–McKenna Montgomery– Creating good habits that you repeat each time you step to the line will help you shoot consistently. Every archer does not have the same exact habits or form. Good habits in archery are ones that each archer develops and repeats the same exact way each shot.
I have a lot of consistent habits in my form. One that works for me is always using my anchor points. An anchor point is a reference mark that you use while shooting for accuracy. For me, I have three anchor points that I use every shot; my pointer finger touches the corner of my mouth, my thumb touches underneath my chin, and the bow string touches the edge of my nose.
Like in many other sports, follow through is critical. My follow through goes across my face to my shoulder when I release. Following through helps put the arrow where you want it and makes for a smoother shot, but it also carries good form over to the next shot.
A good follow through gives me time to reflect after each shot. When I reflect I ask myself, why did the arrow go where it did or how did that shot feel? Depending on the shot, I either find something that I need to change, focus on, or continue to do. Reflecting is something I do every shot because it helps me keep bad habits from starting and continue my other good habits.
Another key part to my routine is restarting when the shot just does not feel right.
This is sometimes because my grip on the bow feels different, or I rushed into the shot, or I just have a gut feeling that it is not right. When this happens, I have made it a habit to let my bow down. This gives me the opportunity to reset and can possibly save me from a bad shot.
Even if the habits you have created aren’t the same as mine, continue to be consistent in your shooting!
-McKenna Montgomery is a 2022 student contributor. Watch for her future submissions.-
