MEETING THE TRIGGER HALF WAY

Frank Ortiz

Team AZOD

With tons of practice and a good coach or mentor you can go far with archery accuracy. If you are struggling with your accuracy, you may be slapping the trigger like a shot-gunner, or punching, or worse yet, aiming and slowly moving your index finger out from behind the trigger, then around, and finally jerking it backwards to fire the arrow. If this is happening, make no mistake this is target panic. Relax, its okay to read it, say it, think it. You will win! Sometimes a different approach and or perspective can be a great help in finding a solution to this problem. Strong will and positive thinking are the building blocks of confidence. Keep things in perspective, you have handled far tougher tasks, than executing a good clean release. Try these tips.

1. Take your sight off your bow. Stand in front of the target 6ft. Away. Nock an arrow, draw your bow, and anchor.

2. Curl your index finger around the trigger so that your nail is pointed down. Don’t shoot, what you want to do, is lay your fingerprint on the trigger. Don’t shoot. Relax and feel comfortable, confident.

3. Try it again and again. Relax there are no consequences.

4. Shoot an arrow into the target, again and again. No distractions, just needle point concentration. Feel the relationship between your finger on the trigger and how much pressure it takes to fire the release. Remember, your not aiming, you’re just learning to meet the trigger half way.

5. Just as a marksman knows his half way- point to his trigger, the same principle applies here also. Before you can start the aiming process, you must be able to have control.

6. Once again, draw, anchor, index finger on trigger, CLOSE YOUR EYES, feel the shot. Try it again, and again.

7. With the sight back on, try aiming at a small reference point on the target from 6ft.away. Don’t shoot.

8. Re-program your nervous system well enough to hold the pin steady. Don’t shoot.

9. Shoot from close range, moving back 1-2ft. shooting no more than 3 arrows at a time

10. Have patience; you are on your way.