Is it necessary to use a clicker ?

[Robin the Hood]

Originally Posted by speed

Ditch the clicker
Just look at how short a time clickers have been around and the scores archers achieved without them.

They came out 40 years ago......Yes! there were archers who shot, what was top scores then.........
As to it's necessity, That depends on how far through the beginners course you get, before the sacred strip of metal is shown..........and it becomes the fixture and fitting that will play a part in your frustration ranking...

Paul

[MINIMike]

Clickers aren't mandatory but certainly give a lot of help in the consistency department. I wouldn't feel comfortably without mine.

Re shooting at a high level without a clicker; we have a MB status archer in our club who wouldn't ever consider using a clicker.

They're only a fiver. Buy one, try it and decide for yourself.

[moo-mop]

The most I know of someone without a clicker is a 1286 shot well over 10 years ago. I guess that people must have done better than that back in the days too, but..... the point is it is far easier to shoot these scores with one than without one and it's a much more well trodden path to the top.

I certainly don't know of any top archers that don't use one nowadays, although there are some around the 1200ish levels.

[grimsby archer]

Originally Posted by geoffretired

Getting a consistent draw length can be learnt without a clicker, though it may be just a little less accurate.

~In my opinion, you need a consistent draw length in the first place to learn to shoot with a clicker.

I have seen many who have drastically inconsistent drawlengths trying to use a clicker as a cure, only to then struggle with the clicker. Learn good technique which will result in a consistant draw length. Then learn to use a clicker to refine your drawlength accuracy.

[kdroberts]

I've never used one, but I have one that I will probably use soon. I'm hoping it will help tighten my grouping. I can shoot OK without one, yesterday I shot 220 from 30 arrows at 18 yards indoors on a 40cm target. It's not fantastic I know, but if I can do that knowing that I'm far from being top class, with a bow I've only shot twice in it's current setup and only another 3 or 4 times, I think given enough practice you can get good scores without. The main reason I feel it will help is that in a lot of cases I have very close horizontal alignment but my vertical is off, first arrow goes in, second arrow goes in a couple of inches higher, third goes in a couple of inches lower. To me that says I am not releasing in the same place which I believe a clicker should help with. The only reason I'm not using it now is my bow is new to me and so are the arrows and I want to get comfortable with that stuff first.

[geoffretired]

Originally Posted by grimsby archer

I have seen many who have drastically inconsistent drawlengths trying to use a clicker as a cure, only to then struggle with the clicker. Learn good technique which will result in a consistant draw length. Then learn to use a clicker to refine your drawlength accuracy.

Hi Grimsby archer.
I'm not sure from your post whether or not we are disagreeing, or perhaps misreading each other's posts.
I certainly don't see the clicker as a cure for inconsistent draw length.I don't see it as a cure for anything really. There is a job it can do; put one on if you want that job doing.If you want to do that job yourself, don't fit one.
I think the clicker, when learnt well, alongside good technique, will improve the accuracy of the draw length partly by highlighting inconsistencies that can then be reduced after working on the feature that is responsible.I think that agrees with your thinking.

[Good Sir Pete]

i've been shooting with a clicker almost longer than i have without one, and i have found that it really, really helps with draw length consistency and highlights any problems i have such as my shoulder rising up or my neck moving (the crafty bugger). while i would loose on the shots i was doing this without a clicker, i can feel that something is wrong with it (by the fact that my clicker doesn't go!!!!!!!)

our old club captain shot without a clicker however, and shot very well (for our standards anyway - shooting over 550 on a portsmouth). having said that, when i started using a clicker, and brought medals with it, a lot of seniors in the club have started trying them out...

[Kae]

As everyone else has said (or at least those that have given a serious answer), reasonable scores have been shot without a clicker.
However, what is the point of putting yourself at a disadvantage?
Undoubtedly a clicker will improve a good archer's scores, there is no question of that.

You should comfortably pull up to the clicker, and the last "squeeze" of your shoulder blades should pull the arrow through the clicker, at which point you should release - you should have been sighted on the gold for well over a couple of seconds already at this point. There shouldn't be any discernible time lapse between the click and the release (you should be ready to release by the time the clicker click's. If you your not, you should have come down by then).

My scores initially dropped when I started using a clicker (from 520 Portsmouths down to below 500, but after I learnt how to use it, I now achieve 580+ on average). Admittedly this process is much easier with a coach or other experience archer, I am pretty much self taught.

Kae.

[pHz]

Originally Posted by Kae

My scores initially dropped when I started using a clicker (from 520 Portsmouths down to below 500, but after I learnt how to use it, I now achieve 580+ on average). Admittedly this process is much easier with a coach or other experience archer, I am pretty much self taught

just to back this up a little (and show that it has an effect regardless of your level) - last indoor season (my first) i was averaging around 475 portsmouth - i fitted a clicker in august last year and struggled to get my head & body round it - up until christmas my average remained around 465-475 so a slight dip (outdoors scores went to pot though ! ) - im now (finally) getting more comfortable with clicker use and over the last few weeks my average portsmouth has been up to about 525-530

i have little doubt it has helped me with the obvious stuff like draw length consistency and shot timing but it has also pushed me to get better at using my back (if i dont get the weight on my back that clicker aint going off no matter how hard i try to pull) - as has been mentioned it is also VERY good at telling you when an element of your shot isnt going right (if my shoulder climbs or my reference isnt quite right or whatever the clicker doesnt click when i 'squeeze' - the next trick i have to learn is to let down EVERY time that happens rather than stubbornly keep on pulling)

(im also self-taught in clicker use BTW)

slainte rob

[Good Sir Pete]

pretty much same here - before i was using a clicker, 450 average portsmouths. now (although there are a lot of other factors here!!) i shoot mid 530s. i recently tried shooting without the clicker and i had a nice vertical line up the target face!!

the first time i shot in competition with a clicker was at the neual (north england university archery league) outdoor champs, in which i won my category by a significant margin.

i did manage to give myself a rotator cuff injury however.

... ergo, clickers are evil