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I'm done with my inconsistency, really done.
It occurred to me the other day - in the midst of a savage bout of gear lust for the Spig Revolution - that I had a very long way to go in terms of shooting consistently and accurately. Left, right, high, low. Where was the shot that was none of the above? The Perfect shot. So why was I spending all this focus on a new riser instead of using that same focus on my shooting? Behavioralists have a name for it; it's called "displacement activity".
At that moment I committed myself to The Bridge. Of all the disciplines I'd checked out, the Bridge seemed the least compromising. What the Bridge offered was the same kind of ultimatum you face hunting or competing: you either make the shot or you don't. There is no grey area.
And I had the little indoor range I'd set up in the barn; it would handle distances from 5 metres to 8 metres, the first few stepping stones of the Bridge. I made up some targets - a 1 3/4" crosshair circle on an 8" x 8" square of paper - and put one up on the target butt.
This is what it looks like from the 5 metre line:
![]()
The next step was to define the program. I'd printed out Dennis Langley's version of the Bridge that was posted here on Tradtalk a while back. Just perfect. As to the nuts & bolts for each session:
1.) My usual 15 minute short version stretching routine.
2.) 50 minutes of shooting using a timer. Ok to go a few minutes longer after the timer went off if my concentration was still good.
3.) For the closure to the session, relax and reflect on each shot that went as it should. Note: Do not, repeat, Do Not include any reflection on bad shots.
That was it, short sweet and simple.
What I was lacking, however, was a baseline. A hard record of where I was starting from. In the end, I made two.
The first is this video clip of my shot sequence and form, as is where is. (You will note the stylish archery garb; I'd been out playing in the mud all day doing garden-yoga and pruning the apple trees.
). I won't comment on my form except to note that it is - as the saying goes - a work in process.
For the second baseline I set up and did a complete session's routine as I laid out above, except that I kept the target up for the entire session. Then I took a felt pen and outlined the outside perimeter of my "group", and took a photo of it.
Here's the pic:
![]()
I took 60 shots exactly in the session. It went a few minutes longer than the timer. The arrows are my last four shots (I'm shooting in fours @ the 5 metre distance). None - that is to say zero - of the shots were perfect. As with the video it is a truthful baseline record, nothing more nor less. BTW the rig I'm using is nothing exotic: a 62" three piece recurve with glass limbs and home built arrows using GT Warrior shafts. At my draw length of 30" the bow pulls 34 1/2#.
A final note before the journey. I've decided to do the Bridge for a year - 365 days straight. Then I'll redo the video and the 60 shots. And see what the world looks like on that side of the archery moon.
Regards,
Salskov
It occurred to me the other day - in the midst of a savage bout of gear lust for the Spig Revolution - that I had a very long way to go in terms of shooting consistently and accurately. Left, right, high, low. Where was the shot that was none of the above? The Perfect shot. So why was I spending all this focus on a new riser instead of using that same focus on my shooting? Behavioralists have a name for it; it's called "displacement activity".
At that moment I committed myself to The Bridge. Of all the disciplines I'd checked out, the Bridge seemed the least compromising. What the Bridge offered was the same kind of ultimatum you face hunting or competing: you either make the shot or you don't. There is no grey area.
And I had the little indoor range I'd set up in the barn; it would handle distances from 5 metres to 8 metres, the first few stepping stones of the Bridge. I made up some targets - a 1 3/4" crosshair circle on an 8" x 8" square of paper - and put one up on the target butt.
This is what it looks like from the 5 metre line:
The next step was to define the program. I'd printed out Dennis Langley's version of the Bridge that was posted here on Tradtalk a while back. Just perfect. As to the nuts & bolts for each session:
1.) My usual 15 minute short version stretching routine.
2.) 50 minutes of shooting using a timer. Ok to go a few minutes longer after the timer went off if my concentration was still good.
3.) For the closure to the session, relax and reflect on each shot that went as it should. Note: Do not, repeat, Do Not include any reflection on bad shots.
That was it, short sweet and simple.
What I was lacking, however, was a baseline. A hard record of where I was starting from. In the end, I made two.
The first is this video clip of my shot sequence and form, as is where is. (You will note the stylish archery garb; I'd been out playing in the mud all day doing garden-yoga and pruning the apple trees.
). I won't comment on my form except to note that it is - as the saying goes - a work in process.For the second baseline I set up and did a complete session's routine as I laid out above, except that I kept the target up for the entire session. Then I took a felt pen and outlined the outside perimeter of my "group", and took a photo of it.
Here's the pic:
I took 60 shots exactly in the session. It went a few minutes longer than the timer. The arrows are my last four shots (I'm shooting in fours @ the 5 metre distance). None - that is to say zero - of the shots were perfect. As with the video it is a truthful baseline record, nothing more nor less. BTW the rig I'm using is nothing exotic: a 62" three piece recurve with glass limbs and home built arrows using GT Warrior shafts. At my draw length of 30" the bow pulls 34 1/2#.
A final note before the journey. I've decided to do the Bridge for a year - 365 days straight. Then I'll redo the video and the 60 shots. And see what the world looks like on that side of the archery moon.
Regards,
Salskov
