Clicker Or No Clicker

[X10-arrow]

Hi guys
Any help on this matter would be helpful..Ive been shooting now for 4 years however i seem to shoot better without the clicker.Ive been using the clicker on and off through out but I feel so much relaxed when i dont use the clicker..I know if i stick with the clicker my groupings would get tighter ...i just seem to find using the clicker is a slow tiresome way to fire.
Anyone else out there that seems to shoot better without the clicker?
Plus would you recommend me to start using the clicker even though i know my scores may dip.My bow weight is 39lb @27"..

[Schme1440]

Originally Posted by X10-arrow

Hi guys
Any help on this matter would be helpful..Ive been shooting now for 4 years however i seem to shoot better without the clicker.Ive been using the clicker on and off through out but I feel so much relaxed when i dont use the clicker..I know if i stick with the clicker my groupings would get tighter ...i just seem to find using the clicker is a slow tiresome way to fire.
Anyone else out there that seems to shoot better without the clicker?
Plus would you recommend me to start using the clicker even though i know my scores may dip.My bow weight is 39lb @27"..

At the end of the day to shoot good you need to use a clicker. however I know a guy who use to practice with a clicker but didnt use in at comps. Incedently he holds numerous very good county records. It works differntly for every one.

[Jimster71]

On a related note, when is a good time to start using a clicker?

[Allvyn]

I think its best to start using a clicker as soon as your form stabalizes a little. I was told by my coach to start using one after I learned the trick to proper muscle recruitment and alignment.

[geoffretired]

If clickers were banned, you would shoot with the rest on an equal footing.
They aren't; so without one you shoot with a disadvantage, in my opinion.
I think you know that already.
I think it is a matter of deciding what you really want. If you want to shoot the way that feels better to you then leave the clicker in the box.
If you want to shoot higher scores,either way you must work hard on your technique.
With or without a clicker, the technique has to be more precisely repeated. The clicker can be a great asset in that learning situation as it lets you know when you get out of shape or out of order/routine.
Refining your technique without a clicker is like working without help;you're on your own.
If clicker shooting seems very slow-tiresome, it sounds as if you normally shoot quickly, the way many longbow archers do.
There are many archers who shoot without a clicker yet they shoot at much the same rate as those who use them. For them the change may seems less tiresome.
I have started several archers on clickers recently. I explain, as much as I can, about the pro's and con's. If they ask, I give them my opinion as to which is better. Those who say they will give it a try,( thinking they can take it off if it doesn't work out) usually take it off in a few weeks. Those who decide it is the way ahead for them, stick with it. Some find it hard work;others find they get into it very quickly.

[N.Vodden]

i would recommend getting one sooner rather than later if you intend to use one. It was pointed out to me by one of the archers at my club that at full draw i was 'sawing' the arrow rest with my arrow, and sometimes creeping forwards before loose.

I bought a clicker and spent a little while tweaking it until i got the setting right, and my groupings immediately improved because it was adding that extra degree of consistency. In my brief experience of field archery it has proved invaluable in making sure im at the same draw length when im shooting up or downhill.

[Schme1440]

I would not say to rush into getting one but keep it as an option. You need to have good basic form before you should start using one. Once you do start using it dont worry if it all goes wrong. It will. A clicker takes time to learn. A good method to practice using it is come to full draw and pull through it then come down. The trick is to not let it control you but you control it.

[Paper_Arrow]

There is an old guy at our club that uses an angled mirror mounted on his sight instead of a clicker. The mirror is angled back towards him and downwards, when he is at the correct draw length the image of the tip of his arrow lines up perfectly with a line etched into the mirror. He outshoots nearly everyone in the club!

P.A.

[nfinite]

For me,

I started using a clicker for the first time in december.

My archery coach/s (very lucky to have such experianced archers at my club) would not let me use a clicker until my form was consistant enough to utilize the benefits a clicker can offer and it would not "mask" problems which I had in my form.

All my PB's have been shot without a clicker which included obtained my bowman classification last year.

In my case, I had a problem off keeping my shoulder down which if I had been using a clicker, would have resulted in differant draw length each other shot and the clicker would have to be move many times over the sesson.
(basically, as I sorted the problems, my draw length would increase)

It has taken a bit of time to put the clicker usage into my shot but I am now getting into it better and I am shooting better as a result.

The advice I would give is that a clicker is added when you have setted a little and you wont be fighting against it and you will be using it.

Thats the advice I have been given and I would not ask for coaching if I didnt follow their guidance(coachs are currect GMB archers or ex GMB)


But like anything, some archers say your going to be using a clicker anyway so put it on from day 1, other say the above.

I agree with my coach and thats the advice I pass on to begginers at my club if asked.

[Ffish]

Originally Posted by Jimster71

On a related note, when is a good time to start using a clicker?

Jimster, take a look at this thread about when to move to one.

Personally, I favour moving to one as soon as your basic form is in place. They take some getting used to, but they do help. You'll have to persevere with it though as I can almost guarantee you'll hate it at first.