Roll out the barrel indeed! Winter and Spring have passed since my last post and rolling out the target butts for outdoor practice and tournaments is a ritual which announces the outdoor season is upon us, and how much I’ve missed the sight of arrows arcing downrange.

It’s also a way for me to throw in a polka video. Yes, my Wisconsin roots are showing. I recall as a kid watching Alvin Stczycinski’s band rocking some hard hitting polka tunes. So let us roll out the barrel and have some fun this Summer!! Oh and check out the dance moves on the second vid! Priceless.

It’s been a while since I’ve posted, but I received news today that my first archery coach died. A flood of memories came back to me and I had to put down my thoughts before they escaped.

Denny Koerner and his mom Viola (Vy) were as responsible for instilling the love of the sport in me, as anyone. Vy was the matriarch and ran the ship at Midway Archery, in Menasha, Wisconsin. Denny, her son, taught archery and ran the business along side his mom. They were quite a duo. Vy came across as stern, but had a heart of gold. Denny was always in a good mood and kept his customers and friends engaged and happy. I recall Vy keeping me on the books at Midway Archery, as I bought equipment I couldn’t quite afford. Both Vy and Denny would let me shoot at the range for hours ‘on the house’.

I recall the first day I walked into the range. My brother and I received fiberglass bows as presents and we were going to the archery range to show off our prowess. Denny had to be shaking his head as he was showing us the ropes. He put one of the shop bows in our hands instead of the department store toys we had. He then gave us some rudimentary instruction and we were off and running. Vince, my brother, really wasn’t smitten by the sport, but I was all in. I went to the range as often as I could. Denny gave me lessons and shortly after, I bought a target bow. In those days, target archery was extremely popular. Before you knew it, I was shooting in multiple leagues and getting pretty good at it. I went to competitions and continued to improve.

But archery was changing rapidly. The advent of the compound bow created all kinds of turmoil in the sport, as did the creation of the 3-D round. Very quickly, target archery waned, as many archers were able to become competent with a compound bow more quickly than with a recurve bow and heck, you only needed to shoot one arrow in the 3-D round.

The truth be told, I changed quite a bit as well. I was at the age where wine, women and wheels got the lions share of attention. The compound bow was not as much fun for me and I drifted away from the sport.

Through it all, Denny and Vy were always encouraging and every time I went into the shop I was always treated like family. I’ll always remember the kindness extended and the special place Midway Archery was for me.

While Denny may no longer be with us, his legacy continues, as others, like me, carry forward with the knowledge he passed along. So long Denny.

Happy Fourth of July! It only seems appropriate that the topic of this post should be freedom. In an archery sense, freedom is the critical final piece of putting all your shot elements together.

In the beginning stages of shooting, we are putting pieces of the shooting puzzle together. Form elements are building blocks to successful archery. As we stack these blocks upon one another we carefully monitor that the building block underneath the block we are currently working at is rock solid. If there is erosion in a previous block we have built, the structure is weak and we have to go back and strengthen the foundation piece which has become weakened.

As you might imagine, archers have to continuously monitor their fundamentals. Archers from beginners to experts are always strengthening foundation pieces which have become weak. In fact the better you are and the more expertise you have makes a weakened form element harder to spot. The erosion is slight, the ego is large! Ergo, the problem is unnoticed until performance suffers.

Ok, ok, so what does all of this have to do with shot freedom? In order to be fluid and free, all of your shot elements have to be in order. Shot freedom is the binding agent which allows technically proficient archers to perform at their peak level.

There are many YouTube videos of really skilled shooters performing effortlessly. Elite athletes make their sport look easy. They just flow. The techniques they employ are so well ingrained that the performance happens in a subconscious way.

These elite athletes do have missteps and every once in a while they appear in a performance. Then the athlete becomes ‘tight’. We tend to call it choking. A poor shot creates doubt, which creates tension. The next thing you see is the athlete laboring to achieve what was once smooth and free. This mental part of the game is vexing and something all athletes continuously try to improve. It is the final building block; the binding agent for all the other building blocks.

Let me finish by saying shot freedom is more likely to occur when basic form elements are mastered. We’ve all worked hard to learn and implement our shot form. On this 4th of July, let freedom ring!

Many target archers associate their sport with standing on a shooting line and lobbing arrows at a fixed distance, some 70 meters away. I do more than my share of archery in this manner, but there is so much more to the sport.

World Archery and its affiliate, USA Archery, have changed how target archers participate in the sport. Legacy rounds, such as the 4 distance 1440 round, the 3 distance 900 round and many others, have largely been pushed to the side in favor of a one distance competition; 70 meters for recurve shooters and 50 meters for compound and barebow shooters. This in turn puts tremendous pressure on state and local organizers to mimic what is done on the national and world stage.

One of the rounds that has survived through the years at both the national and international levels is the Field Round. We fondly still call it FITA Field in our little part of the world, but in fact it is now called World Archery Field. Participation in WA Field is still small compared to the fixed distance target round, but there seems to be a renewed interest in the round. (As a small aside, the field round was at one time extremely popular in the USA. It predates 3-D and many archery clubs had field courses)

Both the NFAA and WA field rounds are fun and challenging. There is varied terrain and a chance to spend a day in the woods with your shooting partners. You’ll learn more about your shot as you have to account for different stances, arm angles and body angles needed to complete a successful shot.

In WA Field, the first day consists of unmarked distances and day two will be marked distances. There are multiple sized faces and the archer is faced with challenges not considered in a single distance target event.

In my opinion, shooting field rounds makes me a better archer and it is a great way to keep archery fresh and fun. We are all trying to improve and advance in the sport and it is easier to do when you have some variety.

Introducing archers to field has been one of the fun things I’ve done in the sport. I hope JOAD, AAP and club leaders pull back the curtain and show their shooters the ropes.

Every serious archer will at one time or another shoot in the rain. There are some things you can do to be more effective when the heavens open.

The first and most important thing is to stay positive. Everyone will have to deal with the rain, but those who bring a focused and bright outlook have a better chance of rising to the challenge.

Monitor the intensity of the rain and adjust your sight. Yes your arrows will impact lower on the target because of the rain. The heavier the downpour the more you’ll need to move your sight. As the rain changes intensity you will have to move your sight. So keep track of how hard it is raining!

Keep at least two tabs in your quiver. A dry tab shoots differently than a wet tab. Of course these tabs should have already been broken in.

For compound shooters a rain hood for your scope can be helpful.

Pluck your string ahead of shooting your first arrow of an end when it’s raining. Water will gather on the string making it heavier and slower. Just a slight pluck is sufficient to shed excess water. Yes, this is a must do in the rain.

Make sure you have towels on hand to dry your hands and wipe your grip.

Most spotting scopes are weather proof and should need no extra attention. Some will cover the eye piece between ends, but I’ve found the extra hassle unnecessary.

Clothing yourself properly will go a long way to help you keep your focus on shooting. Hats with a brim are a must and waterproof hats are even better. Convertible rain coats (a coat with removable sleeves) are available at bike shops and should be part of your shooting gear. Rain pants can make you more comfortable, especially if it is cool out. Waterproof footwear is very important. I wear golf shoes in soggy conditions.

When the tournament is concluded, many just throw their equipment in their bags as quickly as possible. I know I do, but don’t forget to unpack it all as soon as is practicable and let it air dry. Things like tabs, hats and water permeable finger slings, need extra time to fully dry.

Those archers who approach rainy conditions with knowledge and preparedness can succeed and have fun.

People often ask me what the most important fundamental of the archery shot is. The simple truth is every piece of the shot is interconnected and one poor fundamental will affect the entire shot. If we take this as a given, the foundation of the shot then becomes its most important piece. By foundation, I mean stance.

Stance? But of course. Everything else is layered upon your stance. But this is so elemental and easy, right? Wrong. While the act of standing straight is natural and easy, the act of doing so with a bow in your hands is anything but easy.

Let’s begin with foot placement. There are a few methods commonly taught, but for the sake of simplicity, let’s use a square stance, which places the feet shoulder width apart and toes pointed 90 degrees from the target.

Now stack your knees, hips and shoulders on top of your feet and keep your head centered between your shoulders. That’s easy enough and should be your template when you reference your posture with a bow in your hands.

The fun begins, as archers of all abilities pick up their bows and begin their drawing sequence. Even before the sequence begins, the act of picking up the bow causes an imbalance, which leads some shooters to do many things to counter the added weight at the end of their hand. Things like a hip moving towards the target, or a bow shoulder being raised, help counter the weight being lifted. The archer is in a bad position even before their draw sequence has started. So the extra load of picking up the bow can cause issues with our stance and must be watched carefully. Placing a small amount of tension on the string can help as we raise our bows, as this shifts some of the work load to the string side of the body.

The act of drawing the bow often alters the stance as the force needed to execute a draw is sometimes too much weight for the archer, or the archers inexperience leads to improper body movement to counter the resistance of the bow. To be blunt, there are many ways to ‘screw it up’. This is where the watchful eye of a coach is invaluable.

Look at your stance in three different states. The first is under no load. This is the act of standing straight, with your arms outstretched, in a mocked full draw position. The second is executing your sequence with a nominal load. Use a stretch band and come to full draw. Compare that picture to the picture of you standing straight. Thirdly, pick up your bow and come to anchor under full load. You should find no difference in posture under all three scenarios.

So now how easy do you think it is to achieve good posture?

For those of us living in colder climes, we are on the cusp of outdoor season. Arizona Cup is fast approaching and we now turn our thoughts to shooting at greater distances.

I’ve given this transition a lot of thought. Most of us, whether we admit it, or not, have a mental shift when we move outdoors. Many of us are burdened by what I’ll call a ‘precision complex’ when shooting indoors. This want to control our shots, to create smaller variances, causes all kinds of maladies, the greatest being a lack of rhythm to our shooting.

Every year when moving outdoors, at least in my shooting, a certain freedom returns to my archery shot. The ‘precision complex’ gets shoved aside, as the target size expands and expectations of perfection no longer exist. To be sure, target size, aiming and miss variances, etc., are relatively equal, given the distances involved. But without fail, there is a shift in my perception of how my shot needs to be executed. Yeah, I know, I know, there should be no change at all. That fact does not change the truth that there is a change.

Why? Why is there a shift?

For me, it comes down to what the target shows me at 70m. My reality is that most shots which are not executed in rhythm and with dispatch are not in an acceptable group down range. The penalty for my ‘precision complex’ is a poor group. Therefore I adapt to the realities which the target has shown me. I make smoother shots, with more rhythm and more speed.

Indoor shooting perhaps has allowed that internal need for precision to bleed through because there is not a great penalty for over controlling the shot. Perhaps I should say there is a perceived lack of penalty for an over controlled shot. Let me flesh that thought out a bit. A poorly executed shot indoors might result in shooting an 8. Therefore, unless my form really breaks down, I get arrows down range with all sorts of form anomalies. I can feed my inner ‘precision complex’ by holding the shot a bit longer, or aiming a bit harder, or making sure everything in my aura is exactly right. Ha!. I guess that last one may be an exaggeration, but you get my drift.

I suppose there are a few take aways here, but what I wish for all is a freedom to envelop your shot as begin your outdoor season. Shooting with good form is still important, but now is the time to channel your inner John Daly. Grip it and rip it!

Another Indoor Nationals is in the books. While I didn’t perform to my expectations, it was an important and extremely satisfying event.

My son and I went to Indoor Nationals. After a multiple year layoff, he and I got a chance to shoot on the line together again. I can’t tell you how happy I am to have this sport once again become a binding agent in our relationship. All you dads out there know what I mean. For my dad and me, that activity was golf. The time together. The stories and silences. The good shots, bad shots. All of those experiences create timeless memories I still hold dear with my dad.

I recall my brother and I getting thrown off the golf course for less than stellar behavior and then in later years, laughing about those times with my dad. My son and I have had similar trying times in archery and life. Now it’s the Renaissance; a new beginning and a different relationship.

While my tournament did not turn out as I had trained, or expected, my son’s tournament exceeded his goals and expectations. He shot smoothly with very few ‘flyers’. On day one we were one bale apart and I got to see every shot. On day two, we were on the same bale and I saw every one of his shots. The only archery related exchanges were a few fist bumps and perhaps a ‘nice end’ exchange. He owned his shot process and executed better than he practiced.

Yes, this Nationals was the best I’ve ever attended. I threw my son the keys and he drove us home.

The groups were too large. I just couldn’t see why this student was not able to shoot at a higher level. I went to the film and couldn’t see it. I checked the static positions and they were excellent. Yes, there were some niggling issues with some of the shot dynamics, but nothing to indicate the performances I noted. I should mention this archer was coming off a long lay off and prior to that had attained a fairly high skill level.

We tried working on overall tension in the shot with some success, but still there was more and it had yet to be identified. The student was frustrated. I was frustrated and we took a couple of days off to collect our thoughts.

I was worried this archer may become discouraged. Off to the range we went and I must admit I was more than a little concerned about how things would go. We just started shooting with little to no conversation. After 30 minutes or so, the groups had not improved, but the archer’s commitment did not waver. We spoke but found no answers. I simply stepped back and watched and watched………

It then became apparent. The archer was not setting up on point to the clicker. This caused an elongated move to actuate the clicker and caused all kinds of inconsistencies. The groups improved immediately after the archer looked his arrow into the clicker more accurately.  I’m not sure why this wasn’t evident to me much earlier, but it wasn’t.

I felt extremely fortunate that the archer believed things would improve and allowed us both the time to recognize and address the issue in the shot.

There are a few take aways here. The first is that if one is persistent enough and wants to improve, one will. The second is that coaches need to continually learn, improve and recognize where their own deficiencies lie. The third is that stillness and silence allows for thoughts to be formed and accurate assessments to be made.

With many large indoor tournaments fast approaching, this is a good time to get in the correct state of mind to shoot effectively. Just what is that state of mind? Well, it is different for every shooter, but some common elements exist.

A certain balance and calmness must exist. This calmness does not mean you are not excited, or nervous. It means you feel very certain about what it is you are going to do on the shooting line. Your shot, in whatever state it is currently, must be executed the same way you perform every day when practicing. As my dad often said to his collegues, ‘Let us proceed with alacrity.’ It is this clearness of purpose which will carry you through those nervous or exited times.

Another common element for shooters who perform well in tournaments is they do not worry about a particular score. Expectations are often the ruin of many otherwise excellent rounds. Allow performances to happen.

It is absolutely essential that you accept, evaluate and move forward from any particular result. Any lingering over a poor, or good shot, will result in a lack of focus on the upcoming shot. This process of evaluating, making a correction if necessary and moving forward keeps you focused on the job at hand, versus the past or what might happen in the future. Stay in the present and make your shot. What was cannot be changed and what will be is not relevant to what needs to be done now.

Every good shooter finds a way to bleed pressure. Some are reflective and silent, while others are chatty and engaged with others around them. It is different for everyone. What is important is for the archer to allow those competitive pressures to dissapate while not on the shooting line.

All good shooters learn from their tournament experiences. Never let a chance to learn and improve escape. It is only under tournament stress that we will truly understand what needs to be addressed in our archery.

Indeed, let us proceed with alacrity!