Over the past years, archery has been known to be a practice that favors the men’s lifestyle and that fits certain occasions only. However, this is an essential practice or sport that’s fit for both gender and general lifestyle as well. You could be interested in learning and improving your archery but are unsure where to begin and what to do next. If this is the case, then here’s good news for you. Below are the most effective tips that you can apply today and rest assured of positive results in your archery. Please read on.
- Ensure to Choose the Right Bow and Arrow
You might be tempted to believe that arrows with significantly large diameters are an advantage when trying to hit your target. Well, while it can be true that they can cover a bigger diameter, larger diameters can be inconvenient when it comes to improving your archery. This is because these arrows tend to be too big for your bow hence can hardly flex efficiently. Hitting the bullseye will, therefore, be almost impossible. You need to work on your shot and use arrows that are a perfect fit for your bow. Again, not just any bow can give you the results you need. Different bows are designed for different purposes. Therefore, you need to get yourself the right bow for the right purpose. Perhaps you can learn more about different bows prior to making a purchase.
- Always Check Your Posture
Posture is very key to any sport as it impacts your aim. This means that an improper posture will give you negative results instead of improving your archery. You’ll need to embrace a proper posture in order to improve your power and accuracy. You’ll also be able to easily locate your anchor points. Which posture should you assume when shooting then? Well, it’s simple, but not easy. In fact, a proper stance alone accounts for 50 percent of the work. You need to ensure that your feet are perpendicular to the target your aiming but slightly less than the width of your shoulder apart. Therefore, always ensure to check your stance prior to raising your bow and locating your anchor point.
- Work on Your Anchor Points
Your anchor point refers to that point at which you pull back the bow before releasing the arrow. This is a very important factor that everyone practicing archery should try to perfect and become consistent with for improved and accurate results. Therefore, if you’re new to archery, you’ll need to test your anchor points to identify the position that works well for your shooting. There are common anchor points that have been used before and have proven to be effective, which you can try out when working on your own anchor points. In this method, you’ll have to place the hand pulling the string under your cheekbone on the same side then proceed by pulling the string approximately up to the tip of your nose. Try this position until you find that which you’re comfortable with and which gives you the results you need.
- Expand Your Effective Shooting Range
Have you found out your maximum effective shooting range? If yes, work on adding some yards on top of this range then work on hitting the bullseye at this new distance. The idea of practicing to shoot at a longer range than your effective range is vital to improving your shooting accuracy. It is a very easy yet most effective method that you can try on your own. This way, you’ll be able to accentuate any mistake that you’ve been battling with and also the lack of confidence. Of course, the longer the distance, the harder it is to hit your target. But once you’ve adjusted and perfected shooting at the long distance, you’ll have less trouble hitting the target at shorter distance.
- Follow Through
What do you find yourself doing immediately after releasing the arrow? Do you drop the bow and divert your attention or do you maintain your stance for a moment? Well, if you’ve been diverting your attention immediately, then you’ve been doing it all wrong. You need to keep your eye on the arrow as you maintain your stance and the bow still up. This way, you’ll not only improve your aim easily and significantly but you’ll also be able to keep it steady. You may be tempted to drop the bow in order to see if you’ve hit your target and this may affect the outcome. Instead, have someone stay with you as you shoot to help you not to release your stance until the shot has landed.
- Work on Your Grip
How you grip your bow has a direct effect on where the arrow will go. This simply means that if you don’t apply a proper grip, you’ll hardly hit the bullseye. Therefore, you should focus on how best to grip the bow to achieve your objective within the shortest time possible. This includes both the way you wrap your hand around the handle of the bow and the strength of your grip. The most effective way to achieve a proper grip when shooting is to ensure the center of the bow handle is put to run down the muscle right under your thumb. Thereafter, place 4 fingertips on the front of your handle and shoot. Be keen not to grip the bow too tight as this will affect the pattern of the arrow when you shoot – and you’ll have missed the target.
- Consider Trying a Drop Away Rest
There could be scenarios where, even after trying the above tips, you still feel you haven’t improved your archery. The results you get are far much different from what you expected when you started the sport. If you find yourself in such a situation, you may consider a drop away rest. This product works to lift up your arrow into the ready position after you’ve drawn your bow, and upon release, the rest falls down. This product minimizes the contact between the arrow and the rest, which in turn reduces the unwanted effects of the movements that you might have made as you took the shot. Even though this method requires you to spend some money on it, it can be the gate pass to achieving your archery objectives.
Conclusion
These tips are enough to give you the results you need on your archery. You may not get to see any positive change during your first days as you practice. But with consistency and determination, nothing will prevent you from improving and hitting the bullseye. You can also look for other relevant themed blogs to learn more about archery and different improvement steps. Good luck!
