Winter Archery Practice: Staying Sharp in the Off-Season

The off season is a great time to switch up your bow, up your draw weight and sharpen your skills. Now that deer season is over, take some time to practice at your local range or from inside your Stump blind, and keep your muscles loose for next season. Doing so will help ensure you don’t lose any progress you made during the previous year. You’ll be able to go into this off season and build upon what you’ve already achieved instead of starting from scratch. Check out our tips for winter archery practice, below.

Sharpen Your Groups

Take this off-time to work on your groups. Archers should strive for a tight grouping of arrows. If your arrows are all landing within an inch of each other in a group on the target, that’s a good indicator that your form is consistent every time you draw back and launch an arrow. If you do the same thing every time you draw, meaning you hold your bow grip the same way, use the same anchor point and release the same way, your arrows will land in the same place on the target every time. Ideally you want to get your cluster over the 10-ring, but even if you’re slightly off the bull’s-eye, as long as they’re clustered you’re at least consistent. Check to make sure the bow is sitting loosely in between your thumb and first finger to make sure you’re not holding the bow too tightly. You don’t need to grip the bow tightly with all five fingers, your lower fingers should be able to lift off the bow into the air.

Go Up in Draw Weight

The off season is a great time to move up in draw weight. If you have an adjustable bow, put it up to your desired draw weight. If it’s not adjustable, visit your local archery range to discuss what new bow is right for you based on your new draw weight. Practice at the new draw weight all winter to build up your muscles and get used to the new sensation. Make sure you’re able to hold at full draw without shaking. If you’re still shaking when summer rolls around, you might need to consider going back down in draw weight, adding some resistance training into your workout routine for your triceps and traps, and trying again next year.

Adjust to the Changes

Anytime you change your bow or your draw weight, you should start with your target close, about 20 yards away, until you have consistent clusters over the 10-ring. Once you do, move the target back another 10 or 20 yards and do it again until you’re consistent at the new distance. Keep doing this until you’ve reached your desired distance and you’re consistent there.

Practicing during the off season will help you stay in shape for the upcoming season and it gives you the opportunity to make changes. Practice from your Stump blind to make sure you’re practicing in real conditions. Set up a 3D target outside the blind in various positions, quartering to, quartering away, broadside, etc., and use that to replicate real scenarios.

How do you practice in the off season to keep your skills sharp? Do you practice from your Stump blind? Let us know in the comments below!