lets talk about "adjustibility" as a selling feature

        I was just thinking about adjustment range as a selling point for archery gear. on the surface it seems like a great thing to have, and for some gear it really is.  For an Archer who is done or near done their growth it can actually be a bad thing.

        Now, I am not talking a bout 4 or so inches, but the big adjustment rigs that go from 8-15 to 28-30,  these are meant to fit a huge range of shooters, but the down side is the shape of the cam cannot be all that aggressive, that means less performance.

       For adult archers they would be much better suited getting an adult bow. The cam is designed to function at the range it is marked at.another thing to consider is that beginner bows that are marketed as "grow with you" generally have terrible back walls. with poor to no existent stops.why does this matter? because if you are executing the shot properly you should be expanding, and if the release can travel backwards instead of firing when the HAND gets pulled back via rotation of the elbow/scapula it WILL cause shot anticipation and drive by actuation.

So for BOWS....unless you have a small child don't worry too much about how adjustable it is, fact is if they are serious about the sport they will be looking for a better performing bow well before they are thru the DL range.

    Another thing to think about is if you are a girl, with short parents and are petite to begin with the adjustment to say ..30" 70# is not relevant anyways.

 Some will argue that the resale is better with a lot of DL/DW range, I don't really believe this is true.

    For somethings it is a good selling point, release aids come to mind.being able to really fit a release to YOUR hand IS very important. the thumb peg on a handheld button is critical to a good release. searching leads to punching.same with a wrist release, the barrel needs to get the trigger in a position where it can be fully wrapped by the finger, a deep hook if you will.
    then there is timing on a hinge, and speed of the hinge. trigger releases must be adjustable for 2 things to be worth even buying. 1. travel, a squishy trigger is problematic and cancerous to your shot, if you feel it move before it fires you will eventually squeeze it to make it go faster. 2.tension, for a good back tension shot to happen( being aggressive and powerful in the shot) you must be able to build tension and rotate. so a heavy trigger lets this occur naturally , a light trigger goes before back tension can really happen. it also,for wrist shooters, allows for a slap.

   there has been the thought that a hair trigger is best for decades...this is just not truth. truth is, if you are actuating the trigger by finger motion you are not shooting to your potential.



smell ya later
Handsome Dave

about ready to breakout the compound......

So as mentioned, I have been shooting the Recurve for the summer tournament season, my season is over. I qualified for IBO Worlds in RU, and also shot the outdoor archers cup.

It was a good ,fun, summer season. But it is now time to get back to serious business...compound indoor season. I still haven't tuned or gotten sight marks for my "outdoor" Xpression 3D.

  Why go back and fourth? Well....I am the only compound coach for our JOAD club, everyone else has been trained with recurve as the focus. this is cool and I can dig it, but compound does have some minor differences that need an experienced  compound  coach to see.

   I shot the recurve for the season to become a better coach, along with a little personal challenge. I feel it was a productive season on both respects.and it is likely I will shoot recurve some next year for the outdoor season. not totally, as I have compound goals that need attention as well.

   So for inside this year my goals are Silver and Gold Olympian pins. I have only NOT gotten a pin at one compound shoot and it was missed by 2 points for silver. so I should be ok this season. my focus will be on a effortless hold and release. I wont worry about scores I will just execute.

have a great archery filled day!

The PSE Theory **quick thoughts and mini review

   thanks to Jon Brown of PSE for helping me acquire a Theory to review.

first thoughts .....

WOW nice lookin' bow! it is a a mid range / perhaps slightly higher than beginner ILF recurve. I think it is better than a Samik  cast riser that is similar in price point, i like the riser more than Sebastian Flutes of similar price as well. the cartel Phantom and Mybo Rio are probably good comparisons. it is a clear step up from the PSE Summit G2.

some things i like are
1. nice finish, a two tone riser, mine is black and red. It is also available in Black and Blue.
2. comes with a glossy manual, my X Appeal came with a seemingly photocopied leaflet.
3. comes as a full set with limbs ,riser, tools, and a string.
4. stainless bushings for all accessories, although i will be using it for Barebow Pinshoots it is nice to have good attachment points.

I don't dislike anything on the bow, it has good limb pockets, tiller and alignment were both good out of the box. the grip is plastic and it is pretty basic,but comfortable , serious archers will likely cover it and or build it up.

It is noticeably heavier than my X Appeal, this I think is good as I will be shooting it Bare.

thats about it, i have not fully tuned it yet and have only blank baled a couple dz arrows to see how it feels....and it feels good.

Stance and its importance in the coil.

   While coaching I have noticed several archers are having a hard time lining up with a open stance.

This is slightly odd since we teach NTS at JOAD, NTS  suggests an open stance is best for the system. While I don't agree with all of what KSL says I do agree on this point.

   When lining up slightly to a little more than slightly open it is actually setting your posture to help get a good coil and in turn good alignment, especially the bow arm.

 When we set the bow arm alignment when getting into set set up by pulling your bow shoulder into position you get a little "precoil" then there is room to get the final coil when bringing your release arm into alignment. both become harder from a neutral position, worse in forcing the shoulders into alignment while neutral it can(not for everyone) cause the bow shoulder to pop up. we all strive for perfect alignment and a low  shoulders. Proper care in the set setup ,after a good stance, will help everything come together.

  Remember that NTS is a system, every facet needs to be done correctly, and if the last step was done correctly it should make the next step easier to do.

    

wholly moley...traditional is FUN

I have been playing with a PSE Ghost traditional hunting recurve. what a hoot!!!!

ya ya I know its ILF so not a trad as purist like....I am not a purist!all the bits that matter are in the bow, crowned shelf, no berger button hole, no stabilizer or sight holes....so in execution it is no different than shooting a self bow., I shot some 3D with my wife over the weekend, and I shot about 200 points lower than my compound.....but I had an X worth of fun on every shot!

My good buddy JB of PSE helped me get into a PSE Ghost, it is great!!!! he also  got me into a new barebow, a PSE Theory. this turns out to be a very nice choice for competitive bare bow. it a slight bit heavier in the riser than my X Appeal. but for a non stabilized  bow this is a benefit.

......more on that later!

SPEED and why it helps left and rights......

     I was speaking to a JOAD student last night and they mentioned wanting to go up to 50lb limbs on her compound, but that she would wait until after a selection event this weekend.I mentioned that it should gain her a couple points providing she can handle the weight without her form changing to another coach. This was overheard by another parent and a conversation ensued. They thought highs and lows would maybe benefit but not so much on a know distance event, but absolutely on unknown(3D /FITA Field). I said it would help a little on left and rights and they thought I was out of my gourd.

  As it turns out....I am completely inside my gourd. Left and Rights should be helped for EXACTLY the same logic as Highs and Lows. lets start with the traditional view that speed will help in the vertical, and I DO believe this is mostly a benefit for unknown distance. If you have a faster arrow it simply has a flatter trajectory solely due to being under the influence of gravity for less time.

   This is really for apples to apples comparison, say a Easton Fatboy cut to 28.in 80gr tip should be somewhere around 312gr. out of a 40# it will be going slower, out of a 50# it will be faster..(and probably fly better due to being closer to optimal spine) I think the real benefit to having a very fast IBO rated Bow is you can shoot a heavier Arrow at the same speed as a slower bow. but for now we will stick to a 312gr arrow.  now a 312 gr arrow will fall at the same rate as a 500 gr arrow, this is where speed comes in for distance, the faster the arrow the less time it falls.

   ok, so how will a faster arrow be better for left and rights? simply put it is under the influence of wind for less time, and as I said a heavier arrow at the same speed as a light one would be better than lighter arrow, because a heavy arrow resists the wind better than a light one.

so , perhaps minimally, a faster arrow should group better ALL other things being equal.

    so for the earlier mentioned student going up to 50# limbs should help overall score, since she is so light in DW now she is shooting a good arrow for 50#, of course 10# more of energy being produced will change the feel and feedback of the bow. a heavier arrow would tame this but her current arrow is more than adequate for the job.

isn't Physics fun????

 

my first 70m recurve match

I have been shooting recurve only for a couple month now,I shot my recreational barebow at an IBO Qualifier and qualified for Worlds a couple weeks ago. until a couple weeks ago i had never shot my full sighted rig at more than my 30m pin distance. my plan was to not shoot any compound for the summer, tow do 2 things, one, try and become a competent recurve archer, and to build on my experience to make me a better coach.

 I decided  to try an out door match, Ace Archers in Foxboro Ma holds an event every year called The Ourdoor Archers Cup.i signed up. it was a 1440 single  distance event over 2 days.

I had a GREAT time, and 10 of my JOAD kids shot as well, our head coaches were there for support.

  I am pretty new to recurve  and I must say 70m was eye opening, my form is still sorting its self out and 72 arrows a day is more than I have ever shot. the shooters on my bale were very kind and patient with me and supportive on my first day. I started out ok and representative of my experience level.

  There was supposed to be open practice from 8-8:45, this didnt happen and we got 2 official ends.

   What was NOT expecting was to find my string alignment had settled down and gained some consistency, honestly up to this point it was all over the place and had my aperture way out.this started about half way through the first 6 ends.

   This settling in to a rhythm started having my string/nose/chin become way more consistent. unfortunately with the sight so far out i started hitting to the right..way right. I gave it some clicks and was still way out. so I started aiming off and brought them in. so between ends i moved my sight. here's the funny bit.....i moved it to where i was holding off so yup? more out. so naturally i was still to the right....so i moved it more....dirt.dirt,dirt. then i realized what i had done. it was a rushed brain fart, nothing more, the damage was done, so i moved it back and things were good.

    this is about the time I got tired, it was very humid and it dragged me out, I started making weak shots and hitting low  right, a few more in the dirt, with just a few ends to go i aimed at the edge of the bale at about 10 o clock and hit closer to the center. long day lessons learned. a good experience, I was happy all things considered.

  day 2. we got the half hr or so of practice,  sight was moved WAYYYYY in. didn't miss a scoring ring until ends 5-6 where I still hit the face but was just out of the 1. shot was feeling good, hit some 10's and a few yellows. I was 43 points higher than the first 6 on Saturday.

    second 36 arrows were not quite as good, it was a long weekend, and I had a couple weak shots, then I concentrated on only making a strong back tension release and I didn't have to aim off at all. the second half was about 55 higher than my dismal second on Saturday.

  I can see what recurve is gaining popularity , it is immensely challenging, thoroughly frustrating , highly rewarding , brutally unforgiving and FUN.

  as always I was shooting My trusty PSE X appeal with Xpression limbs, and Easton Carbon ones, thanks to Morses Sporting Goods in Hillsborough NH and Jon Brown and PSE for making the dream possible.i have also strated using AAE 's excellent line of recurve accessories  check em out!