One day several years ago I began having trouble holding at full draw. Little did I know at the time but the next two years would be filled with countless hours of trying to cure a massively frustrating form of target panic. My skill level with a bow and arrow quickly deteriorated to a point where I could barely get my bow back. I would shake and flinch uncontrollably while a little voice inside my head would scream, "Release, release!!!" I read everything available regarding target panic and shooting technique, and tried every possible cure with earnest. There were times when I experienced some success with the methods I read about. I can remember getting to the point where I could finally hold at full draw. The voice in my head was still there, but it didn't have the same power over me. I firmly believed that I was on the right track, and if I just kept working I didn't doubt that I was going to conquer my problem. Unfortunately, just when I started to have thoughts of complete cure and recovery another related problem developed. I'd heard of freezing throughout my extensive research but had never experienced it myself. Freezing could quite possibly be the most frustrating form of target panic. I was finally able to draw and hold, but now if I tried to bring my bow hand into the site picture, I would release immediately. It was almost as if someone or some thing had taken control of my body. I could not seem to hold on target. The only way I could shoot was to swing my bow across the target picture and time my release. This is an awful way to shoot. You look like a complete fool while doing it and it's only by chance that you make an accurate shot. I've heard others comically call this "drive-by shooting" and the description fits. All you can do is laugh through the humiliation. I was finally able to cure my target panic in August of 2002, but not in the manner I expected. It didn't happen gradually. I didn't fix my target panic bit-by-bit over a period of weeks or months. It happened instantaneously--in a flash of inspiration while watching my dad shoot his rifle. The result is now called the Push Release cure and is available on DVD. For more information visit www.PushRelease.com |
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