To be truly successful as an archer and bowhunter you must learn to be surprised by the shot. Consciously triggering the shot or ‘punching’ the release is a nasty habit that will eventually cause serious shooting problems. Squeezing the trigger isn’t as hard as you may think, but you must first retrain your nervous system. Shooting with your eyes closed is the best way to make the transition.

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Start by shooting close to the target with your eyes closed. Don’t worry about where the arrow hits. Spend an entire week shooting only this way – at point blank range with your eyes closed. This is the best way to become accustomed to the feel of a new release method.

When you reach full draw, put the sights on the approximate middle of the backstop (with no aiming point) and then close your eyes as you focus on squeezing the trigger while you pull through the shot with your back muscles.

Closing your eyes pays two dividends. First, it eliminates the fidgety response you get when your pin nears the aiming point. Since there is no visual feedback to worry about, you can learn to overcome this reaction very quickly. Second, closing your eyes enhances your other senses, in particular your sense of feel. Because you are not concerned about where the bow is pointing, your brain is free to focus all its attention on simply feeling the proper shot and ingraining that into your nervous system. That process occurs much faster when you have your eyes closed.

You will feel a surprise release – maybe for the first time ever. It may even startle you – your bow arm will fly forward as your release arm flies back. As you continue to practice, however, it will stop being startling and start being fun. You will begin to enjoy the feel of a pure release. You will gain confidence in your ability to perform this same method under a wider range of conditions.

After a week, shoot with your eyes open while standing close to the target with no sight and no aiming point. Slowly work your way back and introduce your sight and a very large aiming spot. Then slowly decrease the size of the target. Try to maintain the same feeling you experienced with your eyes closed. Go back to shooting with your eyes closed immediately if you catch yourself trying to time the shot or if you feel anticipation just before the release. You should soon be able to control your urge to mash the trigger much more effectively.