What’s your mantra/process before the shot?

Joined
May 22, 2021
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19
Anchor, Level, Accept the movement of the pin, repeat in my head "aim, aim, aim" over and over until the shot breaks loose.
 

Rich M

WKR
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Jun 14, 2017
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Orlando
I don't get all worked up before the shot anymore. Been about 10 years that I've had control over that.

W my 3006 I have to tell myself to watch the bullet hit or I will flinch. Dad started me off at 8 with a 3006. Been flinching with it ever since. Can shoot a quarter at 250 yards with the gun but, take the focus off the shooting aspect and put my focus on a deer or prairie dog and I will push the gun off. A bad habit that is restricted to that caliber.

My other rifles just go off on their own when the sight picture is right and don't cost me any game. Go figure.
 
Joined
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Yaw - Level the bubble
Technically that would be the the roll (not yaw) axis...but that doesn't fit into your rhyme scheme😁. I use a similar series of one-word reminders throughout my archery shot process, in practice anyway. When shooting at an animal, I always seem to default to autopilot and afterward can't remember consciously walking through each word in my process.
 

5MilesBack

"DADDY"
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Feb 27, 2012
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With a bow, my process is so engrained by the time I'm hunting that the shot is usually over by the time I have any conscious thoughts about it. The only thought I have going into the shot process is "distance" and the pin for that distance. As soon as I lock those in, everything else happens in a matter of milliseconds. Failure is never an option.
 

7-Pointers

Lil-Rokslider
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Aug 22, 2014
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Technically that would be the the roll (not yaw) axis...but that doesn't fit into your rhyme scheme😁. I use a similar series of one-word reminders throughout my archery shot process, in practice anyway. When shooting at an animal, I always seem to default to autopilot and afterward can't remember consciously walking through each word in my process.
Excellent point, no loves a good know-it-all more than me! Actually, our family had to implement a rule about know-it-alls...if your sentence starts with the word "Actually....", don't bother completing it cuz you're just going to get slapped. "Technically...." is also walking a fine line round here :)
 
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YZF_88

Lil-Rokslider
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Jun 9, 2014
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217
I do the usual draw anchor, level bubble stuff. Additionally and more important is eliminating target panic. The key is breaking down the draw and shot execution as a couple of tasks. The animal is simply a target. It works for me. I pulled the mindset from so many times lining up on a motocross starting gate. It was so important to visualize getting to that first corner first and not getting caught in the chaos. Again, breaking it all down into a TASK keeps me calm.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2019
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Excellent point, no loves a good know-it-all more than me! Actually, our family had to implement a rule about know-it-alls...if your sentence starts with the word "Actually....", don't bother completing it must you're just going to get slapped. "Technically...." is also walking a fine line round here :)
Good rule. My comment was definitely slap worthy.
 

TheGDog

WKR
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Jun 12, 2020
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OC, CA
Clip, grip
Draw, jaw, yaw,
center, float, flight

Clip - is the d-loop where it needs to be relative to peep
Grip - is my bow grip where it needs to be for min torque
Draw - remember to draw with rhomboids
Jaw - Find my precise anchor
Yaw - Level the bubble
Center- the sight in the peep
Float - Observe the float and get comfortable with the boundaries of float, otherwise let down
Flight - Keep the pin on target all through the flight
The thing like that I try to remember for bow is to NOT Death Grip the riser. Once I draw back I open my fingers and thumb and point them forward on the holding hand at the target, so I'm not imparting any twisting with my fingers on that risers grip. And then I focus on very carefully bringing my index finger around in a fairly wide circle so I don't accidentally bump the release trigger before I mean to do so. Then I'll repeat to myself in my head the yds I already pre-ranged to the object nearest him, then tell myself which pin or between which pins it needs to be, so I don't do that mistake again of just going for 20yd pin if it looks close.
 

TheGDog

WKR
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I do the usual draw anchor, level bubble stuff. Additionally and more important is eliminating target panic. The key is breaking down the draw and shot execution as a couple of tasks. The animal is simply a target. It works for me. I pulled the mindset from so many times lining up on a motocross starting gate. It was so important to visualize getting to that first corner first and not getting caught in the chaos. Again, breaking it all down into a TASK keeps me calm.
Yup Yup! Vizualizing how you were gonna slip the clutch so the front end doesn't lift up too much, and already having an idea of whether you were gonna try to wind it out, or short-shift it and go heavy with the clutch feathering instead.

You mention breaking things down into lots of little tasks. Kinda like when Road Racing and you come into a decreasing radius turn a lil too hot in the entry to it... and you learn to take that turn and turn it into several little small straightaways in your mind and at each straightaway you'd break hard where the bike was more vertical, then drive into the turn a lil bit again to make another striaghtaway, focus on scrubbing off a lil more speed before you have to dive and turn again and again on the 6 or more straightaways you broke that turn up into in your mind. I always loved pitchin' some knee and divin' in hard on a Road Race bike. Or on MoTos or Enduros always with that boot out when you're pushin' it right up to the edge!
 

Crghss

Lil-Rokslider
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Jun 1, 2018
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263
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Jupiter, Florida
Breath, mentally slow my heart rate down. The rest is automatic, don’t remember most of the it. Just flight of the arrow or bullet hit.
 

mtnlomo

FNG
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Jan 21, 2021
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91
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PNW
For bow as soon as I anchor and level "1-U-C-L-A" I begin to squeeze on "C" and by "A" the arrow has impacted. Same cadence I used when timing pitchers in baseball, which is why I use it.

For rifle I don't say anything I use my breathing. I begin squeezing as soon as I let out my breath and halfway through I hold it just before the shot goes off. Honestly am more comfortable and capable with a bow since that is what I had used exclusively for most my life. Getting back into rifle hunting now so I'm trying to learn and become more confident with my gun.
 

Marble

WKR
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May 29, 2019
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3,219
Aim aim aim.,.,.pull pull pull

I concentrate on what I want to happen, not what I don't want to happen.

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