Check your muscles again before releasing an arrow. Relaxing your forearm is one of the most important steps for consistent, accurate shooting. Tense your tricep instead. [1] X Research source Schuh, Dwight R. Bowhunter’s Encyclopedia. Stackpole Books, Jun 1, 1992.
If you catch yourself leaning or having balance issues, adjust your stance to be a little more open (facing the target).
Some archers use other holds, but these tend to be less forgiving. If your wrist is not in a natural position, you will need to exert strength to keep it in that position during shooting.
Point where your hand touches your face. This is a specific point on your jaw, cheek, neck, or under your ear, depending on draw length and release type. Point where the string lightly touches your nose (only if convenient). Point where a “kisser button” on your string touches your mouth. (Some archers do not recommend a kisser button if you are using a peep sight. )
If you don’t have a peep sight, buy one online or at an archery store. A small peep sight lets you focus on targets across a wider range of distances, but make sure it is large enough to view your entire forward sight. Large sights are more useful in low-light conditions. [3] X Research source
The longer the distance between the peep sight and forward sight, the more accurate your aim will be. Target archers sometimes extend their forward sight several inches in front of the bow. [1] X Research source Schuh, Dwight R. Bowhunter’s Encyclopedia. Stackpole Books, Jun 1, 1992.
If you shoot with both eyes open, it helps to use a bow built for your dominant eye (for instance, a bow drawn with the right hand for a right-eye dominant person). If you use the other type of bow, you’ll need to learn to make side-to-side aiming compensations when shooting with both eyes open. You can determine your dominant eye with simple home tests.
If you’re not sure which distance the pins represent, find out by trial and error. Measure 20 yards to a target and sight through each pin until you discover one that lets you hit consistently. Some bows use one or more adjustable “slider” pins. In order to set them to different distances quickly, use software that prints out a custom “sight tape” for your bow.
Ideally, you can still use the blurry sight as a rough guide as it “floats” across your target, but it takes practice to get this to a subconscious level.
