Blind bale shooting

[Geno C]

I have been blind bale shooting for almost a week now... Trying everything I can to shake this target panic. It really only kicks in bad when I'm with another guy or few others shooting 3d. When I'm alone in my tree my shots come together. I go through a mental check list and walk through step by step in my head. I know I will be getting invites for 3d shooting this year as my buddies keep talking about it and I want to have myself together for it. I have been shooting blind bale about 2-3 times a day about 8-12 arrows each sling.i watched t-bones ways of over coming it and I liked his the best. I basically cover my sight with tape and there are no targets for me to aim at, just a blank board.it enables me to come to full draw, anchor and slowly squeeze off on the trigger so that the release come naturally and sort

Of surprises me. This way I don't punch the trigger. Well each day I remove the tape and shoot a few regularly and my groups are very tight at almost 20 yards. When I shoot with the tape on I have. Been looking for my arrows to sort of flow in a steady line which tells me my anchor is just about the same everytime. Not one high and low and so on. The pic below is usually how my arrows have been flying with the site covered so I'm excited about that!blind bale shots are at 5or 6 yards Way.the shots feel more comfortable now and I don't have a rushing feeling. Anyone with TArget panic should try it. It does work. I'll just keep doing this everyday until I feel I don't have any nerve telling me to punch the trigger.

[Red]

A couple of years ago I had target panic really bad mostly when shooting with other people I did the same thing you did shot blind. I would go to about 10' from the target close my eyes draw back anchor real ease over and over that helped me so much. I find it to come back every once in a while then ill shoot one arrow blind and be good for the day. Keep it up its a very effective method

[Geno C]

Thanks red, I plan on keeping at it. I have a feeling it will come back here n there over the years I would like to get it to the point where it just doesn't bog me down anymore and I can shoot with others and have a good time. But this method really seems to be working. I like the fact I cover it with tape to keep my eye open this way I can get the real feel of the draw, anchor and also looking through the peep just like a real shot.

Glad you got yours under control! It stinks having it

[Red]

I agree it really stinks my buddy and his dad would always invite me to shoot with them but I never felt comfortable they can hit a 1" circle from 40 plus yards over and over and mean while every time I drew back I would punch the trigger as fast as I can. After my buddy's dad told me to try and shoot blind I had no problem shooting with them. I'm no where's near as good as them but I have control of my shots now and can shoot well out to 40 now when I had the target panic I wouldn't shoot last 20 yards it really sucked It sounds like your definitely on the way to getting yours under control I really like your way with the tape next time it comes back I'm gonna give that a try. Good luck

[Geno C]

Thanks! Yeah the tape seems to be a better fit for me. I tried closing my eyes but I get more feel with my eyes open.

[chiefbkt]

When I find myself getting a little jumpy I shoot my other bow. It's a completely different draw cycle and back wall. Makes me focus on my form and not the target.

[Geno C]

I have been shooting them both... I decided to practice with my backup Mathews. Cranked it down to low 60s and was shooting that. But when I picked up my newer Mathews I was shooting a bit dif, maybe since the draw is just slightly dif and maybe the peep lignment? In any event I went to blind bale on both yesterday and shoot each. Now they are both feeling more of the same. Tight groups on both and flat lines on both when taped. So this is a good thing

[Geno C]

But thgs a good idea you have as well, shooting a dif bow

[Arrow Flinger]

Target panic is a bitch. I stopped shooting bullseyes for that reason. I mainly shoot at a 3d target and don't have any problems. Something about putting your pin on that little dot over and over and over again whacks your brain right out!

[Geno C]

Yup, once that pin passes through that bullseye my brain says, punch it! Lol

They say it's very common with pro shooter for that very reason you said. Plus when you push for tighter groups over and over you can start to develope it. TP is a common thing among archers. Sad part is, many have it and don't even know it. They black their gear and so on. I didn't know I had it, blamed my gear like many do and bought a brandnew bow and paid 1600$ only to find out it was me. Well, atleast I have a spare bow now lol

[WNYBuckHunter]

Instead of covering your sights, close your eyes and draw. Just feel the shot with your anchor points, and dont think too much. Do this at very close range so theres no chance of missing. It helps your draw and anchor to become second nature, so you arent overthinking the process. I had a bad bout with target panic a few years ago, and used that method to cure it. I was overthinking things, and going over all of the steps on every shot, just like you are. Once i stopped, i calmed right down.

[Geno C]

I have been watching videos on it and T-Bones seemed like it made a lot of sence. I'll try closing my eyes again and use that method for a bit and see how it goes. This way I can see which one helps the most for me. I have tried closing my eyes just didn't do it for long

[Geno C]

this is the video

 

[sampotter]

I shoot blind bale for a month straight prior to the start of hunting season. I use the eyes closed method. I knock an arrow and then close my eyes, forcing myself to hook on my release, draw, and shoot with my eyes closed. When I start shooting with my eyes open about a week before  the season starts it's amazing how natural every shot feels.

[dbHunterNY]

TBone has a good video there... I've watched it.  it's important to realize even when it subsides it'll never be gone.  it's important to change the mind set and not work on just muscle memory.  take baby steps to work up to shooting again.  spend more time suppressing it than actually shooting for a while. 

 

start with a blank sheet of paper with no marks. draw back, come to anchor, touch your finger to the trigger, then hold. once your peep, anchor, or sight gets out of alignment or you get shaky let down. don't fire the release at all.  do that for a while, then do the same but apply just enough pressure on the trigger so that the release doesn't quite fire.  don't fire.  do that even longer.  then once you feel comfortable do that same thing but fire at the blank sheet.  just focus on form and all the rest.  tell yourself to pull through and keep squeezing.  focus on keeping the pin still with slow tightening circles until the release fires and focus on keeping the pin still from jumping the best you can.  do this for a while.  it's important to work up slowly.  as soon as you "cheat", the bow goes off, or you get jumpy go back and work from the beginning.  this will train you mentally to except the shot process and roll along with it for as long as it takes until the release goes off. once comfortable start with a big target to aim at then slowly work down to a small target.  once at that point remember everything and go through the shot process.  tell yourself to squeeze or pull while you keep aiming.  it's important to go back and do this to keep it at bay otherwise it'll flare back up again.

 

this worked for me and actually improved my shooting.

[Geno C]

well, i only have been using T-Bones tactics even tho i said i was going to try closing my eyes. however. i am extremely excited to say that for the past week and a half or so i have stopped blind bale, uncovered my sights and started shooting regularly again. I have been blind bale shooting for about 2 1/2 months now just about every day. Since i have been shooting regularly again, my pins float with ease comfortably over my target. I shoot at just about the 20 yard mark and have been shooting at a bulls eye at around 5" around and every few days making the target smaller and shooting less arrows since my groups are practically touching each other with a quarter size group. I use like a 1" piece of black electrical tape and put the arrows dead in at 20. i went through a few arrows since the groups were getting very tight and i only sling about 2 arrows at time, twice a day. feels good to be able to feel this comfortable and confident behind the bow again. its very funny how by reintroducing my anchor to myself that i can do it every time the same way. 

 

figured id give an update to how it was going. Cant wait for the warmer weather to shoot outside and push that target out some more and get in on some 3d shooting this year.

[philoshop]

Glad you got it worked out!

I've been shooting bows since before compounds were a serious alternative. TP wasn't much of an issue before the whole draw, hold, aim, shoot sequence. It's usually the 'hold' part that gets a separate and unwanted part of your brain trying to tell the rest of your body what to do.

I'm also a drummer. Jazz mostly. And as soon as I start to think too much about what I'm playing, I'll screw something up. The key is to get the part of your brain that doesn't belong to leave the rest of your body alone.

I know, pretty Zen for a Sunday. I'm not normally like this.

Point is, shooting a bow or a gun or playing drums, it's about learning how to turn off the part of your brain that makes your body react like it's a panic situation. As long as the form, skills and technique are there, don't think about it and especially don't focus on it. Give your brain some time off.  Even think about something else while you're stackin' em in there.

[Geno C]

Thanks!

Yes I agree, I think aside from trying to turn off a certain part of your brain, its getting your motions to do things on a subconscious level, it should come fluent so you can put focus on another area and minimal focus on others since it becomes second nature. When you do, things come together smoothly and more natural.

It really does work, can't tell you how long I've been shooting with TP before I even knew I had it.

[philoshop]

Gets kinda' spooky when the gray matter takes over something that's physical that you know you can do, that you've been trained to do, and have done a million times before. And at the same time, it's something that is won or lost in your head before you ever pick up the bow. Tough to reconcile that contradiction. The ones that manage to figure it out are few and far between. The rest of us keep working at it. Positive mental attitude.

[Hardcore]

Thanks!

Yes I agree, I think aside from trying to turn off a certain part of your brain, its getting your motions to do things on a subconscious level, it should come fluent so you can put focus on another area and minimal focus on others since it becomes second nature. When you do, things come together smoothly and more natural.

It really does work, can't tell you how long I've been shooting with TP before I even knew I had it.

its getting your motions to do things on a subconscious level, it should come fluent so you can put focus on another area and minimal focus on others since it becomes second nature. When you do, things come together smoothly and more natural.

Geno.....I think you have discovered the root of the issue....& definitely on the right track....I have issues after too much shooting....when practicing if my mechanics begin to hiccup I stop....got to be a comfortable fluid motion and anchor...

[Doc]

Basically, the tape over the sights works very well. The whole thing is about going for precision and the fear of the sight coming off the target at impact. It's a mental pressure that we put on ourselves that forces involuntary panic reactions. Covering the sight takes away that pressure for precision to the point where you can simply relax and feel the proper form and release.

 

My target panic took a different form. I would get where if a shot didn't go off in a reasonable time, I would just have this super-exaggerated giant "flinch". It could be so violent that it would throw the shot right off the butt. Covering the sight would stop it. Just removing that pressure to hit the center of the center, would put my mind straight. It's an ugly thing, but there are remedies. However, it is never permanently beat, and can re-occur at any time. The funny thing is that I have never had it happen on a deer. I think that's because there are other things going on at the time that interrupts any brain-spasm from happening.

[Geno C]

I must admit, I was a bit skeptic in regards to blind bale shooting. When I first realized I had TP, in my head I said how would blind bale shooting help me? Well, much to my surprise it amazed me to see how by not focusing on anything but form and anchor, the rest seemed to fall into place. The basics so to speak... I worked on 3 parts over the past 2 months.

1) anchoring... Coming to full draw and hitting the same anchor everytime.

2) slowly squeeze on the trigger, push/pull and try to be surprised by the release.

3) draw..aim without shooting... Breakdown

I have no urge to release the trigger when at full draw now. I focus on aiming, when I float the pin over my point I want to hit I slowly squeeze off. I do not punch it anymore. Everything about the start to finish is smooth. Mentally feeling completly different then I did before in a great way. Don't get me wrong, when I was one on one with the deer I was able to pull it all together and make that one shot fall into place. This year was a 30 yard heart shot on an 8 point and lag year a 20 yard double lung 7 point. But even tho I was able to talk myself through it I did not have the smoothness or confidence as I do at the moment. So I'm def on a way more positive track so far

[Geno C]

Yes doc your absolutely right. Your never ever really cured but you can learn to keep it in line and under control. It's like being an alcoholic, you can over come it but it will always be an underlying issue that can come back at anytime.

[dbHunterNY]

it's really important what you typed in that last post.  sounds like you're doing great.  good to hear it.