Clickers can damage your form; so can.....

[geoffretired]

We have all seen archers whose use of the clicker is not ideal. The hesitation, during the final mm or two, ruins the flow. Often a collapsed shot is the result.
The clicker is not the only add-on to have this effect. The sight can be just as guilty;the misuse of it,that is.
Much has been said about clickers recently and in the past. Many archers agree they are the best way to shoot. Others are dead against them or do not agree with the "signal to release" approach to their use.
The sight does not seem to carry the same warning notices.
When the clicker won't click after X seconds; is that the clicker misuse to blame or is it something to do with the sight? Is it the wobbling sight that causes that hesitation? Wobbling sights can ruin the flow for archers who don't have a clicker.Perhaps the clicker gets the blame because its a scapegoat; the new- comer.

[Old Bloke]

The use of the clicker changes form Geoff, not neccessarily damaging it! With time the shooting form is adjusted to accommodate the very change which the clicker brings and most when acustomed to the change shoot better form because of it. A very negative post Geoff, not like you!

[Kae]

Originally Posted by Old Bloke

The use of the clicker changes form Geoff, not neccessarily damaging it! With time the shooting form is adjusted to accommodate the very change which the clicker brings and most when acustomed to the change shoot better form because of it. A very negative post Geoff, not like you!

I think you've missed the point of Geoff's post completley!

I don't think he's blaming the clicker, but giving another explanation to "the problem" of using clickers. I think its a valid point.

Kae.

[Dave]

I don't think Geoff was being negative OB, I think he's just entering the site into the discussion about clicker use.

[geoffretired]

Hi Old Bloke, thanks for the response.
I'm glad you pointed out the negative tone. I hadn't noticed or intended that. I can put that right before anyone else sees it. My intention was to put the clicker in a better light.
I am a believer in the clicker,and the proper use of it, with help given to the learning archer. It seems to get bad press because some archers get little or no help then go off the rails. The clicker is blamed when it is, frequently, the lack of help that brings the poor results.
I feel the misuse of the sight can be just as damaging,, yet it is very rarely given the media coverage. Sights are great when used to the best effect;clickers too.
Sorry for the wrong messages given out in initial post. I hope I have put that right here.

[Erika]

Originally Posted by Old Bloke

A very negative post Geoff, not like you!

Just because you disagree with someone doesn't make their post negative.

Aiming and clicker usage can be a trap for people. If you can see your sight moving around on the target, the natural tendency is to stop your shot process until you are aimed in the middle. Most people don't have a solid aim. It usually moves in a figure 8, side to side or up and down. So you could be sitting there a long time waiting for you aim to improve (which isn't going to happen as you run out of strength, air and patience).

Best way round it is to learn to shoot regardless of the movement. ie stop trying to aim at the X and settle for your 'figure 8' being central-ish. The better you get, the tighter that figure 8 will become. And never stop your shot process. It has to keep moving!

[LIzardEye]

Originally Posted by geoffretired

Perhaps the clicker gets the blame because its a scapegoat

I think that's a really good point. I started using a clicker a year ago and it eliminated target panic in a instant - something I'd really struggled with for months. However, it must have taken 2 months to get the clicker position right, largely by trial and error, and there have been times when I've blamed everything on the clicker not being right when actually it's been something else entirely.

I think one of the problems when starting to use a clicker is that it shows up all those little inconsistencies that you were previously unaware of. The slightest difference in stance, hand position, anchor point etc is exposed, which is a good thing as long as you can cope with it. And until you can get your draw length right to within a couple of mm, the clicker is not necesarily going to go off when you expect it.

I think anyone starting to use a clicker should be made aware that it is much more than a draw length indicator - it can fundamentally change your style, your mental approach and routine and as such is probably one of the most important changes an archer will make.

[geoffretired]

Thanks for the responses, it is interesting to read other points of view.
Lizard eye, I feel the same way about sights. Archers can have a really smooth draw when shooting blind or without a sight. Put a sight on and the aim, DOMINATES, everything else. The shot process needs to continue without being drowned out. It's like a duet, where both instruments play continually and both are equally well heard.

[JamesR]

Originally Posted by Erika

Just because you disagree with someone doesn't make their post negative.

Aiming and clicker usage can be a trap for people. If you can see your sight moving around on the target, the natural tendency is to stop your shot process until you are aimed in the middle. Most people don't have a solid aim. It usually moves in a figure 8, side to side or up and down. So you could be sitting there a long time waiting for you aim to improve (which isn't going to happen as you run out of strength, air and patience).

Best way round it is to learn to shoot regardless of the movement. ie stop trying to aim at the X and settle for your 'figure 8' being central-ish. The better you get, the tighter that figure 8 will become. And never stop your shot process. It has to keep moving!

This is very encouraging to read! I've sometimes felt that I "rushed" my shot because the sight was still moving a bit, but if I held on and tried to make it perfect I made more of a mess of it. Probably also explains why I feel I shoot better when I'm not scoring, as I tend to just "go with the flow" of a shot, rather than trying to get the sight perfectly in the middle each time.

[geoffretired]

If only we could "go with the flow". Then add a sight and go with the same flow. Then add a clicker and go with the same flow.
I know a sight will require a change in the routine, as will a clicker, they have to be taken into account, don't they?
The flow just seems to get drowned out sometimes. Instead of drawing the string, we end up sawing through the rest with the pile.