This is the first post in a new series I’ll be doing called “Behind the Bow.” My goal with this series is to take one thing per episode that I have personally overcome or an AHA moment in my bowhunting/archery journey and break it down for you. All of this with the hope to provide you with real-world perspective and experience to help you along your own journey behind the bow. Be sure to subscribe to the YouTube channel to stay up to date with all future episodes!
It’s like a disease. Target panic is something that infiltrates the minds of bowhunters worldwide. Whether it’s not being able to hold the pin on target, nervously punching the trigger, feeling like you have no choice but to shoot, or aggressively anticipating the shot. This is nasty business and it takes more than a good sleep to overcome it.
I’m no exception to any of this. Target panic got me years ago and I’ve got the dents in my backyard wall to prove it. For me, target panic presented itself in the form of an aggressive anticipation of the shot. I’d flinch before my release would fire causing me to completely miss the target, even at 20 yards. That was years ago, and I’m happy to say, I’ve beaten target panic and been panic-free since doing so.
Sitting here writing this out I want you to know that I’m not an expert at curing target panic. I don’t know the ins and outs of the whole thing. What I do know is that I found out how to beat it and what I’m about to share with you worked for me. I sincerely hope it works for you, or at least provides you with some sort of direction to set you on the path to a target panic free future.
Before you start this, it’s important to note that target panic is ENTIRELY mental. Every ounce of it rests between your ears and that is the place you will beat it. You need to retrain your mind.
The first method I used for beating target panic involved my wife and her finger. Now, before your mind falls completely in the gutter here, hit the brakes. I simply asked her to get behind me(seriously, out of the gutter), take her finger(I’m not kidding), and pull the trigger for me. See, no gutter to be found.
In all seriousness, something that really helped me out was knowing exactly how it felt for a shot to break cleanly. So, I’d stand anywhere from 5-10 yards, come to full draw, and keep my finger in back of the trigger. Once I was on target, I’d give my wife the okay, and I’d just keep aiming. The best part about this is she wouldn’t let me know when she was going to pull the trigger. The shot was a surprise every single time, and guess what? Every one of those arrows went dead center in the dot. No fliers to be found.
The reason I think this is important is because you can’t know you’re doing something wrong unless you know you’re doing something right. So, knowing what that clean surprise shot felt like, gave me the tools to do just that. And I really didn’t have to do this a whole ton of times. A few reps a day helped a ton.
Another thing I did was blank bail shooting, and it’s really for the same reason as I outlined above. Unlike above though, there is no aiming to be found here. Which I think is great, because aiming is really a huge cause of panic. Take it away and you’ve got just one thing to focus on and that’s working through your trigger.
The best setup when I was doing this was with a bigger target at about 3 feet away. Those giant targets that are often in pro shops are actually perfect for this exercise. A larger target is honestly just to make sure you don’t take out a light or the neighbor’s parakeet.
Draw your bow back, settle on the target, and then CLOSE YOUR EYES. This will totally take away the element of aiming. Just focus on working through your trigger and getting a nice clean break on the shot. 12 reps a day worked fine for me here.
If you’re concerned about closing your eyes, just take your bow sight off. That will allow you to keep you eyes open, but take away the element of aiming. There is also the option of using a shot trainer. This is a fantastic exercise, but you really need to get behind the bow for the right feel.
Now for the “silver tuna” as Joe Pesci says in Home Alone. Everything I laid out above helped me get on a path. The thing that really stomped target panic for me, though, was changing the process. Target panic is totally mental and breaking habits is hard. I tried it for a while. So, I decided to completely change things up. I bought a different release. A totally different one.
I ended up buying a handheld thumb release, instead of using the index release I had been for years. I didn’t just buy it though. Right there in the shop, I asked them to truly teach me how to use it the right way. This is where many go wrong and where bad habits start to form right off the rip. Instead, I learned the right way, right away. If you learn the right way the first time, you won’t know any other way. My Dad taught me that long ago and it holds true to this day.
Changing the process like this kept all of the bad habits at bay that I had previously created and it helped form good ones. In fact those “good ones” turned into a solid foundation to stand on. One that I’m still standing on to this day. After going through that, I can now shoot index, thumb, and hinge without issue. It’s all in the mind.
It’s been quite a few years now since I’ve personally dealt with target panic and it was for sure a process beating it. You need to be dedicated to doing so and it might make you feel like you’re not getting better as an archery or even like a waste of time. I promise you it’s worth investing your time in. What you do now will help shape the foundation of your future. So, rip it off like a Band-Aid and get it over with. You’ll be stoked when it’s over.
Copyright 2019 Dialed In Hunter
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