Whether you are a new comer to archery or a seasoned vet, you will never find true success if you concentrate solely on having "perfectly tuned" equipment. Although having equipment that is properly setup helps with the instant gratification that we get when you hit what you want to hit, it will never overcome problems that are associated with poor form and shot execution. I would be more concerned with developing proper form, meaning a good and stable stance - foot placement, bow grip and anchor point. Developing a shot cycle that works with the specific discipline that you shoot - meaning how you draw the bow, grip the bow, aim, shot expansion, release and follow through. Once you have these down and have confidence in your execution, then be concerned with equipment tuning and how this can help you. I'm not sure if this answered your question - just my 2-cents.

 

Rids, I agree completely with you. My concern is the possibility to develop bad stance habits if the bow isnt correctly setup. I mean, if I keep my head nice and straight, and find that in order to get to the bull's eye I need to lean it somewhat, because of a poor setup. Is this even possible?
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Yes and no. Unless the bow/arrow setup was completely missed - draw length, center shot, nocking point, properly adjusted sights, etc. - with proper form and shot execution, reasonably tuned equipment should be able to develop decent results. Once you have this foundation and then focus on developing your setup, you will see your groups to tighten.

The only thing I would keep in the back of your mind is that there really isn't a true "proper" form. This is truly a subjective thing and people subscribe to these theories based upon who's the hot shooter of the day. They see their results and try to emulate them with the hopes of producing similar results. Don't get me wrong, there are proven techniques out there that have proven results, it come down to your level of commitment. There are many examples of successful shooters out there that have extraordinary results with equipment that isn't in "perfect" tune. What they have in common is a form and shot execution that suits their specific body type and physical abilities. What it really boils down to being able to do the same thing, they same way every time you shoot. Good luck.

 

Yeah, I am experienced in the whole "form" thing, from another similar sport, slingshooting! In which I am fairly decent btw. I already found a comfortable way for my shot sequence, and it shows in my groups. I expect a few adjustments in the future of course 🙂

 

Some times I wonder about tuning. Terry Ragsdale shot the first perfect 1200 at Vegas years ago. I was there. Paper tuning was new at that time, and when some of the other pros had Terry shoot an arrow through paper after the tournament, his arrow made a big tear. His bow was way out of tune. He had also won a few NFAA Nationals shooting out to 80 yards with the same bad tuning. He is an example of someone that can perfectly repeat every shot. Now I am not Terry so I need to get that arrow flying the best and most forgiving as I can to get every point I can get. If you are a Terry, then relax, but if you are human like the rest of us, then tuning will help you shoot better.

 

I am not thinking about it anymore. Those last two days of practice, proved to me that tuning is irrelevant right now for me. My groups got much tighter with the same setup, and cheap Avalon classics. So, it really is me that misses the ten 😋

 

Thanks for the info.

 

Little need to balance your tires on your vehicle and by the same token why tune your bow. NOT!

Tuned is defiantly desirable to say the least. Perfect tune seldom or perhaps never quite happens. Generally speaking I would say it is still worth your time to learn to tune your bow as well as shoot the darn thing to the best of your ability in both cases.

 

Form is 90% more important than tune for a field point, however if you screw on a fixed blade on your arrow, the tune becomes very important. You didn't mention your equipment or what style of archery you are shooting. You said it best with the statement about your groups, 6 to 4 inches. If thats your goal, don't worry about the tune. I want a 1/2" group at 18 meters so my tune is very important. To answer your question, I can shoot a small group with an untuned bow, thats one of the things you do when bare shaft tuning, shoot a group of bare shafts and a group of fletched and tune until they come together. I will add that a tuned bow is more forgiving id you have a hiccup in your form. Bad habits are bad habits no matter how your bow is tuned, as a matter of fact you can't tune a bow until you develop good habits (good form)

 

So, since you use a PLUNGER, we are talking a recurve bow..and quite possibly an Olympic style RECURVE bow. How you grip the bow matters. There is ABSOLUTELY a preferred form for how to grip a RECURVE bow. Ignore anyone who tells you that there is no "proper form" for hold to hold a RECURVE, especially an ILF recurve riser.

Next, there is most DEFINITELY the "proper form" that we teach beginner RECURVE students, how to hold the string in your string hand. Yup, when you get to the nitty gritty, we even get into how much % weight on your middle finger, versus how much % weight on your index finger, and how much % weight on your ring finger (4th finger).

Next, we get into WHERE to anchor your string hand, when at full draw, for a RECURVE bow. Yes, there is a "PROPER" way to anchor your bow, for a beginning recurve archer.

Sure, if you were sold RECURVE arrows that are 2 spine ratings TOO STIFF (sigh, this happens WAY too much for recurve newbies), YES, you can get arrows that are STUPID stiff, to group together. If you are shooting barebow (no sights), you can get the "WRONG" arrows to group together, after pulling your hair out..wondering WHY you have to aim off SOOOOOOO bloody much.

Then, not sure if anyone has taught you how to set plunger TIP extension. Yeah, that's a thing for recurve bows. Centershot matters. Matters a WHOLE BUNCH for a recurve. Then, also not sure if anyone taught you how to figure out what spring pressure to use on your plunger. Then, BRACE height matters a WHOLE bunch on a recurve bow. RUN, don't walk away from anyone who says there is no such thing as "proper form" for RECURVE archery, especially shooting an Olympic recurve bow. TUning matters. How you hold the grip matters. Hold you hold the string matters. HOW you release the RECURVE bowstring matters. I recommend a deep hook. Since you are shooting the 40cm target at 18m, then, I highly recommend a finger sling, and I also highly recommend a finger tab.

 

Skropi. Save yourself a lot of headache and time, and find a RECURVE archery coach to at least give you 4-5 lessons to start. The RECURVE coach can go through the basics, brace, plunger tip extension, plunger spring pressure, how to grip an ILF riser, how to hold the string. The RECURVE coach can walk you through firing a group of fletched and firing a bareshaft, to see if your arrows are within your ILF bow's tiller adjustment range, and if your arrows are within the plunger spring pressure adjustment range.

So, the 10-ring and the 9-ring are the yellow rings. The 9-ring is 8cm diameter on the 40 cm FITA target face.
So, the 8-ring and the 7-ring are the RED rings. The 7-ring is 16 cm diameter on the 40 cm FITA target face.

So, you can put your fletched arrows inside the red rings on the 40cm FITA target face, with a bow that is probably not tuned, with arrows that may or may not be matched to your limbs, and current weight on the fingers.

 

Simple test. With your RECURVE Bow as-is, take one of your fletched arrows and completely strip off the vanes. Do not leave the base of the vane on the arrow shaft. Sharp knife, lay the blade flat and cut off the entire vane. FIRE three fletched arrows at the 40 cm target, from 18 meters away. Then, fire the bareshaft at the same target. Single spot target. TAke a photo. Then, we can better advise you about what to check on your ILF RECURVE bow.

 

a TUNED recurve bow will shoot much quieter, when you dial in the BRACE.

a TUNED recurve bow, will shoot much more accurately for you, much more FORGIVING for you, when you dial in the TILLER that works best for you, with your ILF RECURVE bow. I suggest 1/4-inch positive tiller, for ILF bows, where you shoot split finger. If you are shooting 3 fingers under the nock, then, try a ZERO tiller.

a custom RECURVE bowstring, that has been custom built to match your nock groove size, is the BEST thing a coach, a RECURVE coach, can do for a beginning recurve student, because the group size shrinks SOOOOO much. This is one of the FIRST things I do for my RECURVE students. Most beginners are sold a factory dacron string, that is WAY too large in diameter, so the nock fit is RIDICULOUSLY tight, and the group size is much larger than the true potential of the student. Since you are grouping mostly in the RED rings on the 40 cm FITA target, maybe your string fits your nock groove within an acceptable tightness level.

If you are not using a deep hook, then, give it a whirl. You might get a cleaner fingers release.

If you are using a finger tab, and you use a spacer, then, I HIGHLY recommend sugru for a CUSTOM molded finger spacer. SUPER comfy.





If you are using a finger tab, then, get the cordovan leather face. This is the fastest finger tab face, and will last pretty much indefinitely. You need to break this in, and a RECURVE coach has to show you how to trim the finger tab edge, to match your finger length. Most newbie students I see, have never ever trimmed their finger tab, to match finger length, and of course, after the FINGER TAB is trimmed, is "TUNED" to proper length, the groups shrink even more. You see my POINT? There is soooo much to teach you, and will take more than one in person lesson, with a recurve coach that helps YOU get better results. Find a coach who can help you SHOOT better, who GETS you.

 

Don't worry about shooting first with an untuned bow. Develop your form with a basic bow with generic arrows, and adjust your aiming as necessary. Tuning does improve groups, but there's no down side to learning with an imperfectly tuned rig unless you're competing and intend to win. But don't rush into that. As your release and shot mechanics develop, the rig tune will change anyway, so wait for a few thousand arrows before you get too serious about the tune.

 

thanks