ensuring that centre shot was was good. The centre shot at all distances was spot on after setting it at about 3/4".

I was shooting my 420 Protours, and wondered if they would be too weak for the Monster (originally bought for the C3). Nothing to worry about here. The good shots (and I had a fair few today) drilled the gold at all distances. Some of the groups were fantastic. The speed I am getting from the Monster @ 60lbs is blistering. I would love to be able to chrono the Monster, maybe I will try and borrow one some time.

I focused on a straight, but relaxed bow arm, and pulling hard into the stops, and when executed right, resulted in some great, explosive shots.

The only scary moment was an exploding nock. I had fitted Beiter Pinout nocks to my Protours, because I can use these with the same nocking point setup with my indoor arrows. This was only an issue with my C3 but kept the nocks. It seems these cannot take the brute force of the Monster. I had also shot another arrow that on release sounded OK, but I found it had the nock distorted (it had not been hit by another arrow either). I have now gone back to the Bohning Blazer nocks. These are the only ones that can withstand the Monsters high energy.

All in all, very pleased. The Monster does demand a good technique, otherwise it can punish you, but on the good shots there is no bow I would rather shoot. Having tried out the C3, I am now sold on speed bows. I do suffer with sight marks and the C3 is just too slow. It will be used for a dedicated indoor bow from now on.

Back to the Monster for this year

So after much deliberation I have decided to go back to the Monster for this year. Having shot the C3 for a number of weeks, its clear it simply does not have the speed needed for the big distances. Shame because its a really lovely bow to shoot. However I have always struggled for sight marks (shape of my head!) and I am on the very limit with the C3.

I will put it aside and use it as an indoor bow for next years indoor season, where it will no doubt be a fantastic rig.

I shot the Monster indoors tonight to bed in a new set of strings/cables. I have got to say I love shooting it. The speed of it, and it holds so steady. The draw length feels a little short but then I am going from a 41" ATA to 33".

So the next stage is to get the cams fully timed, and the Pro Tours paper tuned and centre shot sorted. I may have to cut some off the PT's, but nothing too drastic to stiffen them up a bit.

I am sure this is the right choice. I shot it last year and put in some good scores, and it will be good to shoot the same bow for two years running (which will be a first).

Its coming together bit by bit

Shot yet another Portsmouth tonight, and I followed on from Sunday, ensuring that I got the alignment correct and maintained the back tension, and put in a 580.

Still some sloppy shots, but these are easily avoidable and just need to find the consistency again, but its coming together slowly.

SCAS Indoor Champs 2011

After several weeks of struggling I came out of this quite pleased. I ended up with 579, and 6th place out of 38 compounds, in a very strong field. It was also a competition PB as well.

It was not a perfect round and finished weakly, shooting only 115 for the last dozen, but the middle section was very strong, really hammering home those 10's with some very strong shots. My form was excellent, pulling through the shot.

Considering this was competition conditions, under time control, with the pressures that come with that, I feel it was in the right direction.

I shot in the team event, but by this time I was dead on my feet, having out so much into the first session, and shot a rather poor 560 for a FITA 18, but that is just a stamina issue that I know will be sorted in the peak of the season.

Re-occurring theme...

Again, a Portsmouth round shot, some good ends, some sloppy ones, ended on 577.

I had increased my draw length by about 1/6" and this bought my alignment in, but I am losing back tension on some shots and collapsing.

However, looking at the positives, my trigger pressure was good and positive for most of the evening, which resulted in some great shots.

Got to work on consistency. The SCAS indoor championships are on Sunday, and is another chance to work on ironing out my current form issues.

I have also booked a coaching session with Liam Grimwood for a couple of weeks time, and am looking forward to this, as I think this will give me some much needed direction and focus.

A bit of a low

Shot a 574 Portsmouth Wednesday night, started so badly, its a wonder I made it over 570. Put in a miserable 111 dozen to start. Was then followed by some reasonable dozens, but I shot badly and my confidence is a bit shot as well.

Really need a pick-me-up. Thinking of getting some coaching again to refocus and get myself back on track.

First York of the year, and some new arrows

Finally, got the chance to go out and shoot a full 12 dozen practice round! I shot a York today, and it was a mixed bag of really good shots and some pretty poor ones.

Its clear I am struggling with cramping up on some shots. When I lower the shoulder and open the body out, the shots are great. At least I have a clear set of things to work on and correct. In the end I shot 1238. Some way off my practice PB, but at this time of year and so little practice, its not to bad, and its a good base to work from.

I also tried out the new Protours (420's). I had a quick paper tune to get a level nocking point, and the tried them out at 100, 80 and 60 yards. The groups were great, visibly better than any other arrow I have shot from the C3. The tungsten points make a difference, pushing all the mass up front, making for a better shot than the steel points of the same weight.

Not so good...

Last Wednesday evening I shot a Stafford round indoors. I didn't shoot well, struggling with the distance under indoor light. My form was wrong and spent too long trying to wrestle the bow into the middle.

I finished on 678 (a county record - although I am not going to claim it). If it were two back to back FITA 30m distances, it would have been 355 and 356.

Point testing and shooting with the hinge release

Bit of a mixed bag on Saturday. Tried out the X10's with 120gn points to see if the C3 could reach 100 yards, and it can, with some room to spare on the sight. Means when my 120gn tungsten points arrive with my new Protours, I will be able to get sight marks without having to cut off 10gn's.

Some ends @ 100yards were great, some tight groups, but also some strange left/rights. Could well be me, but some unexplained. I still think it's me, not shot that distance for a few weeks so a bit rusty.

I got out my hinge release, which I have not shot for a while and it felt really good shooting back tension. Got it set at the right speed and the best shots felt awesome, so I might stick with it for a few weeks. Just need to relax!

Shot 3 doz @ 30m with it, using my FMJ's, and put in 356, not to bad, could have been better.

Next week, I am going to shoot a full round (York). I have really got to start practising full rounds now. My first outdoor comp is at the end of April and now's the time to start ramping up the practice and start testing myself, if I am going to make the most of this season.

Mixed night of shooting

Shot another Portsmouth round tonight, and finished on 577. A little disappointing, and I some how managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. After a poor start (113), I went on the rampage and shot 119 and 117. A shaky 115 still left a 580+ on if I had a strong last dozen. I ended up on 113.

I only had 3 arrows all night out of the outer ten ring. Many of them stuck in no-mans land between the inner and out ten.

However, I had some really good positive shots, and I tried to pay attention to the front shoulder position, and I feel I shot better than the score.

Damn those pesky 4's!

Shot at Nonsuch Bowmen tonight, and shot a Worcester round. I had a pretty clean round, nothing too close to the edge of the white, some nice groups, other than one crappy shot that was a big fat 4! Ended on 299/300.

Looking back it was a bit of alignment and hand position. Oh well, shot some great shots and had some awesome groups so not a wasted evening.

Will be looking to improve my front shoulder position which maybe I have neglected a bit, which will help with alignment issues. I will work on that Wednesday nights Portsmouth round.

Arundown Triple Worcester 2011

Today I shot all three sessions at Arundown and scored 298, 299 and the magic 300.

The first session wasn't great with a slow start. The second session I really started to motor and was putting in some really powerful shots. The alignment and positive trigger pre-load was becoming as it should be.

The third session was excellent. Really strong shots, and towards the end of the day I felt like I really could not miss. Even the last 5 arrows where I knew I could get the 300 for the first time ever, I just shot one arrow at a time. I knew all I had to do was align, pre-load, and the shot would drill into the middle, and it did. No nerves to get in the way as I was so confident in my shot routine and technique. Really pleased.

I beat my previous triple county record which is now at 897/900. I equalled the current county double round score of 597/600.

This was as much a mental as well as technical battle, and I feel I have made one step upwards.

Season PB and some positive shooting

Shot a 581 Portsmouth tonight, and was pleased with the positive shooting, particularly with the pre-load on the trigger. Whilst I had a slow start (114/114 dozens), I once again finished the round strongly, shooting 117/119 dozens, and got better as the round progressed. This is a season PB and just a few off my all time PB.

This has been a feature of my indoor shooting so far this year. I just need to get out of the blocks quicker to really rack up the points.

Now that I have had a run of indoor rounds with scoring and putting myself under pressure (in a good way), I can feel the competitive edge coming back. Now looking forward to taking this into the Worcester competition on Sunday.

CBE Elite 3D sight review

I have had my CBE Elite 3D sight for a while now, so here is a quick review and photos. Overall this is a very solid, workman like sight that has a real feel of quality to it. Its built like a tank. The vertical track adjustment feels really nice, there is zero play in it. There is no quick release to change distances but to be honest you dont need it. The vertical track has 1 7/8" inches of travel. The C3 the sight is currently on needs about 1.5" and my Monster 6 about 1.2" for 30m to 90m of sightmarks. I struggle for sight marks normally due to my strange head, so normal people should be fine with the amount of adjustment. The vertical block's height relative to the extension bar can also be adjusted as it has two sets of holes that the 3rd Axis block bolts onto. Mine (see photos) is set to the highest, to push the vertical block downwards. Also, the 3rd Axis block can be turned around and then upside down to push the vertical block even further down (again, this is how mine is set). So wherever your sight mark range falls, you should be able to find a position that fits. All of the axes are adjusted by slackening bolts, moving the parts around then tightening the bolts backup. I little fiddly but once done, its done. The windage adjustment is nice and positive, and is locked at the front using a small lever. There is a really wide range of windage adjustment so there is no danger of running out. A word of warning about using MAC scopes with this sight. The scope thread is too big, despite being a standard 10/32 thread. Either the MAC thread is too big or the sight is made too small. I use a Beiter scope thread that screws in perfectly to the scope and the sight with no problems. The sight overall is quite heavy, but is down to the build quality and I don't mind that. Overall, I am very pleased with it and can't see my self moving away from CBE sights in the future.

Practice update and things to work on

Have shot an indoor Portsmouth for the second time this indoor season, and put in a 579. It was OK, but got stuck with repeated 10,10,9 sequences and could not find the level of consistency to get over the 580 mark. However, like the FITA 18 round the previous week, I finished strongly, with really good, positive trigger usage.

Shot a little on Saturday morning, but again the weather was freezing, and my hands froze after each end. I decided to practice a 3 doz @ 30m, and put in a tidy 357, one off my practice PB, so was pleased considering my hand were like blocks of ice. Again, the very best shots were those where I was positive with the pre-load on the trigger, and allowing the scope to float around the gold without trying to over aim.

Later in the week I will be shooting another Portsmouth round, and hope to get my first 580+ for this years indoor season. Next weekend I have the traditional trip down to the south-coast for the Arundown Triple Worcester. I normally do well in this, but the competition this year is going to be fierce, but I am really looking forward to the challenge, and will look to be mentally strong and shoot without fear.

So my goal over the coming weeks is to remain strong and positive throughout the shot, and not try and control the shot or wrestle the dot in the X ring. Relax, let it float!

Relax and try not to think!

Shot a FITA 18 for the first time in a while on Wednesday night. I had high hopes of a good score, and wanted to hit a 575. However, the indoor range was freezing and I could not relax and remove the tension in my bow arm. It was only the last dozen that I forced myself to relax that I shot well, and put in a 117 dozen, to finish on an average 565.

The positive from this was that when relaxed, this has a direct correlation to shooting well.

Today I shot some 90m outdoors, and again, I was cold, damp and generally fed-up of the crappy weather at the moment. I had the worse practice 90m for a long time, shooting two 306 and 310, 3 dozen practice ends. I normally hit 320+ almost every time.

Any positives? Yes, had some great shots, but some strange ones as well, where the shots felt on the money but ended up in the red. There was a variable wind down range so maybe this was the reason. But generally I think my shot sequence slowed down causing tensions and bad shots.

A day to forget and look forward to the next indoor session.

Happy New Year 2011, and time to set new goals

Well its 2011, and now time to really look forward to the outdoor season. Having looked back at 2010, I achieved all my goals, mainly getting to MB, with some bonuses on the way.

Another feature of 2010 was despite doing well, I was still negative about my achievements. My train of thought up until now has been to never be happy with anything so that I will never stop trying. This is wrong, and only reinforces negative thoughts. I will try and focus on the positives only, and there is no reason why this will stop be from trying. If I set goals, and reach these, then I can set more to keep up the motivation.

Here are my goals for 2011:

• Win the Triple Worcester in February (my only indoor comp this year)
• Win the Surrey County Champs in July
• Gain GMB status by October
• Be selected for the Surrey County team at the Intercounties
• Win the Surrey Indoor Champs in November
• Shoot the highest score for the County team in each match I attend
• Try and win every competition event I attend
• Always complete every round and attend every shoot I apply for, and not give up when things are not going well

OK, some of these goals are very high (i.e. winning WRS comps), but at least go into each one with the attitude that I have the ability to push myself further up the leader board.

I have now got my Mathews C3, and coupled with some second hand X10's, its looking promising. I have decided that this year I am going to invest in some X10 Protour's. Having shot with Cartel Triples pretty much all my compound career, its time to see what the best money can buy can do.