Ain’t target panic funny
Equipment
Contributors to this thread:
Who here has target panic and it is hell to hit a little circle on a target but when shooting at a solid color or animal you can do it no problem? I couldn’t hit the bull today but turned the target around and hit no problem even busted a nock.
It's a sight picture problem, close your eyes and it also goes away.
I shot my Silverback back tension release all summer. I can't pinpoint my shots like I can when I slam the trigger on a drive by but I don't lock up under the target and I shoot with zero panic. It's pure joy to shoot when you can let the pin float and relax while you just pull through.
The best part about shooting Dudley's releases is the ability to switch from a tension to a hinge to a thumb trigger with out changing your anchor. They all feel exactly the same at full draw. I've just switched back to the Nock 2 It thumb trigger within the last week to get ready for hunting season and for once I'm able to just pull through to activate the trigger for most every shot. It's a work in progress and I intend to keep working through it until I am able to go back to shooting some tournaments. After season I'm going to put the time in shooting the 2 Smooth hinge for a change of pace.
I have a hard Time getting the pin on the bull and have done a lot of drive by shots. I bought a thumb release but was scared I was going to let it go like shooting fingers lol
I acquired it last year really bad. I was locking up below the target as well. I even removed a couple ounces from my B stinger to try and aid in raising up the bow. It helped a little but it definitely was not the problem or cure.
I have never tried any release other then a finger trigger. One thing that helped me greatly was shortening the length on the release. Instead of touching off with the tip of my finger I am in the crease. I just apply tension on the trigger and pull through.
I bought the RX - 1 Ultra this year. When I started shooting I shot fingers and had a 31” draw. When I went to a release I went to a 30” draw bow. This new bow I am shooting 31” draw and it feels a lot better. Actually shooting very good this year.
So far no thoughts of target panic creeping in.
Try that silverback that John Dudley sells, It has helped me immensely, I also bought the Knock to it, which is the thumb release version, it worked great for me for a while but I started punching that trigger. The silverback is awesome for beating the target panic.
Corn bore's Link
Corn bore's Link
Had it, didn't like it. First time I cured it by going back to recurve, no sights, no peep just draw and shoot. Oh yeah forgot to mention, do that blind folded at close range. Its a form, mind over matter thing.
Some folks do well with different releases (e.g. back tension) where the release is a surprise so to speak.
Still shows up every once in a while at 3-D shoots, folks comment I release 2-3 times before I hit the target. Most of the time its minor annoyance but practice takes care of it. However I shoot fewer arrows, stop when I am right on.
I know a lot of guys that don't think Target Panic is funny.
I get what you are saying...its a weird malady. I know a bunch of guys that have been through years of misery and some switched from RH to LH to try and rid themselves of TP.....its terrible.
I bought a 4 finger back tension release from Zenith archery over 10 yeas ago. It also came with an instructional video and a dummy cam that wouldn't let it go off, that was to learn to pull and shoot the release without going off by accident and hitting yourself on the nose. 60X string company bought Zenith out and sells the same releases now. It was the best thing I ever did. Don't ever let anyone tell you you can't hunt with a back tension release. I have hunted with mine for years and have killed everything from small game to elk. Even shot a coyote with it. If you are having problems with TP a back tension release is the way to go in IMHO. And my TP was a very severe case. I started in the spring and shot the Back tension release all summer and killed the first deer I shot at that fall.
Joel Turner has an excellent system for eliminating target panic. I was beginning to lose interest in shooting due to target panic and tried several different approaches including blank bale shooting, changing releases, sustained aiming without shooting.... They all worked for a period of time and then the problem returned and I would find myself freezing off to the left side like there was a 1000 lb weight on my bow and then suddenly swinging to the target and punching the trigger. As others have said, the problem with target panic is mental, not due to an equipment issue. After hearing about Joel, I watched some of his You Tube videos and they were interesting, but they didn't contain much actual information that I could put to use right away. They seemed like more of a promotion for his $200 online video program and I was hesitant to spend that kind of money without knowing more about the program. A few months later I heard him on a "Wired to hunt" podcast, #206, and he provided a lot more usable info on it, so I ended up getting his book for about $30. ISBN # 9781981346-43
At first, I was a little let down by the looks of the book. It was very small and had a lot of large photos and blank pages for "notes". Kind of like when you had to write a 10 page report in high school, so you enlarged the font to 14 and went to triple line spacing, etc. However, quality always trumps quantity. In a nutshell, Joel talks about the need to maintain conscious control of your shooting. I am now committed to either making each perfect shot... or not shooting at all. First time out I was able to immediately lock the pin on target, which was HUGE for me. I am now using shooting as an exercise to improve my concentration. The results have been amazing and it is fun to shoot again.
I have fought it for years. Tried different releases. Saw a Bill Winke YouTube video on the Scott Longhorn Hex . Bought one two years ago. I can NOW hold my pin on the SPOT. If a don't shoot a couple months , it takes me 3-4 shots to get back into it. Cannot believe something this simple helped me . Was ready to give up shooting my bows , it got so bad. My buddy shot mine and went home and ordered himself one .
Target panic is not funny for sure. Just about quit shooting at one point. Got a good coach and spent 6 hours with him and he fixed it.......at least for a while !
By a SCAT release - it is hydraulic and fires based on the amount of time it takes the hydraulic piston to move the trigger forward. I used it for a month and don't have any problems shooting my SPOT HOGG Wiseguy or Carter Just-B-Cuz. I can now press the trigger most of the way and use tension to fire it the final 20% or so. Good luck.
I shoot super quick on game but try to make a surprise back tension while practicing, never have i been able to do this on a animal, on and its gone!
One comforting thing to know is some of the very best shooters out there have gone through severe cases of TP. I wonder how many guys have given up the bow due to "it".
RJ Hunt's Link
I shoot a hydraulic trigger release all year for training. Had so bad one year I could. It sight my bow on target. Had to set my bow up so I held at the top of the target and the arrow dropped in cause I could not get my pin anywhere near the spot. That year shot a great buck... holding on the top of jos back. Lol.
Years ago I suffered from TP. I simply aimed just below the bullseye and effectively ignored it. So, the bow was sighted about 3" high. End of problem.
After years of using this method, the problem solved itself. One thing I firmly believe is that the more of an issue make of it, the more power it has over you. So, ignore it, sight high and go kill stuff!
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I've got it. I tend to hold just under the bullseye, but on a 3D target or live animal I have no problem holding exactly where I want to hit. I've gotten decent at managing it, but it's there. I've got a Longhorn Hex release that I use from time to time, but I should use it more.
I had it so bad at one time I switched from being a right eye dominant, natural right hand shooter to shooting left handed. Had absolutely no problem putting a pin on a target or animal shooting LH. Took awhile, but learned to shoot really well that way. Figuring out how to view the sight picture with a right dominate eye was the most interesting part.
20 years later, I decided to give RH shooting a try again. What finally worked was a Tru Ball 3 finger release with the button you push forward with your thumb. I slowly got to where I could put the pin on the spot, hold it and trigger the shot.
Once in a great while TP rears it's ugly head and when I put the pin on the spot, I flinch. Twice in the last two months I relaxed enough due to the flinch the release got ripped out of my hand. Usually I just let down really quick and hard. This seems to happen with my 4 finger thumb pull releases like the Tru Ball Pro Diamond. When I go back to my 3 finger release, I can get back on target.
I would love to try a back tension release someday. If you are having trouble, don't settle for pin below or above or drive by shooting. Get some help, it can be beat. I have been hunting RH again since 2003 and have killed a bunch of animals. If it ever gets too bad I can still go back to LH!!
I had it so bad a couple years ago, I walked out of indoor league and swore I was selling all my stuff as it was useless to me at that point. I was very frustrated and embarrassed at the same time. I have always been taught (literally) if you fall off the horse, you get back on. Went back up to the shop the next night and spoke with some of the guys. One of them loaned me a hinge, something I had never even looked into. He taught me how to make it work and sent me into the 10 yard range for a bit. Immediately the symptoms of TP were gone. I then bought one that week for myself. To keep a long story short, I became interested in the ultimate in surprise release and bought a Silverback. Absolutely the best move I have ever made. I have now shot the Silverback for 1.5 years and can pick up about any release and make it shoot a surprise shot. A commanded shot no longer feels right. Target panic is a horrible situation. A resistance release helps occupy the mind on something other than aiming. I am no longer an aimer, rather place the pin on the target and trust my float while executing the release. Its like magic I swear.