target panic!! :(
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Cahunter805
Long Time Member
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I would suggest blind bale shooting. Stand about 5 yards away and draw your bow. Close your eyes and concentrate on a smooth trigger and holding your bow against the wall. Also concentrate on holding the bow weight with your back muscles. This will help tremendously.
L
LVhunter
Guest
Same as above post! Just go through the motions and get your muscle memory back. Good luck!
W
wvbowhunterinalaska
Guest
Target panic starts when you start punching the trigger when the sight gets on the bullseye and you force the shot to happen. Blank bale practice to rebuild shooting form and fundamentals is the best way to solve it, keep in mind that it can come back. I sometimes get out of synch and will force the shot sometimes.
>I would suggest blind bale shooting.
>Stand about 5 yards away
>and draw your bow. Close
>your eyes and concentrate on
>a smooth trigger and holding
>your bow against the wall.
>Also concentrate on holding the
>bow weight with your back
>muscles. This will help tremendously.
>
.......
thanks!
what do you mean exactly when you say "holding your bow against the wall"..?
>Stand about 5 yards away
>and draw your bow. Close
>your eyes and concentrate on
>a smooth trigger and holding
>your bow against the wall.
>Also concentrate on holding the
>bow weight with your back
>muscles. This will help tremendously.
>
.......
thanks!
what do you mean exactly when you say "holding your bow against the wall"..?
J
jjbuilder
Guest
LAST EDITED ON May-30-10 AT 10:13PM (MST)[p]buck44-
The wall would be best described as the end of the draw cycle just past the valley. Some bows have a solid wall due to the cams having 2 draw stops that hit at full draw resulting in what is usually a solid or firm wall. Some bows don't have stops or only 1 so you have a softer wall where you can actually pull through the end of the draw cycle some. It is all feel and personal preference. More importantly is that you have the right draw length and a consistent anchor point. Then you will be where you should be with or without stops. Hope I made sense.
The wall would be best described as the end of the draw cycle just past the valley. Some bows have a solid wall due to the cams having 2 draw stops that hit at full draw resulting in what is usually a solid or firm wall. Some bows don't have stops or only 1 so you have a softer wall where you can actually pull through the end of the draw cycle some. It is all feel and personal preference. More importantly is that you have the right draw length and a consistent anchor point. Then you will be where you should be with or without stops. Hope I made sense.
huntntrail
Member
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- 76
blank bale shooting is good...I would also suggest you get a hinge release and learn to shoot it for a long time before you return back to a trigger release. With a hinge...there is no other way to atcivate the shot other than pulling through it using back tension...it also gets you use to the shot going off without expecting it to. Helped me....
COLO3D
Very Active Member
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All good advice, but it is missing a few final steps.
1. Aiming drills. Simply drawing the bow back with no intentions of shooting the arrow. Let the pin float on the target. Do this over and over to train your mind to become comfortable with seeing your pin on the target.
2. Transition from the blank bale to targets. This is best done in small steps, starting with very large targest at close range and slowly working your way back in distance and down in target size. This HAS to be done slowly.
This has worked for me and several friends.
1. Aiming drills. Simply drawing the bow back with no intentions of shooting the arrow. Let the pin float on the target. Do this over and over to train your mind to become comfortable with seeing your pin on the target.
2. Transition from the blank bale to targets. This is best done in small steps, starting with very large targest at close range and slowly working your way back in distance and down in target size. This HAS to be done slowly.
This has worked for me and several friends.
A
AZWALKER
Guest
LAST EDITED ON Jun-01-10 AT 08:33AM (MST)[p]One thing you might try after you've done all of the above is when you are at full draw and you're placing your pin on your target, let your focus stay on the pin and not the target. You're basically letting the target go blurry and you have your pin in full focus. Your pin will dance less on the target. This is how we taught our Marines to aim with iron sights when I was a PMI in the corps. My shot sequence is as follows. Come to full draw, find my aiming point on the target, align my desired pin on my aiming point, move my focus back to the target point to asure it is the desired target and the adjust (sometimes force) my focus back to the sight pin and keep it there until after the arrow is released. Some would say to hold your bow on target until the arrow hits the target but I would contend that you would need to grip your bow to tightly to hold it on target that long after your shot, forcing you to possibly torque the bow at release. This is what has worked for me, good luck!!!
I should also add that when we trained Marines to shoot we always taught to aim center mass on the target. This would not apply to archery and especially hunting so it is a bit tougher to train yourself to focus on the pin and not the target, especially when hunting.
Don't feed me sh!t then try to convince me it tastes good.
I should also add that when we trained Marines to shoot we always taught to aim center mass on the target. This would not apply to archery and especially hunting so it is a bit tougher to train yourself to focus on the pin and not the target, especially when hunting.
Don't feed me sh!t then try to convince me it tastes good.
blazingsaddle
Active Member
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There are many types of panic- freeze, drive by shooting, hitting all around the x, but never the x, ect..
The aiming drill with out shooting worked really well for me. I developed a bad case of freezing and not being able to move my pin the last little bit to the x. It lead me to over compensate and drive by shoot.
Its amazing when doing the drill at first, how even though you know you are not going to shoot, your muscle memory wants to pull that trigger when you get "there"
Its great because you can do it in your house at short distances. Try it multiple times a day for 5-10 min each time. Keep that pin on target for 8-10 seconds, then let down.
It goes without say- but have an arrow nocked.
The aiming drill with out shooting worked really well for me. I developed a bad case of freezing and not being able to move my pin the last little bit to the x. It lead me to over compensate and drive by shoot.
Its amazing when doing the drill at first, how even though you know you are not going to shoot, your muscle memory wants to pull that trigger when you get "there"
Its great because you can do it in your house at short distances. Try it multiple times a day for 5-10 min each time. Keep that pin on target for 8-10 seconds, then let down.
It goes without say- but have an arrow nocked.
Wyo_Roadhunter
Active Member
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- 750
I had the same thing! I ended up having to go with a back tension release. They are expensive but it helped me out alot!
+1 on all of the above recommendations.
For me holding the pin on target and not shooting worked the best, but I also did follow the other recommendations as well.
I also still fight this from time to time (and probably always will) but with some quick no shot drils I get back on track.
This is a tough thing to fight through and I feel for you. Don't give up.
Remember, this is strictly a mental issue and one that can be worked through.
Believe it or not another thing that helps me is shooting my rifle. It helps me think through holding on target and squeezing through the shot.
Good luck!
For me holding the pin on target and not shooting worked the best, but I also did follow the other recommendations as well.
I also still fight this from time to time (and probably always will) but with some quick no shot drils I get back on track.
This is a tough thing to fight through and I feel for you. Don't give up.
Remember, this is strictly a mental issue and one that can be worked through.
Believe it or not another thing that helps me is shooting my rifle. It helps me think through holding on target and squeezing through the shot.
Good luck!
H
hogliver
Guest
In addition to the above, all good advice by the way, try switching the trigger finger to the middle joint of your middle finger. You lose the ability to punch or "drive by," which helped me a lot in learning to squeeze the trigger with your back muscles. Come to full draw, tight to the wall, slip the trigger into the middle joint of your middle finger, acquire target and slowly squeeze your shoulder blades together.
Good luck. This has been drving me crazy for over a year, but blind bale shooting and changing my shooting finger has made a difference.
Funny thing is, I have never had it happen on an animal -- just target shooting.
Good luck. This has been drving me crazy for over a year, but blind bale shooting and changing my shooting finger has made a difference.
Funny thing is, I have never had it happen on an animal -- just target shooting.
c3
Very Active Member
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- 2,105
There has been a great deal of good information on the mechanics of beating target panic here, but nothing has been said about the mental side of the issue. The root of target panic is not a mechanical thing. It is plain and simple "fear".
In the end of the day, it is fear of shooting the arrow in the middle. This is all in the minds eye. To cure target panic you have to admit that you are afraid to let the sight wander around the middle and "let" it go off.
In addition to the many good mechanical steps listed in this thread, work on seeing the sight move around the center and your release effortlessly going off as it floats there. The more you can picture this in the minds eye without even picking up a bow, the easier the actual shoting will become.
It is this mental exercise that will allow your physical actions to follow. If you simply try to force a change in the mechanics of your game, you will never truly beat target panic. It will take a very dedicated summer of work on your mental game to get total control of the mechanics of your shot.
Remember first things first, target panic is fear in the minds eye and not something a change in equipment or shooting routine can ever overcome without the first step of "knowing" where it comes from.
Cheers,
Pete
In the end of the day, it is fear of shooting the arrow in the middle. This is all in the minds eye. To cure target panic you have to admit that you are afraid to let the sight wander around the middle and "let" it go off.
In addition to the many good mechanical steps listed in this thread, work on seeing the sight move around the center and your release effortlessly going off as it floats there. The more you can picture this in the minds eye without even picking up a bow, the easier the actual shoting will become.
It is this mental exercise that will allow your physical actions to follow. If you simply try to force a change in the mechanics of your game, you will never truly beat target panic. It will take a very dedicated summer of work on your mental game to get total control of the mechanics of your shot.
Remember first things first, target panic is fear in the minds eye and not something a change in equipment or shooting routine can ever overcome without the first step of "knowing" where it comes from.
Cheers,
Pete
flyingspearnv
Active Member
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Switching to the middle finger helped me a bunch, and I feel it allows for a rock solid anchor point with my index finger/knuckle against the jawbone. The theory is the middlefinger doesn't have the dexterity of the pointer finger, therefore you tend to pull instead of punch the trigger. Good Luck!
Only 17 days away from 9 days of heaven in nevada muley high country!
Only 17 days away from 9 days of heaven in nevada muley high country!
Z
zrider2
Guest
I've battled it for awhile. The only way I have gotten it under control is to always shoot by myself. I could never get my pin where I wanted it. I'm also highly self concious and competitive, so shooting with other people nearly provoked a panic attack. I just started shooting alone, short distances, and always try to end on a decent shot. Take your time, take a breath, and remember that shooting is supposed to be fun!
U
utelkhntr
Guest
LAST EDITED ON Jul-20-10 AT 12:00PM (MST)[p]ive done it before too. Just relax and practice holding your pin right on your spot. There is no race for the arrow to get to the target. It also helped me to listen to music.
swbuckmaster
Long Time Member
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C3 is correct when he says it is a mental way of thinking. blind bale shooting is total IMHO "BS" if you ask me. It doesn't work on the root of the problem!
The root of the problem is: You are defiantly worried about pin movment. You are so focused on score outcome you have actually learned you have to punch the trigger to hit in the middle. This is absolutely false. Someone else also recommended you need to focus on your sight instead of your target "Wrong!" guns and pistols are totally different animals when it comes to aiming. I would relate archery more to baseball you don't want to look at your hand when you throw the ball you want to focus on the mitt and throw the ball in the mitt.
I have seen kids and adults not be able to even aim with an arrow and hold it there. No matter how many times they try while im saying just aim and dont fire they fire. they cant help it!
So what is the answer and the best answer you ask.
You need to pick up a different style of release. A back tension release is probably the best release because you can set it so you can aim while holding it with your back and if it is set properly it wont go off. This allows you to aim without shooting. You do this at close distance like 5 yards. You do this with a big target so you can see you pin float in the middle and your mind is not afraid of hitting the middle. After you have practiced aiming you have someone slowly set your release so it goes off. you want to learn to shoot this release without moving your hand to get it to go off. You want it to become a subconscious release.
After you have started getting to know how to shoot this style of release you can move it back to 10 yards but still shoot at a big dot. Let your mind see you can hit it. once you can hit it over and over move it back to 15 then to 20. It takes time but you will be glad you did. After you have fully taken a few weeks to do this you can then go back to your old release and you will know how to hold the bows weight in your back you will also know you can see your pin float and it will hit in the middle if you are looking at the middle.
another thing you need to do is create a shot routine you simple cannot pick up a bow and point it at the target and shoot it you will more then likely end up with target panic. You need your conscious mind to be doing something all the time. A shot routine could be feet, hips, bow hand placement, draw above the target and come down on to the target, pause, aim, release safety if you have one aim, aim, release, follow through, finish and possible evaluate how the shot felt. I try and forget the bad shots and only focus on the good shots. I want to mimic only the good shots.
If anyone in the salt lake city area is going through target panic you can pm me and I can get you through it if you like. I have helped quite a few kids through it.
Nets are for fish!!
The root of the problem is: You are defiantly worried about pin movment. You are so focused on score outcome you have actually learned you have to punch the trigger to hit in the middle. This is absolutely false. Someone else also recommended you need to focus on your sight instead of your target "Wrong!" guns and pistols are totally different animals when it comes to aiming. I would relate archery more to baseball you don't want to look at your hand when you throw the ball you want to focus on the mitt and throw the ball in the mitt.
I have seen kids and adults not be able to even aim with an arrow and hold it there. No matter how many times they try while im saying just aim and dont fire they fire. they cant help it!
So what is the answer and the best answer you ask.
You need to pick up a different style of release. A back tension release is probably the best release because you can set it so you can aim while holding it with your back and if it is set properly it wont go off. This allows you to aim without shooting. You do this at close distance like 5 yards. You do this with a big target so you can see you pin float in the middle and your mind is not afraid of hitting the middle. After you have practiced aiming you have someone slowly set your release so it goes off. you want to learn to shoot this release without moving your hand to get it to go off. You want it to become a subconscious release.
After you have started getting to know how to shoot this style of release you can move it back to 10 yards but still shoot at a big dot. Let your mind see you can hit it. once you can hit it over and over move it back to 15 then to 20. It takes time but you will be glad you did. After you have fully taken a few weeks to do this you can then go back to your old release and you will know how to hold the bows weight in your back you will also know you can see your pin float and it will hit in the middle if you are looking at the middle.
another thing you need to do is create a shot routine you simple cannot pick up a bow and point it at the target and shoot it you will more then likely end up with target panic. You need your conscious mind to be doing something all the time. A shot routine could be feet, hips, bow hand placement, draw above the target and come down on to the target, pause, aim, release safety if you have one aim, aim, release, follow through, finish and possible evaluate how the shot felt. I try and forget the bad shots and only focus on the good shots. I want to mimic only the good shots.
If anyone in the salt lake city area is going through target panic you can pm me and I can get you through it if you like. I have helped quite a few kids through it.
Nets are for fish!!
