Steven, I watch most of your videos and pay close attention to your advice on shooting and equipment. So thanks for those videos. I am an over 60 recurve shooter on my second year of competition, in total about 2 1/2 years shooting. Generally speaking as I have improved my gear my scores have improved incrementally. However I recently made one change to my set up which gave me an almost immediate 12 point increase in my outdoor 36 arrow average. I had my 36 arrow round up to an average of about 289 with an occasional 294 -296 but it was a serious struggle and I couldn’t pull two rounds together for a good score. I struggled so much getting through the clicker that by the end of 72 arrows I was exhausted. I work out regularly and do well on the weights, but the clicker was victimizing me. A friend gave me an aperture for my site that is just a ring whereas my previous aperture had a dot. The first time I shot the ring with no dot, I shot a PR. I went back the next day and shot another PR. Shooting the ring (ghost ring) has made getting through the clicker almost effortless. I didn’t realize it, but I guess I had target panic and not having the dot to worry about has reduced the stress to almost zero. I just put the ring approximately around the target and let it fly. I don’t worry about it being perfect, I just get it about 90% and let it click. I shot another 72 arrow round today and shot another PR. Plus it is so much less stressful I can now shoot 150 arrows without issue. Also now that I am not so intensely focused on getting through the clicker I am starting to work on the other areas of my form. Anyway this has helped me a lot and maybe it could help some of your other shooters. VR Ted

All true Steve, & great insight. It's good to put it out there - you won't get good scores by luck, but by dedication & preserverence.

You often speak of a high level of commitment required to become a high level archer. Levi Morgan once commented that nobody would out work him in preparation for ASA competitions. Thanks, Steven, for reminding archers like me that we can be better archery athletes if we put in the time and work.

Few people I see shooting really appreciate this.

Hi Steven! Fantastic and inspiring video really like your channel in general! :) FINALLY someone is publicly talking about the importance of gym weight training for archery and generally for good health! It is SO underrated part of the sport to prevent injuries and just generally be better in archery thanks to the increased strength muscle/joint health. Especially the rotator training and the smaller back muscles which are under tremendous strain with archery. However, my experience is also that with a fulltime dayjob and family it is not easy to balance these things out, and cannot really do physically both archery and gym on the same afternnon/evening it is just too much. At least couldn't really figured out a good solution to this dilemma. Right now I have been trying to commit to 3 days gym and 3 days archery with one day full rest per week and hope it will work in the long run. Of course with that I don't expect to be an "archery champion" in any field, but could enjoy both sports at the same time at least on an average level. Previously I tried too much of each and the results were that either I quit archery or the gym for a while, but that is not a good solution of course... How everyone else solve this type of dilemma? How do YOU guys train those who love both fitness AND archery equally? :) Let's talk about this!

Great subject, I was just thinking about this the other day. I think for a beginner 20-40 arrows is good depending on your bow's poundage and your overall fitness levels. I just got back into shooting after some years off and have been going almost every day. Right now I try and shoot a 300 round of some kind so a least 30 arrows. My plan is to get up to 50 or so and could see myself doing 100 once it cools down maybe. I like to listen to books while I shoot too. You are right though...if you want to shoot like the best you have to practice like they do !!

Really best video i ever see in 2024

When i was in my late teens and early adulthood, i was shooting about 300-500 arrows a day on a 38lbs and later a 44lbs bow (depending on school and time), and was also powerlifting (later transitioning to body building). I remember there were days my back felt entirely broken, and a really scary instance where my body felt numb to the point of brief paralysis because my spine was affected by the muscle fatigue. Was shooting between 620 - 650 generally, though lows of 580 and highs of 670 wasn't impossible. All this just to be near or at the top of the regional and varsity level here in Singapore.

In my average life ( fulltime job plus a few hours in a second job on the weekend) I am more than happy to shoot 400 arrows a week. And thats not even happening every week. Thanks for your content!

800 arrows a day? There goes the job!!

I’ve seen Darrell Pace or Jay Barrs, one of the two not sure which, quote that as a daily expectation. But then they were for all intents and purposes professional because they never had to fit in any paid employment. When I went back to shooting it was my intention to shoot more or less every day when I retired but illness (Parkinson’s) intervened and I now shoot air rifle three times a week instead…

Since I retired, I could manage to shoot 6 times a week 150 Arrows. This allows to keep even as senior the level of muscles. You gain more success as side effect and it is nice to spend sunny days outside on the shooting range. Rain sucks, but is no excuse. I support your statement that investing in a career as top archer, you have to invest more

Sometimes it's the truth that hurts most.

Wow, I feel the strain on my body if I shoot my 55 lb bow 200 shots per day. On the other hand if you want to shoot a compound well enough to take down a deer you can shoot like 3 shots per week.

Hi Steven i have just purchased a fivic zenia riser and limbs from you looks great but no infomation regarding the brace height ,where can I find this info😂

I feel like the more I shoot, the worse I get…

Inspiring talk got to get off that a- -

I dont even shoot 800 arrows a month. I currently shoot maybe 300 per month. Am I good... Not really.. I'll consider myself competent. Do I enjoy it.... Yes.

You don't know Steve, son!

For me (i'm no athlete) i find i preform best if i have one shooting day in 2-3 normal days, not if a shoot a significant amount of arrows every day. Same with physical training for me, i discovered that i get the best results if i train 2-3 times a week, not every second day or god forbid every day.

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I'm not sure a lot of the components that he mentions is entirely accurate. I look at so many pro archers and they are fat and out of shape both men and women. I accept the view that it takes commitment/ dedication but there's nothing to say that 400 arrows isn't enough at the end of the day it's all about quality. Steve does make some salient points but I think by and large he's just repeating what everyone else has said. And that's thing with sports and coaching not many people think outside the box, they all seem to follow the lead of other people, ' my coach say this, my coach says that ' etc etc. There's more than one way to get to an elite level and it doesn't have to include 3 hours in the morning and 3 hours in the evening.

800 is too much. 350-400 + cardio, other trasning is more likely. plus u need give ur body rest as well.

Do you have a coach.? If not why not.? All that practice is useless unless your practicing perfectly.