Have you ever wondered about the most common mistakes made by archers?
There is no way to deny that millions of people in the world have found archery to be an extremely engaging activity. I still feel the same level of passion and interest in archery that I felt back when I started. The dedication that you put into archery is going to allow you to see progress. This is going to allow you to stay motivated and continue to evolve as an archer. Unfortunately, many archers have the enthusiasm and the desire to get better, but they are making some mistakes that keep them from achieving the results they want.
If you feel like you have been practicing for a while and your results have been disappointing, you might find the answer to your problem in this article. Most people don’t even know they are making mistakes until they finally have someone else point those mistakes out, it happens to everyone at some point.
Today, I will be talking about some of those common mistakes. This is going to help you avoid making them and you will save yourself a lot of time and frustration.
The main mistakes made by archers
They never learn the proper technique
This is probably the most common mistake being made by archers all the time. The problem with the lack of a proper stance is that it’s very hard to shot properly. Knowing how to stand, how to position your arms, your head, your back, your feet, how to hold the bow, etc. These are all extremely important things to consider.
The best way to get rid of bad habits when shooting your bow and arrow is to get lessons from an experienced archer. This way you are going to be practicing with a proper posture from the very beginning. When your posture is not optimal, you will be shooting your bow and arrow with a technique that is going to hinder your ability to shoot with the best possible accuracy.
This brings us to the debate of being a self-taught archer or looking for a professional to show us how to practice effectively. I think that archers have an easier time finding good information to learn proper technique. This was very difficult a few decades ago. People who leaned on their own had no way of verifying if their technique was correct.
The biggest issue with this is that you could spend years practicing and now knowing that you are using a bad technique.
My personal opinion
I would suggest that even if you want to learn on your own, you should always consider watching video tutorials online. There are plenty of free tutorials from very experienced archers and this is going to allow you to see if your technique is good enough.
Your anchor points are extremely important. Some people choose different parts of their body for anchor points, but there are very specific anchor points that have become quite common for most professional archers. Learning to stick to those anchor points and making a habit of using them is going to be essential.
A tight grip is also going to be a huge problem that is never going to allow you to have optimal accuracy. You need to have a perfect grip that is not too loose and not too tight. This is a balance is hard to obtain at first, but it becomes second nature once you have enough practice.
All the problems related to your technique and your stance are going to be very frustrating. You need to find a way to fix them early on. My personal advice is that you get the fundamentals right and then you can cruise on your own.
If you like to read more about it check out my article about how to improve your bow shooting.
They are impatient
Many archers start shooting and they expect their accuracy to be great after a few days of practice. The truth is that archery requires a lot of hard work and the best archers in the world have been practicing for many years. Being patient and knowing how to practice with proper form and technique is going to be essential.
Patience is an essential part of archery. Those who are expecting to get results fast are going to be disappointed. Some people have a natural talent for archery. Even those people have to work very hard and practice for many years before their accuracy reaches new levels.
They don’t tune their bow
This might be difficult for people getting started. You can always take your bow to a shop to get it tuned. Bows require tuning in order to be able to perform as intended. If the bow is out of tune, your accuracy is going to suffer greatly. Like I said, you can go to a store and get your bow tuned for a very reasonable cost. It’ would also be good for you to learn how to do this yourself.
Think of the bow as an instrument similar to a guitar. If the guitar is out of tune, you are not going to be able to get a good sound even if you are playing the right notes. The same thing happens when you play with a bow that has not been properly tuned.
Getting the wrong kind of equipment
There are many kinds of bows and arrows and amateur archers can use some of them, while others seem to be for professionals. A common mistake is for people who are new to archery to buy professional equipment. It’s better to start with a simple bow and arrow set. This allows you to get a feel for the process of shooting.
Do not worry about having a professional bow during the initial stages of training. This is not going to be necessary and you won’t be making proper use of the bow anyway. I think that the most rustic and simplistic bow is perfect for someone who is getting started. It teaches you the very basics of archery and the fundamentals of a good shot. Learn to crawl before you learn to walk.
My personal experience
I have learned that the best way to tackle the challenges of archery is to have patience. Buying equipment for amateur archery is perfect for your first few months and even the first few years. Learning proper technique when shooting is also going to be essential. I remember I decided to get my first professional bow when I had already practiced for a couple of years.
I mentioned earlier that patience is important, but being able to identify the problems in your technique is also crucial. If you have bad practice habits, you are going to get frustrated quite fast. On the other hand, if you decide to learn proper practice methods, you are going to feel encouraged when you start seeing progress. There is no way you won’t see results if you practice properly.
One of the main reasons why people get discouraged about anything is due to a lack of information. This is why I find it essential that archers take the time to learn the basics of archery before they even shot an arrow. As I have always mentioned in these articles, there is plenty of quality information available on the web for those who seek to learn archery.
In a more philosophic way
I guess that a very valuable thing I have learned over the years is that everything requires dedication. This is essential in order for mastery to be possible. People envy professional athletes because they reach incredible levels of skill in their sports, but they do this by working extremely hard. They practice all day, they live for their sport of choice and they are fully committed to achieve results.
Everything in life that is worth pursuing is going to be difficult to obtain. You can’t really expect to achieve any kind of substantial results in a short period of time. This is a long journey, but it comes with gradual levels of accomplishment that are going to keep you motivated. It’s very important to just have as much fun as you can. If you are having fun, you are going to be practicing with enthusiasm. This is going to help you reach a whole other level.
Finally
Things worked this way for me. I know this was also the way that many other archers approached this art form. That feeling of progression is part of the appeal of this journey.
I would tell people to shoot a bow and arrow at a range before they invest in their own equipment. Doing this is going to allow them to see if they are really interested in learning and committing to archery.
Also, I would suggest you read my article about how mental state impacts your archery performance.
Final thoughts
Becoming a good archer requires a lot of training and knowledge. The good news is that it is extremely rewarding once you start to see results. I would recommend that you learn as much as you can before you even start practicing. Practicing one day with proper technique is going to be better than a whole year of improper technique.