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Aiming

Petrichor

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Aug 9, 2021
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I wish I could find a video I watched a long time ago where this theory was tested. It basically was a lighted target (they hung up a chem light) lights were out in the room while shooting at the target and it was too dark to see the bow or arrow tip to use as a reference point to aim. The shots were waaaay off proving even "instinctive shooters" are using the bow, the tip of the arrow, or something as a point of reference to aim.
That’s in masters of the bare bow I believe. Could be wrong.
 

GCTerpfan

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I wish I could find a video I watched a long time ago where this theory was tested. It basically was a lighted target (they hung up a chem light) lights were out in the room while shooting at the target and it was too dark to see the bow or arrow tip to use as a reference point to aim. The shots were waaaay off proving even "instinctive shooters" are using the bow, the tip of the arrow, or something as a point of reference to aim.

I think most people that shoot instinctive realize that their mind is using the sight picture to "aim" the bow. The only difference is you aren't consciously using a reference point, you are just letting your mind make the adjustments on it's own.

That’s in masters of the bare bow I believe. Could be wrong.

Correct but, I forget which one.
 
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Petrichor

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I think most people that shoot instinctive realize that their mind is using the site picture to "aim" the bow. The only difference is you aren't consciously using a reference point, you are just letting your mind make the adjustments on it's own.



Correct but, I forget which one.
I want to say volume 4. And exactly. I personally see the sight picture and let my mind make the adjustments. Archery is about what works for you. Many ways to skin a cat.
 

Allegheny Tom

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Feb 4, 2018
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Just trying to learn sir! I probably can't hit the side of my house intentionally anyway...
Seems like the less I aim, the better I shoot.
I think it's a "mental" thing, maybe a bit of target panic.
If I go thru my pre-aim sequence, and then focus more on my form than worrying about " final-aiming" then I shoot fairly well.
If, while I am reaching full draw, I start trying to fine tune my aim, I then forget about proper form and proper follow thru. Those are the shots that don't turn out as well.
 

Patrick69

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Jan 8, 2019
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Seems like the less I aim, the better I shoot.
I think it's a "mental" thing, maybe a bit of target panic.
If I go thru my pre-aim sequence, and then focus more on my form than worrying about " final-aiming" then I shoot fairly well.
If, while I am reaching full draw, I start trying to fine tune my aim, I then forget about proper form and proper follow thru. Those are the shots that don't turn out as well.

If more people would just focus more on their form and arrow tune their confidence (accuracy) would definitely improve…

Now if I could just improve mine!?!


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tyson12590

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Jul 10, 2019
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YAHOO
tyson12590@yahoo.com
I shot instinctive from ages 8-16 and was terrible. When I went back to traditional 4 years ago, I started with a fixed crawl. It was very effective. After 2 years of fix crawl, I switched to shooting with a high anchor where my ring finger is at the corner of my mouth and now, I am point on to 20 yards with most bows I shoot and if my mind goes blank and I shoot instinctively I still hit pretty close. I like this system a lot because its tough to shoot fix crawl on non- ILF bows without excess vibration but I like using the tip of the arrow to aim.
 

McNamara

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Dec 8, 2021
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Does your form not line the arrow under your eye? It would be weird if you lined up with your ear, but still possible I guess.

Quite a lot of bows require drawing to the ear or further. Japanese yumi, English war bow, and pretty much all the Asiatic styles. So it's definitely a different sight picture than most American trad shooters use.
 

Petrichor

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Aug 9, 2021
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Quite a lot of bows require drawing to the ear or further. Japanese yumi, English war bow, and pretty much all the Asiatic styles. So it's definitely a different sight picture than most American trad shooters use.
Yes. Indeed. I have tried a couple of those shooting styles with horrible results lol.
 

McNamara

New Member
Dec 8, 2021
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Hey, at least you gave it a try! Me, I can't shoot worth a damn with a standard Western-style recurve anchor point. Have to go to the ear.
 
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NMSbowhunter

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Jan 3, 2022
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Quite a lot of bows require drawing to the ear or further. Japanese yumi, English war bow, and pretty much all the Asiatic styles. So it's definitely a different sight picture than most American trad shooters use.
Yes, I think they referred to shooting an English Longbow as "drawing in a bow" since it was drawn farther back and your chest is sort of in the middle, if that makes sense. I really want to get a good English Longbow and try that out. I'm not so sure that the draw cycle on these bows would be conducive to hunting since it seems pretty fast and fluid. It might spook a deer like it spooked the French at Crecy.

Check this guy out. He shoots up to 200 pounds draw weights. There is a good video on Tod's Workshop Youtube channel of him shooting representative armour plate with one of these bows.

(204) Warbow, Joe Gibbs, English Warbow Society, 170lb Mary Rose type, Italian self yew. - YouTube
 

Gator

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May 20, 2019
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My first shots with recurve in many many years. In order from about 5-7 yards. First two arrows I wasn’t trying to hit anywhere specific. Also this is with no set nock point or any tuning, just flinging a couple arrows to see what happened

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McNamara

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Dec 8, 2021
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Yes, I think they referred to shooting an English Longbow as "drawing in a bow" since it was drawn farther back and your chest is sort of in the middle, if that makes sense. I really want to get a good English Longbow and try that out. I'm not so sure that the draw cycle on these bows would be conducive to hunting since it seems pretty fast and fluid. It might spook a deer like it spooked the French at Crecy.

Check this guy out. He shoots up to 200 pounds draw weights. There is a good video on Tod's Workshop Youtube channel of him shooting representative armour plate with one of these bows.

(204) Warbow, Joe Gibbs, English Warbow Society, 170lb Mary Rose type, Italian self yew. - YouTube

Yes! I've seen all those videos. Joe's a fantastic archer. Of course warbows are massive overkill for hunting, but an English longbow with a more moderate weight (maybe 50-80 pounds) would be good for hunting. I mean, it's what they hunted with anyway in medieval England.
 

HuumanCreed

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Aug 21, 2020
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I've been watching his videos, he shoots better at 80 yards with a trad bow than I do with compound with sights!

I greatly admire Clay, he's basically the modern day Renaissance man. Hunt everything, family grown their own food, built everything himself including rebuilding a truck and a lumber mill himself by reading books, etc..

Above all he is a really good dad, I asked him fatherly advices a few times via comments and he always responses. His best was about building kids confident as they are young. That he make his sons talk to people themselves whenever possible, they have to introduce themselves when meeting people and talk directly to the waiter at restaurants when ordering food.

 

BackSpasm

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Apr 10, 2019
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Honestly, if you guys are having trouble aiming you should just do what I did. I ordered a custom big jim "thunderchild" recurve and used my impact drill to install a garmin xero A1i pro rangefinding bow sight. Really the best of both worlds. I highly recommend this approach