From 1994-2014, I shot right handed...and was a bit of a snap shooter, but I made anchor and did well shooting about 6" groups or so out to about 20 yards or so, and could shoot further but was not consistent at further distances...that is UNTIL I wanted to be more deliberate and improve my grouping for consistent performance. Well, after shooting 10,000's if not 100,000's arrows over all those years, I had so much muscle memory that it was very difficult to change my style...and I got "target panic" as I approached full draw battling the last few inches of draw thinking, "don't let go at anchor." And while some days could do okay, other days I really struggled, and before too long it seemed like things really went south as I battled it and I could not over come it.
Since I am slightly left eye dominant (when I draw a bow, I can see the arrow under whichever eye I am drawing over and eye dominance is not a sight picture issue for me like it is for some), I decided to switch to shooting left handed, and have never had an issue. I can shoot fast or slow and have complete control. I have been shooting this way since 2014.
I have some old archery equipment that is right handed (back quiver, an armguard that has a compass on the top visible side of the forearm, that when used on the opposite arm is useless as it is on the bottom side)...and well, I wanted to try to shoot right handed again and figured with all the time off, I would be able to. Well...nope, those old neurons still remember "autofire." LOL.
I could always just say screw it and just shoot left handed, and in fact I do plan on shooting left handed 90% of the time, but I would like to overcome the issue even if just for personal reasons.
For those of you that beat the target panic battle, what helped you do so? Thanks.
NOTE: Photo of me and Bob Wesley back in 1998.
I've fought target panic for years. I've learned how to override it so I can keep shooting at about 80%, but the icewater veins and lack of fine muscle control is always just under the surface. I've had many theories about how I should be able to lick it, but none of them have panned out in practice. I haven't given up, because I've successfully overcome far more stressful situations in life with a fraction of the effort that I've put into fighting target panic, so it's become a personal challenge, like you mentioned.
Interestingly, I've run across a number of people who state that they have completely defeated target panic by switching from right to left handed shooting, and I've never run across anyone who said they tried it and it worked for a while but then stopped working. I shoot left handed as well as right handed, and can't say that I've ever gotten target panic shooting left handed, but then I've never taken left handed shooting very seriously either. I'm kind of hard headed, I guess.
I have no problems left handed and I am sure my reason why is because by the time I tried shooting left handed, I knew proper shooting mechanics...and never had to battle overcoming muscle memory on that side.
Consciously or subconsciously making "thinking" a priority during the shooting process is a strong reason for TP, perhaps even the only reason. The ability to overcome TP requires a strong will/desire to block first person forefront thinking and allow an *uncompromised* subconscious do its learned *instinctive* process of drawing, aiming without using any manner of aiming sight: arrow or bow, concentrating solely on the target, and releasing. It's all as simple and as most difficult as that, because we're all "experiments of one".
Like McDave, I would say that I've fought it for years, but have not completely overcome it. Through much hard, deliberate work, I now hit anchor 100% of the time. My struggle is releasing before I've gone through my entire shot sequence. I incorporate a lot of let down drills into my daily shooting to battle it. Anchor, aim, expand, let down. You need to break that mental connection between anchor and release. I will say that when I implement some kind of "trigger" like a limb mounted clicker, or my preference, the solid grip trigger by Tom Clum at Rocky Mountain Specialty Gear, TP is a non-factor. Any time the TP starts to creep back in consistently, I put that solid grip trigger on and while it's hard to be consistent with it, the TP goes away almost instantly.
I also recently saw a video by Trevor of TTT strings. He says a lot of competition bare bow guys will blink as they get to anchor. By losing the site picture for that fraction of a second, the urge to fling the arrow goes away. Crazy as it sounds, that also works for me.
Quote from: EHK on December 13, 2025, 05:50:43 AM.... I also recently saw a video by Trevor of TTT strings. He says a lot of competition bare bow guys will blink as they get to anchor. By losing the site picture for that fraction of a second, the urge to fling the arrow goes away. Crazy as it sounds, that also works for me.
That's blocking the negative thought process via distraction and is one positive method of overcoming TP.
Another is to come to full draw, then *slightly* let down - the act of coming back to full draw and anchor is the distraction that blocks the negative TP thought.
I like the idea of distractions brought up in the last two posts. Sometimes when I have been distracted by something while nearing full draw, it has worked for me too. One time I was teaching a class and mentioned Terry's idea that "archery happens from the waist up." To demonstrate how people can shoot the bow effectively from a wheel chair, I braced my back on a nearby wall and squatted down to simulate being in a wheel chair. I had only intended to draw the bow and let it down, but I felt so relaxed when I drew the bow that I went ahead and shot a good shot into the target. I tried it again in another class and it didn't work as well, so I guess it wasn't enough of a distraction the second time around. However! I do plan to try the blinking idea and partial let down ideas mentioned above.
I'd beaten target panic perhaps twice in my lifetime of shooting that goes back to the mid 1950s.
There was a time, a few years ago, when I just could not overcome TP.
I searched around the 'Net for help and found Joel Turner's website, signed up, and literally in less than an hour my TP was gone ... for good ... hasn't returned ... doubt it ever will.
So these are big words, but they're my words and my experience with learning to employ a "mechanoreceptive trigger" in my shot sequence that was the distraction that disconnected my brain thinking and allowed a push/pull release to naturally happen, whilst my actual aim remained the same as it always had been - focused solely on a pinpoint of the object I wanted my arrow to penetrate (aka "instinctive aiming").
I bought Joel Turner's dvd several years ago. Going to a psycho trigger (feather touching my chin) helped me more than anything. Also, jay kidwell has some good drills and information in his book "Instinctive Archery Insights" on how to retrain your brain.
I've seen this subject come up now and then for years, and never really could understand what this "Target Panic" really is. Could someone explain it?
I battled my issues with inconsistencies due to improper alignment, and things dramatically improved learning proper back tension and learning to relax and let the release just happen, rather than consciously think about it.
Shooting a blank bale with my eyes closed, and just concentrating on my breathing and the feel of the back tension did wonders for me. The follow though after the shot is just as important as the release itself too. The release is only a point in the draw cycle that leads to conclusion and needs to be subconscious. .
When I was helping beginners get their form and alignment tuned up I used to tell them to pretend that you have a string tied to your arrow from your shooting glove. After the release, you need to keep that bow on target and steer the arrow into the bulls eye holding that string behind your ear. That little trick helped a lot of kids on follow though insight.
02 cents worth... Kirk
TP is purely a mental issue - the inability to properly release whilst properly aiming.
Those who've never had this archery malady will never be able to understand it unless they experience this disease first hand.
The "cure" for TP might be a very Very VERY arduous undertaking because it's not a physical ailment, it's a mental affliction.
Imagine that there's something that you've done for years, like riding a bicycle. Then one day you want to go for a ride with a friend, and the thing just doesn't work right anymore. You're wobbling all over the street, and can't keep going in a straight line for some reason. The next day, you get on the bicycle again, and it works just fine. You breathe a sigh of relief and say, "I'm glad that's all over. I wonder what happened yesterday?" But the same thing happens again and again, more frequently. So you go to a neurologist, and he says that you're fine physically, no strokes or anything, and asks you if you've been under a lot of stress lately?
Nothing that you can recall, but you try things to reduce your stress anyway, plus a whole lot of other things, but more often than not, you can't steer the bicycle in a straight line anymore. You can still play racquetball as well as you ever could, so whatever the problem is seems to be unrelated to a general hand/eye coordination issue, but specifically related to steering a bicycle. And not all the time. There are still times when you can steer the bicycle just fine. But it happens often enough that you tense up every time you get on a bicycle thinking that you might not be able to steer it in a straight line this time. And you wonder why, if you can steer the bicycle fine some of the time, you can't steer it fine all of the time?
That is the problem of target panic.
Sounds a lot like a condition called buck fever. I've seen that happen to many guys with different types of weapons too. These Guys were great marks men and excellent archers too, until an animal was involved. Then they would either freeze up, or completely muff the shot and were shaking like a leaf.
Now that I think about it, I remember a guy at the Baltimore Classic years ago that we were shooting with that would get to full draw and hold WAY too long, and let down a lot. At a busy 3D shoot, that was kinda bad. I never questioned him about it, but others did. He said he had problems getting of the string sometimes. Funny thing was, I watched the same guy shooting at the practice range, and he was shooting excellent. But target panic was never mentioned....
That would be a tough condition to deal with if it comes and goes like that.
Buck fever is a little different than TP. TP is one of those things that will make you quit shooting a bow all together. I envy guys that have never had it. I sent a few arrows to Jesus early on because the second I saw the bale at full draw, I'd release the arrow. Even with nobody around. If you've never had it, it's hard to relate to the guys who do.
But Joel turners method of changing your shot process (or creating one in general) and using a trigger to get around it worked for me. And it's definitely worth trying.
Shoot a controlled shot or let down... no matter what.
As a self taught archer I have had to search for answers to many aspects of this sport. With no instructors or coaches, I relied heavily on what I could read in books or online. When I was trying to figure out my target panic issues there were many bandaid type fixes and lots of folksy remedies. What eventually worked for me (which I found here on the forums) was Jim Castro Jr "system" for basically renovating your shot process. It seems to be primarily centered around grooving your subconscious to get to anchor and hold before moving to aiming and release.
I could never divide all the small steps of a shot. And Castro's method was built around methodical, repetition and building muscle memory to get the desired pause at anchor before moving on toward release. It involves a rigorous schedule that must be followed strictly for 63 days. It worked for me and I still practice with his system. I must emphasize that the schedule must be followed strictly and completely to get good results. It seems a bit weird at first but it changed my sloppy shooting technique to a much more controlled, methodical, accurate shot.
Jim Casto's system works! Though target panic may never be beaten (for the most part) the Casto system makes its managable where a fellow can keep hunting and enjoy shooting bows. It's a lifetime effort that requires periodic maintenance; but the strong results are there.
I've heard it said that 'talking' about TP; actually is often a process that conditions the mind to develop it. Blind ignorance about TP is usually a good thing so I will not talk too much about it; preferring just to work on my own archery demon to defeat it. I'm about 85% good after constant degrade through the years, which brought me desperation and despair; taking much of the joy out of bow shooting.
If anybody would like the updated Casto TP regiment; PM me your email address and I can send it to you.
I'm an advocate of limb mounted clickers. I've been using them for years on all of my bows, hunting and recreational 3D alike. I've thankfully never dealt with TP, but it might be because I've used clickers before it ever developed ... who knows?
I'm also an advocate for Joel Turner's system of a controlled shot process, TP or not, his system is worth a good hard look.
Some years ago I was a better than average shooter and did well in 3d shoots. Diagnosing myself which I know is not generally reccomended, I self perfected and over-perfected my shooting into target panic but do not currently suffer from it.
What I discovered that helped me the most while I was recovering was that when it really got difficult, I benefited from not shooting at all for 3 to 4 weeks. When I returned to shooting it always amazed me how much better I was than when I had ceased shooting.
Agree that TP is a mental issue, but a couple of things can contribute to its development--too much shooting, competition and a bow that's too heavy. I was pretty good back in the day, winning most of the area shoots I attended. But I shot a lot, shot heavy bows, and eventually, the pressure to keep winning also began to get to me. My tp never exhibited itself in an early release, but rather and inability to let go of the string. I've worked on all kinds of shot sequences, mantras, clickers, etc., and most work for a while. Like McDave, I'd say I have control over my shots about 80% of the time, but still manage to fall apart at the shot on occasion. I've only been at it 70 plus years. I'll keep working on it. :goldtooth:
Quote from: Rob DiStefano on December 13, 2025, 10:09:43 AMI'd beaten target panic perhaps twice in my lifetime of shooting that goes back to the mid 1950s.
There was a time, a few years ago, when I just could not overcome TP.
I searched around the 'Net for help and found Joel Turner's website, signed up, and literally in less than an hour my TP was gone ... for good ... hasn't returned ... doubt it ever will.
So these are big words, but they're my words and my experience with learning to employ a "mechanoreceptive trigger" in my shot sequence that was the distraction that disconnected my brain thinking and allowed a push/pull release to naturally happen, whilst my actual aim remained the same as it always had been - focused solely on a pinpoint of the object I wanted my arrow to penetrate (aka "instinctive aiming").
Joel Turner is the real deal - some guys poo-poo his methods, but he has helped many. I drove up to Michigan for one of his elk calling seminars years ago before he got really well known. At the end of the of the elk calling portion of the seminar he went over shot mechanics and his method of making the "perfect" shot. My brother and I had a long conversation with him and by the time we left, he had given us coordinates for elk in SW Colorado - we have been going there since 2013.
I use a psycho trigger as well. When my clicker goes off I let er eat.
I'm not sure you can actually get rid of it entirely, but as someone mentioned there are a lot of band aid type remedies and drills that can alleviate the symptoms.
I've found that a clicker will almost immediately entirely eliminate it for me, that is until my brain learns to anticipate the click. If my shooting is suffering horrendously I will use a clicker but almost as a last resort. I despise having them on my bow, not only are they ugly but the crutch idea bothers me for some reason.
I've found that the pressure of hitting a target is what spawns TP for me. The more I want it, the worse it gets.
If I really bare down and talk myself through each phase of my shot I can almost always make it happen, this requires a ton of mental focus that can get downright exhausting and tricky to do on game or in front of crowds. This is part of the reason I don't shoot as much 3D as I used to, TP can definitely suck the fun out of something that should be so simple and enjoyable.
Quote from: buckeyebowhunter on December 27, 2025, 09:49:58 PMI'm not sure you can actually get rid of it entirely, but as someone mentioned there are a lot of band aid type remedies and drills that can alleviate the symptoms.
I've found that a clicker will almost immediately entirely eliminate it for me, that is until my brain learns to anticipate the click. If my shooting is suffering horrendously I will use a clicker but almost as a last resort. I despise having them on my bow, not only are they ugly but the crutch idea bothers me for some reason.
I've found that the pressure of hitting a target is what spawns TP for me. The more I want it, the worse it gets.
If I really bare down and talk myself through each phase of my shot I can almost always make it happen, this requires a ton of mental focus that can get downright exhausting and tricky to do on game or in front of crowds. This is part of the reason I don't shoot as much 3D as I used to, TP can definitely suck the fun out of something that should be so simple and enjoyable.
Spot on. I hate the look of a clicker on a bow. And I will admit that, while it has made the biggest difference in my ability to beat TP, my brain does know where that feather is when using it as a psycho trigger.
Probably the most helpful thing I've done lately is switching from the "keep pulling" mantra to actually talking myself through each step of the shot process. Almost like I'm telling somebody how it's supposed to work.
Quote from: buckeyebowhunter on December 27, 2025, 09:49:58 PMI'm not sure you can actually get rid of it entirely, but as someone mentioned there are a lot of band aid type remedies and drills that can alleviate the symptoms.
I've found that a clicker will almost immediately entirely eliminate it for me, that is until my brain learns to anticipate the click. If my shooting is suffering horrendously I will use a clicker but almost as a last resort. I despise having them on my bow, not only are they ugly but the crutch idea bothers me for some reason.
I've found that the pressure of hitting a target is what spawns TP for me. The more I want it, the worse it gets.
If I really bare down and talk myself through each phase of my shot I can almost always make it happen, this requires a ton of mental focus that can get downright exhausting and tricky to do on game or in front of crowds. This is part of the reason I don't shoot as much 3D as I used to, TP can definitely suck the fun out of something that should be so simple and enjoyable.
YES! TP is *TOTALLY* a mind game that can be banished forever. I'm one of many who can attest to having had TP many decades ago and have beaten it For Good. It's a rewiring of the brain, no more or less, but for many it's a very Very VERY difficult task. There are many options, methods, for overcoming TP, but once done, and
the brain is allowed the option of failure, the subconscious control that defines TP is gone, never to resurface.
I'm really not sure why, but going back to split finger helped me a lot. I'm anchoring just in front of my ear. Maybe because so much of the arrow isn't in my sight picture? Not sure. Also another thing that helped me a ton is to let down a good bit when you're still fighting it. Pick your spot , get to full draw and hold, then let down. It will teach your brain you don't have to shoot every arrow. I'm also in MS if you wanna get together and shoot some.
Quote from: BOHO on December 29, 2025, 11:53:06 PMI'm really not sure why, but going back to split finger helped me a lot. I'm anchoring just in front of my ear. Maybe because so much of the arrow isn't in my sight picture? Not sure. Also another thing that helped me a ton is to let down a good bit when you're still fighting it. Pick your spot , get to full draw and hold, then let down. It will teach your brain you don't have to shoot every arrow. I'm also in MS if you wanna get together and shoot some.
Mind game change of thought.
Something I saw recently really hit me square in the shot process. Watching a Youtube on one of the big trad gatherings, had a question "what's your shot process during a hunt?" And they asked many of the archers at the gathering including Tom Clum. He is an expert level coach. He said as he is getting to anchor he begins repeating in his head " let the bow settle, let the bow settle", until he has achieved the solid anchor before continuing with aiming and expansion to release. That simple mantra really helped me allow the bow to stabilize on target before continuing with the shot. I had tried counting and even saying the name of elk or deer in Latin. Cervis Canadensis Rosevelti was my timing mechanism for several seasons, with mixed results. But Tom's simple mantra/command made me actually pay attention to the bow and my stability on target more so than simple count or Latin name. It is amazing to me that it was a simple phrase that led to better shot process. So much is controlled by subconscious process that the simple command to "let the bow settle" became a better tool for the task.
I like Surffever's suggestion, because it goes directly to my problem. After working on target panic for years, and attending every course I could find, I'm about 80% there, but I'm left with a lingering tension when I draw under pressure that keeps me from shooting my best. I know how I would like to feel when I draw under pressure: the same way I feel every morning when I go out to shoot with my dog. I try to visualize that same relaxed feeling when I draw under pressure, but it rarely works. I shoot enough good shots every day that I have "blueprinted" my shot process, as Joel Turner would say, and use his mantra "keep pulling." I think I'll try "let the bow settle" for a while and see if that works better.
For me it's some sort of disconnect in my brain after I fully hit anchor and start expanding, the moment I hit anchor my mind is ready to release the string, I can actually feel the "flinch" coming on when I start using my back tension. Sometimes I can catch it and get through the shot flawlessly, other times, well not so much. The more pressure the worse it seems to be.
That being said, when I used to snap shoot I rarely would get the flinch, and I could actually shoot really accurately that way. However, under pressure I would almost always feel myself short draw and then release.
I want to shoot with the best form I can for the sake of consistency so it seems to be a constant battle anymore.
There's some really good stuff in this thread. I've never met a traditional bowhunter that didn't want to be a better shot.
As Terry states in his signature, "An anchor point is not a destination, it's an evolution to conclusion."
Although a ton of advice has been offered for many years regarding solutions for target panic, the fact is,it continues to be a major topic of discussion. To me this suggests many of these "solutions" or "remedies" simply don't work for many or are simply too difficult to sustain over time. I would suggest one every simple remedy that has worked for me and that is SNAP SHOOTING. Come to full draw and let her fly. It certainly worked for Fred Bear! Over many years of shooting, I have found that TP begins long before one ever places a hand on the string. It is a deep seated fear or panic if you will, that one will not be able to come to full draw and hold it for the time needed to acquire the target. Why not first acquire the target with a deep focus, raise the bow, draw and release. Over time and a great deal of practice my groups have improved dramatically and the fear of not coming to full draw no longer exists since I know the release will come immediately after coming to full draw. Just a thought. :goldtooth:
I should mention this obviously works best for instinctive shooter not so much for string walkers and aimers. :biglaugh:
Quote from: buckeyebowhunter on December 27, 2025, 09:49:58 PMI'm not sure you can actually get rid of it entirely, but as someone mentioned there are a lot of band aid type remedies and drills that can alleviate the symptoms.
I've found that a clicker will almost immediately entirely eliminate it for me, that is until my brain learns to anticipate the click. If my shooting is suffering horrendously I will use a clicker but almost as a last resort. I despise having them on my bow, not only are they ugly but the crutch idea bothers me for some reason.
I've found that the pressure of hitting a target is what spawns TP for me. The more I want it, the worse it gets.
If I really bare down and talk myself through each phase of my shot I can almost always make it happen, this requires a ton of mental focus that can get downright exhausting and tricky to do on game or in front of crowds. This is part of the reason I don't shoot as much 3D as I used to, TP can definitely suck the fun out of something that should be so simple and enjoyable.
Negative. TO is entirely curable. MANY years ago...maybe close to 30 yrs ago, a fellow on here named Jim Casto published his method to kill TP and it worked for me. It is a slow process. If I recall, it takes a few months. But it's not a bandaid. It is a permanent cure. I'll see if I can locate it and post it.
To the OP. A combination of a deep hook, and watching a couple videos about shot-psychology. It's like the mechanism with OCD; there's a reward involved. Shot IQ, and Mr. Clum, come to mind.
It's not impossible to beat if you apply the right solution after you have identified the cause. I was able to completely eliminate it by switching to left hand shooting. For me I was aiming throughout the draw and building anxiety in my shot long before reaching full alignment. That caused me to rush my shot. Now that I shoot lefthanded, I can hold all day and only aim when I'm ready.