Compound Bow Practice Timer

A compound bow's let-off means the archer holds a fraction of peak weight at full draw, which makes a longer hold possible than with a recurve. Possible is not the same as useful: the aiming window where the shot is best still closes after a few seconds, and holding past it degrades the shot rather than improving it.

Timing the shot cycle rather than counting arrows is what makes practice diagnosable. A thirty-second work interval with twenty seconds rest gives room for a full draw, settle, aim and release with a deliberate reset — and if you cannot complete that cycle inside the window, the diagnosis is that something in the shot has become slow, usually the aim.

The aiming window closes

Sight movement settles into its best pattern a couple of seconds after coming onto the target, and then degrades as the hold lengthens. Compound archers who hold for eight or ten seconds are usually shooting well after their best window has passed.

Letting down and starting again is genuinely the better option when a shot goes past its window, but it has to be a decision rather than a drift. Timing the hold makes the difference visible.

Volume is limited by fatigue, not by target space

Draw weight accumulates. The last twenty arrows of a long session are shot by tireder muscles and record a form that is not the one you want to groove — practice past fatigue is practice of a degraded shot.

Structured intervals with rest make the session's real volume visible and give a natural stopping point. When the rest interval stops being enough, the session is over regardless of how many arrows were planned.

Blank bale removes the aiming problem

Shooting at a close blank target with eyes closed or unfocused isolates the release and the follow-through from the aiming. It is the standard remedy for target panic and for a release that has become anticipatory.

Blank bale work suits a shorter interval, since there is no aiming phase — the point is the execution, repeated cleanly, rather than the outcome.

Training structure rather than a rule. Adjust the intervals to your own shot cycle and stop when the rest stops being enough.

Practice interval by focus
Focus	Work	Rest	Rounds	Purpose
Blank bale	15 s	15 s	20	Release and follow-through only
Shot cycle	30 s	20 s	12	Full draw, settle, aim, release
Hold discipline	20 s	25 s	12	Shorter window, forces a decision
Scoring simulation	40 s	60 s	20	Match-like rhythm
Fatigue work	30 s	15 s	20	Deliberately compressed rest

Stop when the rest interval stops being sufficient — practice past fatigue grooves a degraded shot.
If you cannot complete the cycle inside the work window, something in the shot has slowed, usually the aim.

Source: World Archery Rulebook — competition timings, referenced for the scoring simulation interval

Sources

World Archery Rulebook — competition timings, referenced for the scoring simulation interval , World Archery Federation (Confirm against the current edition) — accessed 2026-07-28

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❓ Frequently Asked Questions

How long should I hold at full draw?

Less than most compound archers do. Sight movement settles into its best pattern a couple of seconds after coming onto the target and degrades from there, so holding for eight or ten seconds usually means shooting after the best window has passed.

Should I let down if the shot goes long?

Yes, but as a decision rather than a drift. A shot held past its window is worse than a shot restarted, and timing the hold is what makes the difference between the two visible enough to act on.

How many arrows should a session be?

As many as you can shoot before fatigue changes your form. Draw weight accumulates, and the last arrows of a long session groove a degraded shot. Structured rest intervals give you a natural stopping signal.

What is blank bale practice?

Shooting into a close blank target with eyes closed or unfocused, isolating release and follow-through from aiming. It is the standard remedy for target panic and for a release that has become anticipatory.

Why time practice rather than count arrows?

Because arrow count says nothing about how the shot was executed. Timing the cycle makes slowness diagnosable — if you cannot complete draw, settle, aim and release inside the window, something has changed, usually the aim.

Does let-off mean I can hold indefinitely?

It means you can hold longer, not that you should. Let-off reduces the weight held at full draw but does nothing for the aiming window, which closes on the same timescale regardless of how much weight you are holding.