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!