Daily Inconsistencies

[pojoaque40]

Hi all-

Yesterday i was shooting my recurve (instinctive) and getting golf ball sized groups at 20 yards. Couldn't miss if i tried. Just a really good day. Full of confidence, i head out after work today and i'm barely on the bag. 6" groups at 7 yards. Same setup, no real change to my form that i can feel... so what makes one day worse than any other? Nothing really weighing on my mind, i don't think it's mental. Other than day to day tiredness from work i can't say there's any change to my form. I'm not asking anyone to diagnose my problems, but for those of you who have experienced bad or inconsistent days, has anyone been able to actually dial in on the issue? Have you ever started out bad and ended great by making some change to form or mentality? Because i find that on an "off" day, i'm better to sleep on it and i'll be better tomorrow. But that's not really an answer to the problem; it's not a solution. I'd like to be able to find the culprit and correct it but it seems illusive.

Any thoughts?

 

[SAJ-99]

Hi all-

Yesterday i was shooting my recurve (instinctive) and getting golf ball sized groups at 20 yards. Couldn't miss if i tried. Just a really good day. Full of confidence, i head out after work today and i'm barely on the bag. 6" groups at 7 yards. Same setup, no real change to my form that i can feel... so what makes one day worse than any other? Nothing really weighing on my mind, i don't think it's mental. Other than day to day tiredness from work i can't say there's any change to my form. I'm not asking anyone to diagnose my problems, but for those of you who have experienced bad or inconsistent days, has anyone been able to actually dial in on the issue? Have you ever started out bad and ended great by making some change to form or mentality? Because i find that on an "off" day, i'm better to sleep on it and i'll be better tomorrow. But that's not really an answer to the problem; it's not a solution. I'd like to be able to find the culprit and correct it but it seems illusive.

Any thoughts?

Did you have caffeine because you were tired? Make you “jumpy”? Hard to say. We all have those days.

 

[slamdmini]

it has to be form. if u didnt change any of the equipment, then it has to be form. i havent shot traditional for years but there are some days shooting my compound that i am smacking arrows together at 60 yds, and some days where my groups will barely fit on a pie plate. when this happens i find it helps to really slow down and be methodical about the shot process, think about every little aspect of the shot, make sure my form is perfect before i shoot

 

[p_ham]

Slow down go through your shot sequence step by step and make sure everything feels right. Make sure you are anchoring the same every time. Expand and release when everything feels right. Dont force a shot, it's ok to let down. Shoot less arrows per session. Unless you are shooting low draw weight.

 

[Pucky Freak]

Yesterday i was shooting my recurve (instinctive) and getting golf ball sized groups at 20 yards.

That’s phenomenal. Congrats on achieving that level of accuracy. I never got that good with instinctive recurve so I have little advice. Only that when I start shooting terrible I just end the session early and forget about it. Everyone has an off day.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

I shoot a longbow instinctive. I find often if I shoot too much my groups go to crap.

I was shooting a ton in the summer, I felt like I peaked and then declined a bit. I put the bow down for 2 months and the first 5 arrow group I shot was on a playing card at 15 yards.

No idea why that happens.

 

[pojoaque40]

That’s phenomenal. Congrats on achieving that level of accuracy.

Thank you but to be clear, i'm not that good of an archer. This was an exceptional day for me, which makes the off days even more frustrating when i'm occasionally able to see what i'd like to be capable of every day.

I was shooting a ton in the summer, I felt like I peaked and then declined a bit. I put the bow down for 2 months and the first 5 arrow group I shot was on a playing card at 15 yards.

No idea why that happens.

I do this as well, consistently. I get really stoked about the upcoming season and i shoot all summer, to the point of being a bit burnt out by the time season actually rolls around. I shoot better august than i do in september when it counts.

Fatigue may be the root cause, but i'd still like to understand the when and why a bit better. Oh well. Just the way archery goes i guess.

 

[furness]

You’re doing something different,even if you can’t feel it. Maybe you’re tired, not concentrating, shaking a tiny bit, whatever. Try setting up a camera to video yourself. If you don’t have one, you get an adapter to put your phone on a tripod.

 

[TheJason]

You’re doing something different,even if you can’t feel it. Maybe you’re tired, not concentrating, shaking a tiny bit, whatever. Try setting up a camera to video yourself. If you don’t have one, you get an adapter to put your phone on a tripod.

This. There are two variables here, 1) form and 2) mental focus (proper release). One or both of these are not as consistent as you'd like

 

[grizzly63]

Many people shoot traditional because of the simplicity of a bow and an arrow. Not a lot of tech involved. But, the form and shot sequence has to be consistent or you will not achieve repeatable results. Oh yeah, it can be as complicated as the tech stuff. Only you can figure out what you are doing wrong. Work your way through it.

 

[dgc1963]

I dont shoot a traditional bow but one thing I find to be true in archery is shooting to much, I shoot 6 to 10 arrows every day and thats all
it seems to me a few arrows keeps the muscle memory

 

[longbow51]

I find that shooting at a target over and over I lose focus. Nice to take a hike and shoot at individual leaves on the ground or at pine cones with flu-flu arrows. Excuse, me pinon cones; just noticed you were in Santa Fe.