Struggling with barebow and well, everything...

Andyt23

Member
I've been shooting left handed recurve of two years, with sights and stabilisers, clicker etc... and average high 560s for a portsmouth - pb 572 and BM scores outdoors.

In January I got the index finger of my draw hand caught in a kids swing chain link while pushing my son. It was a swing that spins too, and it pulled me right off my feet. And hurt a lot.

After struggling on for a few weeks of rest/use/rest I went to the docs and he told me to stop shooting altogether for a bit, it was probably sprained and would take a while to properly heal.

Well of course that didn't last long... instead I had the brilliant idea that I could switch to a right handed bare bow, the thinking being that I could start over again without my decent left handed scores being a stick with which to beat myself up, and try a different style and have fun - so I bought a new riser and set to it. That was two weeks ago now, and I've shot a grand total of four times in that two weeks.

Now I know I've changed literally everything, and my expectations are suitably low I promise, but I'm all at sea as to how to approach things - last week I managed 461, this week only 402 (tonight in fact, which is why I'm fed up enough to write this). I've tried my usual draw style, which gave me a feel good anchor but only a vague aiming point half way down the hall (horrible not looking at the target), and I've tried 3 under, with heavy arrows and referencing to the corner of my mouth. That let me put the point of the arrow in the white, which works sometimes but I find the face reference really vague.

I actually seem to have the best results from going 3 under and then just winging it, but it comes and goes. I've had three 10s one end (but more often like 10,8,7), then 6/3/2 the next, sometimes a little consistency, sometimes absolutely nothing, and its getting very frustrating. I probably wouldn't be so bad if I wasn't getting any 9s and 10s at all, but I am, and then I can't repeat it - I don't mean not quite, I mean really bad when I think I'm doing the same thing as I did in the previous end. I just feel like I've lost my super power...

I think the problem is that I have no plan. Everything is wrong and I probably need just one thing to work on, and to stop scoring and punishing myself with how bad I am. It's great still being able to shoot 3 or 4 times a week, but if I'm just throwing crap down the range, then I'm just gonna be crap.

I'm looking for advice - whats the first thing to work on, maybe on a blank boss, that will start to get me some kind of repeatable form and get over the miserable slump I'm in (until I shoot my next 10). Archery has always been an interesting and engaging puzzle, but this is just like learning a foreign language by just having someone there babbling at you and making no sense.

The problem is that I think I know what I'm doing, and it all just feels weird and cack-handed, because it is - but I'm probably confusing that fact with actual bad shooting and I don't know how to do better. I know I probably need to start again from the beginning, but I don't know where the beginning is.

Sigh...
 

dgmultimedia

Supporter
Supporter
You are expecting too much too quickly! Start at very short distance - less than 10yds - 3 Under (to start with), 2nd fingertip in corner of mouth, you can't get string close to the same alignment as with conventional recurve anchor so cant the bow to align you eye over the arrow. Shoot enough arrows to learn the gap - use a target with six or eight spots and shoot one arrow in each spot.... when you can consistently hit the spots you will find that you no longer look for the gap - you will just look at the spot and shoot... only then increase a few yards and learn to hit the spots again - rinse and repeat gradually increasing the distance - if you can't get all the spots with-in an inch go back to a shorter distance to gain confidence... Barebow is an art that you learn with loads of practice...!


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D

Deleted member 7654

Guest
Just my opinion, terms and condition apply.
Stop scoring, just shoot, enjoy, do some field. Thinking is the enemy to your body/mind reaclimatizing to the change.
Scoring is detrimental, you can make a well executed shot that scores badly or a poorly executed shot that scores well.
Del
 

jerryRTD

Well-known member
Why are you messing around with wrong handed bow and a style of shooting that does not suit you??????? Archery is supposed to be enjoyable. What you need to do is to give your draw hand index finger a rest. Go to the dark side, get your self a compound use a wrist release and trigger it with your middle finger.
From what you have written I can see that you need the type of precession in you shooting that bare bow just cannot provide. Compound can to a higher level than recurve.
 

geoffretired

Supporter
Supporter
I had to shoot wrong handed for a while. To me it just felt wrong. It was nothing to do with hitting golds or missing them, it was to do with the whole draw feeling strange.... because it WAS.
Try writing wrong handed,( unless you are ambidextrous )and that feels wrong too.
If you want to shoot off your fingers, I would take Del's advice. While the draw and release feel strange, it is all going to feel wrong. Get comfortable just shooting arrows rather than uncomfortable trying to shoot to a standard. Take Jerry's advice if you don't mind compound. I was forced into compound through finger damage. It was a last resort, but what a blessing it turned out to be.
 

dvd8n

Supporter
Supporter
AIUK Saviour
I largely agree with what everyone else is saying. You have changed everything and are expecting far too much far too quickly.

You have switched from right to left handed. I actually injured myself when I tried to do this. It's not an easy thing to do even if you keep everything else the same.

You have switched to barebow. Shooting barebow isn't easy. If it was then nobody would bother with sights. You can go instinctive, but that's a long process - expect to spend a lot of time looking for arrows while you are learning. Or gap or stringwalk - it gets results quicker but you need to get somebody to coach you or spend time on trial-and-error. Surely there's someone in the club that can give you tips?

However in my opinion what you should have done is not to have gone left-handed or switched to barebow. I'd have bought or borrowed a release aid and used it with your current kit. You don't need a compound to use a release aid - it's a perfectly legitimate thing to use on a recurve while recuperating. If there's a compound shooter in your club they can probably lend you one. Most compound shooters have a drawer-full at home that they don't use for one reason or another.
 

Valkamai

Member
I do find it funny that so many Olympic freestyle archers seem to view barebow as the idiots version of recurve.
Nope it's not.
In many ways it's very different to Olympic style and takes a completely different technique to shoot.

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Andyt23

Member
Thanks for all the replies, I can definitely take some of the positive suggestions on board from what's been said, thank you.
Trust me, my expectations are suitably LOW (but my hopes must remain high). I'm just unsure about a way to proceed in learning a brand new and difficult skill. I have found it frustrating so far just because I didn't really know what to focus on in order to start the right way as it's a while since I've been a beginner, hence seeking wisdom here - beyond that, it's every bit as enjoyable as it always has been and I can't wait to do it again.

thanks again for the ideas
 

Andyt23

Member
I do find it funny that so many Olympic freestyle archers seem to view barebow as the idiots version of recurve.
Nope it's not.
In many ways it's very different to Olympic style and takes a completely different technique to shoot.

Sent from my HTC Desire 626 using Tapatalk

for balance, I don't know anybody who views barebow in this way.
 

AndyW

Well-known member
I would be in the same camp as dvd8n just use a wrist release on your recurve. If you carry on with the barebow a useful skill is being able to draw to 10 - teach you brain to draw to a point which will hit a target 10 yards away. Takes weeks shooting 10 yrds to get the muscle memory and subconscious to get the idea but once it's there it's there. It's then a case of up a bit or up a lot etc. Shooting instinctive compound I can't use POA because that's about 100yrds away so it comes in handy. With recurve, sorting your anchor, nocking point and arrow length to give you point on at 20/30 would seem sensible.
 

dvd8n

Supporter
Supporter
AIUK Saviour
And/or put an elastic band on your riser to help you aim with. I still do that sometimes if I need to refine my gaps.
 

Corax67

Well-known member
Get a longbow - the most fun you can have with a stick and string :)

Forget high or low expectations, you will find the jubilation that comes with just hitting a target will transform your enjoyment of the sport.





Karl
 

AndyW

Well-known member
that's a great idea, thank you. used this with a longbow ages ago and found it really useful
Yep - sorry, too stuck in the competition mindset. You would be crucified for the elastic band on a shoot but if you're not doing a shoot hey who cares just tape the gaps to your riser it will certainly go a long way with getting your brain used to the correct elevations.
 

KidCurry

Well-known member
AIUK Saviour
... instead I had the brilliant idea that I could switch to a right handed bare bow... ...Now I know I've changed literally everything, and my expectations are suitably low...
Literally everything ? :)

...What did you do about eye dominance? Of all the things involved with changing from rh to lh eye dominance is going to screw around with you the most. ;) although I suppose you could always close the left eye. yehhh... perhaps I didn't think that one through before posting :)
 

Andyt23

Member
Haha yes, literally. It's much more everything than just everything y'know...

I've always shot with both eyes open, so I just need to get used to selecting the right arrow tip to place on the aiming spot. If I do close one eye it tends to be to check alignment more than anything else.
I do catch myself closing the wrong eye occasionally 🤦
 
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