Is compound Archery more Technical

[Marcus26]

Micky - 11/10/2005 12:52 AM

I think we are, looking at the picture you've posted up there..

My compound problems are more down to aiming/releasing than actually holding the bow.

Would like to be able to shoot your scores though!

No you want to be able to shoot my scores in competition, wish I could.
Getting the biomechanic structure right improved my FITA indoor scores by 20 points and my outdoor FITA scores by 60. However I miss for exactly the same reason you do, release and aiming.
By following the rules and structure usually only followed by recurve archers I can hold much much steadier and also become more patient with my release. Essentually I find that:
If I don't get my structure right I don't hold steady
If I don't hold steady I get impatient and stressed
If I get stressed I don't use my release aid as fast
If I slow down on my release my groups open up

So at the end of the day it is vital for me to get step one right. The down side is that many top compounders are big strong *&%#$%s and shoot massive scores while having poor structure. Clint Freeman is a sample of one who meets both criteria. (strong and excellent structure)

[Micky]

Marcus26 - 12/10/2005 12:59 AM


By following the rules and structure usually only followed by recurve archers I can hold much much steadier and also become more patient with my release. Essentually I find that:
If I don't get my structure right I don't hold steady

So by "structure" are you talking about stance and body position, stuff like that?

I've had a nightmare 2 seasons, basically dropped from 1300 FITAs to struggling to hit 1200. A lot of it seemed to be a form of target panic, when I saw the gold I just thumped the trigger. By changing to a Cascade release aid I've managed to solve most of that, but this season (last FITA of the season, halfway through 30m to be exact) I realised that I don't always stand up straight, and I don't bring the string to my face, I have a tendancy to "collapse" into it.

I'm hopeful that working on this throughout the winter will put the rest of my points back on my scores.

It's a hell of a game though - and being a "straight to compound" archer has meant that I don't really have a clue on decent biomechanical form - I just started shooting and hit good scores without thinking about it. It wasn't until it all went wrong that I had to break down exactly what made some shots good and some damn awful.

[Marcus26]

Micky - 12/10/2005 8:25 PM
So by "structure" are you talking about stance and body position, stuff like that?

Yes that is correct

I've had a nightmare 2 seasons, basically dropped from 1300 FITAs to struggling to hit 1200. A lot of it seemed to be a form of target panic, when I saw the gold I just thumped the trigger. By changing to a Cascade release aid I've managed to solve most of that, but this season (last FITA of the season, halfway through 30m to be exact) I realised that I don't always stand up straight, and I don't bring the string to my face, I have a tendancy to "collapse" into it.

This is what I don't like about the Cascade release. I don't believe it teaches you to shoot correctly. Back tension releases I like because they can teach you the correct scapula movement required to hold the bow at full draw and steady.
The key is to relax your arms, the arm muscles should not be engaged at all in the shot, a correctly held release aid will have the lower traps taking the load and pulling against the wall while your arm muscles do nothing. This will lead to a more consistant usage.

I'm hopeful that working on this throughout the winter will put the rest of my points back on my scores.

What exactly are you working on? What is it that you have identified as the thing you must fix to increase your score?

It's a hell of a game though - and being a "straight to compound" archer has meant that I don't really have a clue on decent biomechanical form - I just started shooting and hit good scores without thinking about it. It wasn't until it all went wrong that I had to break down exactly what made some shots good and some damn awful.

Sounds familiar. I did very well as a junior, used a Stan release and used it well. But after quite a long break came back to the sport with bows having changed dramatically (back walls for one) and my scores plummeted. (1330 down to 1270)
It wasn't till I stopped demanding high scores and started working on fundamentals of technique that I started to improve. I threw out all I thought I knew and went with what makes sense. I got alot of help from James Park and he is teaching me the biomechanics of the shot. It's been like learning a new sport.

[Micky]

Marcus26 - 13/10/2005 1:58 AM
What exactly are you working on? What is it that you have identified as the thing you must fix to increase your score?

Well, bearing in mind that I don't work with a coach, the most basic thing I think I need to do is to create a "shot routine" so that I am standing straight, addressing the target properly and just keeping everything in line when I draw. I want to work on this so that come April and the beginning of the season I don't even have to think about it - it will just be automatic.

I'm also working on making my bow arm stronger, using a powerball, to lessen fatigue and keep my aim from wandering at full draw.

When I've got those worked out, I may go back to the Carter release, but at the moment the Cascade stops me from panicking, so it's staying!

[doubletop]

at the moment i just started to learn about rotating arm i was catching bracer every few shots managed to stop it by bending arm then my scores and groups went down because arm shook more i happy rotating elbow to left and it does help im right handed

[Jerry Tee]

What type of sling are you using DT?

[doubletop]

hello jerry t
am using fingers at the moment may be one reason, i am considering starting to use a release but would that make me too techinicaal

[Adam]

More technical? I don't think so, but it places very different demands on the archer, psychologically in particular.

Yes, the terminology of compound archery is different, and shooting technique differs out of necessity, but the major difference in in what goes on between the ears.

The equipment irons-out many of the causes of error, and this raises expectations: when you're standing behind the bow it can feel as though any arrow outside the 10 is a failure, whereas with recurve archery any arrow in the 10 has to be counted as a success.

Learn to deal with the raised expectations and , especially, with failing to meet those expectations (as every archer does on a regular basis), and shooting compound can ge great fun. If you can get your head around the whole success/failure issue - and not misinterpret other archers missunderstanding of these matters - it can be a hoot.

Adam

[Jerry Tee]

DT when I asked what type of sling are you using I meant your bow hand.I shoot off fingers as well.

[doubletop]

sorry jerry
i dont use a sling at the moment although i have been shooting approx 18 months i still new to this as ive only just joined a club and started to shoot formally and i still learning wat i need and wat i dont