I have the same thing Coop, so I feel your pain. I have to continously tell myself to hold and squeeze while in the back of my mind is screaming "SHOOT! SHOOT! SHOOT!" I tell my buddy all the time, if I could get the pin to sit on my target and burn a hole there, I would be an amazing shooter.. it's the float that I can't seem to master w/o focusing on squeezing and follow thru.
This may help some people. I have done several things to help me and mine was more fatigue than anything. But, I have been playing with everything just to help myself catch up in this great sport again. The best thing that I just finished doing was to move my sight pin to not covering the target, but having my sight pin to the right of the target. My arrow wasn't supposed to hit the center, I adjusted so my arrow hit the 9 o'clock position. My pin would be to the right and I could clearly see my target without covering it up. I shot like this for 2 weeks. I just switched my pins back to center this evening and I'm shooting great (dead on) and it feels very comfortable.
I agree, I was dealing with it for about 4 or 5 years. Last year I went to a thumb style release for 1 year. (tru ball pro diamond extreme) I since then have gotten a new bow that I like better.( better back wall, a little more let-off) It sounds funny but I works. It almost gives your mind time to forget using the finger and re-training yourself to use the thumb. I can say that most of my target panic is gone and I have gone back to a trigger release.
I tend to rush the shot alot and always find my self making the shot when I know I shouldn't, but when I do relax take a deep breath and focus I can hit the center all day long. What helped me using a sequence in seting up to shot from form to drawing back then focusing on my shot and not getting trigger happy.
Back tension release is the only thing I can shoot now. for some reason if theres no trigger I can put the pin dead on.
I do the exact opposite. If you look at the pin you tend to try and force it where you want it to go. I look at the target and let the pin blur out and it floats to the target much better. Also check draw length. You can make it hard to settle the pin and end up punching the trigger. Just remember to always squeeze slowly. Keep your finger locked around the trigger release and tighten the back muscles until it just goes off.
Heck just have some beers and look at the target without your bow out, do that for a while then shoot at it.
Levi speaks of a drill he does and I have been playing around with it some lately and it is helping. It's a draw and hold drill. Draw your bow hold on target just like you are going to shoot. Hold for a few seconds and let down. Get to where you can hold for a while before you let down. You will see where your breaking point is and your pin starts to go haywire. He says to do it for a week but, I noticed some change after doing it for one afternoon. Also, I make myself hold on target for 4 second or a slow count to 4 before I start to squeeze. All in all I'm holding much better than I ever have and I'm not punching my release. Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
Make sure you are in a nice balanced stance, weight even on both front and back feet. I didn't start shooting bows until well after rifles and I would lean into the shot. this caused me to shoot low more often than not. By balancing my stance I found it much easier to hover the pin on the target without wanting to drop down.
couple years ago i developed the worst case of target panic ever.. it stayed with me for about 2 years, so frustrating. i ended up dropping the bow weight from 70 to 60, and started shooting a scott backspin. took me a while to get myself under control with the new release, and quite a few lost arrows. (anyone that has ever punched the trigger on a back tension knows what im talking about). i honestly believe this release cured me. i shoot better than ever. being able to hold a pin on a target feels so good. my 3d scores are darn near perfect now. i really hope you get over it. for you people that don't think you punch the trigger try one. it has been a reality check for everyone i have handed it to on the range
One thing that helped me when I dealt with this is talking to myself in my head. When I was at full draw I would lay my finger on the trigger and keep telling myself that i'm not going to fire all while focusing on the pin and the target. This helped me as I was able to get my brain to know its ok to have the pin on the target and not have to punch the trigger to let it go. Every person is different on how they overcome this but all the ideas mentioned are definitely a great start. Sometimes lowering the poundage on your bow also helps as it is less strain on your muscles while you focus on form.
I am currently on the down hill side of overcoming a horrible episode of target panic. Why does that statement make me feel like I just stoop up and introduced myself at an AA meeting? lol Anyway, I had a shoulder injury and figured out that the pain was sending my brain a signal to GET RID of the tension that was causing the pain. So....punch the trigger as soon as it even touched the target. Most frustrating thing ever. Just this summer I made a conscious effort to deal with this problem and put a lot off work into getting through it. I started out blind bale shooting until I had a surprise release. That helped. But, what really cured me, was to lower the poundage of my bow and focus on a feeling of "pushing" my pin towards the target while "pulling" with the release arm using my back muscles. The other thing I changed was to add a slow count in my head to the entire process that begins with drawing the bow. I'm not sure why, but it just seems to add a bit of a calming sense and a rhythm to the shot. Last night I shot nearly 100% in the dots with broadheads out to 30 yards. It has been a very methodical and interesting journey to say the least. But, I have more confidence than I have had in years and it has made me a better shot now than ever. I will never claim to be completely cured, but it sure feels good to hit where I want again. Eliminate the pressure you put on yourself to hit the dot. The worst that will happen is you miss. Big deal. Once you get your brain right, it will be fun again. Best of luck!
I'm going to add to this. There is a lot more to this and more to each individual than can probably be covered in this post. Holding steady is another part of it. If you can't hold your pin steady, it is going to be more likely for your brain to punch the trigger. If you aren't comfortable you can't hold steady and that also (as displayed by fletch 20 with the DW being too high) makes an archer more likely to punch. I have recently found that comfort and hold is extremely important. Going from one bow for nearly 3 years, knowing the bow inside and out and having everything marked so that when I changed the strings and cables or the bow didn't feel exactly right I would be able find the issue imedietly to now changing 4 bows in the last year. I now know the importance and the effect of your bow being set up perfect. I guess what I am saying is it all plays into the big puzzle. If one piece is out of place, none of it fits. Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
Blind bale shooting helps a lot, get up real close to the target close your eyes and really focus on squeezing the trigger (flexing your back/bringing your arm back) and let the shot be a surprise. I came across target panic in middle of my winter league, this was the best cure for me Good Luck
