Lets talk about practice...

I am sure I will get some backlash from being honest here..but it is what it is..

I bought a new bow this summer. Destroyer 350. I "may" have shot 100 arrows through it after setting it up with my Pro shop. Yes I admit it, I had so much going on this summer with my mothers estate I really didnt practice like I wanted too. From the get go that Destroyer was just dead on with the T shuttle lock broadheads..I've never shot a field tipped arrow through it since I packed it out the door of the shop. Broadheads from the start. It just shoots lights out. I have 5 pins, 20,30,40,50,60. Its dead nuts out to that 60 pin and I bet if I had more pins I would be pretty slick out to 70 and 80.. So with less than 100 arrows of practice through it, I have killed 3 critters in Sept and all perfect heart/lung shots. This new equipment these days... coupled with ANY solid hunter/shooter ... deadly imo. I am shooting an occasional practice arrow at my target just to make sure everthing is on.. So far so good..

 

First off, I dont enjoy shooting bows.

I pull my bow out for a couple 25-30 shot sessions, just to help lock in muscle memory. After that, I shoot 5-10 shots a week just to make sure my equipment is functioning properly.

Some people put so much time and effort into practice....that they suck as hunters.

 

Practice does not make perfect.

Perfect Practice Does.

For some, perfect practice is 1-5 shots once a week to make sure things are still dialed in. For others, its 1-3 dozen shots a night. It depends on your skill, your equipment, your experience and the environment that you are hunting & practicing in.

In my opinion, here are the 3 biggest mistakes people make with regards to practice.

1- once the season starts, practice stops.
2- too many shots. Taking too many shots so that your body gets tired and your form suffers (I did this yesterday )
3- assuming that your new bow is tuned right from the shop (especially the big box stores)

Everyone has different goals, available time, available space, and amount of interest in archery. It can be hard to find a good balance, but if I'm going to err, it will be on the side of caution (more practice).

 

I understand and agree with you 110% Matt. Let’s compare your analogy to golf. Let’s say you 3 people that have never swung a golf club before in their life. They all have the same equipment and same training. Now each one of these guys will hit the ball different, perhaps one will hit it perfect and continue to hit the ball perfect every time (Tiger Woods pre 2009). Then you’ll have another guy who will hit the ball but it either slices, hooks, or fades (Shane Self). This can be corrected through practice, but he’ll most likely not ever be able to hit the ball like the 1st guy. Then you have the other guy. He will swing away and hit several bad balls, until he gets it better, but only to return later on and still hit the ball horribly.
Some people are born naturally talented at certain activities, like shooting a bow. It has nothing to do with how often they practice or what type of bow they have. It’s a combination of genetic coding and eye to hand coordination. Many factors contribute to being great at something, and everyone on here has something that they are great at. But there’s nothing one can do to become great at something unless it’s your natural ability. Most humans pick up their skill sets between ages 1 and 2, after this period has past you have to learn the skills, because your brain has already past the point of creating a biological impulse, which interacts with certain activities. I studied this in college.

 

Exactly.

Like Troy says right here

That's being responsible If you ask me.

Lol!! Can't say I've ever heard that one before.

 

The other thing I'd add in here is that a LOT of it has to do with the self discipline of the shooter and limiting your shots. I set a new guy up two weeks ago that hadn't ever shot a bow before. We set him up with a new Diamond Dead Eye, with all the fixins. In a week, this guy can group them in a softball sized group every time at 20 yards from a sitting position, standing position, kneeling, from out practice shooting stand, etc. He also has learned what 20 yards looks like so he can judge whats too far. I took the rest of the pins off his bow as well so he's only got one and won't be tempted. I'm pretty confident in saying that if he can keep his cool, he's gonna kill anything under 20 yards that he decides to shoot at this year. We will make sure to set him up in spots that are going to produce sub 20 yard shots.......and I'm sure he will do just fine.

 

as a bowhunter, when i practice to be perfect i practice to perfect my form so that when a situation arises that is not forseen the action of shooting become a natural feeling rather than something forced. when you force yourself to do something you are uneasy, anxious, jittery, etc and your confidence level is low. by practicing you help to develop your mindset to help overcome those feelings and promote a sense of confidence. proficiency is a person who can do that over and over again pretty much without thinking. i agree new bowhunters should learn how to perfect their form since that accounts for a majority of failures during the hunt.

so i will clarify my original statement, perfect practice makes proficient performance

 

Not everyone requires the same level of practice(take me for example pro from birth j/k).
I think there are ways we could better instruct begginers.
From a distance though telling a new archer to practice over again and alot cannot be wrong.
What new archers really need though is some hands on guidance and if not they need to practice enough to where they reach the level that more experienced bow hunters who do not require as much are.....

 

Again, I'm not saying you shouldn't practice. Practice enough to be proficient, whatever that may be.

On this forum, and others, you see members telling newbs how they need to practice. It will always be at or near the top of the list in importance. It requires more practice for some, than it does others. Thats my point. Practice is not the be-all-end-all to be being a good bowhunter.

 

It's a new concept Steve, LOL...

I've never heard it before either but I see it year after year on the forums....Its so obvious, its hard not to see.

To much focus on one thing or the wrong things can make us lose sight of the big picture or lead us down the wrong path away from our end goals.

 

Definitely a confidence thing IMO because if I tear it up on practice I won't practice as much cause I feel like a freakin' champ!


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Practice doesnt make you a better hunter but it does make you a better shooter which is the thing that is going to put animals down for you. In the heat of the moment you dont want to take 10 min to get your form down and make sure you are anchored correctly these things should be second nature. Thats why I pratice so that in the heat of the moment I dont have to worry that my form is good, my muscle memory does that for me.

I think "newbs" should practice more than most guys becasue they have never shot before. I know when I first started it took me a lot of arrows to become proficiant. Now I shoot a couple of weeks before the season to get things in check and then I shoot a few during the season to make sure things are still in check.

But newbs should definatliey practice more often until they are proficant, then they can slow the practicing down a bit. Should they completly stop shooting practice arrows? No, but they dont have to shoot dozens of arrows a day after they are proficiant and confident. But like I do they should shoot to keep good form and muscle memory and to make sure the're bow is tuned and shooting well.

 

Proficient - Competent or skilled in doing or using something.

Use whatever word you like. Good enough to make an accurate shot on an animal. The amount of practice for each individual bowhunter to do so, will vary. It requires very little for some, and much more for others.

 

i've fallen waaaaay off in recent years, but i still have high confidence in my shooting ability. that is really what it comes down to for me. how is my confidence level. much like others have talked about. i know though, i still need to be flinging arrows!

 

I dislike shooting my bow for the most part. I can think of 25 things I'd rather do in the summer time than go out there and sweat my ass off shooting at a black dot on a target.

I shot my bow MAYBE 20-30 times this year. I know my range, I know my bow, I am proficient to that range, and I don't expand past it. I do shoot one or two arrows before heading out for the weekend just to make sure the sights weren't knocked off.

One exception, is I will shoot a lot leading up to a trip somewhere like out west as I expect to possibly take longer shots/different type scenarios of hunting.

 

All the practice in the world isn't going to put critters on the ground. I'm honestly the best shot I know on paper. I'm above average on foam, but I suck on game. I need time to compose my shot that isn't always there. Still, I kill stuff. That's because I have a lot of woods-wise experience that allows me to get in close on game. I honestly think that if people spent a larger percentage of their "archery time" in the woods rather than on the range, they'd kill more game. Bowhunting is a game of getting close, not being able to make long or tricky shots.

 

You lost me at basketball.