The Evolution of Target Archery

  A few weeks ago, before I was called to Florida, I had a long talk with Ed Despart. We discussed a variety of things, but we both agreed that the number of people who shoot at a high level is amazing. Twenty years ago, there were a lot of guys who could shoot well, but it seemed like many of these individuals came from the same geographical locations across the country.

  Amazingly, the scores that win now aren't any different than the scores that won back then, but the number of archers shooting them has increased dramatically. So why did a lot of good/great shooters come from the same geographical locations back then?

  Well, that was a time period before the internet was overloaded with information about shooting. Websites weren't available to filter through the information and learn the answers to your questions. YouTube didn't exist, so there weren't any video tutorials out there to pick apart and decide what information you could use to improve your game. There was no way to keep up on what was going on at big tournaments unless you knew someone who went to them. Then, it would take you a week or two to catch up on the "new" news as it filtered back to the ranges around the country.

  I have always felt fortunate to live near Albany, N.Y., where many great archers have lived over the years. I've done most of my "local" shooting throughout New York and New England. In my travels, I've also been lucky enough to toe the line or share a stake with some of the best shooters in the world, whether it was in the late '90s or last year. I've been surrounded my professional target archers and professional 3D archers.

  The amount of knowledge in an area directly leads to the quality of competition. If you find yourself in the same ranges and at the same tournaments as the good guys, you have an opportunity to watch, listen and learn. A lot of the data about shooting and tuning is talked about every day, week and month when you're around these guys. As with anything in life, if you're a good listener, you can become better at almost anything.

  Twenty years ago, I was surrounded by guys who were ahead of the curve when it came to shooting and tuning. I quickly learned that  being able to execute a "surprise" shot would increase my odds of being successful. I would go home and try many of things I heard others talking about. Eventually, I found my own way of doing things. I learned that the biggest secret was being consistent with the way I executed my shot. Although there were many thoughts on good form and bad form, the secret was to do things exactly the same every time I drew my bow and settled into my anchor. I might not have done it the right way, but I figured out how to repeat the process. I also learned how to give the shot 100% of my concentration.

  I never achieved the heights of many of the guys from my area, but I think I did okay when I look back on it. I'm not sure if I would have done better if I had access to all of the knowledge that is currently on the internet, but I know my learning curve would have been much shorter. It probably would've allowed me to save hours, days, months and years of experimenting to understand what worked and what didn't.

  When you take a look around and think about how you got to where you are, whether it's still flinging arrows in the backyard or traveling across the country to compete in national events, you should never forget your journey and the people who helped along the way.

  After I got out of college and started competing, I came in contact with a lot of the greats in my region and had the pleasure of shooting with many of them. I learned from all of them, even if I didn't shoot with them. When I started traveling to shoot in 3D tournaments, the legend in my area was Roger Thibault. Everybody wanted to beat Roger. He set the bar for all others in New England. After I began finding myself in peer groups with him every year in the New England Triple Crown, I realized that his confidence helped him more than anything. He had a better mental game than anyone I had shot with up to that point. I knew I had to work on that part of my shooting and made it a priority.

  Over the next 10 years, I learned from Bob Rowe, Steph Hamner, Ryan Rowe, Dave Cousins, Eric Griggs, Scott Tozier and many others. Then, as I began competing in target archery events, I watched Jim Despart, Dave Badgely, Doug Williams, Kenny Young, Doug Monteleone, and John Vozzy. Although these are just a few of the guys, there were many more whom I could write about. These guys gave me incentive to get better.

  I know I probably didn't accomplish anything in writing this, but I did get to think about some of the old days when shooting was the same -- but different. The whole secret to shooting well depends on the ability to shoot a surprise shot and having a solid mental game. The rest will take care of itself. I hope this short piece makes people think of all the people in their region who pushed them to become better. Although I included a few western New Yorkers, I'm glad I lived close to many great shooters. How about all of you? Have you noticed that certain regions/pockets hold a lot of good shooters?

NFAA Mid-Atlantic Sectionals

  It seems like indoor season is rapidly coming to a close. Although I'd really like to go to the NFAA Indoor Nationals, it doesn't appear that I'm going to be able to make it. I know I should probably just pack up and hit the road to try my hand at it this year, but too many other things are going on right now that are distracting me. I would love to go.

  I didn't do much shooting this week. I went to the club on Tuesday night to shoot in the 450 league. I took Monday as a rest day since I had shot two days in a row at the state championship last weekend. Once again, I felt like I shot better than the score I posed in league. I shot a 446 with 30Xs. I just can't seem to stack up good scores this year. My shot feels really good, but the the bow feels a little erratic this year. I haven't been able to put a finger on it, and I've been taking the majority of the blame. I've recently begun to wonder if I should look deeper into the results and start going over the equipment with a fine-toothed comb. The bow just doesn't seem to be forgiving enough to save me on sub-par shots, and I don't feel like I'm making very many bad shots this year. It has been a mental battle for the majority of the year, but I keep returning because I feel like my shooting can carry me through anything.

  Years ago, the Mid-Atlantic Sectionals were a combined total of two 300 rounds, and I shot some really good scores when it was done in that format. I think I liked it better when it was done that way. It really showed who had it together for two consecutive rounds on one of the most grueling targets to shoot in indoor archery. There's nothing more taxing on your patience than shooting a 5-spot round. It requires 100% of your concentration, and it doesn't lend any leniency to marginal shots when you have to shoot five arrows every round for 12 ends.

  On Friday night, I started off making good shots. The pin was drifting around a little bit, but the arrows were hitting behind the pin. I dropped one X in the first end and one on my last arrow of the sixth end before we had to change target position.

  I started on the top, so I had to move my target to the bottom. When I moved the target, I felt good about being on the bottom. Over the years, I've tended to shoot better on the bottom. When I drew my bow to shoot the first arrow of the seventh end, the entire sight picture changed. I had a difficult time getting back on track and quickly missed two Xs in that end. I didn't fare much better during the next end, dropping two more. I battled through the end of the round to regain my composure and felt good about getting back on track. When the round came to a close, I was not happy about my second-half performance. I let a few small distractions get the best of me, and the distractions caused me to lose focus. My shooting was stellar for the first half, and I'll take that away from the night. I executed every shot with great form and follow through, and the arrows found their way to the center. It felt awesome to shoot powerful shots and watch the arrows bury into the X.

  In the second half I learned that I could still battle through distracting stuff. I searched through some past memories and realized I needed a recovery strategy to get back on track. Between ends, I sat in a chair and thought about the buck I killed in Illinois last fall. I saw myself drawing the bow back and debating on whether or not to thread the arrow through a crack between two trees. Finally, I chose to make the shot, and it struck perfectly. I watched the deer bound down the hill, wobble around and disappear after coming out of creek bed. I had made a perfect shot through a tight window.

  After thinking about that great day, my mind became free and easy again, and I rolled the next 20 consecutive Xs, which isn't the easiest thing to do with a pin and short bars when age starts creeping up on you. I know it was a lot easier at 31 than 51. Now, it's a little harder to see where the pin is on the target, but I still do my best. Being able to use my recovery program worked really well during this round, and I was thankful to draw it out of my bag of tricks. I definitely needed it.

                                                          The Second Round

  I got to the range about 40 minutes before the scheduled start time for the round on Sunday. I was surprised to see the range full of people. I didn't think that many people were signed up, and I was pleasantly surprised to see the nice crowd. We had a wide variety of people shooting, too.

  When I stepped to the line for the first practice end, I realized I was going to have to find a way around a shaky sight picture. The sight didn't sit still for the 10 practice arrows, and I knew I would have to trust my shot. Many years ago, Tim Strickland taught me that motion is correction while shooting. As long as I do my part and keep pulling, the sight should make its way back to the center of the bullseye before the shot fires. I trusted this and did the best I could do.

  I chose to start on the bottom, figuring a change from Friday might serve me well. Once again, like Friday, I started off slowly. I made five good shots, but one of them hit barely under the X. I recovered quickly and shot some good rounds. I survived the first half and dropped three Xs. Considering how much my sight was moving, I considered that a success. I concentrated incredibly hard to make sure I didn't make any sub-par shots, and I felt like I succeeded.

  When I moved my target from the bottom to the top at the halfway point, I felt good about finishing the game. I made five good shots the first end, and all of the arrows found their way into the X. I stayed strong throughout the rest of the game and barely missed three. The misses were no larger than a sheet of paper. Two of the arrows were barely out the top at 12 o'clock and the other one missed at 6 o'clock. I got a little strong on two of them, and the other one probably hit where the pin was sitting.

  When I finished, I looked at the scorecard when it was handed to me and saw that I had shot a 300 with 54xs. I'm not sure how that will do since the Mid-Atlantic Sectional comprises so many states -- New York to Virginia -- but I think it will be alright for Senior Bowhunter Freestyle. I'm not liking the fact that I'm in the senior class, but Father Time is undefeated, so I'll keep rolling around on this uneven road. Last year, I ended with a 300 57xs and found myself in a 3-way tie for first, losing out on first by one inside/out X. Although I wasn't happy with the score, I was satisfied with my shooting. Scores haven't been showing up on the paper this year according to how I'm evaluating my shooting. But I also have to realize that I haven't been able to shoot very much at all this winter due to the shoulder rehab. It's still a little bothersome while shooting, and I just haven't been able to put as many arrows through my bow to get the same results as last year. That very well could be the reason why the scores aren't where I would like them to be.



                                                    My Take on the Sectionals

  As you can see above, I pounded that one particular X, as I always do in almost every game I shoot. Very rarely do I ever miss my first arrow on a Vegas target or a 5-spot. I tend to center punch the first target in every tournament or league. It's because I'm calm, confident and in control.

  I had a very difficult time concentrating this weekend. My mind wasn't on shooting, and that is never a good thing. I always try to do my best when I draw the bow and make the most out of what plays out in front of me. I think I succeeded this weekend with that. It's difficult to concentrate when your parents are 1,200 miles away and your dad finds himself in the hospital with unexplainable things going wrong. Your mind will do funny things when that happens. As many of you have seen, Dad is in the hospital, and the doctors are trying to get to the bottom of what is going on. Hopefully, they can consult with his doctors up here and figure out a plan to help him out. He shot lights out at the ASA Pro-Am last weekend in Alabama and everything seemed good until this dilemma took hold.

  I felt anxious while shooting the Mid-Atlantics. I think I might have been trying too hard. I haven't found myself doing that in a long time, and the nerves came out of nowhere. I always feel nerves, but the Mid-Atlantic Sectionals always seem to drive them into overdrive. I've never been able to figure out was causes it. I'll beat it next year. I'm sure of it.

  I was able to shoot next to Jacob on the second day. It's always fun to rub elbows with one of the best professional shooters in the world, especially when said shooter acts just like he's one of us Joes. It's a pleasure to have him around. He's always willing to help anyone who asks him questions, and he was put to work this weekend helping a few people. Jacob put up a pretty good score in the Men's Professional division, so now he and I will have to wait to see how things shake out.  We also watched live scoring of the NAA rounds as the last couple of locations finished up. We learned that he finished in the top 8, and he will be shooting in the head-to-head matches in Louisville in a few weeks for the title of National Champion. When we finished shooting the round, I shot his bow to see how I liked it. Amazingly, our bows are set up very similar as far as peep height and holding weight. I hit behind the pin with his bow and shot a few Xs, and he hit behind the pin on my bow and shot some tiny dust spots on the target. We think we might shoot the same bow in the team shoots this year, figuring we can each carry the bow for half the course. It will give us the ability to rest up. It's not often you can take someone's bow and shoot it accurately and have it be close enough in draw length to make it work without putting much work into it. It was a cool experiment that we had fun with.

  I think the coolest thing that happened this weekend was when I saw two people shoot their first 300 ever. On Saturday, a shooter from the Clifton Park league shot his first 300, and on Sunday, Logan Stevenson shot his first 300. I was excited for both of these shooters. Although it was a long time ago, I still remember my first one like it was yesterday. After shooting it, I went on a memorable run, one that sometimes still surprises me today when I look back on it.

  I realized another thing this weekend that I think sometimes gets overlooked. When most people can shoot in the low to mid-50s for an X count, the ones they're missing are most likely due to mental mistakes. Sometimes the difference between 55 and 60 is nothing more than the width of a dime. Although it can be easy for some people to shoot these scores in practice and leagues, I've realized it is an entirely different beast in a tournament when there is perceived pressure. Shooting without any self-induced pressure is pretty easy. If you can design a way to induce pressure, you will be a step ahead.