Thursday, June 6, 2013

Finding Your Center (Of The Target)

 I got my QAD rest installed today, but did not get the Hunter. Instead, I got the UltraRest LD, which is the mid-range model, yet still costs over $100. But it does seem to be worth it. Results below:

 


What seems to help the most though, isn't the tech upgrades, but watching interviews with Fred Bear on YouTube. Fred mentioned in one of his last interviews that to hit his target he had to "concentrate from the top of his head to the tip of his toes on the very small spot I want to hit." So I tried that tonight. I went into my garage/man cave, cranked up the Rolling Stones channel on Pandora, and downed a Pabst Blue Ribbon tall boy and relaxed. I picked three of my new XX75 arrows and tucked them into my wood pile at the 10 yard line, and began focusing and relaxing more than I have in a long time. I found that listening to music helped me tune out my surroundings and focus on the target and sight alignment more. The more I liked the song, the better I tended to do. Tomorrow I will shut the music off for a while and see how things go.



As good as my shots were at 10 yards, Fred Bear could do that at 30 yards. In his eighties. With a 45lb recurve.  But Fred was very humble, and seemed very peaceful and clear-minded. I think those qualities will improve your archery skills more than any newfangled rest, seven pin sight, or hypetanium arrow components. If you can find your center, you stand a better chance of finding the center of your target.