19Feb2025-Indoor range

Back again still renting out equipment so still stuck with Mediterranean draw.

After the first session, I was looking up vides on Comanche archery, since for that style arrows are loosed on the left side of the bow with a right hand draw. One thing that stuck out to me was that they tilt their bows, sometimes they hold it completely horizontal as well. Needless to say when I tilted the bow (30°-45° CW) for this session it felt right to me. I also was on target more for this seesion compared to the previous.

Later on a couple of friends and one of them signed us up for a lesson. So we can have a session together. In my arrogance I thought it beneath me, but it was valuable to have a learned instructor watch me and point out my bad habits.

One bad habit was drawing the bow poorly. While reading Arab Archery I must have misinterpreted the section on drawing. I was trying to draw halfway slowly, and then to full quickly. This is very tricky to perform don't do this if you're a beginner, reason being you may not accomplish this in a controlled manner. Remember consistency is the primary objective if you don't have good control of your bow it will result in inconsistency.

Despite all that the instructor did say I have good grouping so at the moment of release I'm decent. It's just that once in a while I do something dumb.

I won't go back until my bow arrives so I can return to thumb draw again. Once I'm back to form I'll practice the concept of double release.

13Feb2025-Indoor range

First time doing archery in almost three years I think.

Unfortunately, I didn't have my own bow with me at the time so I had to use the range's bow which was convenient however, it is a modern bow. Meaning there's a small shelf in the bow where the arrow rests. Also in that range there's a different style of drawing that they teach which is new to me. Mediterranean is where you use three fingers to pull back the arrow as opposed to what I'm used to which is the thumb. The arrow also flies on the left side of the bow if you use your right hand which again I'm not used to.

With that said, this session was embarrsing for me. I kept hitting another person's target since I'm not used to compensating to the left. One of the instructor's also noticed my thumb guard and he threw a bunch of draw styles, but I'm super ignorant of anything else besides what I learned from Arab Archery.

Despite all that it was still enjoyable and all the bits and pieces of concepts started to come back to me. The most important concept consistency. Meaning if you loose (shoot) 10 arrows in the same manner. All 10 should land in the same spot.

How does one obtain or maintain consistency? Through good form. In the style I learned the main focus were the shoulders. That's a subject for another time though.