Archery Basics
There are three elements to
Real Archery, (don't like the term Traditional, compounders invented
it), ; Form, Instinct, and equipment.
The line you shoot, left or right of the target is mostly determined by the quality and c
onsistency of your form. Stance, balance, anchor, release and follow through. Lot's of work to be done here.
The up and down or high low line you shoot is nearly all about good
instinct. Stump shooting and progressive target practice improve this.
Progressive target practice is having staggered targets set up one
after the other at a new distance. 3D shoots are a form of this.
You shoot the closest then, walk past it to shoot the next target at a
greater or different distance. For example, if the first target is say
10 yds, the next will be 15 yds, The first target is behind you and out
of site to shoot the second.
When shooting progressive targets
always focus on the spot you want to hit; Never your arrow. I've
also found that verbalizing your shot, when practicing, helps you to
focus.
After the shot note the high/low difference between the closer and farther target; Write it down for study and thought later.
Lastly, Equipment - equipment set up can be some different from archer
to archer. Gonna say a bit about the bow today. There are other
things to be considered like the proper arrows, tab or glove etc., but
for now just a bit about the bow.
The two most important elements are brace height and nock point.
Brace height, as I measure it, is the distance from the string to the
back of the shelf when the bow is braced or strung. I start by setting
mine at 6 1/2" and adjust for arrow flight from there.
Nock
point is the place you nock your arrow on your bowstring. There are
brass nock points you can buy to attach to the string. personally I
like to wrap just enough dental floss on the string to nock and hold an
arrow under. It's less snaggy then the brass can be, there's less wear
and tear on the bow string, and it's a whole lot cheaper.
When
adjusting these, have someone stand behind you and watch the flight of
the arrow. If the arrow is tail wagging left and right the Brace height
has to be tinkered with. Generally it's too low.
If the tail
end of the arrow is going in high or low, the nock point is in the wrong
spot. I begin at 1/2" above level to the shelf and move it up or down
until the arrow shaft flies true. My own nock point is likes 5/8" above
shelf level but that can be vastly different from one archer to the
next.
There's a lot more about equipment but the Brace height
and nock point are a good place to start after you have the right
arrows, cut to the right length for you, with the correct spine weight.
Good Shooting,
D
