Archery has been practiced for thousands of years, and people have been attempting to perfect the weapon for the same amount of time. Archery is considerably simpler nowadays owing to modern equipment on the market, such as sights, mechanical releases, and peep sights, among other things. Shooting a compound bow is less difficult than shooting a traditional bow and arrow, but it’s still not easy. Fortunately, the fundamentals of the technique are simple to grasp and begin practicing.
Posture
When shooting a bow, you should maintain your back flat and stand tall. This increases your stability, which is beneficial when shooting in windy circumstances or bowhunting from a tree stand. Maintaining a flat back also helps you to reach your back’s larger, stronger muscles. With your shoulders down and shoulder blades down, your neck and shoulders should be relaxed. Take a deep breath through your abdomen and exhale while feeling your shoulders drop if you’re having difficulties relaxing your shoulders. Your head should be in a neutral position, with your eyes fixed on the target.
Form a straight line (up and down) with your body from your feet to your head to the ceiling for the finest archery posture. To maintain your waist level with your feet, you’ll need to engage your core and distribute your weight evenly on both feet. Try to sense where your weight is distributed on your feet to prevent leaning back, swaying forward, or tilting your head. The ideal weight distribution is 60 percent on the balls of your feet and 40 percent on your heels. Keep your shoulder blades down and back, as well.
Nocking an arrow
Because the portion of the arrow that snaps into the bowstring is called a nock, attaching your arrow to the bowstring is referred to as “nocking” the arrow. It’s as easy as this:
- Remove your arrow from the quiver and align it so that the odd-colored feather or vane on your arrow points up.
- Attach the nock to the bowstring.
The nock will be snapped into the center of a “D-loop” in the center of your bowstring. When nocking your arrow, you should always feel (and/or hear) a click, which indicates that the nock is connected to the bowstring.
Unless you’re utilizing a full-containment rest, which is typical in bowhunting, you’ll then lay the arrow atop your arrow rest (common examples include the Whisker Biscuit). Place the arrow in the rest before nocking it on the bowstring in such a scenario.
You should now be able to identify your stance, detect excellent archery posture, and nock an arrow if you’ve been following this lesson. If that’s the case, you’re ready to go on to the following step: hooking and grasping. These two stages are sometimes ignored, but they’re crucial in deciding where your arrow will strike since they’re the two locations where your body makes touch with the bow.
Hooking
Hooking is the process of connecting your release aid (hooking it) to the D-loop and then putting your hand on the release using a compound bow. You’ll need to lock the release in place depending on the sort of release you’re using, and whether you do it before or after hooking it into the D-Loop is entirely up to you.
There are a variety of release aids available for archers, each of which may be engaged (triggered) in a different way and held in the hand in a different way. Many novices begin by using a wrist strap release assist, which fastens or velcros on the hand that releases the bowstring and is actuated by gently squeezing a trigger with the index finger. Others are held in the hand and activated by the thumb or even muscular motions.
Keep your hand relaxed when you place the release in your hand, regardless of the sort of release assistance you’re using. Make sure you don’t make a fist around the release. Keep the back of your palm flat and relaxed, with just enough tension in your fingers to prevent the release from sliding out. Choose a comfortable posture since once your hand is on the release aid, it should remain there for the duration of the shot.
When using a trigger-style release, keep your thumb (or index finger) away from the trigger until you’ve fully pulled the bow back and started aiming. When drawing a bow, this prevents you from unintentionally striking the trigger.
Gripping
The way you position your bow hand – the hand that holds the bow – on the bow grip is referred to as gripping. To avoid unexpected shots that travel high and low or left and right, you must position your grip the same way every time. The grip is one of the most underappreciated aspects of the shot, yet it may have a huge influence on how your arrows fly.
Begin by placing the fleshy portion of your thumb/palm in the middle of the bow grip (between your lifeline and your thumb). This is referred to as a pressure point, and it is an essential element of holding the bow. You must keep a comfortable grasp with very little stress, similar to how you held your release. Your thumb should point toward the target, and your other fingers’ knuckles should create a 45-degree angle to the bow with a relaxed grip. Remember not to seize the bow with your hand clenched; this may generate tension in the grip, resulting in left and right arrows. Instead, retain your pressure point in the center of your bow grip, which will make you feel more powerful throughout the shot.
To discover the ideal pressure, point for positioning your palm on the bow, use the following tips: Feel the area on your palm that makes the greatest contact with the ground as you do a pushup, or lean into a post or pillar and feel the pressure point that supports you. You’ll feel like you’re making solid contact with the bow if you adjust your grip appropriately, providing you lots of strength while shooting!
