It's a big ask

[geoffretired]

Timujin has been working very hard on his TP thread and his journal. As a sufferer, I am interested. As a coach I am even more deeply interested, for obvious reasons. I believe that the value of the work could be enhanced if there was more data available to give a broader view.
My big ask,I have Timujin's permission, is this. If you have suffered could you, please, give some details including at what stage it started and how it showed up in your shooting.
Thanks for listening.

[Shirt]

Only have it with compound. It kicked in as soon as I started wanting to do more than just hit the boss at 80 yards. Basically got the standard case of the yips on the trigger, which developed into full fledged punch-like-hell-itis. That in turn made me somewhat twitchy when I got near the gold since I knew it was going to go soon, and then it just went downhill from there. I knew I'd got it good and proper when I started forward-loosing...

BT releases are great. I can now more or less shoot a trigger release, although I haven't done so since the indoor season. Last outing with it was an evening shooting at a Portsmouth face, where I stuck my first two arrows in the red due to not having a sight mark and then kept them in the gold thereafter. Not many tens, but hey, I can live with it...

It takes a lot of time, practice, and willpower, I think. There are occasions when I'll be at full draw for half a minute or so because the release won't go and I WILL NOT punch it. These shots usually result in me coming down before I pass out...

[geoffretired]

Thanks Shirt, Very useful data. Triggers and sights seem to be a bit of a problem. Do barebow archers suffer; or limited compounds?

[Macbow]

I experience mild TP off and on, always when I am trying very hard to increase my scores. It doesn't happen often and I think perhaps as a traditional field archer I have realistic expectations of what I want to achieve given the added challenges of weather, topography and wooden arrows eg at 80 yards downhill on a damp day I'm not realistically expecting 20 points from four arrows.
Personally I think it's a conditioned reflex - see the spot, aim, release - like Pavlov's Dog. So at times all I have to do is see the spot and the brain anticipates what is coming next, cuts out the aiming portion and the arrow is away before I can stop it.
What I find helpful is simple reprogramming to break the habit - I don't even try to hit the spot. I come to full draw then let down. Then look at the spot then let down. Or I will hover on and off the spot then deliberately shoot the 4 ring or 3 ring. Or just shooting groups at a blank butt at 10 yards. Doing this helps re-establish that I am in control.

[Shirt]

Originally Posted by geoffretired

Thanks Shirt, Very useful data. Triggers and sights seem to be a bit of a problem. Do barebow archers suffer; or limited compounds?

Why do a fair few beginners end up using clickers? It's not for any actual consistency reason, but it's because they're developing target panic and it's the easiest way to cure it. The number of recurve archers that can shoot well without a clicker is relatively few...

[geoffretired]

Thanks Macbow and Shirt again. There is food for thought there.
Conditioned reflex sounds right. Do we allow the conditioning because we don't know how to stop it? Or we don't know we are getting it? Or is this another example of too many unrealistic expectations?
Do clickers release archers from two more expectation; one of reaching a consistent draw length before they have the "feel" for it, and the other of deciding when to release?

[bluebow]

Originally Posted by geoffretired

Do clickers release archers from two more expectation; one of reaching a consistent draw length before they have the "feel" for it, and the other of deciding when to release?

Not sure about a clicker releasing the archer from deciding when to release - if the clicker is used correctly. I was taught that to shoot a clicker correctly, the decision to commit and make the shot should have been made before the clicker goes off. This does mean having a feel for the correct draw length and knowing (or believing) that you will pull through the clicker.

It's possible that many archers use it as a trigger and in some respects as an 'aiming aid'.

[geoffretired]

Thanks bluebow. I know what you mean. I think for the people in the situation described by Shirt, the clicker is more of a signal to release.(If I understood him correctly) I'm not saying that is the correct use of it, or that it is wrong either. If used as a trigger for the release, then it can be seen as one less decision to make and perhaps that is how it helps reduce or correct TP.

[Macbow]

Murray Elliot's excellent Archers Reference states that the sound of the clicker is only the middle of the shot - it signifies that the point has been reached when the archer could release if he wanted to. He also says korean archers learn with the clicker from the outset.

[bluebow]

Originally Posted by Macbow

Murray Elliot's excellent Archers Reference states that the sound of the clicker is only the middle of the shot - it signifies that the point has been reached when the archer could release if he wanted to

Good point. In other words not like Pavlov's dog.