Ways to improve groups at short distances, without shooting at long distances

[BTaylor]

This is true but with considerations. One is if you are using a target sight and powered scope. A powered lens will show your movement a lot more than an open pin sight. This can cause a person to freak out and get all puckered up trying to shoot.

I have shot with target sights a lot in the past and learned to overcome the pucker factor by aiming within a circle that allows some float room. I have just adopted this technique and use it on my open pin hunting sights as well as it works very well especially if one hasn't shot much in a while and not holding as steady. You should give it a try sometime and see how it works. It works wonders for shooting tight groups.

I have shot an open circle like you are talking about and agree it works for some folks. For me though it just doesnt work as well as a tiny aim point. That likely is due to so much precision shooting while I was young. Even today it is a struggle for me to shoot at a typical archery target because the center ring is too large for me to stay focused well. For years I kept a sticker on the belly side of my bow that said aim small as a reminder when shooting at deer.

 

[Iron_llama]

I have shot an open circle like you are talking about and agree it works for some folks. For me though it just doesnt work as well as a tiny aim point. That likely is due to so much precision shooting while I was young. Even today it is a struggle for me to shoot at a typical archery target because the center ring is too large for me to stay focused well. For years I kept a sticker on the belly side of my bow that said aim small as a reminder when shooting at deer.

There's a technique in pistol shooting called "six o'clock hold". Picture attached. I wonder if tweaking your zero (for practice, not for hunting!) would let you adopt a 6:00 hold, focusing on just barely touching the top of the curve of your pin with the bottom edge of the dot.

 

[Still Kicking]

Good solid anchor was the most vital obstacle I faced shooting any bow. When I switched to a Hindsight, everything came together for me with the compound. It actually allowed me to focus more on my anchor and less on the sights. After shooting a lot with it, I could pick it up and put the first arrow in a 3 inch circle on the first shot at 30 yards. I miss that accuracy with my recurves and 5 inches at 20 yards is about the norm for me now.

 

[Jammintree]

Can the OP provide us an update: have you had any positive progress?

For me personally I have increased my consistency and accuracy with both gun and a compound bow when I stopped punching the trigger and started using a slow squeeze technique.

 

[raisins]

I would stop shooting groups and shoot single arrows instead. This makes each shot much more intentional and prevents arrow damage. When I was a recurve guy, I shot inside a lot and all winter. I could get 10 yards in my apartment at the time. I had a dot on my target and my goal was to put the arrow in the same hole each time. I would shoot. Walk to target, take a break and focus, and then shoot again. Sometimes for hours on end.

 

[MattMan81]

Head case archery guy here. I shortened my draw length .5" because I was smacking my bow arm. Over stretching. If your not doing that I imagine your DL is okay.

Big helpers for me..
Grip your bow better. I tended to torque my bow. Just slightly. Fingers on the very front of the bow solved most of this for me. Not around the handle.
Follow that with consistent draw. I think a Tom Clum? Video showed me that. How to properly draw. Then pull thru your shot. I tend to draw, and then relax just a smidge while aiming. So when I squeeze the trigger there is not enough pressure on the bow. I'm almost letting down before I shot..
If I do those 3 things it greatly increased my accuracy..
Curious how your results have been as well. I'm still trying to improve.

 

[BowhunterXC]

@coolhand78
Have an experienced archer watch you shoot. Someone that is very competitive will know what you're doing wrong and know how to help you improve. I had an IBO Champion watch me shoot and he picked me apart by finding 5 different things that I needed to change. After making these changes, my 6" groups at 50 yards shrank to 2" groups. Inside 40 yards, I shoot individual target dots, so I don't damage arrows.

Shooting a bow is similar to diving into the water. You can't watch yourself doing it and therefore you don't know what you're doing wrong to make the proper corrections. Having and experienced onlooker watch, will make all the difference, in making the proper corrections for improved shooting.

 

[Ehunter]

Once bow adjustments like peep sight height, cams timed, bow tuned, in specs etc. have been done, and you have your shooting form down solid, if you're still not hitting tight groups, I'd recommend changing the draw length. Most people don't realize just how much a very slight change in draw length can effect shooting. Even a 1/8th inch difference can make a drastic change. If the bow is in spec, then add a twist or two to the string. See how the groups change. If they get better, you know you are going in the right direction. If they get worse, take twists out. You WILL find a spot that makes you start hitting better. Virtually nobody has a true 28, 28 1/2, 29 inch draw length. Comfortable, yes, but 28 1/8 or 28 1/4 might be where they shoot best. Shot for years at 28. Moved to 28 1/8th about 10 years ago, and since then I NEVER shoot more than one arrow at the same spot inside 30 yards. Shot 3 Robinhoods in one week after I changed. Thought it was so cool, until I added up how much money that was. lol

 

[woodsdog2]

So much great advice already provided. Only a couple of minor tips I would add.

1. Aim small/miss small. This is the standard advice and I agree, unless your form and shot cycle are erratic and/or you’re a new archer trying to develop your shot system. Don’t reinforce bad form by just trying to hold on that tiny dot. Shot anticipation issues will develop. If your form is already zeroed in pretty well (no pun intended), then controlling the shot by “aiming thru” on a small target would be great practice.

If your form is still being worked out, I believe the aim process shouldn’t overtake your form process. Use larger circles or aim points until you’re consistently shooting smaller and smaller groups.

2. In your situation with limited distance, try to have a multi-dot target so you can aim at multiple different circles on the target. I like solid circles. If you’re consistently hitting in the same locations on each different circle on the target, you can surmise your groups are getting tighter and tighter through consistent hits in or near the same location of each dot. So for example on a target with several 3” circles or dots spaced apart, if you shoot five shots and they all hit at or close to say the inner 2 o’clock position of each separate circle, you could see that your groups are very small. This also reinforces one shot one arrow type of practice for hunting rather than aiming for arrow nocks and fletching already in the target.

 

[Camelcluch]

Que up Blink 182: All the Small Things.
You don’t need distance to get better. There isn’t one magic secret but it’s everything and even more, small things. Grip, balance, stance, sight picture, repeatability, anchor point, face pressure…. You get it. First start with getting into a nice relationship with your release and stop beating it up.
If you really want to get better, lessons from a good reputable coach is the best money spent.
Oh, practice should be mentioned. You need to shoot to get better.

 

[Tim0712]

I’m not reading everyone’s comments so forgive if this is a repeat reply. “Grouping” is very hard to blame on anything but your self. A good archer can take a poorly tuned bow and be consistent with it at a short yardage. I’m not saying the bow is going to perform well but the bow is going to do what it’s going to do and if your form is consistent the end result will be the same. I don’t wanna say anything to sound offensive so I’ll say this instead. Stop shooting groups and start shooting spots. Put pressure on yourself and shoot tight spots on the corners of your target. If you tend to miss right shoot the right edge. Go to a dollar store and get some of those round stick on tag sale stickers get an assortment of sizes and progressively get smaller. Remember your shot should be a surprise to you not anticipated

 

[BTaylor]

There's a technique in pistol shooting called "six o'clock hold". Picture attached. I wonder if tweaking your zero (for practice, not for hunting!) would let you adopt a 6:00 hold, focusing on just barely touching the top of the curve of your pin with the bottom edge of the dot.View attachment 114017

Funny thing is I have never had that issue shooting guns. I have always shot the combat sight picture from your pic. The other two sight pictures seem like a band aid for target panic to me. Not that they wouldnt work at least somewhat reasonably well but I for sure dont think I could shoot well with those holds. With a compound I think my biggest problem was lack of competing. Competition, for me, amplifies focus. Without competing or shooting hair, I get bored quickly with it. I think that stems from years of shooting air rifle competitions growing up. I seem to be having less of those issues since I switched back to trad a few years ago. That's because my shooting is not where I feel like it could be yet but I am getting there slowly but surely. May add back some 3d comp this year with it just to push myself a bit more. But I still have another tweak to my form that needs to be made and I fully expect that to wreck accuracy for a while because it is going to require an anchor change. One of those film yourself discoveries that I prolly should have fixed last year but I was shooting pretty good and didnt want to make the change before season.

 

[HalfsackZac]

If your a one eye closed shooter try this; draw, check bubble/aim, address your trigger, open both eyes up and stop “aiming” (in the words of JT “watch it to keep it”), puuuuuuuullllllllllllll through trigger. When I aim and try to hit a nats ass I usually miss more. When I aim then let the pin do its thing while I do mine it’s usually dead nuts where i initially aimed.