When practice goes bad (bow hunting related!)

[skeeter]

What do yall do when practice goes bad? You know the bow is on, but u just can't make a shot.

Do you:

push thru it, keep shooting? Hope it gets better?

Stop shooting, try again later?

Tried shooting today and was one of the worst practice sessions I've had in quite some time. Ain't the shoulder. Shoulder feels good. Ain't the bow. The bow is dialed in. I just can't shoot a group today. High, left. Low right. Dead on. Then way right. Just can't put nuthin together.

[DTala]

put it down and walk away. Wait a couple of days and try again. Pushing thru will only make it worse.

Try shooting a real close target without aiming, only working on form

[SwampRabbit]

Nope, I like to work through my bad days. They happen, and I want to know what a bad day looks like. I usually slow it down and stop shooting groups (don't usually shoot groups anyways) and just slow down and focus on one arrow at a time and figure out why I am having a bad day. Often times it is because I am tired. Once I figure out the problem, then I stop knowing that it was typical.

Putting the bow down when I don't have a good reason for shooting bad doesn't help me move past it.

Then again, I shoot 3 or more times a week...

[dustoffer]

put it down and walk away. Wait a couple of days and try again. Pushing thru will only make it worse.

Try shooting a real close target without aiming, only working on form

For sure walk away---no sense practicing bad form issues.

[rladner]

For sure walk away---no sense practicing bad form issues.

exactly my philosophy. Why practice poor shooting?

[SaltwaterSlick]

Dan, back when I could actually practice (before my shoulder got so bad) and it just didn't "feel" right, I'd get right in front of my target and close my eyes, draw, hold then shoot when everything felt right... I've gotten 2 Robinhood's like that... It's expensive, but talk about makin' it "feel" right!! If blind shooting doesn't "fix" it, give 'er a rest.... That's what I'd do.

[JTRichardson]

Walk away for a day or two and get back at it if practicing. If at the hunting grounds then take a break for a little bit and try again with a clear head

[lovemylegacy]

What do yall do when practice goes bad? You know the bow is on, but u just can't make a shot.

Do you:

push thru it, keep shooting? Hope it gets better?

Stop shooting, try again later?

Tried shooting today and was one of the worst practice sessions I've had in quite some time. Ain't the shoulder. Shoulder feels good. Ain't the bow. The bow is dialed in. I just can't shoot a group today. High, left. Low right. Dead on. Then way right. Just can't put nuthin together.

Stop. Com back when your mind is clear

[Fishndude]

Quit trying to shoot “a group”!

Shoot one arrow and retrieve it. After pulling thru the shot, think about execution and what went right or wrong as you retrieve your arrow. If wrong, think about what to do to fix it or why you did it and what caused it.

Never walk away from a practice session. That spells defeat. Fix fix fix.

Only walk away when physically defeated, not mentally.

Most issues come from non-commitment to complete shot execution.

[panhandlehunter]

Practice?

[BURTONboy]

Come back to it another day. When I was first getting started I re-sighted in my bow so many times due making changes on off days it isnt even funny. I learned that if its not your day, then set it down and try again later. It happens

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[HeyMikey]

Come back to it another day. When I was first getting started I re-sighted in my bow so many times due making changes on off days it isnt even funny. I learned that if its not your day, then set it down and try again later. It happens

^^^ this

[cwill]

Quit trying to shoot “a group”!

Shoot one arrow and retrieve it. After pulling thru the shot, think about execution and what went right or wrong as you retrieve your arrow. If wrong, think about what to do to fix it or why you did it and what caused it.

Never walk away from a practice session. That spells defeat. Fix fix fix.

Only walk away when physically defeated, not mentally.

Most issues come from non-commitment to complete shot execution.

Great advice here and it's what I've been doing for several years now. Also I've gone to shooting 3-d targets exclusively. Shoot 1 and go pull it and repeat until I feel like I've made 15-20 really good kill shots from varying angles and distances. My shoulders can't handle to long sessions with 15-20 five shot groups anymore, but this seems to work for me.

[dustoffer]

Quit trying to shoot “a group”!

Shoot one arrow and retrieve it. After pulling thru the shot, think about execution and what went right or wrong as you retrieve your arrow. If wrong, think about what to do to fix it or why you did it and what caused it.

Never walk away from a practice session. That spells defeat. Fix fix fix.

Only walk away when physically defeated, not mentally.

Most issues come from non-commitment to complete shot execution.

Doesn't work for me--but "I'm different" I suppose.

[Hooverfb]

What i do is stop and start over. Even if I know exactly what I should be doing mentally, and feel like I am, doesn't mean I actually am. Couple weeks ago, I was shooting and could not group for the life of me. Felt like i was resting the bow in the palm of my hand without torquing it with a hard grip. Felt like i anchored well. Guy said stop torqueing the bow. Mentally i thought well yeah that's what I've been doing... lo and behold, i put them all in 2-3" group next few go abouts, but off my point of impact. Said my shoulders weren't aligned because i was tweaking my elbow up. I had practiced drawing right tons, but once i had slowed down and restarted, i could tell the difference from shooting then to an hour before when i couldn't put them together at all. I knew to do those things, i felt like i was doing those things, but i wasn't.