A shooter’s tab is one of the most important and highly modified pieces of equipment an archer will own. What should you look for and how should you modify your tab to fit your hand?

Your first consideration should be how large a tab to buy. The leather should cover your fingers without excess length. If you have doubt, try to order the tab with a longer length of leather and trim to fit. Leave the second layer a bit longer than the first layer, as when the tab is used, the second layer will have to travel just a bit longer as your fingers curl.

While still considering tab size, you should look at the metal plate. It should be a size that allows you to have stability without being too large to achieve a tight anchor. If it is too large, the plate will rub your face. Of course you can grind the plate to fit, but it is much easier to buy the correct size.

Now that you have a correctly sized tab, look at the spacer. Most archers are greatly aided by using a spacer. It prevents you from having unwanted contact with the arrow. Many archers swap the stock spacer for one that fits their hand better. A comfortable spacer, which fits your hand allows for more comfortable and accurate shooting.

Should you use a shelf, or not? This is usually determined by an archer’s facial structure. The steeper the jaw line, the more likely you’ll opt for a shelf. This is something you and your coach should examine carefully.

The system which affixes the tab to your finger is often highly modified. It should allow you to position the tab on your hand in a consistent manner. Some shooters will have multiple finger clasps, while others prefer a single finger strap. It really doesn’t matter, as long as you are able to accurately reproduce the same hand-tab-string placement.

The space between the index finger and middle finger on the tab is almost always modified. Most stock tabs, especially the beginner tabs, have inadequate room between the index and middle finger. This causes contact between the tab and arrow. The beginning archer will often have trouble keeping his arrow on the rest and the tab can be the culprit. Trim the leather between the index and middle finger until their is no contact with the arrow.

There are additional tab considerations, such as how many layers of leather should be used. By the time you’re considering this question, you’ll have a good idea about which modifications to make.

In the pictures below, a Win & Win 360 tab, is shown with many modifications. The leather has been replaced with upgraded Cordovan. The clasp system has been swapped for a simpler para cord cinch. The kerf has been widened. The only stock items are the plate and spacer. Such is the nature of making the tab fit the archer.

What is a good anchor and why does it matter?

As in all things archery, consistency makes for accurate shooting. A solid, ‘tight’ anchor allows and enables many positive things. You and your coach should explore what is right for you.

A tight anchor should have as much contact as is practical between the index finger and jaw line.

A proper anchor should allow for a clean release, with no string to face scraping.

An anchor should facilitate better body lines.

A good anchor should enable you to engage your back muscles easily.

Whew, that sure is quite a bit to expect from one not so simple position in your shot. I often see very weak anchors, which lead to inconsistent shooting. You and your coach should explore what anchor is best for your body type and shot. The payoff will be more consistent shooting and tighter groups.

Competitive archery is all about being disciplined. Adopting a shot sequence and adhering to it 100% of the time takes practice and mental discipline. Do you ever break off a shot because the shot did not go off on time? Or perhaps you performed something in your sequence a bit differently but executed the shot anyway.

For those not aware, a shot sequence is a set of steps beginning before you grip your bow, through the follow through of your shot. A sequence can be broken down into many small parts, or condensed into fewer conscious check points. The very skilled archers go through their sequence in an almost subconscious manner. But rest assured, they perform the same steps every shot, in exactly the same way.

Is this difficult? You bet. This is why practice is so important. We learn and ingrain our sequence until it becomes part of who we are. If we are ‘off’ on a particular day, odds are we have altered our sequence in some way. For new shooters, establishing and repeating a sequence will allow you to see what needs attention. If you make a different shot every time you shoot, you will not be able to effectively diagnose shot patterns, as there will be no pattern.

Soooo, get with your coach and develop your shot sequence. Adhere to it religiously. If it needs to change, discuss it with your coach.

As a coach I see all sorts of strange bow hand positions. It is important to get your hand positioned properly. It is your only contact with the bow. Too much hand on the bow and you have a better chance to torque the bow. An improperly positioned hand leads to other improper arm and body positions.

Stand with your hands relaxed at your side. Note the natural position. Now raise your hand keeping that same natural position. The web of the hand between the thumb and index finger should form sort of a ‘U’. Next, point the natural ‘U’ shaped hand position at the middle of the target. Insert bow and lower your life line to the middle of the grip. Maintain the relaxed hand and finger position through the shot. You WILL need a finger, or wrist sling. Here are a couple of pictures to help.

Please note that the open hand pointing to the target is a step in the process of attaining a proper grip, not a final position. When the life-line is positioned on the middle of the grip, your knuckles should form an approximate 45 degree angle, as pictured.

As you make your way into Olympic recurve archery, you will at some point shoot with a clicker. A clicker is a device mounted on the bow, or sight, which lets an archer know when a particular draw length is reached. But it is much more. It is also a release trigger when used by a skilled Olympic archer. The best shooters will release the arrow with the least amount of lag after the clicker is actuated.

Incorporating a clicker into your shot is an important step for an archer shooting the Olympic recurve style. You should have a stable draw length and be able to easily handle your current draw weight. The nature of shooting with a clicker will increase your workload at hold by some magnitude. So, be prepared to feel fatigued more quickly.

Your coach will determine the starting position of the clicker based on your consistent draw length. The clicker position will be modified to reflect, changes in form, or growth. Most archers will experience a draw length change as a result of working with the clicker and a coach!

The clicker can produce a large performance benefit when properly introduced and used.

If you have watched elite athletes in any sport, you’ve probably remarked how relaxed and easy they make their effort look. Swimmers glide and sprinters seemingly float above the ground. Elite archers go through their shot sequence with ease and it looks effortless.

Highly trained athletes understand the importance of performing without undue tension.

What does this mean to an archer? Firstly, an understanding of which muscles are essential to execute the shot. Secondly, which muscles should remain relaxed throughout the process. Thirdly, which muscles are used in a transitional manner.

An examination of which muscles you employ is important to effective shooting. In general, archers use the shoulder and back muscles to shoot and employ arm muscles in a transitional way. Some core muscles may be under load depending on shooting style. The small muscles of the face, neck and hands should not be strained.

It is an excellent topic to raise with your coach.

Entire tomes have been dedicated to the mental side of sports. Archery is no different than any other sport when it comes to being ready to perform at your mental peak.

I would like to address one small piece of the topic here. Internal and external expectations and how they affect your shooting performance.

I have been a tournament shooter for quite some time. There is the external expectation from other shooters that I perform at a certain level. There is an internal pressure which expects the same thing. Peeling away these expectations is important so that I can perform optimally.

Well Gabe, that is easy to say, but how the heck do you do that???

Crowd out your expectation anxieties with your shot process. Being able to narrow your focus will allow you to go through your shot sequence and eliminate the distraction of other, possibly negative, thoughts.

Put yourself in the position where those distracting thoughts most often occur and train yourself to pivot to your shot. For tournament shooters this means shooting in as many tournaments as possible. The expectations and anxieties will surely occur, but you will deal with them! At first perhaps not very effectively, but later, you will get better at focusing on your shot and keeping those pesky expectations at bay.

Working with an archery coach is an important step in an archers development. Here are some questions you should ask of yourself when deciding who should be your coach.

1) Does the coach understand his craft?

2) Does the coach communicate effectively with me?

3) Do I trust the coach enough to make a change to my shot?

The archer and coach dynamic should change over time. A new student will have to trust his coach and make changes that are critical to executing a proper shot.

An advanced archer will weigh advice and use his coach as a sounding board. Let’s face it, when an advanced archer is making a change, he is shooting good strong shots. Changes can make incremental improvements in score. The coach will see if the base shot has changed between visits. His observations will be important to an advanced shooter.

A good coach can be a valuable asset, but it is the archer’s drive and dedication which will make him successful.

There should always be a purpose to your practice. What have you and your coach identified as a form focus? Can you achieve it? Can you repeat it? Then, can you feel when you get there? Let me explain in more detail.

Let’s say you and your coach have identified you need a better line to your shot. You go to the range with the idea of improving your line. Can you identify you are in a better position? Has the line improved in a measurable way? Can you now repeat the position? Finally, can you feel the difference between the old line and the new line?

This form change should be the sole focus of the practice. Any change in form will likely lead to a degradation in score. In fact, scoring while working on a form element can be counterproductive. The purpose of the practice was to achieve a better line. Did you get a better line? If the answer is yes, can you say it is now a consistent part of your form? I’m guessing it will take more than one practice to say yes to that question.

An improved score is often the last indicator that your form change has been successful. Continue to get feedback from your coach and practice with a purpose.

Gabe, you just discussed tournaments and now how to select a bow? The purpose of the blog is to address all skill levels. So this may appear to be schizophrenic, but there is some method to the madness.

OK, so you want to buy a bow. What should you consider? 1) physical weight. 2) draw weight 3) bow length 4) proper arrow match

Would you give a youngster the same equipment as an adult? Of course not, but I see it all the time.

The physical weight of a bow matters. Most very young archers cannot handle the mass of even the lightest compound bow. So even if he/she wants to shoot one, a light weight recurve bow is the best way to start.

In an earlier post I discussed the parameters of the proper draw weight to start. If you are in doubt, select a lighter weight. Learning shot basics will be much easier and you will progress faster with a light weight.

Bow length is a function of your draw length. That length is determined by how far you draw your arrow to the back of the bow (the part of the bow closest to the target). Here is a guide: