Practice - tired or fresh...

[Shraggs]

This year i kinda stumbled in changing my nightly routine

in years past i would get home from work - eat, shoot, workout, then prep work for my job.

this year i would eat, workout, then shoot, then work prep.

my groups definitely opened up shooting tired or sore from working out - but i realized when I'm in the mountains i am tired and sore after a few days anyway, so i stayed the course. nearing departure and i can say my shooting is almost how i shot last year, but i can do it dead tired and sore.

anyone else do this?

john

 

[*zap*]

I think that if someone's groups are opening up then their form is slacking off. I shoot blind bales to keep proper form ingrained in my muscle memory. It is my belief that if someone already shoots well the most important thing is keeping your form as close to 100% as possible because if your form is good then you will be accurate. If I find my accuracy slipping I immediately shoot only blind bales while focusing on 100% proper form for a few days.
When a person is trying to keep a pin on a target they tend to only focus on that and their form can slip especially if they are tired. Standing close to a bale and anchoring then closing your eyes and focusing on form before releasing allow your mind to focus on what is important to keep good form.

 

[Desk Jockey]

I mix it up. I think there is some value to shooting with a s bit of muscle fatigue. Take a few shots after a practice hike. Sometimes after a work out but not always. I find the stabilizer muscles of my back and shoulder get smoked out from my work out in a way that doesn’t necessarily mimic field fatigue.

However, I mix in a few drills that add some stress and elevate my heart.

- sprint from 20 yard target to bow, turn, nock shoot. Walk back to target. Repeat.
- 5 arrows in 30 seconds. 10 burpees. 5 arrows in 30 seconds. 10 burpees. Rinse. Repeat.
- Farmers carry. Shoot. Repeat.
- Kettle bell drag. Shoot. Repeat.

I also end my sessions with some drills about holding at full draw for time. Draw, count to 30, release. Repeat for 3-5 shots with a rest in between. I will build up to a minute hold with breaks in between.

 

[Usi05]

I shoot my first group a few times a week from a random yardage between 15-65. I just kind of stop and guess. It’s usually pretty educated as I have a great feel for where I shoot.

So I’ll shoot arrow one. Sprint to target and pull it out and sprint to another random spot and shoot. Sprint and pull out arrow and do it over again for the first 3 arrows.

This helps get heart rate up.

After that I may do it again or I may just start shooting groups from all over. Just depends.


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[Shraggs]

I think that if someone's groups are opening up then their form is slacking off. I shoot blind bales to keep proper form ingrained in my muscle memory. It is my belief that if someone already shoots well the most important thing is keeping your form as close to 100% as possible because if your form is good then you will be accurate. If I find my accuracy slipping I immediately shoot only blind bales while focusing on 100% proper form for a few days.
When a person is trying to keep a pin on a target they tend to only focus on that and their form can slip especially if they are tired. Standing close to a bale and anchoring then closing your eyes and focusing on form before releasing allow your mind to focus on what is important to keep good form.

Great point, because when fatigued it was my form, the nauseous that broke down. That is good drill Zap. Upper body weight workout is tough to shoot after, as also mentioned above that doesn’t really reflect field conditions. I tried to push with a total focus on form to get groups back. Now I feel at that shoot I have a hyper focus when tired, fatigued or heart rate is up and can feel and see my “tells” to regroup on form before the shot.

Also a great idea to actually do some sprints or similar while I shoot! Next year on that one. I’m close to departure.

Great points all thanks !

John

 

[*zap*]

If your a tree stand hunter you can shoot blind bales with a bag on the ground one yard away. Anchor, set your form, close eyes and focus on bending at the waist while keeping form 100%. Take a peek to be sure your on the bag and close eyes shoot or you can keep your eyes open after a while of doing this and because your so close your mind will automatically allow you to focus more on your form and follow thru. In a stressful situation our actions are based on muscle memory so I do what I can to make that memory as close to perfect as I can. Have a great season.

 

[Remps17]

Agree with Zap. For me physically exhausted or not, keeping good form equals good results. I cant shoot as many rounds when I am tired. I need to work harder mentally when I am tired to keep my form, because when you tiered your usually looking for easiest way out.

 

[deerhunt1988]

I shoot a lot after I workout and my groups definitely slacken up. As the season has gotten closer, I've switched to shooting more while 'fresh'. Tighter groups = a lot more confidence.

 

[Shraggs]

Deerhunt, this is the reason I posted... thought I’d doing the same. Deer stand hunting I’m never tired, but mountain elk hunting I am and concluded I need to perfect my form when tired, heart up, etc since I’m likely to got a shot under those conditions...

 

[5MilesBack]

I'm not much for practice.........I just shoot........a lot. Sometimes that involves one arrow in the back yard, sometimes that's running 3D or field courses, sometimes that is drawing and holding for 2 minutes and shooting 60 yards to see how that affects anything, and sometimes it's shooting through very small openings to judge trajectory.