A few weeks ago I was watching a television program called Celebrity Hobbies. This is not something I would normally be interested in, but one of the guests was a well-known entertainment personality who also happens to be a bowhunter. The program highlighted his love of the outdoors and his passion for archery. He commented about his penchant for things that are natural and the importance of living off the land. He liked the idea of doing as our human ancestors did in harvesting animal protein with a bow and arrow. As I was watching this it struck me as funny when he sheepishly pulled out his compound bow. Although I shoot a longbow myself, I have no personal problem with those who choose to shoot a compound. However, this guy was clearly embarrassed about shooting one. Especially considering his comments about how we should all live as our Native American brothers. He did mention that he likes to shoot a recurve, but preferred the compound because of its superior accuracy. This is all well and good, but I got the feeling that there was something more. They showed video of our man shooting his compound for a time and then showed him with his recurve. As he drew his recurve back I could see some hesitancy as he neared a full draw position. Next there was a slight shaking, and then he stopped his draw about an inch or two short of full draw. Mercilessly, the camera cut away at this point and showed the arrow hitting its mark. Now it became clear to me. He had target panic. Target panic is a very common problem that strikes manyif not mosttraditional archers at some point in their shooting lives. Compound archers get it as well, but less often and less severe than their traditional counterparts. Bearing the full pull weight of a bow is a major factor, as is the use of the fingers as opposed to a release aid in loosening the arrow. The two most common symptoms include a premature release and freezing outside of the target picture. Target panic can be extremely difficult to get rid of and has caused many traditional archers to give up the sport entirely or start shooting a compound. My guess is that this is what happened to our celebrity. In order to have a chance of curing target panic, it is important to understand the exact causewhich can be traced to the very nature of archery. In Part II of this series of articles about target panic, I will review the causes target panic and introduce you to another famous bowhunter who has found a way to compensate for his target panic. To find out more about target panic and how to get rid of it for good, visit www.PushRelease.com Here you will find out about a new technique that can cure your target panic permanently. |
