# target panic



## RobK (Jul 3, 2008)

anyone have it , and cured it with a back tension release ? I fought it for 30 years and gave up archery . but never used a compound or release and want to try again .


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## phorisc (Feb 2, 2011)

RobK said:


> anyone have it , and cured it with a back tension release ? I fought it for 30 years and gave up archery . but never used a compound or release and want to try again .


I was reading comments on a hunters blog "Donnie Vincent" and he actually has target panic...I think he uses the same thing as the back tension...

here was the comment he made to someone that asked about his archery release...

"Donnie Vincent says:
September 12, 2014 at 12:48 pm
Brett,

The hunt was filmed, and it's honestly some of our best work I'll be really excited to release this piece, in fact this whole year has been crazy good!

Now about the hinge release. Brett, I have target panic. I spent the last few years missing shots that I shouldn't, and with each miss my confidence slipped further and further into a sleepy hollow. I believe it all stemmed from a mule deer hunt in Alberta a few years ago where I found, stalked and shot a very special deer&#8230;only to lose him because of a number of circumstances, starting with the shot. Anyway my confidence lost it's way and I've been struggling a little to a lot ever since. This last year I finally accepted the problem and started my research for a fix, and in during that research I found out that target panic is a sleeping giant amongst archers. I also found (through a friend) an article from Forrest Carter about target panic and overcoming it with a Carter "Honey" or "Honey 2″ release and a Fire Line shooting device. So to finally get to your answer, hunting with it has been pretty seamless, so far, so good anyway. It's really been amazing for my confidence and has made shooting fun again.
"


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Shoot at lower poundage, 40lbs or so that you can easily hold for long lengths of time. Relax, work on form. As you feel comfortable start to raise the poundage a few lbs at a time.


-DallanC


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## RobK (Jul 3, 2008)

I love archery , but it drove me nuts . But i want to try again .


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## RobK (Jul 3, 2008)

back in the 70's i had a jenning compound top limb explode at full draw ,almost knocked me out when the top limb hit me in the head . it all started then . went to a recurve bow after that , but never could shoot good again .


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## utahgolf (Sep 8, 2007)

how do you know if it's buck fever or target panic?


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## phorisc (Feb 2, 2011)

RobK said:


> back in the 70's i had a jenning compound top limb explode at full draw ,almost knocked me out when the top limb hit me in the head . it all started then . went to a recurve bow after that , but never could shoot good again .


eeek, i think that would cause anyone to have archery trauma


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## middlefork (Nov 2, 2008)

utahgolf said:


> how do you know if it's buck fever or target panic?


I've never had buck fever shooting a target. Heart rate and adrenelin are much different shooting critters.

Check out Archery Talk they have several articles on overcoming target panic.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

I had a PSE bow shatter a limb, even though the bow shop sold it with a "lifetime" warranty they refused to fix it. Best offer was to knock $20 off a new bow. Limbs can indeed shatter.


-DallanC


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## utahgolf (Sep 8, 2007)

middlefork said:


> I've never had buck fever shooting a target. Heart rate and adrenelin are much different shooting critters.
> 
> Check out Archery Talk they have several articles on overcoming target panic.


Sounds like the yips in golf


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## middlefork (Nov 2, 2008)

yip, that's part of the reason I no longer golf:mrgreen:


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## bow_dude (Aug 20, 2009)

First off, back tension is a shooting method not a release. Any type of release can be shot using back tension. 

Yes, most agree that a hinge release will aid in curing target panic. It takes patience to get a hinge release to go off. They fire when they are ready, not when you want it to. Setting any release to be a hair trigger is a sure fire way to develop target panic. If you prefer a wrist style trigger release, set it as stiff as you can, short it so it sits into the 2nd knuckle of your finger, not the tip of the finger, place your finger on the trigger and put a slight amount of pressure on it. That always seems to get rid of the urge to shoot "now" as you lock down on the target. Shoot with two eyes open and learn to focus on the target, not the pin. Let the pin float and don't try so hard to hold it on the target. Start applying back tension or pulling thru the release with your back muscles and let it fire when it happens, not when you want it to happen. Learn to shoot this way and you will be surprised how the magic starts to happen and somehow the arrow finds the center of the target. Blind bale practice is another form many use to overcome target panic. A great book to read is "idiot Proof Archery" by Bernie Pellerite. If you follow his advise, you will find that your shooting accuracy will improve and your shooting form will likely change. A great read. He spends a lot of time on Target Panic.

Good luck.


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## greenducks (Jan 11, 2014)

If your wanting to stick with the recurve check out masters of the barebow volume 3. Rod Jenkins and Larry yien cover shooting trad setups with backtension and there is a segment of overcoming target panic. And rod covers taking your new form from the blind bale to shooting a target. They also talk about using a clicker. You can adjust the clicker to go off when you get to full draw and start to expand into your backtension.


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## RobK (Jul 3, 2008)

so far , using a release ( 20.00 walmart ) and a compound with sight and level , no Target panic


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## Livntahunt (Aug 12, 2010)

DallanC said:


> Shoot at lower poundage, 40lbs or so that you can easily hold for long lengths of time. Relax, work on form. As you feel comfortable start to raise the poundage a few lbs at a time.
> 
> -DallanC


+1 
to add to it.. i have been fighting it for years as well. I do this as well as shoot from about 5-10 yards with my eyes closed after settling in(on a huge target) and REALLY focus on a slow squeeze on the trigger(creating a backtension effect). Never knowing when its going to go off helps keep my form muscle memory. Again, this works for me. Give it a shot and see what you think.


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## RobK (Jul 3, 2008)

still no target panic , but i have only been shooting out to 15 yards . first time in over 40 years that i enjoy shooting a bow .


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