When to let down

[James Park]

What decision criteria do you use to decide to let a shot down and start again?

[tohjin]

When i go out of sync with my timing? eg. over aim, wind disturbance.

[Marcus]

This depends on a few things

Confidence: If I am feeling good about my shooting I will let down within about 6 seconds of settling into the shot if it has not gone off. This is if I am aiming well and executing correctly.
I will also let down if my arrow falls off the rest, of if there is a strong wind. Or if things feel bad.

However

If I am not feeling good about my shooting I will often try and work around these issues at full draw and often end up stuffing the shot up.

In the last few years I have concluded that good shooters let down more often than average shooters, sometimes by a factor of 8 or so times.

[Clare Barnes]

What decision criteria do you use to decide to let a shot down and start again?

When you're laughing so much that you can't see the target through the tears in your eyes..... :D :roll:

(Damn longbowers not taking things seriously again! :wink: )

[baldmountain]

I think that everyone asks themselves this question and most ignore the answer.

During a round there are certain times when the draw, anchor and release feel SOOOOO right. On those occasions I shoot a really good arrow. Because I haven't been shooting very long that really good feeling only happens 4 or 5 times in a 60 arrow round. As I progress I want to have that really good feeling on every arrow so that I never have to let down.

When should you let down? Any time during the set, draw, anchor, aim when something doesn't feel right, you should let down. Once you've let down, take a breath and restart your shot routine. (I believe that you should have a shot routine that you follow evey time you shoot an arrow. No I don't have a shot routine because I mess with my equipment too much. :D )

I know that I should let down anytime something doesn't feel right. I usually muscle through and drop the arrow. I know better, but do it any ways. :(

[James Park]

I think that everyone asks themselves this question and most ignore the answer.
Quite true.

[Ozzy]

I have noticed that with the cams on more modern target bows as opposed to the round wheels more commonly shot several years ago, it presents more of a reluctance to let down. particularly if an archer is pushing the limits with poundage. :-?
Severe cams are a process to let down, particularly if using a BT release aid :roll:
It does stress the need to practise letting down :wink:

[Shirt]

Indoors - too many bad feelings. Usually it's a bad reference which feels very very strange, and that'll cause it. Unfamiliar elbow rotation does it as well. Occasionally, it can look like a good shot and just feel wrong. In which case, I have a 50:50 chance of letting down/releasing and swearing.

[Eberbachl]

Letting down the bow physically is easy. I shoot (normally) 60lb, command cams, and a BT release, at the moment, either a Carter Atension or a Zenith X-Cel.

I think if you are having difficulties letting your bow down physically you have some work to do. Either, let your poundage down, as it is too much for you, or learn to use your release device correctly.

Actually forcing yourself (mentally) to let it down is a bit harder.

Basically I'll let down if a: something is wrong equpment - wise etc... b: the shot just doesnt "feel" good, or c: if it is taking me too long to get the shot off.

What defines not feeling good? How long is too long before the shot goes off?

I don't know yet exactly. I'm still working on identifying those thingsafter some radical form changes recently.

Good topic :wink:

[The One]

I usually let down in strong winds, or when I have too much tension in my fingers or arms. Usually, though, I prefer not to think about it too much, because I believe that you should always be attempting to shoot shots which go in the middle, first time, every time. I mean sure, it doesn't always happen like this, but I find that whenever I think about the possibility of letting down in a shot, chances are, I won't get through the clicker. It's all about focus and concentration, of course.

You always get those shot every now and then, of course, that once you're halfway through your shot, you know that it's going to go in the middle.

[Shermo]

At a recent 3D tournament I shot well and I put this to letting down :wink: As soon as a my shoot routine didn't feel right, I'd let down straight away :D A few beginners criticised me about this but I explained to them "I'd rather let down than see my arrow land in the 8 because I made a silly mistake" :wink:

[Flex]

I usually let down if feels wrong But only 50% of the time :oops:
Think thats just slack.


If the wind has picked up and is throwing me around 90% of the time.

Sometimes the wind is what I would say the edge of being controled thats
when I will hold for that bit too long.

[CMB50]

I know when i should let down, that's easy, it's right after you release and the arrow lands no where near where you were aiming. I had been just previously telling myself at full draw to let down, this doesn't feel right. Instead i decide that i can fix the problem at full draw. Funny enough time and time again i never manage to correct the errors and shoot like crap.
Maybe I'm just stubborn!? :roll:

[OldDog]

95% of the time i let down. The other 10% I just push on blindly 8)

[James Park]

I suspect we should let down just as soon as we start thinking about whether or not we should let down (unless of course we are getting near a time limit, in which case we simply need to press on regardless).

[robbo]

I let down 3 times today, I should have let down at least a dozen times more. :roll:

Why is it so hard to let down, instead of just saying she will be right. :-?

[tohjin]

I suspect we should let down just as soon as we start thinking about whether or not we should let down (unless of course we are getting near a time limit, in which case we simply need to press on regardless).

My Coach once told me "as long as you are in doubt og this shot, put it down and re-do it again"

[CMB50]

Why is it so hard to let down, instead of just saying she will be right. :-?


i know the feeling Robbo, I think i let down once a tournament and that'll only be because the arrow has come of the rest!!

Probably just laziness on my behalf as i can't be bothered having to go right through the shot process all over again for the same bloody arrow!!

[DrRalph]

When I am going through a bad form patch I let down as soon as it doesn't feel right. But you have to balance this with not getting to a habit of letting down!

The other day I shot (Recurve) what seemed like a 120-130 arrow FITA 900 (ie a couple of let downs per end, mostly early clicker). I definitely turned bad shots into no shots, but really when it is that bad I think it may actually 'let down' on the whole round and find a blank butt somewhere!

When I am going OK, I let down at the first sign that the sequence feels 'off', usually an odd feeling in my anchor/hold, but sometimes in predraw/draw. A couple of times per distance/36 arrows in a FITA.
Once committed to go through the clicker after a satisfactoy anchor though, I find I have little option to do anything but shoot.

False clicks before and up to anchoring - OK I can stop. After committing to pull through and release, too bad - it seems to be a less conscious phase (if that makes any sense) and difficult to consciously override.

[mike]

Good thread. Great Moderator too!!!!!

:D :D

I agree with Jim -- we tend to ignore the feeling that we should let down at our peril.

I have found for tournaments that a good strategy if you wan't to get back on top of things is to start counting down from 10 as soon as you first aim at the 10. IF the release does not fire in that time, let down. Fact is that more often than not thre release will fire in that timeframe if you are shooting well so this turns out to be a good way of ensuring that:

1) you never run out of time -- this gives you easily enough time to draw twice for every arrow shot if needed.
2) You only shoot when you are happy with you aim etc. Presumably, there is a reason why you did not shoot within the 10 sec, probably you were not happy with something, so by letting down, you can reset the process.

I did this for the whole day at the Moorabbin Shoot a year ago a ended up finishing 2nd with a score that would have won easily at that tournament in any previous year (I was done by Tori having an especially good day!)

It works very well at maintaing you mental discipline, although it can be heart wrenching to let down even though you THINK that you are going to hit the 10. I've found that any uncertainty/doubt at all can result in a worse than wanted result, and so the bottom line is to not risk it. Your score will benefit.

There's a few ideas

(IMHO) :D

[James Park]

I work on the basis that (for target) I have four minutes to shoot six shots (or two minutes to shoot three shots at short ranges) for a FITA.
I know for sure that if I have to I can shoot two arrows in the last thirty seconds, but never want to be in a situation where I have to shoot more than one in that time. If I am getting near to the last thirty seconds I will deliberately wait for it.
Given that, I have 3 1/2 minutes for five shots (and will probably get all six shot in that time anyway).
Given that I want a rest between shots so that I can control my stress level, etc, I have ample time to let down once if I choose to do so, but twice ends up with me being pressured a little at the conclusion of the end.
Hence, quite happy to let down once, will let down twice if I really need to, but after that I simply must shoot them. If I have an arrow to shoot in the last thirty seconds it simply must go, I will not let down (unless of course I have the arrow fall off the launcher or something like that, and even in that case I would shoot it anyway if I was otherwise going to lose it).

[tony60x]

I do a drill with my 11 year old to help practice the bail option. I will draw and hold for 12 seconds, she times this and then she will have rolled a dice - even I shoot. Else bail.

This has made me bail more often - but still not often enough.

In the wind if I have been blow totally off target - I will start again.

Other time - used to be never and now I hum a fe bars of a tune in my head and if hte shot has not gone off at a specific point then I bail and start again.


BTW great idea for a forum.

[robbo]

Probably just laziness on my behalf as i can't be bothered having to go right through the shot process all over again for the same bloody arrow!!

Totally agree on the laziness.

One of my problems, is that I cannot hold my focus on the centre. (This should probably another thread)

My eyes want to flick all over the target, and I know I should let down when this happens, but I don't very often. :roll:

[A&O]

I suspect we should let down just as soon as we start thinking about whether or not we should let down (unless of course we are getting near a time limit, in which case we simply need to press on regardless).

my coach told me this after i shot an 8 in an indoor round and lost by 2 points.. :lol:

when start to think if we should.we should.

[Marcus]

Was shooting 90m yesterday and on one end the thought to let down popped into my head, so I did. Drew back and shot a 10. "yeah, this is better" I thought.
Next shot I drew up, held too long, thought "let down" didn't do it and shot a 7.

Some people never learn. :-? :(

[Jim Beatty]

My biggest problem when it comes to letting down is when on the shooting line with archery park and his flatulence is to such a degree that I m unable to hold my breath long enough to complete the shot. Trying to let down with a bt release, not breathe and not respond with some sort of profanity. :-?

[abaggs]

95% of the time i let down. The other 10% I just push on blindly )
Where did you purchase this additional 5% time, I want some, it could really come in handy in the HSC year or in tourneys for that matter.

[OldDog]

It comes in a plastic bag with every new Mathews bow bagsy, The suckers are so easy to tune they figure you have more free time. :D :D 8) 8)

[CMB50]

Yeah, but to get the extra 5% you have to sacrifice accuracy and good taste....although not much of a sacrifice for Noel I'd imagine! :wink:

[OldDog]

And you shoot a !!what!! :rofl:

[CMB50]

hey, at what point have i ever said i had good taste?? :D

:D

[stodrette]

The flip side to this "letting down" question is when you get too picky and turn it into a form of target panic.....

If you were to evaluate every shot, how many would really be perfect?

When I shot 3D, I announced (which we were required for awhile...)that I was going to let down....you would be surprised at your response once you have vocalized to the public about what you were about to do.....

much harder to do on the FITA shooting line.....

When I shoot recurve my standards/expectations were lower- it's just plain harder than the training wheels thing :wink: ....and you start over, no longer expecting a result of all gold....the same happens with the shot, no longer expecting every shot to "feel" great....not yet anyway....A work in progress...

So you see, it depends upon your stage in development when you choose to let down. You also have to be able to recognize what constitutes the difference between a mediocre shot and your ego....

[James Park]

Very good point stodrette.
I have seen many recurve archers (good ones) get to the point where they let down every shot and cannot bring themselves to actually shoot. Very definitely need to avoid this one.

[Oldtimer]

I've heard this is the reason some recurve archers wait until the last 40 seconds to shoot all 3 arrows. This is fine as long as the weather co-operates also.

[Marcus]

I watched a kid do that at a Jr Nats, he couldn't get them away and was losing arrows from running out of time. We asked him why and he said 'Matt Grey does it' :roll:

[James Park]

It is a disastrous habit to get into. You end up with archers trying to shoot four arrows in the last 30 seconds.
Hence, I would be quite strict with no more than two re-attempts per six arrows (compound or especially recurve).
This one is a mental problem, and difficult to deal with.

[Marcus]

What got me at the WFAC was the women who won it from Italy let down every shot 3-4 times, yet somehow managed to not get penalised for time. Makes you wonder if the judges even timedthe shoot.