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Blind Bale Shooting

Yes. I set up a bag target in my garage at put it at eye level. I stand about 10 ft away and shoot with my eyes closed. I spent about 3 months faithfully doing this everynight. I set up the radio and kept some cold beer in the garage fridge and made it my time in the evenings. I learned to use back tension this way.
 
Get a "Rag Bag" and fill it with some old clothes or mattress covers if you can find them for cheap.

http://www.thirdhandarchery.com/product.asp?PRODID=9

It comes as an empty bag and you fill it with old clothes, rags, or whatever. For $25 it carries a life time warranty...if you shoot it out at any time you own it, just send the shot up bag cover to him and he sends you a new one. I think he said he started making them in 1995 and has had one person redeem their free bag so far.

BTW...I had a commercial made bag target by Morrell. It was the Yellow Jacket target. It held up well for about 2-3 years and instead of replacing the cover on it, I went with the Rag Bag and used the insides of the Yellow Jacket to stuff my new bag. The inside of the Yellow Jacket was nothing more than twin size pillowtop mattress covers rolled up and stuffed in there.

Oh and to answer the original questions...YES & YES!! I didn't close my eyes when I shot but I took my sight off my bow and stood there close and shot and shot and shot.
 
yes and yes i had probably the worst target panic that anyone has seen and only was i fixed it was took my sights off hung a Rinehart 18and 1 target in my basement at 5feet away and bought a scott back tension release and closed my eyes and shot 30 times a day for 45 days and you would b amazed what that eould do for you
 
The thing to keep in mind about it...is that it will work if you give it the time to do so. Don't expect to go shoot a few arrows a week of doing it, and expect a cure all result.

Many people find that the TP comes right back as soon as they have their eyes open or put a sight back on their bow.

I know I had done it for the past month without a sight on my bow and went and shot a 3D shoot this past Saturday. I actually had sold my sight and bought another one that hadn't arrived yet, that I had been expecting to arrive any day prior to the shoot. So I stopped at the archery shop on the way to the shoot...and bought the cheapest sight they had....got to the tourney, and got my pins set close on the practice bales. Then went and shot the course. Shot my highest score of the year thus far and won the TN state qualifier for my class in the process.
 
When i had a guy tell me to try that it would help i thought they was no way it could help me but once again i was wrong it has changed they way i shoot
 
Tp is u no when that bow is going to go off or punching the trigger. every shot should be a surprise release
At least thats how i understand it
 
There are different forms of Target Panic.

Some people will come to full draw and can't bring their pin up on the target where they want to hit. For example, on a deer target they might pull back and come up/down on the deer and can't seem to bring to pin to put on the target. I've never experienced that form of it.

Most people find it to be just REALLY bad flinching due to anticipating the shot.

My particular case of it happens exclusively in tournament situations. I never find myself doing it out in the yard practicing. I THINK what I'm doing is trying to concentrate too hard. I focus so hard on the spot I want to shoot...that its like I THINK the bow has went off, when it hasn't...and next thing I know, the bow is about jerked out of my hand because it is still attached to the release which is attached to my dloop....and it's at this point I shoot. Really weird. To watch me do it is scary to be beside me because when it happens, I miss and miss bad.
 
Target panic can be called different names....buck fever, freezing, target panic ,etc....but it all stems from the fear of missing. Once you get it, I personally, you never get rid of it. You can "control" it but you will never get rid of it. You can't think of several things of once and shoot accurately. That is the reason you need to come up with a mental checklist that you go through to achieve a perfect shot. If you have it a good book to read is Bernie Pelerite "Idiot Proof Archery ". It will give a better understanding to the problem and offer a road to take to get it under control. I will say if you decide to get it under control you need to start now. You WILL NOT get it under control 2 weeks before season.
 
Toxophilite Phil said:
Target panic can be called different names....buck fever, freezing, target panic ,etc....but it all stems from the fear of missing. Once you get it, I personally, you never get rid of it. You can "control" it but you will never get rid of it. You can't think of several things of once and shoot accurately. That is the reason you need to come up with a mental checklist that you go through to achieve a perfect shot. If you have it a good book to read is Bernie Pelerite "Idiot Proof Archery ". It will give a better understanding to the problem and offer a road to take to get it under control. I will say if you decide to get it under control you need to start now. You WILL NOT get it under control 2 weeks before season.
Click to expand...

Exactly right, and yes�I am one of "those guys", but I do things to control it. I have tried multiple releases, but it all stems from a mental breakdown/fear of missing the point of impact as Toxophilite pointed out. My problem is I have a tendency of not being able to bring the pin down to the target, and if I can force the pin down I "jump on the trigger" with the force of a nuclear bomb. Although, sometimes I get hung up and just can't get the arrow off of the string fast enough. However, there are several tricks I use to help keep my target panic in check, and blind bale shooting is one of them. The other is standing right in front of the bale and knowing I'm never going to shoot, I just move the pin from spot to spot and let back down, and then repeat the process over and over. I make it part of my "pre-practice" warmup. The funny thing is that I have never had an issue with TP when hunting�only when practicing or 3D shooting.
 
TNDeerGuy said:
Toxophilite Phil said:
Target panic can be called different names....buck fever, freezing, target panic ,etc....but it all stems from the fear of missing. Once you get it, I personally, you never get rid of it. You can "control" it but you will never get rid of it. You can't think of several things of once and shoot accurately. That is the reason you need to come up with a mental checklist that you go through to achieve a perfect shot. If you have it a good book to read is Bernie Pelerite "Idiot Proof Archery ". It will give a better understanding to the problem and offer a road to take to get it under control. I will say if you decide to get it under control you need to start now. You WILL NOT get it under control 2 weeks before season.
Click to expand...

Exactly right, and yes—I am one of "those guys", but I do things to control it. I have tried multiple releases, but it all stems from a mental breakdown/fear of missing the point of impact as Toxophilite pointed out. My problem is I have a tendency of not being able to bring the pin down to the target, and if I can force the pin down I "jump on the trigger" with the force of a nuclear bomb. Although, sometimes I get hung up and just can't get the arrow off of the string fast enough. However, there are several tricks I use to help keep my target panic in check, and blind bale shooting is one of them. The other is standing right in front of the bale and knowing I'm never going to shoot, I just move the pin from spot to spot and let back down, and then repeat the process over and over. I make it part of my "pre-practice" warmup. The funny thing is that I have never had an issue with TP when hunting—only when practicing or 3D shooting.
Click to expand...
never thought of just aiming and letting back down i bet that is a good technique.will have try that some time always looking for more ways to help with my tp because its a pain
 
i blind bale shot a few times the other night...not sure exactly if I was doing it right, but I was trying to work more on back tension / unexpected release of my trigger.
 
I wouldn't actually shoot with your eyes closed. Shoot at close range, say 5-10 yards, but make sure you have something to aim at. If you actually shoot with your eyes closed, once you start trying to do it while aiming at something, there's a good chance you won't have cured anything. Everyone is different, but that's just my recommendation.
 

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