Tension in bow arm

Anyone?

Sounds like you're on the right track. Large amounts of magnification also magnifies errors. Unless you're rock steady without a lens, the pin dances around like crazy.

Does that sound like that is the cause of the tension in my bow arm? Cuz I've noticed when I get the tension in the arm if I end up firing the shot I can pretty much guarantee it isn't going to hit the X. I'm trying to eliminate the bow arm tension

Relaxation is always the key to accurate shooting. If the magnified spot worries you and makes you tense up, get rid of it. You shouldn't have to fight the dot. Let it wander (hopefully near the center). Statistics are on your side so more often than not you'll be nearer the middle than when you try to force it there.

If you don't have it already, get Bernie Pellerite's book "Idiot Proof Archery." It's helped me a LOT with similar issues.

Bigger the mag,bigger the movement.
I tried to shoot a friends bow and he has x6 fitted and I could not hold the thing on the spot.
Now I know why I beat him on a regular basis.
Cure -- get a lower mag scope.

Nightimer

Try shooting with the target in focus and the pin fuzzy and out of focus. Stare at the spot and just let the pin go there on its own and float. Your mind knows where to put the pin and you do not need to consciencly steer the bow for it to go to the spot. It will remove all or most of the percieved motion from your sight picture. If you do it well enough the pin will seem like it disappears or real close to it. If you do it right it will seem like your pin can be out of the center but the arrow will still go there. Remember, focus on the target. Make the target clear, not the pin.

It is like driving a car. Do you focus on the road or the steering wheel. When you throw a ball do you look at the intended target or do you look at the ball?

This is one of the key factors to shooting from the sub-conscience mind like you hear so many great shooters talk of. It can be real difficult to learn to trust it because it is hard to give up control. Trust me I know, I am a control freak.

No matter how much I stare at the X, when the pin is not settling down the tension in my bow arm starts up immediately. The X is perfectly clear for me and dot is slightly fuzzy. It also happens at shoots/tourneys, when things start to seem important that is when the tension in the arm starts up. For example, last week I was just shooting down at the club and I told myself don't worry about the score or how the pin is sitting one bit. Out of the 1st 42 arrows 41 were in the X. After that I started thinking about how good things were going and I instantly started becoming concerned about how much movement I was seeing and ended up dropping 5X's in the next 4 ends.

A few weeks ago I was shooting my hunting bow at the spot targets and noticed how my bow arm was tension free the whole time. This whole arm tension thing is starting to drive me nuts, so I'm really hoping the lens power reduction will help cure things.