The Benefits Of An Archery Coach

     For me, my love of archery began with bow hunting. Like most hunters I started bow hunting to expand my deer season beyond gun seasons.

      I practiced a lot before season began to ensure clean shots. However, I kept in mind the vitals on a deer, and considered shooting within a perimeter of a pie shaped plate to be good shooting, and was pleased with my shooting sessions if I had accomplished that.

      It wasn't until I shot in an archery tournament that I realized I needed improvement if I was going to shoot at "dots". I had taught myself as much as I could, but needed some outside guidance to really hone in and shoot much tighter groups.

      I asked a friend that has won and placed in several Pro Am tournaments to coach me, and I feel confident in his ability as an archer. His teachings have really helped me in many ways. He has taught me more about breathing techniques as I follow through my shot. I've learned more about holding my form, remaining accurate, and consistent.
     Over the years I had acquired a few poor habits; such as dropping my arm too quickly after I shot, and punching the trigger on my release causing torque to the right. With his help I've been able to correct them. As we all may do a few things differently, asking another archer's opinion could possibly lead to finding a technique that works better for you. For any bow hunter looking to branch out into tournaments I highly recommend getting advice/coaching.

By: Allison O'Nan