Practice tips for better performance

[vonottoexperience]

I have to say to NOT shoot a 3D course because you don't like the where scorings are is idiotic {IMO } If you have a course near you go shoot it, it can only make you better.Here's why... If your shooing for score, you know the rules so act accordingly. Shoot for the spot. Once I see where it is I want to hit I focus on that spot..I see nothing else, just the spot {as you should when shooting @ game animals.
If you don't care about the score{for what ever reason}, just shoot for the kill. It's you dollar do what you like. Shoot for the off side shoulder, shoot knelling down, don't like the angle? move a little, use a range finder {just don't hand your card in } Your learning alot, way more then in your back yrd. Go shoot! enjoy all your archery opportunities, learn to be a better archer

[Greg Krause]

vonottoexperience said:

I have to say to NOT shoot a 3D course because you don't like the where scorings are is idiotic {IMO } If you have a course near you go shoot it, it can only make you better.Here's why... If your shooing for score, you know the rules so act accordingly. Shoot for the spot. Once I see where it is I want to hit I focus on that spot..I see nothing else, just the spot {as you should when shooting @ game animals.
If you don't care about the score{for what ever reason}, just shoot for the kill. It's you dollar do what you like. Shoot for the off side shoulder, shoot knelling down, don't like the angle? move a little, use a range finder {just don't hand your card in } Your learning alot, way more then in your back yrd. Go shoot! enjoy all your archery opportunities, learn to be a better archer

Yup. what he said!

[BT]

vonottoexperience said:

I have to say to NOT shoot a 3D course because you don't like the where scorings are is idiotic {IMO }

I am not saying that
I am saying that when you are shooting for months on end at the wrong location , that gets ingrained.
It's no different that proper practice as to form.
If you practice perfect form , after awhile it becomes ingrained.
The brain does not differentiate what you are logging in as to information....the brain only records and acts on the information that it is provided.
If you are suddenly faced with a situation that requires blind instinct you are going to be relying on that previous input.

Most people cant be labeled as cool customers in a hunting situation


I am all for 3-D and encourage it but as you say....you can shoot for the kill rather than the wound as the targets can and are sometimes positioned.

[Greg Krause]

Look how many of my shots on the 3D course hit low and foreward. many of them, especially at the start of the season. That is because that is where I always shoot for on an animal. It does get ingrained in you mind..both ways. That is why it is always nice to shoot a few towards the end of summer for kills only.

[Scottyluck]

BT,

You say you understand my point but you're still missing it since you think it is only valid in a tourney atmosphere. I don't understand how picking a spot is only relevant in a tournament or when scoring for points.
You say shooting at the scoring rings when they are not in the correct killing spot becomes ingrained in your memory.

That would be a problem if all the targets on a course were the same. When is the last time you shot 30 targets with the scoring rings in the same spot? Or with all the animals in the same position?

This is where picking a spot is relevant. Not just for tourneys but in the real world. You are training your mind to pick a spot on the animal and shoot for it. Since most of the animals have rings in different locations you are not always shooting at the same area. Just like a real hunting situation. It shouldn't matter if the rings are tucked in the shouder or on the animal's ass. Your mind now knows that you need to hit a spot, not an area.

If you can hit the spot you're aiming at then where that spot is shouldn't matter.

This is VERY relevant to real life hunting situattions.

[royden]

Lockmaster you need to step in and moderate just joking ... just joking ...

I gotta agree with Bt here. 3-d shoots are great practice; but they can instill the bad habit if focusing on the wrong spot. I agree that one has to aim for a spot - but I also agree that 3-d rings are not always "right". They can be when the target is position correctly so that the ring covers the kill zone from that angle.

Just aiming for the "ring" could cause a person to hold too far back on a deer critter. Subconsciously they hold for what they are used to seeing or looked at. Case in point - how many times have you heard of rifle hunters who rattled a bullet in a big bucks rack? You know their gun wasn't off that bad - and you also know they didn't mean to aim there ... it's just that that is where they looked when they "shut their eyes and jerked the trigger!"

[BT]

scottyluck said:

BT,

I don't understand how picking a spot is only relevant in a tournament or when scoring for points.
You say shooting at the scoring rings when they are not in the correct killing spot becomes ingrained in your memory.

Picking a spot is all fine and well but if you cant see the spot then you have to memorize it's location and thats how you get that info. ingrained.
Deer targets are the most popular target on any 3-D range so there is more than enough exposure on one target to develop a mindset towards that target animal in the subconscious.

Most people do not carry bino's on a 3-D course and if they do not then they are limited to memorization.
This is what I am saying and in general , most people do understand what I am referring to.
I understand what you are saying totally and I agree with you in some part but the way you go to a shoot is not the way the majority go to a shoot.

It used to be that bino's were against the rules if you were scoring the round for points and then that changed as did the rules pertaining to range finders.
Neither of these tools are helping to perfect field skills which by definition dont involve anything more than skill.
This is what 3-D was originally intended to provide and this was my point.
3-D does not provide good practice many times due to course layout or target kill location.

[Scottyluck]

I disagree 100%.

I'll leave it at that.

[tedicast]

Here is my take on 3d. To me...3D is NOT hunting practice. It is archery practice. Nothing simulates hunting situations, except hunting situations. To me I'm in 2 completely different mindsets when shooting 3d, compared to hunting.

[BT]

scottyluck said:

I disagree 100%.

I'll leave it at that.

Well.....if we all agreed then there would be much less to talk about