Breaking Bad Habits for Archery Success

By Aaron McKinney

Several years ago, I used to go to several archery shoots through the summer. It was a time to hone-in my archery skills, relax, and prepare for the upcoming archery season. For me, archery is my passion and summer is a prime time for preparation, and to sharpen archery skills. Several years ago, there was a lot less knowledge about shooting, and most of us learned to shoot incorrectly. It’s never too late to improve your skills. In fact, now is the perfect time to  correct any bad habits, forge new skills, and get ready for the upcoming archery season, whether that means chasing whitetails in the backwoods or aiming for the X-ring on a competitive range. The very first step, often the toughest, is admitting you’re not perfect. Because let’s face it, none of us are.

Continuously Try to Improve

I’ve been around the archery game long enough to know that nobody, and I mean nobody, is beyond improvement. We all have our little quirks, our shortcuts, our ingrained habits that might be subtly (or not so subtly) holding us back. The real key is being able to recognize those habits, being brutally honest with ourselves about them, and then, crucially, having the humility to actually change. Ego has absolutely no place on the range or in the woods. You have to be coachable, willing to set aside your pride (because we all have it!) and genuinely listen to advice, even if it’s something you think you already know. Trust me, sometimes the things we think we know best are the things we’re doing worst.

Go Back to the Basics

A good coach, or even just a knowledgeable and experienced friend, will almost always start with the fundamentals. They’ll go back to the absolute basics: how you stand, how you hold the bow, where your anchor points are. And you know what? Even if you’ve been flinging arrows for decades, don’t just brush this off. Sometimes, those little things we take for granted, the stuff we do on autopilot, are the very foundation of our bad habits. We get complacent, we develop little deviations over time, and before we even realize it, our form has drifted way off course. So, be open to revisiting the basics. You might be surprised at what you discover. It’s like rebuilding a house – sometimes you have to go back to the foundation to fix the cracks in the walls.

Let’s talk about grip, for example. It seems simple enough, right? Just hold the bow. But there’s a huge difference between a proper, relaxed grip and just white-knuckling the thing for dear life. A death grip introduces tension, it torques the bow, and it makes consistency almost impossible. On the other hand, I’m not a huge fan of an entirely open hand either. You do need a certain amount of control. The ideal grip is somewhere in between: relaxed but firm, allowing the bow to do its work without your interference. Experiment, find what feels natural and, more importantly, repeatable, and don’t be afraid to ask for guidance. A good pro at an archery shop can be invaluable in helping you find the right grip.

Speaking of archery shops, getting your bow properly set up is another essential step. This isn’t something you should attempt on your own unless you really know what you’re doing. Take it to a pro, and don’t be afraid to vet that pro. Unfortunately, tuning a bow is a complicated process and you need to really trust the person that is setting up your bow. They have the tools, the experience, and the eye for detail to get it right. A good archery shop technician can measure your draw length, adjust your draw weight to something comfortable and manageable, and make sure everything is tuned and balanced. A well-tuned bow is an absolute joy to shoot, and it’ll make a world of difference in your accuracy. Plus, it can help prevent the bad habits from forming.

Evaluate Your Anchor Points

Now, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty: anchor points. Consistency is absolutely king in archery, and anchor points are what provide that consistency. You need solid, repeatable reference points that allow you to draw the bow to the exact same position every single time. For me, that means anchoring on the string itself. Whether you touch your nose to the string, or the corner of your mouth, I highly recommend anchoring on the string. These are my markers, my unchanging points of contact. A kisser button or other aids can also be incredibly helpful in making sure you’re getting to that precise spot every time. The whole goal here is to eliminate as many variables as humanly possible, and consistent anchor points are a massive part of that equation. You need a solid foundation, and your anchor points are that foundation.

Peep alignment is another critical factor that’s often overlooked, even by experienced archers. If your peep sight isn’t aligned perfectly, your sight picture will be off, and your arrows will inevitably stray from the mark. Have someone you trust watch you draw and check your peep alignment. It should be perfectly aligned with your sight pin or scope. Even a slight twist or cant in your peep can lead to significant inaccuracies downrange. It’s a small detail, but it can have a big impact.

Practice, Practice, Practice. 

We’ve all heard it a million times, but it’s true. But it’s not just about flinging arrows downrange and hoping for the best. It’s about quality practice, not just quantity. You want perfection in the way you practice to perform perfectly repeatedly, at least ideally. If you’re shooting to hunt, then you need to practice in realistic hunting scenarios. Shoot from elevated positions if that’s how you’ll be hunting from your tree stand. Practice in the kind of terrain you’ll be hunting in – if it’s hilly and brushy, don’t just practice on a flat, manicured range. Challenge yourself. Make it as close to the real thing as possible.

Blind bailing is another excellent practice technique that I highly recommend. Blind bailing is an archery drill designed to build muscle memory for a clean and consistent shot. By closing your eyes and eliminating the visual distractions of aiming, you can concentrate exclusively on the mechanics of drawing, holding, releasing, and following through. It involves focusing solely on your form and release, without even looking at the target. This helps you develop muscle memory and really ingrain those good habits. You can do this indoors or outdoors, and it’s a fantastic way to refine your technique. The key, as with everything in archery, is repetition. Repeat your form, your draw, your anchor, your release, over and over and over again until it becomes second nature, until it’s almost automatic.

Finally, let’s talk about the release. This is where a lot of archers struggle. “Punching the trigger” or “jerking the shot” are common flaws that can absolutely ruin your accuracy. A smooth, controlled release is absolutely essential. Think of it as a gradual squeezing of the trigger, not a sudden, violent yank. Your release should be a surprise, not a conscious action. It should happen naturally as your muscles relax. This takes a lot of practice, and it can be frustrating at first, but it’s a crucial element of consistent, accurate shooting. It’s the difference between a flinch and a smooth, effortless shot.

Here’s a tough one, something we all struggle with: be willing to accept constructive criticism. Nobody, and I mean nobody, likes to be told they’re doing something wrong. It bruises the ego, it makes us feel vulnerable. But if you’re truly serious about improving, about becoming the best archer you can be, you have to be open to feedback. Listen to what others have to say, even if it’s hard to hear. They might see something you’re missing, a flaw in your form that you’ve become blind to. A fresh pair of eyes can often spot things that you’ve been doing wrong for years without even realizing it. It’s like having someone proofread your writing – they’ll catch mistakes you’d never see yourself.

Breaking bad habits isn’t easy. It takes time, it takes dedication, and it takes a genuine willingness to step outside your comfort zone. But the rewards, trust me, are well worth the effort. A clean, consistent form, a properly tuned bow, and a focused, disciplined mind will make you a more accurate and, more importantly, a more confident archer. So, embrace the summer heat, put in the work, and get ready to unleash your full potential when the season finally arrives. Remember, every single arrow you shoot is an opportunity to learn, to refine, and to become a better archer. Don’t waste those opportunities. Make every shot count. And most importantly, have fun! Archery should be enjoyable. If you’re not having fun, you’re doing something wrong.