Shooting a bow and arrow more accurately and consistently takes practice, albeit gaining the ability to group arrows in tight groups takes more than just practice: it takes proper practice. You can’t just shoot arrow after arrow and become consistently accurate without implementing the proper techniques, form, and practice habits. This is why we have collected a series of useful archery tips directly from expert archers. These tips apply to both modern and traditional archery. Try them on your next target practice session. We guarantee that not only your shooting will be more accurate, but you will feel more confident with bow and arrow, and as you gain confidence, your archery ability will improve too.
Table of Contents
6 Archery Tips To Improve Your Shooting And Become An Expert Archer
1. Concentrate more on a tiny spot on the target
The smaller, the better! This helps because it requires you to concentrate more than if you were shooting at a larger spot on the target. When shooting it is key to concentrate on the spot that you want to hit. Nothing else should be on your mind. Keep your eyes on the spot while you draw, stay, point, discharge, lastly watches your bolt hit the target.
2. Shoot with both of your eyes open
Shooting with both eyes open helps in low light conditions. It also helps watch the arrow as it finds or misses it’s mark. While shooting with both eyes open, your eyes may battle for dominance while you begin to aim. If this happens, close your non-dominant eye for a second regroup and open it again.
3. Relax your fingers while holding your bow
You do not want to have pressure on the grip of the bow from your palm. Instead, you want to allow the bow to be held in place by the “V” between your thumb and index finger. This will help to prevent yours from torquing your bow during the shot, which is a common cause of inconsistency.
4. Shoot bright color vanes
White color vanes are preferred because white stands out against a dark target. They also make it easier to locate your arrow if you miss or shoot through the target. The only concern with white vanes is while hunting, especially during the gun season. For safety, it is recommended to cover the white vanes with hunter’s orange when walking through the woods.
5. Practice shooting your bow at long distances
Shooting a lighted arrow nock, such as a Lumenok is a great method at long distances to see imperfections in your form. With a Lumenok attached to your arrow shoot your bow 45 plus yards and watch the arrow as it flies to the target. The Lumenok will help you to see imperfections in your arrow flight. It will also make it easy to see where you hit the target and to recover your arrow in low light conditions.
You can do this when you’re shooting at your targets, but what happens when you’re at the archery range shooting at archery targets, 3D targets, or even when bow hunting? These targets don’t have a painted circle or a sticker on them, so how can you use this to your advantage? The answer to this is visualization. When you’re looking at your target, you will visualize the black circle and aim for it. If you’re using a mental checklist – which you should as it is an important thing to learn in archery lessons – you can add a reminder to “aim small, ” and it will soon become a second habit.
6. Be confident
This is probably one of the most important archery tips. As simple as it sounds, confidence plays a big part in archery. And as your techniques improves you will naturally grow confident. If you’re consistently practicing aiming at a small target, your accuracy will increase, and you will feel more confident hitting larger targets. In addition to that, when it comes to bowhunting and 3D archery, if you practice at different angles, you will know what to do when presented with a non-perfect shot.
Conclusion
These archery tips require practice though. Over time, you will get better at visualizations, and you will find that your arrow groupings have improved. Make this addition to the archery tips used to improve your form and technique, and you will see marked improvement.
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Especially n.2 helped me a lot as I was getting into the bad habit of shooting with one eye closed, which affected my groupings
I never knew that keeping both eyes open can help find the arrow as it hits the mark or not. My good friend is wanting to get me into archery so we can go deer hunting together. I’ll keep researching ways to be a great archer and what is recommended.
It was interesting to learn about how you can find more flaws in your shooting if you shoot at things more than 45 yards away. My cousin really wants to get into archery so that she can build some muscle and practice something long range that isn’t a gun. She would love to go to a professional archery range where she can practice.
Really good share. I think tips no. 2, 3 and 5 are so effecting. And it also helps reader to choose their best bow. Thanks for share.