If you are constantly missing the mark with your bow, here are a few things to scan your gear for to help solve your shooting mistakes.

[caption id="attachment_6747" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Solving shooting mistakes might mean taking a closer look at your gear. Photo via Pixabay.[/caption] Having a bad day at the shooting range can be frustrating. Constantly missing in one direction just magnifies the problem. Shot, after shot, after shot strays from the center, and soon we're ready to pack it in for the day. Solving shooting mistakes is not a quick fix and sometimes not easy. For all the different types of misses there can be a host of different factors. If you stay dedicated to improving your shooting technique, you can work through the troubles and be getting back on center in no time. If you are in the midst of a shooting slump right now, here are a few gear tips to solve different shooting mistakes.

Missing High

If you are missing high you may need to reexamine your gear setup. Missing high can be caused by an arrow that is nocked too low. Nocking low will drive your arrow off the rest and send it careening upwards. You can check your nock point with the naked eye, but using a bow square will really help you determine a good nocking point. Another factor you should take a look at, if you are missing high, is your arrow point weight. Did you happen to change up points before the shoot? If so, perhaps your field points were not all uniform in size. Even a little variation in point weight can cause significant impact variations. When it comes to arrows you'll also need to make sure they are weighted the same.

Missing Low

If you are missing low, much of what you'll need to examine your gear for is similar to a high miss. Nocking point too high, arrow weight difference, and point weight difference can all impact the shot. However, when you are missing low there can be some other common factors as well. First off, inspect your arrows for damaged or frayed flecthings. You may also have fletchings that are not uniform in angle or your arrow may be experiencing excessive contact with your rest. Anything that causes drag on the arrow will cause a miss low. Finally, it may be an issue where your string is contacting your clothing as the shot commences.

Missing Left

When trying to solve shooting mistakes for left and right misses, we'll assume the archer is right handed. All fixes for left handed archers will be opposite (this section then, is for missing right). Your arrow will once again be a good place to start in order to solve a consistent left miss. Is your arrow rest out of alignment to the left? If so that might be your problem. You might also be using arrows that have too stiff of a spine. Making sure to choose the correct arrow spine is important, but you can also play around with this. One easy way is to increase the point weight you are shooting. This can help tune an arrow that has slightly too much spine. Remember though, any change in field point should also be reflected in your broadhead choice.

Missing Right

Right misses may be attributed to the same factors as listed above. Your rest may be out of alignment, or you may be using arrows that do not have enough spine. To adjust your arrow spine to accommodate a right miss, you can either increase the length of your arrow or decrease the point weight. You might also check the brace height of your bow. If your brace height is too low it can influence your shot to the right. Also, for any miss left or right, you may have problems with your actual bow. Make sure your limbs are not twisted and the limbs are aligned. Any variations in the limbs can cause poor arrow flight. Those are a few quick gear fixes to solve shooting mistakes. Making sure your arrows are in proper working order, correctly aligned, and have the correct spine, can go a long way to solving some of these problems. Personally, I always look to myself rather than my gear when shooting poorly. Generally I find the old adage true, "it's the Indian, not the arrow." If you've recently purchased new gear, or a whole new setup, do make it a point to run through this list of common gear error to get you on target. NEXT: 3 COMMON ARCHERY INJURIES AND PREVENTION TIPS