Coaching advice

[Deemon]

Hi everybody,

Have been shooting Recurve for approx. 18 months and do seem to still be improving but spend a lot of time not knowing why shots are going badly, arrows in the wrong place, struggling with consistency, misses etc.

Is it safe to assume you are on the right track as long as your scores are improving and only seek coaching advice once you hit that wall? Or is it too late by then with bad habits already ingrained?

Many thanks!

[napolienne]

If you're only going to a coach when you hit the wall score-wise, then IMO its too late. Coaches aren't firefighters, and they don't have magic wands. The coaching that most benefits the archer is long term - through thick and thin.

Remember that your scores are only one type of feedback about your shooting. They can go on increasing, or at least hold steady even when your technique could use some work. If your technique doesn't feel right, even if the arrows are going in the custard, see a coach. The best will help you understand your own technique as well as refine it - so you'll start to understand why and when the misses/dodgy shots occur.

[Kae]

Archery is all about muscle memory.
I can pick up a bow and shoot it because my brain remembers the muscular actions and plays them out on request.

If your teaching your brain a bad shot, then it will produce these as that is what it "remembers".

Good coaching should be a continuous process.
From what you've said, your in need of coaching now, not later when things start to go really wrong.

Kae.

[geoffretired]

A very important question, I feel.
"Teach yourself and you are being taught by a beginner." (Not my own quote, sad to say)
If you have had beginners lessons, you will have found that there was a fair bit to take in. It takes a while to get that info into your technique and running.
In the first few months you get better because you are shooting more and learning more about the things you were told. Your muscles are getting better at doing what you want them to.All these things help.
Sooner or later, the wall is reached where things seems to get no better.
For some time before that event, though, things have been changing and often for the worse.
The big problem , as I see it, is that the archer has spent some time by then, shooting a lot, and, often learning very little.Not knowing why arrows don't go where they were intended/pointed/aimed.
"If I was on aim, why is the arrow in the black?"
Answer=because the shooting technique is far more important than the aim.
Yes the aim is important; but it supports well shot arrows;it doesn't produce well shot arrows.
The chances are, there are elements in your shot sequence that vary from shot to shot. Sometimes two or more variables coincide to produce a gold.Sometimes one variable gives a blue.There is too much to sort; so nothing gets learnt.If the archer continues in archery,then, with guidance, the variables can often be reduced one at a time. The sooner the better really.

[moo-mop]

It is possible to coach yourself up to 1200 FITA ish reasonably effectively as you can shoot those sort of scores with pretty poor technique with semi-consistent mental application - and a significant amount of practice . I know as I did this myself as have many others on the board.

However, the things you do wrong will start to hold you back eventually and I know that I got quite stuck at about an average of 1190 and a pb of 1261. At this point I had brief technique and goal setting input from a proven i.e. *good* coach and although he wasn't with me through the application of these ideas they finally helped me break though this barrier.

It will be much easier if you have a coach with you through the journey. However, it is still difficult to find someone who has that experience e.g. the coach I had for three sessions is now far too busy (he coaches juniors) to help me.

Therefore, my best advice to you to try and find a personal coach now whilst you are new to the sport, as there will be lots of coaches who can help you at this level and it hopefully will build good foundations. (I had to redo all of my foundations and it took about a year.)
But also start reading lots of books, watching lots of video, and asking lots of questions so you can also learn about archery, as it's most likely you will be back on your own at some point - that is if you want take your archery to beyond club/county levels. (oh and it probably goes without saying if you do have a coach don't apply any ideas you learn this way without their approval!).

It's also highly useful to have a shooting partner to help you learn together and to bounce ideas. And don't forget to make a shooting notebook with more than scores in. There's plenty of advice on this in other threads.

Originally Posted by Deemon

a lot of time not knowing why shots are going badly, arrows in the wrong place, struggling with consistency, misses etc.

btw this describes me too, true I don't miss much, but the rest is all still there even if the shots are literally more in the middle - I'm still keeping working on it and always will!

Good luck.

imo It's best to get a 'real' coach asap and that doesn't mean the club 'Mr helpfull' that stalks the line 'tweaking buttons' and 'aligning' people.I mean a person that is prepared to make a time commitment to your improvement. It's a shame that loads of archers end up listening to the loudest voice instead of the smartest and therefore miss out on 'real' coaching.

Best of luck

[Deemon]

Originally Posted by John (OSF)

imo It's best to get a 'real' coach asap and that doesn't mean the club 'Mr helpfull' that stalks the line 'tweaking buttons' and 'aligning' people.I mean a person that is prepared to make a time commitment to your improvement. It's a shame that loads of archers end up listening to the loudest voice instead of the smartest and therefore miss out on 'real' coaching.

Best of luck

I suppose the next question to this would be how do you even start to try and find a coach if and when you decide you need one? This is however a question for another time perhaps, once i've had a chance to assimilate all the info. and decide what best to do.

Besides - it's probably been discussed before so i'll get onto searching those threads!!! Thanks to everyone for all the help.

[geoffretired]

Originally Posted by Deemon

Besides - it's probably been discussed before so i'll get onto searching those threads!!!

I think you are right. "Discussed before" might even be an understatement.

[grimsby archer]

Originally Posted by ruthmc

I now know exactly why my arrows go off target occasionally. 9 times out of 10 it's due to poor form - bad release, holding too long, out of alignment etc. the other time it's because my aim was poor and the arrow has gone in the place where I aimed it, just not in the gold

What horribly negative thinking. Isnt it better to know exactly why your arrows go mostly in the centre, 9 times out of 10 its due to good form, good release etc. Concentrate on the good, forget the bad.

[JamesR]

Originally Posted by geoffretired

Yes the aim is important; but it supports well shot arrows;it doesn't produce well shot arrows.

Geoff - I think that should be printed on t-shirts and the like! So simple, yet so true.