As the temperatures get warmer, the opportunity to do more archery becomes easier. Winter is a natural time of rest, and your archery skills may fade if you’re practicing less. This produces a standard problem for some in the hobby, forcing them to practice their accuracy after long spells of inactivity.
Here are 5 early-season tips to sharpen your accuracy before summer to help get your skills back into top form.
Practice: Spend Time Actually Shooting the Bow
Nothing helps improve accuracy more than actually shooting a bow. Take some time, set up some targets, and spend a weekend shooting arrows. This will show if there’s a stance, presentation, or grip issue, each of which varies from person to person and has to be discovered through consistent bow use.
This means:
- Multiple presentations of the bow without shooting to establish a natural point of aim.
- Multiple shots at different distances.
- Transitioning from target to target, even if it is at different sections of the same target.
Archery takes a lifetime to master, so more practice equals better results.
Check the Strings: Proper Maintenance Goes a Long Way
While the best bow strings can help a lot with accuracy and consistency, it doesn’t matter if they are poorly maintained. Check to see if your current strings are still able to perform, or if they are overly stretched out and need a replacement.
Additionally, discard any frayed or otherwise damaged strings in order to keep the bow in working order and prevent an accident. Damaged strings can break, resulting in a scare at best and an injury at worst. Removing damaged strings from the bow is best for everyone.
Check the Fletchings: Damaged Fletchings Impact Performance
The arrow’s fletchings help stabilize it in flight. Make sure they are not damaged (torn, ripped, or missing) so that they will do their job efficiently. This is especially necessary if more traditional arrows are used.
Because traditional arrows use bird feathers as fletchings, they can degrade over time or at a faster rate than modern rubber or plastic fletchings. Modern styles can still be damaged, but they do not degrade at the same rate that real feathers do.
Make Sure the Arrows Are Straight
Wobbly Arrows Do Not Hit the Target
A straight arrow will fly better than a crooked one. But, the environment is full of challenging trails and arrows are no different.
If the arrow’s shaft is not straight, it will not go to the target easily. Just like using real feathers for the fletchings, using traditional wood or cane for the arrow shaft can have an effect on its accuracy. This is because natural materials swell and warp, depending on the environmental changes.
To fix a wobbly shaft, an arrow straightener is needed. This can be a more formal machine, which is designed for aluminum arrows and some wooden ones, or it can be for more traditional wood or antler methods.
Either way, a straightened shaft will perform better and last longer than a crooked one. Modern carbon fiber and plastic can still warp to an extent, but this is predominantly a wood and aluminum arrow issue.
Shoot Farther: Longer Ranges Make Closer Targets Easy
Pushing previous limits in terms of distance can help with accuracy. Being able to hit a target at 200 feet makes hitting a target at 150 feel a lot easier.
Gradually increasing distances and pushing out accuracy beyond the expected ranges will help improve skill and engrain habits that will help compensate for environmental factors, like wind and humidity.
Longer distances have more challenges. Shooting farther helps reveal what those challenges are and gives opportunities to learn new tricks for dealing with them, whether that means understanding crosswinds, projectile arcs, or even just arrow weight.
Put Archery On the Schedule
Increase your chances of actually practicing archery by penciling it into your schedule. Regular practice allows for specific problems to be focused on, whether that is bow presentation, distance shooting, or transition shooting.
Scheduling time to maintain the bow, fix any arrows or fletchings, or replace any worn-out bow strings will also produce better results and keep your bow functioning longer.
Remember: Archery is largely about fun, and the only way to keep that fun going is to maintain your bow and the skills necessary to use it.
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