Coach’s Corner
PERFECT PRACTICE, PART 2
by Bernie Pellerite ©2008
The Do’s and Don’ts of An Accelerated Learning Curve
Greetings fellow archers: new article here Bruce Cull
Due to the length of this subject it has been broken down into three parts. Part 1 appeared in the previous issue. The third part will appear in the next issue.
s stated in the last article, consistently hitting what you aim at with a bow and arrow is really hard to do! This “predictable accuracy” that eludes so many of us is an attainable goal, but it’s never really achieved or maintained without endless hours of practice. For those of you who would rather “pray for luck,” here’s an old archery saying . . . “It takes a lot of luck to succeed with a bow and arrow . . . the more you practice, the luckier you seem to get!” It follows that if we’re going to have to practice, we might as well make it count. Like most good archers eventually discover . . . practice does not make perfect . . . perfect practice makes perfect! The best way to do that is to have a qualified coach keep you on track. By the way, besides teaching the shooter’s school, I also do private and group lessons at my home. The following is Part 2 of a uniquely productive and accelerated practice regimen. These “super sessions” are for serious bowhunters and target archers. With the proper dedication, these do’s and don’ts will greatly accelerate your learning curve and your level of understanding and accuracy
22 Archery Magazine April / May 2008
with a bow and arrow. • DON’T waste time practicing scenarios that won’t happen. If you are going bowhunting for whitetail this November, from a treestand in zero degree weather, you won’t be very well prepared by shooting at a 3-D target on level ground, in shorts and a tshirt in August. • DO try to duplicate whatever situation you are preparing for as closely as possible. You may not be able to duplicate the weather conditions, but you can duplicate most of the other factors. Practice from the same kind of treestand, at the same height. Wear the same clothes, shoot the same arrows and broadheads, shoot at dawn and at dusk (under low light situations), shoot in the rain, shoot your backup bow, shoot from a sitting position, etc., etc. If you are a bowhunter, don’t shoot at the kill zones on 3-D animals. Most are not anatomically correct at the present time. Pick a spot, where the real vitals are, and aim at it. Find out what you and your equipment will do under the above conditions . . . before you find out the expensive and hard way. You may have to shoot straight down, or pull your bow back while twisted around or sitting down. Or, you may have to draw and shoot after running to cover after a long stalk. Be prepared! Take an egg timer and a magazine with you into the treestand. Set the timer for fifteen minutes and read the magazine until the timer goes off. Shoot one shot . . . then climb down! Do the
same thing the next day! I’ll bet the second day you’ll take more time! If you are a 3D or target archer, simulate the stress of a tournament as closely as possible. Shoot against your buddies. Shoot the same number of arrows as you have to in the tournament, and score them as they will be scored. Put some pressure on yourself! Shoot for a Pepsi or dinner, or the registration of your truck . . . whatever gets you stressed or your adrenaline flowing! If you are a bowhunter or 3D shooter, practice with a good rangefinder. Set continued on pg. 23
Archery Magazine April / May 2008 23