Archery drill and skills are about consistency but also about variety. Often archers will go out to shoot in their own backyard and repeat the same thing every day without warm-ups or doing any drills. They may fire a few arrows and have that down as a decent practice.
However, a good training session is not just about shooting arrows at a target while the same distance away. Mixing things up a little with some drills will do wonders for your session and precision.
In the post, we will share with you some archery drills and skills that will make you a better archer.
Best archery drills and skills
#1 Mirror Drawing
Benefits of the drill:
- Increase muscle memory
- Improves your form
What you need:
- Full-length mirror
- Bow
- Arrow – not essential
- To know what the correct archery form and technique should resemble
- Stand in front of your mirror either with or without an arrow. If you are using an arrow, ensure that you don’t release it out of habit – you don’t want to shatter your mirror!
- Draw your bow.
- Look into the mirror, moving only your eyes. Keep your head totally still.
- Check your form and technique to ensure it is appropriate.
- Make any alterations to your form that you need to.
- Relax your body and your bow.
- Repeat this drill until you no longer see any corrections.
The next time you go out to shoot, you will now remember this drill and make the necessary corrections without the aid of a mirror.
#2 Holding Aim
Benefits of the drill:
- Improve accuracy and precision
What you need:
- Space equivalent to the distance between you and your typical target (but not too far away)
- Target
- Bow and arrow
- Draw the bow and aim directly at the center of your target.
- Hold this position for as long as you can.
- Once ready, lower the bow and relax without releasing your arrow.
- Repeat this at this distance as many times as you can, until you feel comfortable.
- Move back a few steps and repeat.
For the drill, the distance is not a massive issue but try not to stand too far away. Over a longer distance, you will need to elevate your bow to shoot, whereas this drill needs you to aim directly at the target. This drill does not include shooting your arrow, but it is an excellent idea to nock the arrow to best simulate the shot.
#3 Changing Your Shooting Distance
Benefits of the drill:
- Improve accuracy and precision
What you need:
- Space equivalent to the distance between you and your typical target
- Target
- Bow and arrow
For a target archer, sticking with the same distance can be helpful. If you compete in contests with a set shooting distance, you will want to be most adept at that range. However, this can make you a one-trick pony. Shooting at varying distances will improve your ability to shoot accurately at your regular distance.
This drill will be most helpful to those engaged in traditional archery, 3D archery, and bowhunting.
In 3D archery, the distance is unknown, so you are required to shoot at a target without knowing the exact range. Practice this drill, mixing up your ranges, and you will have an advantage.
Bowhunting also benefits from adequate range diversity. This is because your quarry will never be the same distance away from you each time you hunt.
Traditional archery is based on a lot of instinctive shooting. Therefore your sights are not utilized very often, and the ranges are judged subconsciously. As a traditional archer, mixing up the distances will improve your intuitive and instinctive skills.
#4 Shooting Blind
Please do not blindfold yourself and start shooting! This is not what it says on the tin!
Benefits of the drill:
- Improve accuracy and precision
- Improve aim through your mind’s eye
What you need:
- Your typical space between you and your target
- A huge target
- Bow and arrow
This drill means you will be aiming through your mind’s eye and focus your attention on the feeling of the draw and release of your bow.
- Stand very close to your target. A couple of steps away will do.
- Set your stance.
- Close your eyes.
- Slowly draw your bow, anchoring the string on the chosen anchor points.
- If using a release, slowly but carefully squeeze it. Surprisingly, closing your eyes will prevent you from punching your release. (Punching the release usually happens when the archer sees the sights pass over the aiming spot, and rushes the shot. More consistency is achieved from squeezing a release.)
#5 Altering Shooting Angles
Benefits of the drill:
- Improve accuracy and precision
- Improve muscle memory when shooting at angles
What you need:
- Space between you and your typical target
- A huge target, preferably 3D archery target
- Bow and arrow
- A small building to stand on, eg, garage
As a bow-hunter, this is one of the great, but often overlooked drills. This is because shooting from ground-level at the same target repeatedly does not replicate the hunting environment. Most often, hunters shoot from a tree stand higher up at the quarry.
- Climb on top of the garage, house or garden shed and stay safe.
- Shoot at your target from there.
- Practice different shot angles that you may use during a hunt.
- Repeat.
- Now and again move your target closer or further away or from left to right.
When you stand in a tree stand, you need to bend your hips, aiming downwards at animals. This is significantly different from standing up straight when you practice.
Using a 3D archery target adds more reality to your practice and gives you the best idea as to the shape of your quarry.
Conclusion
The archery drills here have been chosen and designed with enhanced performance as the end goal. The benefits of such exercises range from improved ability to shoot arrows in a straight line, increased accuracy, and consistency. Your technique, shooting mechanics, and form will all see a vast improvement.
Besides, archery drills are an excellent way for archers who hunt to stay in shape in between hunting seasons. If you are one of those people who has let your body slide and left training a bit late in the day, these drills will fast-track your training, getting you back to your optimum skill level.
So by working on your archery drills and skills, you will quickly see the benefit when you find yourself in a tricky situation during a hunt and find that it is easy to work around with your newly developed talents.