I have been shooting for maybe a year now and still working on developing my technique.

My groups keep walking all over the target and I am just realizing that I think my cheek weld (sorry if that is the wrong terminology) of my thumb against my chin may be too high.  all my groups are always low.  Today, I tried putting my thumb much lower on my chin/jawbone and it elevated my group a good 12".  

Does anyone have any advice for a relatively new/novice shooter in developing a consistent technique?

Thanks in advance.

I would pick a spot that is smaller than your chin as an anchor point. I use my middle finger/middle knuckle against the bottom portion of my right ear as an anchor point.  Try to make it smaller and more consistent and see if that helps.

If that does not work and your groups are still all over the place it might not be you but your bow set up.  

If it is the bow set up a bunch of things could be happening.

Poor arrow selection:  Weak or too stiff of a spine,  normally a weaker spinned arrow (too light) will cause erratic flight.

Arrow clearance:  Your arrows could be hitting the rest funny and causing them to fly inconsistent

Out of tune, Un-timed Cams:  If the cams of the bow, if it is anything but a single cam, might be out of sync causing one cam to come home quicker than the other which throws the arrow off since one portion of the string is ahead of the other.

These are a few things to be looking for.  If you have been shooting a while and are still inconsistent it might be a good idea to take it to an Archery Shop  (small business, avoid box stores like the plague) and have the owner look at your shot and your bow to see if something is not acting up.



Also for target shooting, to tell that I am staying accurate and to help alleviate potential problems is to try and shoot one arrow at the bullseye.  If that arrow let's say hits low and left 2 inches I aim exactly at the arrow I shot into the target.  If I hit right on against the arrow that I shot I have a pretty good idea that it is not the bow but me, the shooter.  Just little tricks to help us figure out what is going on.  works for some and other things work for others.

Are you using a sight, and/or a peep sight?

I am using a sight but I end up just chasing my groups all over

Thanks for the advice I will try some most things and then maybe take my bow to a shop Since I bought it used in the first place

Have the shop tune and fit the bow to you.  If it doesn't have one already have them put on a peep sight, and a D-loop.  A sight and peep sight is like a front and rear sight on gun.  

Once I got my peep sight settled down, I was amazed by how well I was shooting my bow.

I went out this weekend and shot twice.  I was able to make a conscious effort to have 3 contact points on my face and it has worked wonders.  I have been able to get more consistent groupings already.  Now it is just a matter of practice to tighten those up.

I may still take the bow to a custom shop to have them take a look at my setup.  Do technicians typically charge for such a service?

Varies on the shop,  but in most places it'll cost a few bucks.  Is this the first time the bow has been to a shop?

I bought it on CL for $80 with arrows and everything, so I have no idea.  I will call ahead for an appointment.