Clickers

Little Miss Purple

The American
Fonz Awardee
Ironman
American Shoot
How long did people take to get on with their clicker????

I have used my clicker 3.5 times now!!! I shot a Porstmouth each time scoring 516, 535, 525 (dumped the clicker 3/4 of the way through at the Yorkshire's!) and then 535 again on Wednesday at the club.

I seem to shoot 6 or 9 really well (10, 10, 10 & 10, 9, 9), then some muppet steals my bow and shoots 6 or 9 sad arrows (8, 8, 7 & 9, 8, 7).

I know it's about practice and patience but neither of those are currently my middle name!! :beer:
 
D

Deleted member 74

Guest
Setting the clicker correctly is actually an important and often difficult task. You also have to remember that the clicker is less of a draw length indicator than it is a way to achieve a surprise release. You can usually shoot around 1/2" short of the clicker and still hit the middle indoors. But I shoot with it so I can't anticipate the shot.
 

Judge

New member
I remember I was very slow at getting used to the clicker. It took me a few months to really remember it was there to start with, and then finding the right posture to pull through it properly. Just keep trying, and get someone to make sure it's in the right place for you!
 

LineCutter

Active member
Starting from when exactly? I suspect that most of us have a love-hate relationship with our clickers at some point in each round/season.
 

Little Miss Purple

The American
Fonz Awardee
Ironman
American Shoot
I think I hear what you are saying GW - that is one of the reasons I stopped using it at the Yorkshire's and dropped my sight a little. I had the clicker set by Neil at Aardvark, it seems to be at the right place as I mostly manage it fine!

I was just curious how long it took people to return to their former level before the clicker :cake:
 
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rgsphoto

Guest
Clickers are great, I can't shoot a recurve without one. However thay are the work of the devil and his wife and kids:devil: You need a coach to help you. On no account try and work it out for yourself. Your draw length could increase with the use of the clicker too. It is a huge mind game shooting on a conditioned response ie, a click. That little tiny noise will rule your life given half a chance.

Outdoors it will give you more accuracy, apparently even 1/16" inch will influence the shot on a long distance target.

To go from no clicker to clicker is a huge step for some people. My opinion is that target archers should shoot from day one with a clicker, as the Koreans do.
 

granthamarcher

New member
I cant remember how long it took me to get used to my clicker not very long i dont think. But when i came back after a year break i kept shooting through the clicker so Neil at my club got me to come up on full draw hold for 10 seconds and do that 10 times and move from target to target and that helped cuz after 3/4 seconds i would start pulling back further it helped n now im used to it again.
 

sky_high30

The American
Fonz Awardee
Ironman
American Shoot
Grant - unless I draw properly through the clicker an otherwise well aimed and executed shot will always end up slightly high and in the blue at 20yrds, regardless ;-).
 

Max

New member
You don't need a clicker to shoot well (repeat this to yourself until you fall asleep). It is a tool with several uses, but draw length control is not one of them. To use a clicker well, your draw length and style needs to be very consistent. You should not be at anchor and be yanking away trying to find the click. If your draw length is not consistant over a condierable period of time, don't start using a clicker until it is. I have seen a lot of novice archers fit a clicker and end up setting the draw length far too short, to compensate for poor alignment and the onset of the fatigue that poor form often produces. All it ends up doing is embeding that poor form and making it harder to dig out.

If you watch the top archers using a clicker, their arrow tip ends up in exactly the same place - usually about 1/16" - 1/8" under the clicker. If your draw length is shortening because you are tiring, the use of a clicker will seriously damage your scores, because everythig else will go out the window as you try to pull through. Being trained in the correct use of back tension is (in my opinion) an absolute must before a clicker can be put to any good use. Just how many archers (particularly newcomers) can actually use back tension properly do you think?

An old hand once told me that he would never recommend the use of a clicker until an archer had been shooting about 2 years and his/her form had been coached into consistency. I know all about the Korean style of using one from word go, but they approach life from a completely different cultural perspective and are typically far more mentally disciplined.

As Grant suggests, it is a good tool to control the loose and produce the surprise shot, allowing the concious mind to concentrate on aiming. It can slow down the shot and help a little with target panic, but it can be the work of the Devil to control.
 

geoffretired

Supporter
Supporter
I agree with the points made earlier. I would just reinforce the ones about back tension control and draw length. If the archer has a variable draw length, it is easy to imagine that a clicker would help reduce the variations.
It doesn't often work that way however. Normally, the variations you had before are brought to your attention when either, it goes off too soon or you can't get it to click. It becomes a struggle rather than a help. Only add a clicker with help and a clear understanding of what to do with it. Knowing what can go wrong can be helpful too.
Geoff
 

JohnK

Well-known member
Some negative opinions here about the clicker, which is a shame as I think it's one of the most important tools of recurve target archery.

While it is true that you don't put a complete beginner on a clicker, if someone has had good advice from the start on achieving good alignment and so on there is no reason why they shouldn't be introduced to the clicker early on in their shooting career. (Note - this line of thought is not exclusive to the Koreans, and nor does it originate from them).

With children it's a bit more tricky as their draw length can change far more quickly than that of an adult settling into the sport. However, I still think they can be introduced to the clicker provided a coach keeps a close eye on them. The two juniors in our club using a clicker are probably the most successful overall. One is the National junior outdoor champion in her age group and has won the handicap improvement trophy for the county, and the other (a ten-year old) has just won the County indoor, beating juniors up to the age of 17 while shooting a FITA 18 triple spot.

The clicker is a bad master, but a useful servant. It doesn't lie, but you must learn to interpret what it tells you. If you're struggling to come through the clicker one shot and zipping through the next, your form is clearly off. Perhaps you're moving your head too much as you draw. Maybe (like I was) your alignment is completely out and you lack the sheer strength to control the bow. Maybe (like I am now) you are lacking in confidence and need to learn to relax and shoot a flowing shot, rather than letting the clicker dictate terms to you.

Clicker control is utterly vital to top-level recurve shooting. Of course, not everyone wants to or will get to that level, but I'm convinced better understanding of the clicker helps people who use them enjoy the sport a little more.

Just my 2p.
 
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rgsphoto

Guest
JohnK said:
Some negative opinions here about the clicker, which is a shame as I think it's one of the most important tools of recurve target archery.
.........................
Clicker control is utterly vital to top-level recurve shooting. Of course, not everyone wants to or will get to that level, but I'm convinced better understanding of the clicker helps people who use them enjoy the sport a little more.

Just my 2p.
I totally agree JohnK. Some good balanced info there. I was just a victim of variable information and vagueness as to how a clicker shoud be setup. It needs a good coach who knows what they are doing to get it right. Sadly my old club did not have one.
 

Judge

New member
Max said:
To use a clicker well, your draw length and style needs to be very consistent. You should not be at anchor and be yanking away trying to find the click. If your draw length is not consistant over a condierable period of time, don't start using a clicker until it is.
I totally agree Max, we just completed an exercise to assess at the DCAS Squad where the coaches measured our draw length over a large number of draws in a short time (very tiring!).:faint: My draw length pulled was within 1/10 inch of each other. Those who had a large variance were taken to one side and their draw was assessed more critically and they were coached into better technique.
 

geoffretired

Supporter
Supporter
variable information

It seems the clicker is not the only thing that can vary; the information that goes with it varies too. Not just clickers either. It seems mis-information is as bad if not worse than no information.
This thread has done much to clarify what clickers are about. The bigger picture is on view for all to see.
 

Rik

Supporter
Supporter
I really don't agree with the line about "you need to be consistent before you start with a clicker". I mean that's the point of it - it enforces consistency.

You use the clicker to make sure that you're getting the draw right. You get someone to set it up at a point where you're achieving the correct line for the shot, then you use it to let you know when you're not hitting that point.
So it's suitable to be introduced at almost any stage of training, and should help promote shot to shot consistency. A problem with clicker use, is that people mostly don't get trained to use them. They just get told "it's a draw length check, stick it on and use it". It's not surprising that a lot of people struggle with it, in that circumstance. It's like handing a complete novice a bow and saying "Here. Shoot"!

I can't remember when I first used a clicker. I know there weren't any on the club training bows, but my notes say I was using one before the end of my first indoor season. So call it 4-5 months after I started shooting.
 
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rgsphoto

Guest
I started using one after about a month, just so I could aim.:boggled: I then shot a 546 Porstmouth outside. Went down hill after that. bear in mind I had to guess most of what I was doing, I was in a club where the "blind lead the blind"
 

geoffretired

Supporter
Supporter
waht are clickers for

I can't use the "quote" function to get the relevant text together but there are two schools of thought here or even three.
It's to help you to draw the correct distance.
It's to use when you can draw the correct distance.
It's to let you release with a surprise.
Is it a multi-tool then?
With my pen, I can write messages and I can re-set something or other on my cordless mouse.
It does what I want at the time. It was not designed for both but it does both, successfully. When I change the function I change the way in which I handle it. Is there a case for the clicker to be used in more than one way depending on the user's circumstances?
 

Max

New member
Rik said:
I really don't agree with the line about "you need to be consistent before you start with a clicker". I mean that's the point of it - it enforces consistency.

You use the clicker to make sure that you're getting the draw right. You get someone to set it up at a point where you're achieving the correct line for the shot, then you use it to let you know when you're not hitting that point.
So it's suitable to be introduced at almost any stage of training, and should help promote shot to shot consistency.
In a perfect world, you may be right Rik, but in practice, a coach would need to with the student frequently to compensate and adjust the clicker for his/her developing style. Things change a lot in 12 - 18months of archery, not just technique, but flexibility, muscle tone and stamina. If you set a clicker too early, the student learnes to stop at a certain point in the draw too early, then bad form develops. If you have someone who quickly settles in to the correct bow arm and low shoulder, good back tension, alignment and head position, then a clicker might be beneficial.

However, there has never been a single device fitted to a bow that has caused so much trouble to those who have to fend for themselves, or get little support in their early years. Unless you have the undivided attention of a good coach, leave the clicker alone until you can shoot to !st class standard or above.
 

JohnK

Well-known member
While a coach, or at least someone who can explain how to set the clicker up, is useful at first, most people should be able to maintain and monitor their clicker position with a little help after set up.

The way I know of to help people set up their clickers is as follows:

1. Get them shooting on a close target (with a face or blank boss, either's fine. By preference I'd get them to use a target face).

2. After they've warmed up a bit, fit the clicker to the bow. Get them to draw up without the clicker and shoot, while you stand off to the side and watch the position of the arrow point. If it's all over the place, then you may need to have a word with them about alignment and so on.

3. Set the clicker to what should be about the correct position, and watch them draw and shoot without it again for several shots. Adjust as necessary.

4. Ask them to draw up with the clicker, make it click and not release. Do this several times. If they flinch when doing this, make them practice it even more.

5. Get them to shoot a bit with the clicker as normal.

After this, they can simply repeat the process by themselves with a video camera, or simply by asking another archer or perhaps family member or friend to watch them as they run through the same process.

It really isn't rocket science. If I can get it, so can everyone else :D
 

MrT

Member
Max said:
Unless you have the undivided attention of a good coach, leave the clicker alone until you can shoot to !st class standard or above.
Now having read that, I have to throw in my three penn'oth (for you youngsters, that is old speak - ask your Dad what it means ;-)

I stuck at 2nd Class for over a year, I just could not seem to improve, no matter what I tried. Then, I started using a clicker, having asked and read up everything I could about technique, pitfalls etc. I gained first class within 2 months of that, and shot PBs on every round over the next 6 months.

Now, I'm still no great shakes as an archer, and I feel I really could do with some coaching for form, but that clicker has made all the difference in the world for me.
 
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