The frustration and disappointment of not hitting the bull’s eye all day long can be toll taking. Whether you’re new to the sport or have been practicing it your entire life, you must have encountered one of these nine most common archery mistakes.
This guide is all about teaching you about these mistakes and how to overcome them with some pro recurve bow shooting tips. Overtime when you’ll continue practicing and start getting those bull eyes, then you’ll always reminisce from the point where you started!
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So if you think that you can make your game better with these recurve bow shooting tips, then continue to read on:
- Unreliable aiming technique
A good shot is 99% body-positioning or form and only 1% aim. Without a decent consistency in your form or stance, the effectiveness of any aiming technique will reduce drastically. Also, without a reliable aiming technique, don’t expect exceptional results. The better your form is, the specific your shots would be, and the better your grouping together of arrows be. While having a good aim will make it easier and more accurate for you to hit the target.
- Shooting too fast
Instead of taking it quickly, keep your shot slow, steady, and thoughtful. Slowing down your commotion will let your brain analyze the target better and make up for any corrections, which in return will help you get better in a short period. So slow down, relax and think because a good shot can easily take up to 15 seconds to complete an entire sequence.
- Gripping the bow the wrong way
What beginner archers often do wrong is a tight and tense fist grip, as if they’re holding the handle of a hammer. One of the most important recurve bow shooting tips is to relax your fingers, hand, and to not cause the bow to shake or generate torque in your hand. Also, your knuckles should be rotated at an angle of about 45 degrees to the ground for a good grip.
- Incorrect finger positioning on the bowstring
Are you someone who grasps the bowstring and starts drawing, or someone who pays close attention to the placement of their fingers on the string? Well, if you belong to the second category, kudos to you!
But if you belong to the first category, then you’re doing a lot the wrong way. Hooking the bowstring with too much tension in your fingers or even in the wrong place of fingers can not only lead to missing the target or aim entirely but also lead to painful finger blisters.
For an ideal split-finger hook, your one finger should be above the arrow and two below it, with an emphasis on the correct placement of your fingers on the string. Keep your hooking position consistent and proper with the bowstring.
- Improper draw length
If you are shooting a bow with an incorrect or improper draw length, then you’re robbing yourself off of the accuracy with which you should release the arrow from the bow towards your aim. To find your ideal draw length, stand with your arms stretched facing the wall.
Measure the length between your two middle fingers and subtract 15 from it and divide by two. Here is your ideal draw length at which you should be shooting!
- Misplaced or wrong anchor point
An anchor point is a spot or point on your face from where you pull your bowstring every time to prevent your draw-hand reach to different spots each time you shoot, leading to your arrows flying in all possible directions.
Intermediate and advanced archers always draw the bowstring under their chin while beginner archers anchor the bowstring to the corner of their mouth.
Note: One recurve bow shooting tip is drawing the bowstring to the same anchor point every time an arrow is shot.
- Dropping their arm after arrow release
Many beginner archers often tend to face their arrows going low and not hitting the target. That’s because they tend to drop their arms as and when their arrows leave the bow. While experienced ones always keep their posture upright until they hear the thud of the arrow hitting the target.
It can be due to gravity, so choose the right weighted bow and practice to keep your arm upright.
- Taking too long to hit
Many times it happens that archers wait for too long to release the bow, thinking that the more they wait, the better would be the shot. But that’s not the case. Pulling the bow to the full draw length and then waiting increases the tension and it, in turn, increases the weight.
Slowly your arm will start shaking, and it becomes all the more difficult to target. You ought to be looking at your target and starting to aim even before lifting the bow. Lift the bow, nock your arrow, and before pulling the bowstring back, look at the target again. Then just pull the bowstring, focus on the target for the last time and release!
- Chasing perfection without much practice
Archery can be taken up by anyone but needs a great deal of practice. Every archer has their signature style. Shoot in one movement of the back shoulder, keep an upright posture and a stronger front arm targeting your aim, rest the arrow will fly and hit the bull's eye!
Conclusion
It takes years to master the art of adopting, practicing, and consciously implementing the top recurve bow shooting tips to become your best and the best in archery. But all you need to do is to give it time and patience.
The game is all about being patient. If there’s anything you think you might need to improve your game or take it to the next level, drop-in here and get all accessories and assistance required!