Getting back into trad. Your advice on training/resources?

[dutch_henry]

I haven't shot trad since a teen and I'd like to get back into it. I have plenty of years shooting compounds successfully, but my trad skills are rusty if you're being kind, nonexistent if you're being honest.

But my question for you all is where do I turn for help and self-coaching? Are there books, youtube videos/channels, other resources that you found helpful? Between a compound's sights, release aids, generous let-off, stabilizers, etc., I feel like I'm starting back square one. Awesome to be at the start of learning and building a new skillset. But could also use some help and advice to build intuition, better understanding of instinctive aim, good form, tuning.

What helped/is helping you? (2 notes: I'm set with equipment, including my old bear kodiak hunter, which at 30# is perfect for long target sessions and focusing on form. Also, one thing on my list is to seek out people local to me. But honestly I'd like to dedicate some time to working by myself first.)

 

[dlee56]

Solid Archery Mechanics

Comprehensive instructional course created specifically for the traditional archer. Enroll Now You will be redirected to ShootSolid.com 8 + Hours of In-Depth Content This is hands down the most comprehensive and complete traditional archery training course produced to date. From the first...

rmsgear.com

Tom Clums course here and the folks at RMS will cover 98% pf your bases from gear to self coaching, to in person coaching etc.

 

[Rob5589]

Jake Kaminski has a ton of free videos on his YouTube site. He's geared toward target archery but the mechanics are the same.

Tom Clum is very well known and a trad bow hunter.

 

[dutch_henry]

Solid Archery Mechanics

Comprehensive instructional course created specifically for the traditional archer. Enroll Now You will be redirected to ShootSolid.com 8 + Hours of In-Depth Content This is hands down the most comprehensive and complete traditional archery training course produced to date. From the first...

rmsgear.com

Tom Clums course here and the folks at RMS will cover 98% pf your bases from gear to self coaching, to in person coaching etc.

Thanks for that rec. So you've gone through it? Worth the 2 hundo?

 

[dlee56]

Thanks for that rec. So you've gone through it? Worth the 2 hundo?

Way worth the $200 if you're serious about it. It's more info and technique than you can digest and Tom is a stand up guy and serious coach here in CO, people fly in from all over to work with him. Think Olympic archery coach who's a mountain hunter. Plus it's $200 for life so if you're gonna shoot a trad bow for a few years it's definitely worth it. A single in person coaching session is gonna cost you $100 easy and this has 100x the information 1 lesson will.

 

[dutch_henry]

Way worth the $200 if you're serious about it. It's more info and technique than you can digest and Tom is a stand up guy and serious coach here in CO, people fly in from all over to work with him. Think Olympic archery coach who's a mountain hunter. Plus it's $200 for life so if you're gonna shoot a trad bow for a few years it's definitely worth it. A single in person coaching session is gonna cost you $100 easy and this has 100x the information 1 lesson will.

Thanks DL. Considering the lack of coaches in my area, this sounds like a good route. Last night I watched one of Tom's lectures on back tension and was really impressed with his teaching ability and way of breaking things down. Much appreciated.

 

[Mad_Martin]

Thanks for starting this discussion, a ton of good information

 

[TX_Diver]

Solid Archery Mechanics

Comprehensive instructional course created specifically for the traditional archer. Enroll Now You will be redirected to ShootSolid.com 8 + Hours of In-Depth Content This is hands down the most comprehensive and complete traditional archery training course produced to date. From the first...

rmsgear.com

Tom Clums course here and the folks at RMS will cover 98% pf your bases from gear to self coaching, to in person coaching etc.

Highly recommend this. If you're ever in Denver make it a point to stop in too for a lesson.

 

[woodarrow81]

There is defenitiely a predominant method of teaching/shooting today and its target archery based. Dont get me wrong, plenty of people use target archery techniques to great success in bowhunting, BUT there is a more NATURAL way. I only say natural because the process of shooting that comes to a kid with nothing in his head but "I am gong to hit the sucker" will lead to tthis sort of form, a less expanded, more leaned over the arrow, draw to the croner of the mouth with splt finger like God intended your scapulas to do type of form, A Hill stlye, best described by John Schultz.
Nothing wrong with the olympic style approach, but whenever these questions come up, I feel compelled to let new guys know there is more than one way to become proficient with the bow. If you are a tech-oriented, engineer, anal sort of type, give the three under gap shooting olypimic form approach a try. If you are a guy that knows how to pleasure a woman, give instinctive archery a try.

 

[dlee56]

There is defenitiely a predominant method of teaching/shooting today and its target archery based. Dont get me wrong, plenty of people use target archery techniques to great success in bowhunting, BUT there is a more NATURAL way. I only say natural because the process of shooting that comes to a kid with nothing in his head but "I am gong to hit the sucker" will lead to tthis sort of form, a less expanded, more leaned over the arrow, draw to the croner of the mouth with splt finger like God intended your scapulas to do type of form, A Hill stlye, best described by John Schultz.
Nothing wrong with the olympic style approach, but whenever these questions come up, I feel compelled to let new guys know there is more than one way to become proficient with the bow. If you are a tech-oriented, engineer, anal sort of type, give the three under gap shooting olypimic form approach a try. If you are a guy that knows how to pleasure a woman, give instinctive archery a try.

Someone had a grumpy day today.
Weird attitude and weird visuals for everyone here. Obviously anyone can shoot however they like. There's plenty of ideologies out there that fit different people. No one is ragging on instinctive, good on you for finding a way that works for you. The guy asked for coaching resources so we gave him some we liked. Get over yourself.

 

[floatinganchor]

Someone had a grumpy day today.
Weird attitude and weird visuals for everyone here. Obviously anyone can shoot however they like. There's plenty of ideologies out there that fit different people. No one is ragging on instinctive, good on you for finding a way that works for you. The guy asked for coaching resources so we gave him some we liked. Get over yourself.

Triggered much? Apparently you can’t take any good natured ribbing from the older generation. I can tell you that the majority of the most successful bowhunters that ever lived shot very opposite to what’s popular in the last decade. Tom Clum and Joel Turner have come up in the last decade, not in this last century of bowhunting. They have been integral in the merging of target archery and bowhunting, which has appealed to many because caters to the way the younger generation processes information. They have helped people find success sure and hell, even I’ve taken a thing or two from them. However with this new popularity has risen a cult of woke, easily triggered archers that refuse to believe there was any animals being killed prior to 2015. Just my observations.

 

[floatinganchor]

@dutch_henry there is some great information from the best generation of bow hunters. An old but great video on YouTube helps define a simple style of shooting that when practiced with dedication can lead to being a deadly shot on game

 

[bisblue]

Thanks for that rec. So you've gone through it? Worth the 2 hundo?

Totally worth it if you are serious and plan to hunt with a traditional bow.

 

[Beendare]

Natural?
If you don’t have good alignment….and corresponding good form with a rock solid DL and anchor….it will be frustrating accuracy wise. If you use the, ‘Its like throwing a baseball‘ good luck. 1 in 100 of those guys are decent shooters.

Vids; Masters of the barebow#1 and #3, The Push, Rod Jenkins, Jake Kaminski, Jimmy Blackmon are all good.

I had a mentor that helped me with my shooting initially…but now I self diagnose by shooting bare shafts…and videoing my shooting.

Edit to add; the Masters of the Barebow series helped me. Book; Shooting the stickbow by Anthony Camera is the bible…answers every question
”The Push” is good….Vids by Arne Moe…and a bunch of others.

I turned a corner when;
1) I could feel my alignment…..feeling that straight line push and even reaction on the shot

2) I could feel the back tension with no tension in my string arm

 

[dutch_henry]

Thanks all. I'm grateful for the input. @Beendare and @floatinganchor, I will absolutely follow up on your recs and the video(s) you linked.

In the absence of a coach or mentor, I'm going to spring for the Solid Archery Mechanics. I like what I saw of it. For my situation, it's probably the next best thing to having a coach or mentor (not something I have access to in my area). And I have nearly 30 years of hunting with a compound to unlearn/modify/break from. I like the idea of getting really granular and detailed as I rebuild my foundation.

From there, I'll keep shooting and decide what works best for me. I grew up in a house where Fred Bear's '68 Archer's Bible was required reading. In fact I'll probably steal my dad's copy when I'm home for Christmas.

My schedule frees up just before the holidays. I'm nearly done building a 15 yard range in our basement, and in 2 weeks I'll start having a few hours a day to practice. Really excited to buckle down.

Keep em coming.

 

[woodarrow81]

Natural alignment to me is a string arm forearm that lines up with the arrow. I see so many of these new guys coming out of the Push farm with high elbows and and high anchors throwing off natural alignment and requiring a very upright and expanded stance with mental voodoo required just to get off the string cleanly.

Masters of the Bear bow series is full of great content, but it does the sme thing to a new guy that the traditional bowyers bible series does to new bowyers, it creates an information overload situation often causing paralysis from analysis.

 

[North Idaho Stickbow]

I’m a huge fan of Rod Jenkins’ method after attending one of his clinics in person. Yeah, he’s a “target archery” guy, but I can personally attest to his way of shooting working to kill animals. It completely changed the way I do things for the better.

Now you can get his course online through the Push.

 

[woodarrow81]

Rod Jenkins is great. I met him at Compton's a few years back and described a problem I was having with my bow arm jumping left. Without watching me shoot he told me to turn my shoulder in towards the target a little more. Boom, problem instantly solved.

 

[nevadabugle]

Natural alignment to me is a string arm forearm that lines up with the arrow. I see so many of these new guys coming out of the Push farm with high elbows and and high anchors throwing off natural alignment and requiring a very upright and expanded stance with mental voodoo required just to get off the string cleanly.

Masters of the Bear bow series is full of great content, but it does the sme thing to a new guy that the traditional bowyers bible series does to new bowyers, it creates an information overload situation often causing paralysis from analysis.

What feels natural may not be the best for your long term shoulder health. Solid Archery mechanics is designed to prolong our Archery careers with correct body mechanics. Does it look different than the Asbell style....sure...but that is by design and for longevity in the sport. Will either style work? Of course, decades of bowhunters before of have shown that. I've shot both ways in my journey and I have settled on the Tom Clum approach for what that's worth.

I also recommend checking out the masters of the Barebow Series. What I like about it is that you will get an introduction to different aiming methods. Learning each one, and using the ones that work the best for you and your hunting situations will shorten the learning curve.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

If you all could pick one resource to help improve your shooting, what would you pick? I’m a decent shot with my bows and stay as consistent as possible but I’ve never had any coaching, I just shoot the things.

Seems like picking one system and sticking to it would make the most sense.