I had my first ever lesson on how to shoot a bow…..well, maybe that was an exaggeration….I had my first lesson where there were other first time shooters on the line with me.  My teacher(s) were very helpful but in the process overwhelmed me with proper form and trying new things.  All of this is new to me and I thought I had things under control before I went to the lesson.  I came away not sure what I need to do next.  I suppose, from processing all of the ideas I was hit with last night, the key things are “anchor points, stance and release”.  At least that were the consistent items being brought up.

So, let me try and explain what I came away with and hopefully if anyone who knows what is going on sees I have missed a point please make comments below and get me back on track.  Maybe even support where I’m coming from.

Anchor Points:  You need at least 3 different points that are consistent from one shot to the next.  Your grip on the bow must be light and not a tight grip.  A tight grip will cause the bow to jump (or something) making the shots inconsistent.  A light touch, with the bow resting in the curve of the hand between thumb and index finger.  There should not be much if any grip at all.  Grasping the bow after the shot is proper to keep the bow from hitting the ground.

The hand pulling back the string must stop at some point on your face and be consistently placed there every time.  In my case, my thumb is on top of and is parallel to my hand.  The back of my thumb comes to rest against the “bump” at the back of my jaw.  When this point is reached, the string is hitting either the end of my nose, or just slightly to the right side of the end of my nose.  One instructor insisted the string be “cutting” deep into the end of my nose.  I never really got that concept down and perhaps that is where practice will prove it is not an impossible feat to obtain.

So, hand grip, jaw being touched and string against the nose….these are the three anchor points I need to concentrate on.

Stance:  I have been shooting at a 90 degree angle to the target.  Placing the bow out in front of me and straightening my left arm and once it is straight, I draw the string back with my right arm, three fingers holding the string and under the nock of the arrow.  My right elbow is held somewhat high (at least I think it is) while I find my anchor point under my jaw and string against my nose.

So, I have been trying to learn my shooting technique by standing erect, and being much the same as everyone else seems to be, most of whom are shooting compound bows.  When I stand this way and am 90 degrees to my target, it feels normal and very comfortable.  My instructors had me try something new last night.  Placing my right foot forward of my left and my body at about a 45 degree angle to the target.  With my draw and anchor points maintained, I was to bend my body forward, have the bow canted to my right and take the shot.  Even though I hit near where my target was, the 5 times I shot like that, the stance was very uncomfortable and I had a difficult time keeping the string against my nose.  I am not sure, but I may not have even had the string against my nose for 4 of those 5 shots.  I will practice this and try to figure it out.

Release:  Now here is where I really have to concentrate.  Lynn, held his pocket knife in his hand with the tip of the blade sticking out about a sixteenth of an inch (just enough I would feel it) and he held it to the side of my ear.  Why?  Well, with a proper release, the hand pulling back the string should be released with a backward motion that carries my hand (open) back toward my shoulder and directly behind my ear.  I have a tendency to release the string by moving my hand out and away from my head.  Yes, slightly behind my ear, but more so out to the right side.  This is where the knife point was and I felt it every time…my bad!  I did notice a very distinct difference on where the arrow ended up when I released properly….it hit much closer to my target.

Next, shoot with both eyes open.  I’m shooting in what I gather is Primitive Hunter class, no sights, all instinctive shooting.

Something else happened last night that hasn’t happened in the past, the string was hitting my left arm, just below the elbow.  So they had me put on an arm rest.  I have heard and read that when a string is hitting the arm that holds the bow, you are not holding the bow properly.  I have to work on that as well.

Of all the shots I took last night, one hit so low it hit the wooden frame and bounced back toward me.  Another hit the target backing to my left.  The rest of the shots were “in the general area” of where my target was placed.  I did have some pretty good groups, but I also had some wide groups up to 4 feet across.  Beginner?  Yes!  Do I need practice?  Absolutely!  Will I do what I need to do?  YES!

Bottom line for anyone taking up shooting a bow.  There is a whole lot more to it than meets the eye.  When my mind wanders to back when I was bow hunting with the bow I made, I never once thought about anchor point, stance, release or anything else.  My thoughts were on putting that arrow into the vitals of the deer that was standing less than 10 yards away.  How can you miss at that distance?  Well, now you know.

Bears Butt

January 8, 2015