physical barriers to good form ?

[Chris B]

The important thing for me is to remember that, though there are ideals we can't acheive, that isn't an excuse to lower our expectations. Just because your form may not look the prettiest, it doesn't mean you don't have alignment.

With regard to getting alignment with the shoulders, dropping poundage for a while helps alot. I did this recently.
I dropped ~15# of draw-weight, and 300g of weights off the bow. Made a technical change and then built back up to decent poundage again. It needn't take ages; its 3 weeks since i started and im nearly back up to normal poundage, and controlling it better than ever before!

lack of flexibilty is a barrier to good form, and so is lack of strength.
You need strength far in excess of that needed to shoot your bow, in order to be relaxed while shooting, with good form. I think that is what coaches call "control" of the bow.
importantly these are physical barriers which can be overcome with development. If you're worried you can't get good alignment, try it with a training bow, if then you can get it, you're barrier is probably just one of strength.

[moo-mop]

Umm.... you are correct that a lower weight training bow always helps me learn new techniques but you can also be even more wrong with a training bow too because of it's lower weight ie you can achieve things with a light bow you could never with a real one - shooting with your feet anyone?

[Chris B]

clearly you need to have a well defined technical objective in your head before you attempt it.
its not "i wonder what i can get away with if i only pull 4#"

[Chris B]

Originally Posted by Yorker

I recently discovered it was a physical impossibility for me to get my rear elbow dead on the line with the arrow from the side. However I notice Tim Cuddihy has the same thing going on so...

You're not alone there. And neither is he. I havn't seen many people who acheive that (world class shooters included).

Just out of interest, anyone who can do it, (with a bow not just an elastic band), please post a picture!

[Yeah, I missed again :)]

Originally Posted by Chris B

You're not alone there. And neither is he. I havn't seen many people who acheive that (world class shooters included).

Just out of interest, anyone who can do it, (with a bow not just an elastic band), please post a picture!

I've been told that it isn't really to do that much with how you are taught and how much you try, it is mainly to do with actually how you are made.

I have been told I have very good position involving back tension and that is really becuase i have odd shapped shoulder blades and sockets and becuase i also do a lot of riding the ligaments have strectched to enable my shoulders to go back that far. I will try and get a picture for you sometime in the near future but what i am really saying is that it is a natural thing rather than something a person can do too much about but working on back tension does help to increase it.

[Mistake]

Originally Posted by Yeah, I missed again :)

I will try and get a picture for you sometime in the near future

You in a picture? i thought you hated them


And i have one major issue which i've had to learn to work my form around, and thats hyper-flexability in my left shoulder (though not as bad as my father) which means that my shoulder *will* raise no matter how weak the bow i'm pulling (other than <20lbs) This has made the back tension that i have more difficult to keep constistent.

[clickerati]

boobs. that's a big issue for my shooting.

but with my ArrowheadUK chestguard, it's no longer a problem

[Yeah, I missed again :)]

Originally Posted by Mistake

You in a picture? i thought you hated them

yeah..... I do hate them, but only if they show my face, otherwise they are ok cos then people cant go:

eeeeuuuhhh wots that growth?

oh soz its ur face etc

[Alexam]

Originally Posted by Tom

Wise man say "think less...shoot more"

Wiser man say 'shoot without thinking can be dangerious - may hit man who is just shooting!!

Malcolm