SHORT BLASTS
Practicing proper stance,
gripping your bow
correctly, and having
a consistent anchor
point are three keys to
becoming a confident
bowhunter.
T
3 Tips to Becoming A
More Confident Shooter
o be successful in anything the
biggest challenge is getting past
the mental hurdle; or in other
words being confident in what
you are doing. Becoming a confident bow-
hunter means practicing. And practicing
correctly.
If you’re like me you don’t shoot as
many arrows as you should, but I make
sure my limited time in front of a target
is quality. By focusing on each part of the
process, and making sure it’s the same ev-
ery time, I know that when bowhunting
season comes around, I’m ready. I focus
my practice on three aspects: stance, grip
and anchor point.
1. Stance There are a couple schools of
thought on this and it comes down to per-
sonal preference. Many people like to have
a square stance where your feet are parallel
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WESTERN HUNTING JOURNAL
to the target and your toes are lined up in a
straight line to the target. I prefer an open
stance. First, it naturally puts more distance
between my string and forearm so that
there is less of chance my string hits my arm
during the shot. This is something to think
about when wearing bulkier clothes during
the season. Second, it gives me greater mo-
bility to swing in either direction. Not know-
ing exactly when where or how the shot will
be presented I like the freedom of range that
an open stance gives me.
2. Grip The bow should rest in the meat
of your palm. The word ‘rest’ is important
because you’re not gripping it like and axe.
Having a relaxed grip with the proper place-
ment gives you the least amount of contact
between your hand and the bow’s grip. The
least amount of contact lessens the amount
of torque or twisting during the shot. A
common mistake is having your fingers
straight out. While this falls in line with hav-
ing less contact it actually puts more torque
on your bow.
3. Anchor Point As you pull the bow
string back finding your anchor point is the
first thing that should happen. I like to have
the string at the tip of my nose in conjunc-
tion with the corner of my mouth, which
gives a solid anchor point that I can come
back to every time. Once I have my bow
string anchored, I’ll then move my head to
find my peep.
Practicing consistency through repetition
will make you a better shot and have you
leaving your shooting session with confi-
dence. Once you’ve conquered that mental
side of shooting good things will happen.
TRAVIS MONCRIEF