Experienced archers required to answer question!

[its my party and]

A BRIEF BACKGROUND TO THE QUESTION

I hope this doesn't sound to anal but Ive kept a record of every portsmouth round Ive shot in the last 5 months competitions and practice (34) including numbering the arrows and shooting them in order and scoring each arrow to try and differentiate between times in each round when I loose a stray arrow, in my case Ive taken the stray as an 8. Im at a 552 personal best after our county indoors this weekend and really really want to jump to the next level. I have taken a slightly different approach to archery as in I get bits of advice from our club archers and I dont have a coach so Ive been playing and trying things since I started, video etc, but being new at the club I dont really know how to make the jump from 550 to say 580 because Ive come across a stumbling block that I can not scientifically answer on my own despite knowing a lot about body mechanics and training schedules etc and that question is sighting.
I've managed to nail most things in the last few weeks but the one thing really I can't mentally picture is the inner gold! So to the question!

WHAT CAN I DO TO UP MY 10 COUNT?

My last 5 portmouth rounds have all been in excess of 539 with gold counts of 23,25,19,20 and 26 so Im getting some consistency and the last was in competition. What Im really trying to say is I cant really say I have a definite aiming point. Im aiming for the same thing each time (well I was on Sunday) but I cant distinguish between what will be an inner 10 or an outer ten. Ive got the idea about nines and below and can almost "feel" from the bow before the arrow has hit home that it will be a nine. I still cant put the bow down though when I know its gone wrong, I'll work on that this week. So how do I go about enlarging the inner 10 to make it my aiming point (within the rules and boundries of my eyesight) instead of filling the gold with the sight and hoping for the best?
All advice will be looked at in the advancement of my PB!
Thanks in advance.

[Kae]

oooh experienced archer.... dunno 5 years enough?

mmm well, this is one of those questions where the first response is; Its hard to know without watching you shoot.
This is a very important statement, as every answer that will be posted will be based on average facts, ie we expect certain things to happen and take these as granted. Such as you know which way round the limbs go etc. So don't take any advice as concrete, and make sure you apply it to you and not just take the one size fits all option.

Ok, aside from that, you've got to the stage where it is relativley easy to get to on your own. As long as you have reasonable form and tecnhique then you can be expecting to get 550ish portsmouths, but the next 50 points are exponentially harder to get. This is a common scenario in clubs where a plataeu is reached and is difficult to get past (often ending with people just giving up).

• As you've said in your post, knowing "when" to abort a shot is very important. If the shot doesn't feel "right" then don't release! This is something you need to work on.
• Your trying very hard to hit that gold, but whats your grouping like? If you have very tight groupings, but they don't land in the gold, then that is a different problem to your arrows not grouping in the gold (if that makes any sense i'll be surprised, lol).
• Dont try to aim! This can be difficult to understand, but the harder you try, the more difficult it becomes. Stop trying!
• Personally I find that having a shooting "rythm" makes a huge difference to your shot. This is a measured length of time that you take to do each part of the shot sequence. Once again, this is something difficult to communicate over the 'net.

In one sentence; your trying too hard! Relax. Kae.

[Bald Eagle]

Hi, In my opinion you are "going too fast!!" Slow down, think positive, concentrate on looking through the gold, get rid of your negative thinking and your scores will come. I've seen all this time and time again. Obviously you are eager to achieve and the results are not coming quickly enough. What aperture do you have in your sight? Do you have a string picture? Do you have a routine to execute the shot? There are so many things to think about I think you can think too much, just go shoot and watch the scores improve!!

[its my party and]

I do have a shooting rhythm and thats why I find it difficult not to release. Constant repetition at practice has got me there already but! Being slightly analytical of everything I do (Iam an inspector after all) so really Im looking for a way of actually saying yeah thats an inner 10 because I could see the difference between that and an outer 10 before I released. In answer to your question my grouping at the moment is no bigger that that of the nine on a 60cm face at 20yds! But my known mistakes do open it up by not having the ability to not loose when I know I shouldn't. And Im using a beiter 12mm with bright yellow pin for the last 5 scores!

[Shirt]

Don't worry about the 10, fix the bit that makes you shoot 8s. Once the 8s are gone you'll have got yourself to the level where you'll find focussing on the 10 easy.

[LineCutter]

I'm with Kae: let your subconscious do the aiming, just focus on getting the shot to go where you pointed it.

You'll never get the sight to hold steady over the X ring long enough to think about the next step in the shot. So, make your groups 10 ring sized & aim them there or thereabouts: that's 30 golds & 570 scored even if you loose on the edges of the 10 ring. (Compared to about 560 with a 9 ring sized group aimed at the spider)

(The maths is fanciful, but the concept is there - come to think of it there's a fine demonstration of the former in my journal, to my embarassment it also includes an element of the latter).

[WhitehartFB]

I agree with what has been written far too many variables but do you shoot other rounds both indoors and out? 5 months of portsmouths would drive me potty (if I am not already) and I would find it very boring. I would vary the indoor rounds you shoot try an 18m on a 40cm 3 spot face or a worcester or a bray currently you are only conditioning your subconcious to shoot Portsmouths (it's probably fed up and telling your concoius mind you are only good for 550). The gap between 550 and 600 if your form is OK is between your ears. And finally in the spring get out and shoot some longer distances or do it now if the weathers fine if you have the oportunity or try field shooting anything to get portsmouth rounds out of your mind.

[its my party and]

Originally Posted by Whitehart

I agree with what has been written far too many variables but do you shoot other rounds both indoors and out? 5 months of portsmouths would drive me potty (if I am not already) and I would find it very boring. I would vary the indoor rounds you shoot try an 18m on a 40cm 3 spot face or a worcester or a bray currently you are only conditioning your subconcious to shoot Portsmouths (it's probably fed up and telling your concoius mind you are only good for 550). The gap between 550 and 600 if your form is OK is between your ears. And finally in the spring get out and shoot some longer distances or do it now if the weathers fine if you have the oportunity or try field shooting anything to get portsmouth rounds out of your mind.

Ha no Im shooting other rounds as well Ive even managed to get 80 yds with my ali's! Ive used the portsmouths to build a shot routine but have done 500 + nationals after 2 months and with the arrival of some navs now Ill be tuning for 80+ in the spring. I did a fita 18 a few weeks ago and Ive got to say I did struggle on the 3 seperate faces!

[Andyakashrek]

You could try removing the pin from your sight and use an open apeture. Perhaps you are trying too hard to hold the pin in the centre of the gold. With an open appeture let your subconcious line up the concentric circles for you and relax. I read a good description of this somewhere, archers reference maybe?

[Tom]

Originally Posted by Andyakashrek

I read a good description of this somewhere, archers reference maybe?

Yep its on page 48.