Gear Review: True Shot Coach

In-Depth Review of Don’t Choke Archery’s True Shot Coach

Consistency is the name of the game in archery. We all do things to promote repeatability by holding to various anchor points on our face, to our stance and the way we execute our release. Yet one of the hardest places to duplicate our form is the point where the bow meets our hand. This is the foundation and breaking point of form in my opinion. Simply put, the first and last thing to touch the bow is your hand, so you can easily see the importance of proper bow hand form when you release an arrow. The True Shot Coach from Don’t Choke Archery (www.dontchokearchery.com) aims at making ourselves better archers by eliminating hand torque caused by improper hand placement. Everyone wants tighter groups, so taking the necessary steps to build on your form is a great way to achieve that.

One just has to take a quick glance at the True Shot Coach to see the potential waiting for them. Bow torque will cause archers a number of problems with arrow flight, especially people just starting out in archery. Starting archers will benefit greatly as most grip the bow so tightly setting them up for unwanted torque and soon afterwards they may receive a nice mark on their forearm from improper form. With proper use of the True Shot Coach, beginning archers will be leaps and bounds ahead of the game. For starting archers it is all about having fun; their relaxed and repeatable bow hand will equal better shots which will give them increased confidence in their setup and form, causing their passion for archery to increase. This product will even benefit people with an extensive archery background, as even the best archers over time may need a form refresher.

Another benefit I noticed right away is that the design helps instill a relaxed hand at full draw. Keeping your fingers relaxed is much more effective than keeping them tense. There are so many ways you can keep your bow hand fingers tense, which leads to an inconsistency in form and aids in unwanted torque, but there is only one way that is truly relaxed and ultimately much easier to duplicate.

This product is comfortable to shoot with and I feel you will be shooting better with one. Another advantage is the product can be used as a great training aid to build memory on how to hold your bow. One can incorporate this product in any blank bale, or back tension training to continue to promote proper habits.

I consider myself to have reasonably decent form, yet I am one that occasionally has slight left-right issues and shooting with the True Shot Coach helped alleviate this problem. After recent shooting sessions, I was shooting better groups than I have in the past at both close and long ranges. Being the finicky archer that I am, I always look for ways to improve my shooting, so I am very excited to continue using this great product through the winter practice season. If you’re a seasoned archer/bowhunter, I suggest you shoot a round with your normal setup, and afterwards shoot with the True Shot Coach, then compare your results. I did this at a range of 80 yards as this distance is where I feel your form flaws are magnified and shine through. My group no longer had the flyers to the right that I get when my form breaks down.

This spring I am excited to perform a few more tests to determine if it will help me shoot with proper form, even after I accelerate my heart rate to simulate elk hunting situations. This way I may be able to train out bad form so later on while in the heat of the moment with a big bull in front of me, I can make the shot count even with increased levels of adrenaline.

If you’re just getting started in archery, compete in tournaments, or you strictly bowhunt, I suggest you give the True Shot Coach a try and watch your groups tighten up and your enjoyment of the sport continue.