The Secret Weapon of Archery Proficiency: Blank Bale Training

Success isn’t made during hunting season; it’s made during the offseason. Preparation is key to success. I have written many articles about the importance of gear preparation, weapon preparation, mental preparation, and physical preparation. One facet of preparation that I think is critical to success for bow hunters is training for shot execution. One of my secret weapons when it comes to archery training is blank baling.

If you’ve never heard the term, blank baling means repetitively shooting your bow at point-blank range. This touches on weapons preparation and physical preparation but also mental preparation. Blank baling is a big mental boost because it usually helps keep target panic away.

Do Not Aim

I shoot my bow nearly 10,000 times a year. Probably 70% of those shots are at point-blank range in my garage. I credit my diligence in this activity, above all else, to my long-range accuracy and general archery proficiency. You may be asking, “How does shooting at point-blank range boost your long-range accuracy?” The answer to that question is a focus on fundamentals. Often, when shooting at longer ranges, our focus can shift from form and consistency to an emphasis on aiming and pin float. This isn’t good. The longer the range, the more pin float is exaggerated, and exaggerated pin float can be very distracting, which can lead to inaccuracies and target panic.

The concept of blank baling removes aiming from the shooting equation so that you can focus 100% of your attention on shot execution and form. When shooting at point-blank range, you should intentionally not aim. This is more difficult than it sounds. To not aim when shooting a bow is not natural. When I started blank baling many years ago, I had to close my eyes when I executed my shot in order to not aim.

I’ve now shot so many arrows while blank baling that I can just turn aiming off in my mind so that it's not even a factor. When I started blank baling, my shooting sequence was something like this: With my eyes open, I would draw, anchor, line up perfectly behind my peep so that I knew I was on the target (so I wouldn’t shoot off target), level my bow sight, and then I would close my eyes, hold my draw for about 5-10 seconds, and randomly execute my shot with my eyes closed.

Target Panic

What does blank baling accomplish? Blank baling accomplishes multiple things all at once. Most importantly, it helps break target panic (and keeps it away), it’s physical training and conditioning for your body (shooting a lot of quick reps builds shooting strength), and it helps you focus on proper and consistent technique. Target panic develops in some people because their mind associates aiming at a target with the bow going off.

Target panic can manifest itself as a punchy or jumpy trigger finger when your pin passes through the target, or it can result in your pin settling just below the intended target and becoming difficult to raise. Target panic is a big deal. There are entire shooting courses designed to help archers break target panic. If I ever feel target panic creeping in, I start focusing on blank baling more and it goes away.

Shooting a high volume of blank baling reps helps break the natural connection that your mind makes that aiming at a target means the bow is going to go off. If half (or more) of the reps you shoot through your bow are at point-blank range with no aiming involved, your mind breaks that connection. This is why more than half the reps I shoot, I do so at point-blank range with no aiming at all.

Thanks to this training, I have been able to continually shoot a wrist strap index finger release, which I feel is the most effective hunting release available. Lots of archers eventually have to move away from an index finger release because of target panic. If shot properly, an index finger release allows you to execute a shot quickly on command and still be accurate. In my experience, this is much more effective than ripping through a shot with a thumb, hinge, or back tension release.

I shoot my index finger release “command style,” which means I shoot my bow similarly to shooting a rifle. I lightly rest my finger on the trigger, I hold on-target, and when my pin float is minimized over my target, I slowly start squeezing my finger. I can execute my shot very quickly in this manner. I set my trigger fairly light, as you would with a match-grade rifle trigger so that pulling through the trigger influences the bow as little as possible.

The other benefit of the index finger release is that it’s always attached to your wrist, and my release, the Spot Hogg Wise Guy, folds back out of the way. In my archery career, I have used pretty much every style of release on the market. Because I shoot a bow for bowhunting’s sake, I keep going back to the index finger release (it just has clear hunting advantages). Don’t get me wrong when I say for bowhunting’s sake, I’m extremely accurate with my shooting style and release. I will admit, it would be difficult for me to shoot with this style and keep target panic away if I didn’t shoot blank baling reps.

Build Shooting Strength

Blank baling builds shooting strength. There is no better exercise to strengthen your shooting muscles than just shooting your bow. I am a big believer in high reps to build strength and muscle memory, just like repetition in the gym or on the court trains your muscles. Blank baling can also be the training solution you need to more comfortably draw a heavier draw weight. For example, I shoot 80 pounds, and I am not a big guy nor am I overly strong, but my muscles are very conditioned from shooting a high volume of reps blank baling.

I will give one caution. Don’t over-bow yourself simply because you are mesmerized by the performance of an 80-pound bow. Shoot as much draw weight as you can comfortably and accurately shoot, and know that blank baling will increase your ability to shoot heavier poundage over time, which will directly translate to more arrow performance (which I have discussed at length in previous articles).

Consistency is King

When blank baling, because you aren’t aiming and you’re not distracted by pin float, you can focus on consistent shooting form. Even if you shoot with crappy form, if you do it very consistently, you can still be a very good shot. I’d venture to say that someone that shoots very consistently with crappy form is likely more accurate than someone who shoots with good form but isn’t as consistent.

Consistency is everything in archery. Blank baling helps you focus on the little things your body does when you shoot. You become much more aware of your body, head, shoulder, and elbow positions when you are not distracted by aiming. The beautiful thing is that once you train your body to shoot consistently with blank baling, you will develop muscle memory, and that muscle memory will translate to the range when you do start aiming. An important thing to do while blank baling is to develop a shooting routine that you consistently do every time. Be aware of the following 10 items:

• Mindset
• Stance and Posture
• Bow Grip
• Drawing
• Anchoring
• Peep Alignment
• Level
• Shot Execution (however you engage the shot)
• Follow Through
• Evaluation

Conclusion

Blank baling is extremely simple and can be done by anyone, anywhere (a room, hallway, garage, backyard, shed, etc). There is no excuse to not incorporate blank baling into your daily or weekly life. The winter offseason, is the perfect time to start blank baling. Start with a low number of reps and work up to more reps as your strength permits. I try to blank bale daily if nothing else, at least 10 arrows a day. If not daily, it’s at least three to four times a week, on average. Building confidence with your weapon starts months (even years) before you line up for the shot of a lifetime, so the important thing is to start now!