From draw to release

[navet]

I am back to bow hunting after 25 years. Just started shooting again and was wondering the average time it takes you to draw, aim, and fire an arrow. It seems I take a very long time to settle my pin on the target. Maybe because it is all new and I am out of "bow shape"
Are we talking 5 seconds 10 seconds or other. Thanks

[pointysticks]

3 seconds and up.

[ElkNut1]

3-5 seconds at 40 yds & under. at least a solid 5 seconds or a bit more after that. Distance of shot can vary those figures.

How long or you holding for 40 yds or under?

ElkNut1

[Triplebhunters]

Navet, it will be much quicker after you relearn your form. You will enjoy the modern equipment that's available today.
Three seconds here.

[navet]

3-5 seconds at 40 yds & under. at least a solid 5 seconds or a bit more after that. Distance of shot can vary those figures.

How long or you holding for 40 yds or under?

ElkNut1

It is probably taking 10 to 15 sec. I am not very good at finding my peep and anchor point yet.. Should I shoot at 10 yards or so until I have a routine down?

[ctdad]

Mine is around 6-8 seconds regardless of distance. I am capable of faster when needed but that is my normal shot sequence. Forming your own sequence is best done in front of a target that you don't have to worry about aiming at just a few feet away. It is referred to as blind bale shooting.

[Wyo67]

[/quote]It is probably taking 10 to 15 sec. I am not very good at finding my peep and anchor point yet.. Should I shoot at 10 yards or so until I have a routine down?[/quote]

I would keep it under 20 yards until you have your routine second nature. Might want to think about installing a kisser button to help with finding your anchor spot.

[pointysticks]

I am not very good at finding my peep and anchor point yet..?

mmm..when you set your bow up. did the bow-tech make you close your eyes, come to full draw, settle into your best feeling anchor, THEN you open your eyes..and see where the peep is?

in my limited experiece..you will subconsciously chase your peep. anchor first, then peep. the peep should be set for your anchor, not the other way around.

if i am off my anchor it feels totally wrong. i can get there right when the cams hit the stops.

but only with this bow. with my last bow, i had to wiggle into my anchor. took some more time.

[Toby]

Get your draw length perfect, make sure peep location is good, work on your form, make sure you aren't pulling too much weight. 10-15 seconds is too long, you don't want to hurry but to long isn't good either.

[ctdad]

Toby, if 10-15 is too long, what would you recommend?

[timberland]

It is probably taking 10 to 15 sec. I am not very good at finding my peep and anchor point yet.. Should I shoot at 10 yards or so until I have a routine down?[/quote]

Standing in front of your target, close your eyes first and come to full draw and find your anchor. Now open your eyes and the peep should be a fully open circle. This is the anchor that you will automatically come to when thinking about the six point screaming 18 yds away. If its not automatic every time your draw length or peep elevation need to be adjusted.

[navet]

It is probably taking 10 to 15 sec. I am not very good at finding my peep and anchor point yet.. Should I shoot at 10 yards or so until I have a routine down?

Standing in front of your target, close your eyes first and come to full draw and find your anchor. Now open your eyes and the peep should be a fully open circle. This is the anchor that you will automatically come to when thinking about the six point screaming 18 yds away. If its not automatic every time your draw length or peep elevation need to be adjusted.[/quote]

I will start here and see how the peep looks. The shoot at 5 to 10 yards until the routine is better.

[archery bum]

I think you are over thinking it. Once you get your peep and anchor fixed like the others have said, their should be no set time for your release. When your pin looks good squeeze the trigger. It may be 3 seconds or could be longer if it does't look good don't pull the trigger until it does. The only thing your should be worried about is where the pin is sitting not how long you have been at full draw.

[Triplebhunters]

It is probably taking 10 to 15 sec. I am not very good at finding my peep and anchor point yet.. Should I shoot at 10 yards or so until I have a routine down?

Standing in front of your target, close your eyes first and come to full draw and find your anchor. Now open your eyes and the peep should be a fully open circle. This is the anchor that you will automatically come to when thinking about the six point screaming 18 yds away. If its not automatic every time your draw length or peep elevation need to be adjusted.

I will start here and see how the peep looks. The shoot at 5 to 10 yards until the routine is better.[/quote]

+1
If you hold to long while beginning practice your going to rip your shoulder out.

[ST52V]

Congrats on getting back in to archery!! I can not stress the importance of getting started correctly enough. From here on out DO Not Squeeze the trigger with your finger. Once you start that habit it is hard to change and will only lead to problems down the road. Don't be in a big hurry to shoot at targets and at any distance. Start close to a target 10 ft. Do the draw and anchor thing with your eyes closed. Open them up and see if things are lined up. If they are close your eyes and focus on a relaxed bow hand, wrap your finger around the trigger and pull your elbow back using the muscles in your shoulder blades. This will give you a surprise release. This is the correct way to shoot a release and the most accurate. Once you can do this 50-60 times without problems and it is automatic to you then you are ready. Within a few shots to set your 20 yd pin you will be smashing arrows. Can you kill an elk with other methods absolutely!! Is there a chance you could drop your arm to look for the arrow when you command your finger to squeeze the trigger absolutely!! With a surprise release nope!! If you have a good shop near you they can help. If you have any questions feel free to PM me or call me. 412-974-8304 around 7:10-7:15 am is a good time. Good luck and keep them in the middle .

[ctdad]

Congrats on getting back in to archery!! I can not stress the importance of getting started correctly enough. From here on out DO Not Squeeze the trigger with your finger. Once you start that habit it is hard to change and will only lead to problems down the road. Don't be in a big hurry to shoot at targets and at any distance. Start close to a target 10 ft. Do the draw and anchor thing with your eyes closed. Open them up and see if things are lined up. If they are close your eyes and focus on a relaxed bow hand, wrap your finger around the trigger and pull your elbow back using the muscles in your shoulder blades. This will give you a surprise release. This is the correct way to shoot a release and the most accurate. Once you can do this 50-60 times without problems and it is automatic to you then you are ready. Within a few shots to set your 20 yd pin you will be smashing arrows. Can you kill an elk with other methods absolutely!! Is there a chance you could drop your arm to look for the arrow when you command your finger to squeeze the trigger absolutely!! With a surprise release nope!! If you have a good shop near you they can help. If you have any questions feel free to PM me or call me. 412-974-8304 around 7:10-7:15 am is a good time. Good luck and keep them in the middle .

This is great advice. I learned how to improperly shoot over 20 years ago. I've been relearning how to properly shoot with good form and using back tension the last couple of years. Learn it correct from the start and you'll be way ahead.

My sequence is to draw the bow, anchor, center the sight housing in the peep, check bubble and make sure I'm level, aim, start pulling back tension and focus on aim, aim, aim, aim until bow goes off. My shot sequence is complete when my release hand touches my right shoulder. I do this same sequence every time I shoot at a target so that it will be second nature when my adrenaline is going crazy with a critter in front of me. I practice a lot with a back tension release and hunt with a thumb trigger. Off to shoot now!

[Toby]

ctdad, your sequence is very similar to mine, but I use a wrist strap release and fire it like ST52V described.

My shot sequence usually take 4-8 seconds. I think it is good to do some practicing shooting fairly quickly and some where we hold quite long, simulating waiting for a clear shot.

I am not a tournament archer so all my practice is with hunting in mind. A 10-15 second shot sequence may be good on the archery range, but could cost some potential shots on game.

[ctdad]

I am not a tournament archer so all my practice is with hunting in mind. A 10-15 second shot sequence may be good on the archery range, but could cost some potential shots on game.

I don't shoot tournaments either. I actually did some counting tonight while practicing. My shot cycle is 4-8 seconds with a back tension release. I did feel like things were a little erratic while counting in my head and when I quit counting, that range tightened up a bit. I'd guess my 6-8 second guesstimate is pretty accurate for me. Didn't shoot with a trigger at all today but I did try to hurry a couple shots and got a lethal shot off in less than 3 seconds with a hinge release at 40 yards.

[LckyTylr]

From beginning of a smooth "hunting draw" to release, whether it be indoors shooting roofing dots on the wall, 3D tournament or live critters, my shot sequence takes 6-8 seconds. From first tension on the draw to anchoring in, it takes me 3-4 seconds.

That may seem like a long time to most, but it's my methodical approach. I see a lot of people just yank their bow back at 3D shoots and I just think to myself "That guy is NOT practicing like he will hunt". For me, making a good shot on a live animal is all that matters, all of the shooting I do in the off season doesn't mean squat if I don't shoot the same way or can't shoot as well when there's a screaming 6 point at 18 yards

I've found that, on live animals, it really helps me to focus on "the spot" that I want to hit from the moment that I decide I'm going to take a shot if presented the opportunity. When I decide to draw, I'm focusing on the spot through the draw cycle and while finding my anchor. Only AFTER finding anchor will I start to focus in on where my pin is, but after thousands of shots in the off season, it's usually already on the spot it needs to be to kill the critter. By methodically drawing (slowly) and finding my anchor point in off-season practicing, I am training my body and mind to perform the exact same sequence Every Single Time. This mentally helps me when my heart is trying to explode out of my chest with adrenaline and I'm trying to tell myself not to look at antlers.

I was taught as a young shooter that form is very important, but consistency is key. Regardless of how long your established draw/anchor/release cycle takes, if you are consistent every time and can eliminate as many variables as possible, it won't often be a limiting factor. In my experience, I'm usually wondering how long I can hold my draw.

Welcome back to Archery. I love flinging sticks!

[ST52V]

Ya I'm in the same boat! I learned the wrong way 20-25 years ago and have been fighting the daemon for the last 10 years. I can never just put enough time in to fix it completely. I would like to buy a good carter release just can't bring my self to spend $200. Another tip is get your pin on the spot and let it float. Don't try and hold it perfectly still , while it is floating around focus on the spot. My pin usually turns blurry while the spot on the target stays in focus. You will be surprised how often your arrow will hit the spot you are focused on.

[Toby]

ST, good advice, I have the same issues, never learned correctly and now fight the TP issues. I could be wrong, but I don't believe it is the type of release we shoot that creates problems, but how we shoot it, any of them can be punched. I think that one needs to either focus on aiming or their shot sequence, don't think the conscious mind can do both. I had a hinge release for a while and found the surprise release really neat, but then I learned how to punch it as well.

I don't want to cloud things for the OP, just keep,things simple and have fun. I think we put too much pressure on ourselves sometimes. And, modern compounds are pretty easy to shoot accurately as long as we just let the bow shoot the arrow.

[navet]

Awesome advice from all. Thank yall very much. I practiced last night and was able to fire in about 5 sec. at 10 yards. Anchored with my eyes closed and peep was right on. I will try the surprise release and focus on the target not sooo much the pin.
Do you guys keep both eyes open or just one?
Thanks again

[Triplebhunters]

I Stare at the target with both eyes open while I draw and squint my left eye as I release.
Dave

[archery bum]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuMd0cGF ... uMd0cGFbyc

[archery bum]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhMnZXtrP-Q

[ctdad]

I agree with the idea on that video of pin float. I'd recommend less trigger punch though.

[ST52V]

Good stuff archery bum!! That should help people understand what we have been discussing. Another good source is John Dudley from nock on . He has lots of good videos and info on his site. Check it out you mite find some help there. I'll see if I can post some links.

[ST52V]

http://www.dudleyarchery.info/article?d ... e&start=30. This is a very good one. Check out his site and the rest he has on there. A few weeks ago I caught his show where he arrowed a huge bull on public land and it was not a good shot. He left it go and recovered it the next day. I think it showed how important it is to be the best we can be with our equipment and how a bull ripping bugles in your face can unravel the best shots in the world. I am betting if I was behind that bow it probably would have been worst. Let me know what you think. Robin

[ctdad]

That's a great article. I'm in the process of learning back tension. I switch between a hinge release and a thumb trigger release because they feel the same in my hand and I can mimic the same drawing and shooting cycle with both. Nothing in that article was new to me, but it was a good reminder of some things. Makes me want to go shoot.

[Toby]

I tried the hinge with the hope of curing my punching, and was planning on getting a thumb trigger, something about those intrigues me. But, I found a way to rip threw a hinge when I was running out of breath or just getting impatient. I had a Scott Hex for a while and it helped me to learn to pull threw with a wrist sling, now in am using that technique with my Hardcore max wrist sling.

I wish I could do the hinge/thumb trigger thing. I lean a little towards wrist strap so that my hands aren't all tied up with my range finder, calls, and hand held release. If I find myself punching again, I will go the hinge/thumb route.

[navet]

I read the article above and the posts are great. I practiced this weekend and the floating pin(instead of trying to hold perfect) was a great help. Trying the surprise release and it seems to take a while for the arrow to be released and I have some anticipation problem with it. I got it to work a few times and it was cool how surprised I was when the arrow took off. My arms/shoulders are sooo out of shape I can only shoot a few arrows at a time without being noodle armed.
Thanks for all the help .

[Toby]

Navel, Sounds like you are on the right track, just a little advice, don't shoot once you are tired, you will develop bad habits. When working on the surprise release stand about 3 feet from the target and don't aim, close your eyes and just feel the release, for most it takes a long time to develop the surprise release.

[navet]

Navel, Sounds like you are on the right track, just a little advice, don't shoot once you are tired, you will develop bad habits. When working on the surprise release stand about 3 feet from the target and don't aim, close your eyes and just feel the release, for most it takes a long time to develop the surprise release.

Great advice....I will try the 3 feet and feel

[ST52V]

Good advise and keep at it!!! Start with 5 arrows a day at 3-4 feet. Then increase it 1 or 2 every day depending on how you feel. It's not how many you can shoot but how many are shot correctly!!! Lots of guys shoot 1 arrow at a time while they are working in the yard through out the day. They could be minutes apart or hours. When hunting it comes down to 1 arrow, 1 shot!! Keep at it and keep us posted!!