Dan,
Many thanks for all the quality advice!

First, though, I have to tell you that I dropped golf for archery.
I wanted a peaceful, relaxing sport/pastime that I could finally
master and enjoy whenever I go shooting.

I now see I traded one mind-game for another! :-)

I misstated the bow size: it is 66" (25 riser & 'long' limbs).

My arrows are 30.5" overall - the Lancaster Techs figured my draw
length at 29" when they sized the arrows - so I don't think the
equipment is at fault.

I will double-check the brace height, add a spacer to my tab and
always use the clicker - all good tips.

The nearest Archery Store is in Fullerton. I wonder will they size me
and weigh the bow if I did not buy it there?

I will also contact a Coach to watch my shot sequence.

Too bad you are in AZ. I really admire your advice and clarity.

Many thanks and I'll report back on my progress.

Marty
Torrance, CA

--- In AskArcheryCoach@yahoogroups.com, Daniel Perez <bowcoach@...>
wrote:
>
> Marty,
>
> A couple things for you to think about...
>
> 1: Your setup was done via Lancaster archery supply based on 28#
limbs, which are rated normally @ 28 inches of draw. A better way to
determine you arrow/bow match is to take your bow into a shop and
have them measure your draw length, then put the bow on a scale and
draw it to your draw length to measure the corresponding poundage.
Use this new indicated poundage to check your arrow selection... They
can also do this at an archery shop. Since your bow tiller can be
adjusted to increase at 10%, and since I don't know where the tiller
is set on your bow, your poundage could be anywhere from 28-31 Lbs
(considering a 28 inch draw & assuming the accuracy of the indicated
limb poundage is good).
>
> You might have mismatched arrows as a consequence of only utilizing
the standard limb poundage and not your actual poundage at full draw.
>
> 2: Make sure that your brace height is set at the initial
recommended height. Which should be:
>
> For your 25" Riser your initial brace height should be between 8
1/2 - 9 1/4" for long limbs, 8 1/4 - 9" for medium limbs, and 8 - 8
3/4" for short limbs. An incorrect brace height could impact the
arrows flight because an incorrect brace height means that the arrow
is leaving the string at an incorrect time, thus clearance problems
could result. The brace height should always be the same every time
you shoot, so get in the habit of checking it. Once you have
developed some consistency you can learn to fine tune the brace
height, but for now just set it somewhere within the above range for
your specific set-up. Note: You indicated that your bow was 60" long,
which is not possible with Hoyt limbs and risers.
>
> 3: I strongly recommend a spacer to be used with your tab. Shooting
without a spacer presents a lot of problems, one being that of
duplication. By that I mean if you could measure the force applied on
the nock while at full draw from your index and middle fingers you
would find that you cannot duplicate the exact amount of force in the
same position on the nock every single shot, thus not using a spacer
introduces a fair amount of inconsistency to each shot. Having a good
spacer that's comfortable and works as intended will eliminate "all"
force that would have been applied by your fingers to the nock, thus
reducing a variable of inconsistency.
>
> Also do not use the shelf provided with your tab.
>
> 4: Have you trimmed your tab correctly? I would suggest you contact
a coach who is familiar with recurves and have him/her take a look at
your tab. You can conduct some simple powder tests on the tab to
determine if it needs to be trimmed or if it has already been trimmed
too much. There are other sources on this topic as well.
>
> 5: I recommend that you get in the habit of using you clicker all
the time. Not using the clicker is the same as warming up without
stabilizers, then practicing with them on. The whole process you have
described is not conducive to consistency and duplicity! And that's
about 95% of the sport. If you are still trying to master the clicker
then I recommend that be a focus area for a few practice sessions.
Read and follow the instructions on my guide to the clicker, which is
a document posted on the group page. incorporate the practice routine
outlined in that document.
>
> 6: Hire a coach for a day and have him look over your shot
sequence. Since you are learning now, it will be common for there to
be many inconsistencies which will influence arrow flight. It's just
too difficult for me to speculate on every possible variable that
might be your problem, when in fact it is most likely a combination
of things anyhow.
>
> Well, I hope this was of some help to you. Best of luck.
>
> -Dan
>
>