KneeDeep
FNG
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2022
- Messages
- 22
Of the 100's of things you can think about from accessories to form flaws to mental games, it can be REALLY hard to figure out what's holding you back from the next level of accuracy and precision. At your level of performance (softballs at 40 with misses "callable" before you actually score the shot), its going to be different for almost everybody. The real trick is figuring out what your "bottleneck" is personally. Usually, there's some individual part of the process ( including all the equipment, form flaws, mental games) that is causing most of the current imprecision. When you fix that, it'll be something else, and again, until you're a shoot machine and its the tolerances of the manufacturing limit precision. That's why archery is a lifelong game, the search for the bottleneck that is currently limiting your precision is NEVER over because there's alway another (smaller) one when you fix this one.
That said, I'll share a few of my thoughts on how I think about that identifying the current bottleneck that is going to have the most impact on improving precision when I "fix it". First off, early on in your career, hire a coach. It will save you years, potentially decades, of trying new accessories, wondering about form, playing headgames with yourself. It's far far cheaper to work with a coach for 6 months than it is to buy gadgets and accessories for 10 years. That said, it can be so effective it will feel like cheating, and when it's over, you're just going to keep looking for the next bottleneck without the coach anyway!
Next, remember it's alway you, not the bow! It's extremely unlikely that your setup in a shooting machine would shoot softball size groups at 40, it would likely be breaking arrows, even when it's that old. That said, I think there's a few things that you could consider given your current setup, just to take them out of the equation. I'd start with the whisker biscuit and get a drop away. They are simple, require essentially no tuning or timing if you follow the simple instructions for mounting. Next, while it might not work for hunting, I'd add some front and back stabilizer bars with 3-8 oz of weight on the end. Don't bother with anything less than 12" on front or back. The stabilizer weights and position is it's own lifelong game, so don't overthink it at the start, just see if after using the stabilizers your 7th day of shooting with them is better than your groups without them If 7 sessions with them hasn't improved your groups sell them here or on AT to save weight. Third, try shooting with 5-10lbs LESS draw weight. That has improved scores for a lot of guys. And finally, to round out a top four bottleneck hypotheses, buy a new bow with more parallel lims and a LOT less handshock, it will help you with not having your form break down at the shot if your bow doesn't shock your body/mind as much each time you fire.
Anyway, I certainly hope you enjoy the search for your own next bottleneck on precision and I wish you all the fun and success in your journey!
That said, I'll share a few of my thoughts on how I think about that identifying the current bottleneck that is going to have the most impact on improving precision when I "fix it". First off, early on in your career, hire a coach. It will save you years, potentially decades, of trying new accessories, wondering about form, playing headgames with yourself. It's far far cheaper to work with a coach for 6 months than it is to buy gadgets and accessories for 10 years. That said, it can be so effective it will feel like cheating, and when it's over, you're just going to keep looking for the next bottleneck without the coach anyway!
Next, remember it's alway you, not the bow! It's extremely unlikely that your setup in a shooting machine would shoot softball size groups at 40, it would likely be breaking arrows, even when it's that old. That said, I think there's a few things that you could consider given your current setup, just to take them out of the equation. I'd start with the whisker biscuit and get a drop away. They are simple, require essentially no tuning or timing if you follow the simple instructions for mounting. Next, while it might not work for hunting, I'd add some front and back stabilizer bars with 3-8 oz of weight on the end. Don't bother with anything less than 12" on front or back. The stabilizer weights and position is it's own lifelong game, so don't overthink it at the start, just see if after using the stabilizers your 7th day of shooting with them is better than your groups without them If 7 sessions with them hasn't improved your groups sell them here or on AT to save weight. Third, try shooting with 5-10lbs LESS draw weight. That has improved scores for a lot of guys. And finally, to round out a top four bottleneck hypotheses, buy a new bow with more parallel lims and a LOT less handshock, it will help you with not having your form break down at the shot if your bow doesn't shock your body/mind as much each time you fire.
Anyway, I certainly hope you enjoy the search for your own next bottleneck on precision and I wish you all the fun and success in your journey!
