Product Review: True Shot Coach from Don’t Choke Archery
This product review was written for and published in the April 2012 issue of BowAmerica e-magazine.

Learning how to properly grip a bow has been a topic of conversation in the archery world for a very long time. It’s one of the biggest reasons archers ruin a shot. Take the jitters away and I’d be willing to bet that bow torque is one of the top reasons they miss the target or botch a shot on a wild animal. Up until a few years ago I was holding my bow incorrectly and torqueing it with each shot. Three years ago I came to find that I was torqueing my bow dramatically. I had a different bow then, but nonetheless, I knew what I was doing wrong.

We have developed what we believe to be simple but revolutionary new device called the True Shot Coach that will help archers of any level be more accurate.  The True Shot Coach will teach new archers how to properly grip their bow, while helping even the most advanced level archers eliminate human induced riser torque caused by grip variance.  By eliminating this riser torque, down range left and right groups are significantly tighter. 

The tool can be used as a training aid, or it can be used full time when competing or hunting.  We have spent a lot of R& D time with the device which has shown incredible results with a variety of archers across the country.  Several archers have already won National level tournaments while using the prototype!

The True Shot Coach from Don’t Choke Archery takes the guess work out of holding your bow properly. When I first spoke with DCA owner Randy Peck, I was impressed with how he really wants archers to succeed. Randy is a bowhunter and inventor from Texas who is very relaxed and focused on his product. We discussed the benefits to the True Shot Coach, how many of the top target archers are using one, and he offered to send me a sample. By using the website, I was able to calculate what size TSC I would need.  I was able to determine I would need a large, so that was the one I requested.  A few days later a few different size samples arrived at my door.

My first impressions were that the True Shot Coach is a simple, yet very effective tool. It slid on my fingers very easily, slid off very easily and was comfortable. It is lightweight and comfortable to wear. To test it fully, my hunting buddy and I hit the archery range to following day. I brought the large and extra-large to the range. The instructions on the packaging (and website) are quite simple. I have listed them below.

True Shot Coach Instructions: 

1. Place the True Shot coach on your bow hand with the pointy end towards your palm.
2. Place the bow grip on the pad of your thumb with your fingers in the 10 o’clock position. 2 o’clock for a left handed archer.
3. Draw your bow while maintaining this position.
4. Relax your fingers onto the True Shot Coach.

To start our testing, Michael and I shot two rounds of five arrows without the True Shot Coach on our hands. The two rounds showed that while we shot decent, our arrow groups were not as tight as we would have liked. Once we placed the TSC on, we noticed an immediate improvement in our arrow groups. Mentally, I didn’t have to stress about whether or not my grip was correct. We then shot three rounds of five at different ranges. Respectively, our arrows were within three inches of one another on each round. We started at 20 yards and moved out to 60 yards. Both of us were impressed at how such a simple product could affect our shooting.

While the instructions say to be at a 10 o’clock position, I found that my grip was slightly different than what the photo on the website shows. I could not comfortably hold the TSC against the handle without pain in my wrist. I had to have it more toward my hand than the bow.

The only issue we had with the True Shot Coach was that after shooting 30 arrows, our grip hands were rather sore where the pointed ends were digging into our palms. For the last two rounds we took the TSC off and our arrows hit inconsistently. We figured that to be partly due to not having the TSC on and fatigue.

Here is an example of the pointed portion digging in. This is a slight exaggeration to show the result.

I spoke with Randy regarding our results and he mentioned that he had heard about this before. His suggestion was to slightly bend the point out away from our palms. His suggestion worked perfectly! Randy was more than willing to go over any questions I had and we spent some time over a few phone calls getting to know one another and discussing his product. He is passionate about the True Shot Coach and it shows.

I did remove the MADE IN U.S.A. tag on my True Shot Coach because it was bright white and sticks out. I don’t want to be hunting anything that could spot that, especially turkey.
 
After shooting for a while, or hunting in the heat, I found that with sweating that my TSC needed a slight washing. Just a hand wash with some unscented soap did the trick.

For target archers and bowhunters alike, this is a great tool that when used properly will keep your shooting consistent and drive up your confidence level. It’s great to know these are made in the U.S.A. and are reasonably priced at $16.95 each. You have to figure that it pays for itself when you stop losing arrows and are bringing down the animals you are shooting at and not eating tag soup. They are also making a different model with adjustable finger sizes that should be available soon. I am looking forward to utilizing this while hunting this year.