Always have safety in mind. Place the target in a location so that no one can pass behind it. Prefer a mound of earth or an archery net. Because if the arrow misses its target, it will get lost in the ground or break on a wall.
Choose a target preferably made of foam and of sufficient thickness to suit the power of your bow.
Check your bow settings: is the draw length properly adjusted? on the riser AND the stopper. Is the power suitable? Do you have the correct arrows and are they in good condition? Have you thought about the release?
Use target tips first for daily training. These are the screwed tips that are supplied with Solognac arrows.
First the feet are shoulder width apart and placed perpendicular to the target.
The hand which holds the bow must be released, it does not grip the bow, this is why there is a strap, to prevent it from falling when released. This hand should be at 45° from the grip and only resting on the thumb muscle, not the palm of the hand.
Cock the bow using the muscles of your back, pushing with the bow arm and pulling with the back arm in a controlled and linear fashion. Remember that the silence of the weapon will be essential when hunting... Bring your hand holding the string through the release to just behind your jaw. The bow string should touch your nose, the corners of your lips. The elbow of the bow arm may be flexed slightly. In this position, when fully armed, you should be at stop, unable to pull the rope any further. The notch should be aligned just below the eye. A good indicator to check if the draw length is correctly adjusted.
Take the time to aim, aligning the sight with the sight circle. And put the pin of the sight in the centre of the target.
Release the bow string by squeezing the release trigger very slowly, without "snapping your finger".
To start, shoot from a distance of 10 m. When the arrows are grouped correctly, in a circle 10 cm in diameter, move back 2 m by 2 m, up to 20 m.
Once this distance has been reached, you can even go back up to 30 m.
Adjust each pin of your sight according to the requisite distance.
The first is usually 20m away, the 2nd at 25m and the 3rd at 30m.
Remember that the hunting distance does not exceed 20 m.
The key to success is to train regularly. At least twice a week. Your gestures, aim, everything must become a reflex, stop thinking about it. Once in a hunting situation, stress and emotion take precedence over thought.
Vary the shooting distances between each arrow, try to guess the distance, change your position: standing, squatting etc.
The main thing is to shoot regularly, to group the arrows, to have confidence in yourself and your equipment when hunting and only let your 6th sense speak ...
Now that you have the basics for your training phases, you will have to get as close as possible. We have some tips for making your approach a success.
