With summer right around the corner this is the best time to start practicing and improving in archery. Many hunters practice in the summer months but focusing on finer details will drastically make your shots better. From refining your stance to improving your thought process, these details lead to more success in archery.
- Anchoring point
Having the same anchor point every time is critical for consistency. Some people only have one anchor point that they follow at full draw but this isn’t going to give you consistent results. I follow a three-point anchoring process. The first point is the string to the tip of your nose. The second being the string to the corner of your mouth. And the third being your release under your ear. Having these three anchoring points gives you the same point of contact every shot.
2. Back Tension Technique
The summer months is a perfect time to work on the back tension form. These months leading into deer season is the perfect time to consistently work on getting used to doing this because it takes time. Back tension is the process of technically using your back muscles to execute the shot. This might sound weird but it’s really just using the push pull method. You should push on the grip and continue to pull on the back wall while at full draw.
3. Grip
Using proper form when gripping your bow is another major issue most archers do. When you are gripping the bow wrong you typically are torquing the bow and this leads to inconstancy. To keep torque minimal you should only grip the bow with one muscle. To do this you should rest your thumb at the two o’clock position, and your rest of your fingers should be tucked in behind the grip. Summer is the perfect time to get used to gripping like this if you are suffering from over gripping the grip.
4. Focus Mentally
The summer months are perfect for fine tuning your mental focus. Most people in archery suffer from target panic or have other thoughts in their head that leads to inconstancy. Also this is the perfect time to practice in stressful situations. This will help you out when you get that nervous feeling of seeing a big buck in the fall.
5. Breathing
Sometimes the most important this to your form is your breathing. Sometimes when people draw their bow they quit breathing until they execute the shot. I can see why people do this since it kind of goes back to focusing mentally. I do the same thing every time I shoot and breathing at least two times is one of them. I make sure to take a deep breath when I draw the bow, and then once my pins from the sight settles on the target I take another breath.
New River Outdoors 