Meta Title: Best Archery Drills for Beginners
Meta Description: Are you a novice archer looking to improve your skill? Take a look at some archery drills for beginners.
Meta Keywords: archery drills for beginners
Image Text: A bow and two arrows
Alt-Text: Two arrows and a bow
Image Description: An image showing two arrows and a bow placed on the ground
Have you bought your first bow and are ready to step into the amazing world of archery? This is great – a new adventure awaits you. But, to become a great archer, you will need to practice a lot and spend considerable time shooting arrows. Many times novice archers will set up a bullseye in their backyard and shoot at it every single day without any drills or warm-ups. They might shoot several arrows and call it a day. This type of training won’t do you any good. If you want to improve your aim and get better at shooting arrows, you will have to mix things up with archery drills. Archery drills can improve your accuracy and help you shoot tighter groups with consistency. We have discussed some archery drills for beginners below that you should consider trying.
Hold Your Aim
This archery drill is meant to improve your precision and accuracy. To start off, stand at a specific distance from the target. Make sure that you are not too far away from the target. The reason is that when shooting over long distances, you may have to elevate your bow to reach the target, and this drill is all about aiming directly at the bullseye. Even though you won’t be shooting an arrow in this drill, you should still nock it in your bow to simulate an actual shot.
Once you have placed the arrow on the bowstring, draw the bow and aim at the center of the bullseye. Hold your aim for as long as possible. Once you are tired, bring your bow down and take rest. Don’t release the arrow. Repeat this several times at different distances to improve your aim.
Shooting Blind
Don’t get confused – you aren’t supposed to put on a blindfold and shoot in this step. In this archery drill, all you need to do is aim through your mind and focus on drawing the bow and releasing the arrow. Set up a large target and stand close to it. Standing close to the target will increase your chances of hitting it with your eyes closed.
Maintain a good stance and close your eyes. Now carefully draw the bow. If you are using a release, squeeze it slowly and carefully. You will see how closing the eyes prevents you from punching the release. Archers often rush the shot when they see the sight pass over their target. More accurate shots occur with a squeezed release.
Mirror Drawing
To practice this archery drill, you will need a large mirror. In this drill, you need to stand in front of a mirror with an arrow in the bow. If you don’t want to use a bow and arrow, then assume the drawing position and imitate drawing a bow. If you are using an arrow, make sure not to accidentally release it because if you do, you will end up with a cracked mirror. Draw your bow and look right into the mirror. Move your eyes, but keep your head straight. This will allow you to see if you are using the right form and technique. If you find that something is wrong, you can make corrections to adjust your foam. Relax your bow and body and keep making corrections until you get the form right. Keep in mind that for this archery drill to be successful, you must know the right form.
The mirror drawing drill will improve your form and also increase your muscle memory. The next time you’re required to shoot, you will remember this drill and would be able to make corrections on your own without a mirror.
Change the Shooting Distance
If you are a target archer, it would be better to practice shooting from the same distance. The reason is that in archery competitions, you are required to shoot from fixed distances. However, if you are interested in traditional archery, hunting, and 3D archery, you should practice shooting from various distances. In 3D archery, you will have to shoot at the target without knowing the range. If you practice shooting arrows at different ranges, you’ll have an edge in 3D archery. Similarly, when you are hunting with a bow and an arrow, your target could be at different distances. Thus, you should be able to shoot and hunt at various distances.
Change the Shooting Angles
This is a great archery drill, especially for bowhunters. Shooting directly from the ground over and over again doesn’t replicate original hunting conditions. Hunters are often required to shoot at their prey from a tree stand. This means that they have to shoot from different angles. To replicate shooting from a tree stand, you can climb on the roof of your house or garage and shoot at the target from there. This will allow you to practice shooting at different angles as you may be required to do in the field.
While hunting from a tree stand, you might have to aim downwards at approaching animals. This is different from shooting at a straight target while standing. This archery drill would thus get you accustomed to shooting from a different position. It would be best if you practiced shooting at targets positioned at different distances to get the hang of shooting from different angles.
Final Thoughts
By trying the archery drills for beginners mentioned above, you would be able to improve your accuracy, form, and shoot tighter groups with greater consistency. It will take time for you to get better at archery, so be patient and keep practicing until you get the hang of the sport. In case you have any questions or if something is unclear, feel free to write us a query.