Info for New Shooters

Although we carry stuff here for shooters from beginner's to advanced, we do all have to start somewhere. So in this post I want add some material for the beginner.

When looking at archery instruction and coaching it actually all rests upon a simple foundational concept which is commonly called "T-Form." When the shooter draws the bow and gets their string hand back to their face, their anchor point, their body looks like a big letter "T." Whether we're looking at beginning shooting or the more advanced courses of instruction and the high level successful shooters, we will see that big letter T in their form. Heck you can see that just in the header pic of my grandsons and their Dad.  :) 

To go with that, is what is called the "Shot Sequence." That is the series of steps that a shooter goes through from beginning to end. The idea is learn the shot sequence, and do the same steps, the same way, in the same order, for every shot we make.

So for folks who are just starting out I'm adding a visual here called "9 Steps to The 10 Ring." It shows classic basic T-Form, and a relatively simple but good Shot Sequence for beginners to work with. This will hopefully prove to be helpful for those aren't able to work with a mentor or coach.

1 Stance

If you place an arrow against the toes of your shoes, it should point towards the target.

2 Nock

Nock the arrow onto the bow string BELOW the nock point. Make sure that the index fletching (which is often a different colour) is pointing AWAY from the riser.

3 Set

Place your draw hand fingers on the bow string and your other hand on the handle.

4 Pre-Draw

Raise your bow up towards the target.

5 Draw

Draw the bow in 1 continuous smooth motion.

6 Anchor

Touch the string or your fingers to your face.

7 Aim

Check string alignment, and line the sight aperture up with the target.

8 Release

Relax your fingers and let the string slip past them

9 Follow-Through

The drawing hand should move backward towards your shoulder and your bow arm should still be raised.

Now a couple of things should be mentioned here. The above is just to get a person started. There are more levels of detail that can added to each and every step.

When it comes to hunting or shooting difficult Field or 3D ranges we don't get to always stand like we're out on a nice level grass playing field. But from at least the waist up, the basic T-Form should be there. As a shooter progresses they can also examine practicing for more difficult out of position shots such as shooting from a kneeling position.