When to move to a clicker?

[Ffish]

I've searched the threads here, and have found HOW to use a clicker, but can find nothing about WHEN to use one.

Having spoken to a number of people (both on here and at my club), there seems to be two very distinct schools of thought about when to start using a clicker. Some people have said "I'm not that good yet", and others have said "I wish I'd started using one ages ago".

My shooting has gradually improved over the 3-4 months I've been doing it, (shooting just below 2nd class scores at the moment) and I'm getting good groupings at 50yds, but it's still a bit wayward at 60yds.

Will fitting a clicker now help with my consistency, or should I still be working on my 60yd groups, and worry about using a clicker till later in my development?

[Jimbo]

I'd be interested in people's opinion on this as well. I have just got myself a clicker to experiment with and, having read various posts & articles on the pro's & con's of clicker usage, I feel that as long as I am aware of the dangers (i.e. letting the clicker rule the archer) it could be useful step to gaining consistency. In light of this, I plan on having a regime whereby I will practice letting down after the click in order not to become a clicker slave.

But we will see.

[geoffretired]

I have seriously changed my opinion on the clicker issue as a result of reading posts on this forum. It can have different uses for different archers and that is their choice. I think you want to use it as a consistency aid.
There's nothing wrong with that reasoning. I would say put one on as soon as you can.I think they need to be used with care however. It is more than a draw length indicator. It can allow the release to happen at the right time in the shot sequence i.e. after the aim is well established and while the draw is still on going.It can also allow the release to be done naturally or by the subconscious, a surprise if you like.
If you contiue working on your 60 yard groups, what exactly would that involve?How would that work be different from the work you do at 50 yards?

[Ffish]

Originally Posted by geoffretired

If you contiue working on your 60 yard groups, what exactly would that involve?How would that work be different from the work you do at 50 yards?

I think it's a case of wanting the same results and consistency at 60 as I'm currently getting at 50.
Having looked at my scores at 60, I'm getting too many 3's and 1's, which I cant accredit to anything in particular (other than being a crap shot!) and I just wondered if fitting a clicker would "standardise" things, so I can work on getting the scores up a bit?

[Rik]

There's a phenomenon I've noted over a number of years related to poor performance at a particular distance. Sometimes it can be equipment related (just that the tuning is particularly bad for that distance, for example), but sometimes it's a head thing.

One of the issues is that people sometimes do things differently at one distance. Maybe it's the longest distance they shoot (or the shortest) and they feel they have to try harder than at the others, or occaisionally they get the idea that 'this distance is difficult', which ends up being a self-fulfilling prophecy.

I've also seen it reversed, where someone has a 'favourite' distance, and performs well out of all proportion to the other distances they shoot. They just relax and shoot it, expecting good results, and that's what they get. The trick is to get them shooting all the distances that way. If they can get their head around the idea that the distance is irrelevant and that the shooting is the same at all distances, then scores even out.

[joetapley]

As an existing archer it took me about 3 months to learn to use a clicker vaguely correctly. It's much easier to pick something up from scratch then go through a relearning process to correct bad to better technique. Same applies to the use of a bow sling - after 6 months of grabbing the bow it's very difficult to stop. I would go with using both clicker and bow sling as soon as an archer has his own bow and arrows. Ideally use of both should be taught as part of any beginners course but there are practical considerations like the arrows being over long.

[geoffretired]

Well said Rik. Some archers do have favourites and others have weakest distances. One thing that may help is to consider that the target is just a picture you see in your sight ring.The ring is the frame.
And well said Joe. They should be standard equipment like limbs and risers,though no one would be forced to use them, obviously.

[sarahjrd]

I think as soon as possible, i coach some the beginers in the club and i get them to use cartel extension clickers,(placed on the sight bar), this way there is no problem with having to cut arrows to the right lenght, i just move the clicker. Its much easier to learn from the start then a few months later.

[Jimbo]

I'd just like to point out what I feel to be a subtle, but important, difference between "You're gonna use one eventually, so as soon as possible" and "As soon as you're feeling comfortable with your bow, and you need the "next step""; there is a quite a lot to take in over the first few weeks of 'proper archery' (i.e. after the beginners course has ended and you are shooting with the 'big boys'), you may have just bought your first bow so you need to get used to the foibles of stringing it or setting the sighting up. Also, it may take a few weeks to settle down and feel comfortable with the equipment and the environment, so introducing something as 'controversial' (?) as a clicker before this level is reached may be pushing things slightly too far.

For this reason I selected 'As soon as you're feeling comfortable with your bow, and you need the "next step"', I'm not talking waiting months & months, but enough time to just let things settle down.

This is my personal, recent, experience anyway

[Merlin83b]

I agree with Jimbo. I wouldn't want to have put one on earlier than I have done (last weekend) as I was still playing about with various things and I suspect my draw length was changing as a result. I've been shooting for about 6 months.