This is my ending target. I am pleased that while I still miss the X ring my groups are getting smaller. There are two arrow holes in the target that are not mine the 7 & 6 were shot by some guy testing a bow. Annoying.

George Ryals  

May 31

you're sighted in 8 click high too.if your bow was sighted in dead center It appears that maybe 2 or three would have been out.

This is my target from tonight. I only had a little over an hour tonight because I have bagpipe rehearsal at 7pm. I only shot 42 arrows tonight 33 in the target and 9 blank bail. I have been reviewing my recordings from the workshop and heard you say that at some point during to rebuild process one should start scoring because it would have effects on shooting. I was really amazed how much it affected me. I plan to go back to just working on form and aiming until I am doing that better before I try scoring again. I have noticed that since I have made all the changes when I miss I tend to miss high. I have no idea why. This bow has been creep tuned. I am shooting an outdoor tournament this weekend. I know you do not recommend it while I am in the middle of rebuilding my shoot process and from. I have not shot over 10 yards since the workshop and it is at 50 meters. My plan is to just do what I have been working on for three weeks regardless of where my arrows land. I will not go back to my previous form or process. I am looking at it as 50 meter practice. I am hopping i will do ok.

I want you to know I appreciate how quickly you are looking and my posts. I am very serious about the goal I shared with you to be the best archery I am able to be. Besides the archery practice where I am working very hard on the things you have given me directly and what you said during the workshop I am changing how I am eating to lose some weight, doing a little weight lifting mostly arms, back, chest and core for my legs I am doing some running as much as my heel will let me. Is there anything else you would suggest for me to do to work toward my goal? I was thinking there might be some books that it may help to read or you may have other things. I have read Lanny Basshams "With Winning In Mind" several times and I am taking his online courses which are required for my level 3 NTS coach certifications. I do walk around work and other places with my release and a cord thing I made practicing my release. I just looking for what I can be doing when not shooting. Thanks

This target is my first three arrows. I will also post my ending target. I had a real good night, i shot 123 arrows during the two JOAD classes they have on Wednesday. John and Brian both gave me a little coaching. Both wanted me to get my right elbow back farther which they say I did do but also wanted me to raise my elbow slightly while continuing to pull it back. Brian was talking about my L2 but I am not sure what that is about. It did feel like I was getting my elbow back more. I did have some sort of breakthrough l was hitting a lot of Xs. I had at least 12 ends with all Xs and a lot with two Xs all of my ends I shot at least one X. All of this is at 10 yards. They have not attempted to change anything you gave my just getting my elbow back and improving my release.

George Ryals  

May 31

still the majority of the group looks high. Those super high outliers are likely leaking pressure.

Ashby Spratley  

May 31

Leaking pressure is like creeping?

Good practice at the range tonight during the JOAD class. I have an annual range pass so I can shoot anytime the range is open. I shot 126 arrows I could only shoot 3 at a time due to JOAD. I shot 18 blank bail and the rest at the target. The first photo was my first three arrows, a nice start. Ending target to follow. John has recommended replacing my strings, they are a bit frayed. So I have a set on order, I assume I will have to retune my bow.

I only had one hour and twenty minutes to shoot at the range today. Still I shot 87 arrows, 20 blank bailing the rest aiming at the target from 10 yards. I did not have any all 6 Xs, lots of 5 and 4 Xs and still no reds but I was pretty close a few times. Was a bit easier today but still not as easy as blank bailing. I hope you had a good Memorial Day Weekend George.

I am just leaving Boneyard Archery. It is an archery range two hours from my home. I came here to practice. It is not air conditioned but it is out of the sun, there are fans, one can go into the store to cool off, there is a bathroom and snacks so to me worth the drive for a place to shoot on Sunday. They have a 50 yard indoor range and a 50 yard indoor 3D range. I shot about 40 arrows blank bailing then 60 at a six spot target I like. The blank bailing is effortless but target shooting is not. I was not having trouble with my release going off that was working. I just could not hit the X ring every time and I was at 10 yards. I had one target with 6 Xs and a lot with 5 or 4 Xs. The second photo is the target when I stopped. I am pleased there are no shots in the red ring and only a few in the 9 ring. I know it does not look like 60 shots but I am assuming I hit a number of the same holes more than once. I am pleased with this progress. I hope you are doing well. Thanks.

Ashby Spratley  

May 26

George I have spent the last week or so watching every video of you that I could find, listening to every podcast you have done and read everything off your websites. I am most impressed with the number of archers that you’ve been able to coach to a very high level. They all seem to be young people which of course makes sense. I find myself wishing again that I had started archery much younger. I would’ve really liked to have had the opportunity to be one of those young people. Then I asked myself why couldn’t I just start now. Well I’m asking is if you’re willing to work with me as if I was one of those young people. I want to be the very best archer I able to be. I want to go to Lancaster, Vegas and national tournaments and win my division. I am not interested in the money just want to be an extremely good archer. I’m not interested in being sponsored. For me it’s just about being the best archer I can be. Have you ever had a geriatric archery Champion? What do you think?

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George Ryals  

May 27

Yep let’s do it.

Ashby Spratley  

May 27

Thanks George we will.

Ashby Spratley  

May 26

How will I know when to go to the next step beyond blank bailing? What is the next step?

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George Ryals  

May 27

When you feel like the thing you’re trying to master is working, then put up a target at close range. Start the progression there

Here I am hoping I am shooting as you directed

Me again. My range has a balcony right behind the shooting line so I got a video shot down on me. If this is of no use to you let me know and I will not do it again.

Blank bailing yesterday and tonight. Working the things you gave me at the work on at the work shop which I described in Monday’s message. Yesterday’s shot 122 arrows, tonight I shot 48. I only had an hour to shoot between work and bagpipe rehearsal. Some yesterday and more tonight everything I have changed has started to feel normal and I am doing them with less thought. More importantly to me the lady 15 shots I made I was releasing the arrows while just pulling on the release. No thought to relaxing my wrist. I was just looking at the bail and pulling and the release triggered. I still find this surprising that this work. Looking forward to shooting Friday so I can do this some more. I am planning to do some videos for you.

I did the same thing yesterday as the day before I just had more time to shoot since I was not working on my bow. I shot 102 arrows yesterday.

Thank you for scheduling my coaching session / lesson on June 22nd. I am looking forward to it. I sent you an email with links to my Google drive for the MP3s from the workshop. They were too big to email even after I compressed them. Let me know if you have any trouble getting them. Yesterday I bought a Hamskae InSight and had it installed. I also bought a Sherwd rear stabilizer adapter so I could go to one rear stabilizer as you suggested. Then I spent the rest of the evening blank bailing without aiming. I shot 82 arrows last nights. I am working on drawing the bow as you taught me, moving my shoulder and elbow back to move to anchor, making sure I am gripping the bow by squeezing the grip of the bow between my index finger and thumb then allowing my wrist to bend to seat the bow grip in the palm of my hand and I am drawing the bow with my fingers curled around the release let you showed me. Then once at anchor I pull on my release and relaxing the palm of my right hand and the release releases. The fact that this works still surprises me. John Winkler owner of First Flight has given me a few tweets mostly like “you finally gotten your shoulder back far enough but you need to move your elbow back also”. He has not tried to change anything and has said you and he teach the same things. I guess I will see. I have a lot of blank bailing in my future. Only wonder what I should do about several tournaments which I have coming up. I have paid for them and I’m some cases for a hotel room. So I plan to shoot them just like what I am doing on my blank bails except I will be aiming. Your thought on this? Also please let me know if I am missing anything or have forgotten any thing. Thanks.

Here is the target from my last practice. I am not sure if it is useful for you. I have been concentrating on the pinch of my thumb and index finger for beginning my grip, getting my left shoulder a bit forward and my right shoulder and elbow back also hooking just the middle of my fingers on the release for the draw. The last I am having some trouble with. My hand/finders get tired after about 30 arrows and I end up with my previous release grip. I am not happy with these targets. I am pretty sure to 8s that are low are due to dropping my bow arm, a problem I have been working on for some time. I do not know what caused the high 8. This is a different bow than the one you saw. This is my outdoor bow I had my indoor bow when we met. I have done a creep tuning on it like you taught me and moved my sight bar to number 8 like I did on the indoor bow. It has the same sight. The outdoor bow needed one half turn tighter on the lower cam cable. I really want to tighten up my groups so I will hit 10s. Please tell me what I may send you so you can advise me. Thanks.

Sight Marks Olympic Recurve Bow

There was not a local 3D shot this Sunday, I am not sure why so I decided to go to Boneyard Archery to put some sight marks on my Olympic Recurve bows sight.

I had a mark for 10 and 20 yards, but I verified the 20 yard one anyway then shot at 25 yards, 30 yards, 40 yards and 50 yards. It was pretty hot in there so I took a number of breaks to cool off. The 25 and 30 yard marks came pretty easy but the 40 gave me a lot of grief - I think I was dropping my bow arm and it was giving me misleading results. I was really focusing on keeping my arm up and finally got some consistency shots. I was really surprised at the difference between the 20 to 30 and the 30 to 40 marks, see photos below. Then I was expecting the difference between 40 and 50 to be even more than between 30 and 40 but it turned out no to be. I set my sight to what I expected it to be for 50 and over shoot the bale by a foot, adjusted by 10 turns up and over shot the bale by an inch another 10 turns got me on the target but in the blue ring 12 turns got me in the 10 ring. I still manage to miss the bale again by shooting too far left. All three misses went through the wall but I was able to pull them out and save the point and shaft which is where the money is fletching and nocks are easy and inexpensive to replace. I am wondering if others have found the scale of the marks not increase logarithmically? Since I will mostly shoot this bow at 20 yard or 18 meters or 50 yards and 50 meters the 40 is not that important. Using Archers Advantage Online and the marks for 20 and 50 yards I was able to create a scale for my Olympic Recurve bow.

  

New sight tape for my 3D bow

 I went back to Boneyard Archery to make a tape for my Red Podium 3D bow. After the last time I did a 3D tournament I decided I needed to update my sight tape. For some reason I did not think there was a 3D tournament this Sunday so I went to make a new tape. It is such a nice place to make tapes, again they let me log into Archers Advantage to input my data and print out a tape. Also Jonathan helped me get the measurements for Archers Advantage. I only shot 20 and 50 yards, since I knew about where 50 yards was from the onl tape I did not see the point of shooting the inbetweens. After making the tape and installing it I did test it at 20, 30, 40 and 50 yards. 40 yards seemed a little off but the rest were dead on so I think I can work with it.
Sight to pep - 33.875"
Pep to arrow - 4.125"
Draw leight - 30.1875"
20 yards - 21.4
50 yards - 50.9

George Ryals  

May 1

Before you learned to use the shoulder blade to align the elbow.

Ashby Spratley  

May 2

Thanks I have been working on it but I am not sure I have it correct yet.

Ashby Spratley  

May 10

Here is the target from my last practice. I am not sure if it is useful for you. I have been concentrating on the pinch of my thumb and index finger for beginning my grip, getting my left shoulder a bit forward and my right shoulder and elbow back also hooking just the middle of my fingers on the release for the draw. The last I am having some trouble with. My hand/finders get tired after about 30 arrows and I end up with my previous release grip. I am not happy with these targets. I am pretty sure to 8s that are low are due to dropping my bow arm, a problem I have been working on for some time. I do not know what caused the high 8. This is a different bow than the one you saw. This is my outdoor bow I had my indoor bow when we met. I have done a creep tuning on it like you taught me and moved my sight bar to number 8 like I did on the indoor bow. It has the same sight. The outdoor bow needed one half turn tighter on the lower cam cable. I really want to tighten up my groups so I will hit 10s. Please tell me what I may send you so you can advise me. Thanks.