Archery Exercise For Tag Soup

[billysmals]

So I'm eating tag soup this year. I only had an elk tag and didn't get it done. I've been in the garage taking my frustrations out on my target at 6 yrds. I'm working on changing to a thumb release and I was gifted a target size stabilizer (30in) and I'm playing with it as well. I know I'm not the first person to do this idea, but I thought it was a fun challenge worth passing along for those of you eating tag soup in the off season. It adds some variety to the practice as well.

I call it One Hole:

Essentially hang a strip of tape, a piece of paper, or cardboard or some other blank medium, something without any holes in it, and attach it to the target. I used duct tape as it just sticks on..... Poke one hole in it with an arrow.



Walk back to 5-6 yards and the goal is to shoot the same hole. For the ultra lazy you can just shoot at a hole already on the target, but sometimes all the little holes blurr together and It's hard to focus on just one hole. The strip of paper, tape, plate, ect makes it easier to find that single aim point. I find it to be fairly challenging, especially at 6 yards (my max garage distance). Anything less than a perfect shot is most often a miss. If my form breaks down it's easy to see. A half shaft out is a miss.


Just out! MISS!


Success! The upper hole was my previous miss.

It's a simple game, but I've enjoyed the challenge. It's incredibly satisfying to string 3-5 of these clean shots together.

To increase the difficulty take a step back after every successful shot and see how far from the target you can get, provided you have the space for it. I primarily shoot right now in the garage, but I'll be trying this variant in the backyard soon.


Anyone else have some practice exercises that change up the routine? Preferably something that can be done in the garage?

 

[Maverick1]

I do similar. A few different twists.

• Shoot at 6 yards in the basement. My 30 yard pin is dead on at 6 yards.
• Shoot at a target without any aiming points. (Mature animals generally do not have orange dots on their sides). No markers, no aiming points, nothing. Just the bare target. Resembles the hair in the side of an animal. Gets one accustomed to picking a specific layer on the target, similar to picking a specific hair or spot on the side of an animal.
• Tear a page out of a magazine with a picture of an animal on it. Whatever you happen to be hunting is better. Draw back and shoot one arrow at the picture. That is all - One shot per page. Similar to above, animals do not have aiming points on them.
• Do a round of HIIT and shoot one arrow between ‘rest’ periods. Simulates how the heart rate gets up when an animal comes running in and we get all excited. Do a couple rounds of Tabata and then give it a go. Take your pick. Jump rope. Mountain climbers, jumping jacks, burpees. Whatever gets the heart rate up.
• Practice from kneeling and sitting positions. Seems weird but it happens when hunting from the ground and a treestand.
• Put a 3D target on wheels and have a rope mechanism setup to move it across the floor to simulate a moving animal. (Not suggesting shots while an actual animal is moving, just drawing back and waiting for it to stop while at full draw and grunting or cow calling to get the target to stop. Think we’ve all been there at one point or another at full draw saying “stop!” while the animal keeps walking.)
• Put on a YouTube video of the kill compilations. This one is without the bow. Pretend to draw back and pick a hair on the animals side, then pick when you would shoot (remember, no orange dots on real animals.)

I’ve done all of the above at various times. Sometimes shooting fewer arrows requires more concentration. End up with better focus, concentration, and results.

Providing you have good form, no need to shoot all year round. Some that go to the range and calmly shoot under ideal conditions at little orange dots are being archers, not hunters, and can reinforce bad habits.

How many times do you get more than one arrow released on the same animal? Not very often! So why pound 40-60-80 arrows per session? Does not simulate hunting conditions.

Sight in the bow. Get form down. Then practice being a hunter.

Good luck this season!!!