May be a stupid question but through all my training shooting a pistol it has all ways been focus on the front sight. I have been trying to get better with my bow and most coaches say to focus on the target and let the pin blur. what is the difference between the two aiming systems.
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Aiming a bow
- Thread starter Ozarkcop
- Start date
I turn to John Dudley when I have archery questions
To add to this.
It's like driving. Looking at the road in front of your car you will be all over the lane. Looking down the road you will drive straight. Your brain subconscious will align you to what you are looking at. Have you ever noticed that when you are driving and start looking at something to the left and then look back to where you are going? You are subconsciously driving to where you are looking. It's a major cause of accidents. He, in the video, lightly touched on punching the trigger. Archery is about relaxing and letting your muscle memory to take over. If you are consentraiting on your pin and punch the trigger your muscles clench and you will jerk the shot off target. Same as with your rifles. It's called target panic.
Look at what you want to hit, relax and let your brain do what is natural.
Try it and you will need a good supply of arrows or use targets with multiple spots so you don't have to replace those broken arrows.
It's like driving. Looking at the road in front of your car you will be all over the lane. Looking down the road you will drive straight. Your brain subconscious will align you to what you are looking at. Have you ever noticed that when you are driving and start looking at something to the left and then look back to where you are going? You are subconsciously driving to where you are looking. It's a major cause of accidents. He, in the video, lightly touched on punching the trigger. Archery is about relaxing and letting your muscle memory to take over. If you are consentraiting on your pin and punch the trigger your muscles clench and you will jerk the shot off target. Same as with your rifles. It's called target panic.
Look at what you want to hit, relax and let your brain do what is natural.
Try it and you will need a good supply of arrows or use targets with multiple spots so you don't have to replace those broken arrows.
I got a lot better when I started shooting indoor. I’m sure it was the 100+ arrows a night but I got really good with my hunting bow from it. Pretty average 60yd group (used target, not my holes all over hell and back)
Your brain is always seeking center, focus where you want to hit the brain will make adjustments subconsciously to get the arrow there.
That's why the peep size is so important. You're eye will naturally center round objects, so the peep is obviously the largest OD ring, if it's sized correctly then the sight shroud will naturally rest just inside the peep. The more precise method is to have a much smaller aperture peep that you would center the pin. This is a bitch when hunting or shooting various yardage sessions as you can't see the other pins while aiming, so a little doubt pops in your head about "am I on the right pin?", then ya have to break the anchor position to look around the peep. Rinse and repeat. Dam I miss my archery days....
I run a sure-loc with a 6x Zeiss lens and hamskea clarifier peep.
I can see everything.
Focus on the target, and you'll find the sight wants to be center of the target. Let the shot break, and it'll land center.
Assuming you have decent form and accuracy. I much prefer the hinge releases, but I do run a Winn free-flight for hunting, because it has a rifle like trigger and sear.
I can see everything.
Focus on the target, and you'll find the sight wants to be center of the target. Let the shot break, and it'll land center.
Assuming you have decent form and accuracy. I much prefer the hinge releases, but I do run a Winn free-flight for hunting, because it has a rifle like trigger and sear.
35 years ago I took my kid bother to the archery range, he asked me how do you aim a bow. I replied, how do you aim a rock?
Rich
Rich
I've always focused on the target. I never really got the hang of leaving both eyes open, only with a handgun/open sights, am I able to do it. If I use both eyes with a bow, I get "Double Vision". So, I close my weak eye, focus on the target, fire. If you shoot a fast bow, and use a multi-pin sight, the pins can be really close together, which really blurs sh%t up. For me, I think it's looking thru a round sight housing that makes the target/pins hard to focus on. Too much stuff going on for the brain/eye(s) to do their thing. Mac
There are different objectives when aiming a pistol with iron sights vs aiming with a diopter or peep sight.
On a pistol with irons, the sight radius or distance between rear and front sight is relatively short and you want to minimize the alignment error there because even the smallest difference in sight gap and flushness of the sights will give you a substantial MOA or MIL deviation. If you would focus on the target, then it would be very hard to "square" the sights and minimize this error. By focusing on the front sight you can see the rear sight good enough for proper sight alignment while you bring the front sight to the target.
On a bow with a peep or a rifle with a diopter, proper sight alignment is much easier and also less critical due to the longer sight radius. You essentially have only the front sight as moving piece because peep or diopter is anchored to your eye via string or stock and the circles from the peep/diopter and front ring center naturally. Then, it is easier for the brain to align the pin or front sight with focus on the target. Similar to a scope where you should focus on what you want to hit and not on the reticle. Visually lock the target and let the reticle, pin, or bead float towards it.
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Focus on the target and don’t over think it.
Personally I think shooting instinctive archery made me a better shot even with pins. If you can hit moving targets with no sight, hitting a target with pins is a breeze.
I miss archery neck and shoulder problems cured me of that addiction.
Personally I think shooting instinctive archery made me a better shot even with pins. If you can hit moving targets with no sight, hitting a target with pins is a breeze.
I miss archery neck and shoulder problems cured me of that addiction.
Thanks for posting this. I didn't bow hunt last year due to an arm injury, I started shooting again a few weeks ago and had forgotten this aspect of aiming and was focusing on the pin. After watching the video I went out and pulled my group back in where it needs to be.
The only wrong way is what doesn't work for you.
I shoot an FITA aperture most of the time and find that focusing on the target is best for me, for that sight...the eye/brain wants concentric rings. If i'm using a pin/blade then I'm focusing on the pin, 6 o'clock hold
Regarding peep size...whatever the lighting conditions call for. That said, i error on the larger side if unsure. Even if I'm using a scope, my peep size is based on lighting not scope diameter.
The art of aiming a bow is a fluid motion.... That's to say, no stopping to aim. If you have to stop to take aim, your natural point of aim is not correct or is it not correct or certain part of your form is not correct. Get proper alignment, Draw on target, Settle in to your anchor and and then basically try to split the bow apart...
If you're trying to aim like a rifle, on a bench with a rest you're gonna struggle.
I shoot an FITA aperture most of the time and find that focusing on the target is best for me, for that sight...the eye/brain wants concentric rings. If i'm using a pin/blade then I'm focusing on the pin, 6 o'clock hold
Regarding peep size...whatever the lighting conditions call for. That said, i error on the larger side if unsure. Even if I'm using a scope, my peep size is based on lighting not scope diameter.
The art of aiming a bow is a fluid motion.... That's to say, no stopping to aim. If you have to stop to take aim, your natural point of aim is not correct or is it not correct or certain part of your form is not correct. Get proper alignment, Draw on target, Settle in to your anchor and and then basically try to split the bow apart...
If you're trying to aim like a rifle, on a bench with a rest you're gonna struggle.
Needed some more arrows so headed to the range and bought a dozen. Hadn’t shot in a while so I put a group on the 20y target. Reminded myself why I don’t shoot groups…
Yeah, thats the main reason I never took up the bow. The aiming technique is opposite of pistol, rifle.
Bad shooting habits are like STDs, easy to pick up and impossible to get rid of.
Stop this....this is stupid, less you're starting out.
One arrow one dot...fuck "groups"....
When I shot everyday. I couldn't shot at the same spot at 40 yards, it was way to expensive In broken arrows. Plus start shooting like 60 or 80 yards it make the shorter distances gravy
You are right. And, I know it. I- usually- don’t shoot groups. But, I hadn’t shot my bow in almost a year and figured my “group” would be like a basket ball. And, there were 2 target papers on the backstop. One had 5 bulls, but was at the top left corner of the ~5’x5’ wheeled backstop. The other was a single bull more or less centered up. With new arrows- different manufacturer and slightly different weight- and the extended lay off from last shooting session, I wanted as much backstop around my target as possible. I was wrong about the group size, though it was high and left on the bull. Had I been shooting the other paper, it is possible that the top left bull would allow an arrow to leave the backstop…
“Why didn’t you move the paper?” I rolled up to the crowded line after the all clear, and there just happened to be an open back stop. It was crowded and I didn’t want to lose the open slot.
Oh well, I still have 10, and deer and pigs are disrespectful enough that they’ll break them too- so attrition is expected.
Just close your eyes...lol. actually this works to correct form inconsistencies. With your eyes closed you'll feel errors in grip placement, angle, pressure; bow side alignment, changes in anchor, releasing directly behind the arrow. I wouldn't go past 10 yardsShoot with no sights like a man then
Shoot with no sights like a man then
I can't tell if your joking or not. I shoot both recurve and longbow, barebow. The arrow tip is the equivalent of the front sight and I string walk to adjust POI. But there are no traditional sights attached to the Bow.
I assume the OP is using a compound with aiming sights, so there is nothing I can add to the discussion other than to note that there are plenty of archery styles that do not use "sights" and more than one way to accurately fire the bow. If the style you have picked up is not comfortable to you, try a different style of archery until you find one that you enjoy.
I’ve never used the arrow to aim, I just shoot instinctive.
Also have pins on one bow.
It was, but if where to focus is a big issue to someone try loosing the pins and don’t use the string and arrow. Instinctively shooting isn’t hard. I shot moving targets regularly with no sights snap shooting if I can do it anyone can.
I focus on the target, draw, and release. If you practice your body will know where to aim. I can shoot cigarette butts floating by and jumping fish well away from the boat. Everyone acts like archery is rocket science.
If people hit moving targets while factoring in the hold for refraction and depth of the fish anyone can figure out a way to make a bow work for them.
Just practice.
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As a young boy I started out with a Big Chief bow with blue suction cup tipped arrows until I nailed the maid in the side of the head with it. After I got my first pellet gun a few years later I never looked back.
I always figured if I lived 150 years earlier in central Texas and had a Henry or Winchester lever action and Colt revolver, I wouldn't take any shit off any Comanche / Kiowa raiding party. But this video showing how Plains Indians could shoot a bow as fast as a man could shoot a repeating rifle made me rethink that. This may explain why many Plains Indians who acquired rifles gave them up and went back to bows as their go-to weapons.
I always figured if I lived 150 years earlier in central Texas and had a Henry or Winchester lever action and Colt revolver, I wouldn't take any shit off any Comanche / Kiowa raiding party. But this video showing how Plains Indians could shoot a bow as fast as a man could shoot a repeating rifle made me rethink that. This may explain why many Plains Indians who acquired rifles gave them up and went back to bows as their go-to weapons.
Retriever I use holds about 25yd of 400# Dacron. The arrows are solid fiberglass with a steel tip so you don’t want to shoot much further than that anyway.
In tournaments you shoot numbers so a lot of guys run right up on the fishing shoot down, I like shooting the longer shots it’s more fun. Shooting down off docks I can blow thread minnows in half.
My best shot ever I was standing on the back deck of a 18-20’ boat, and shot a jumping carp in the head that was 15-20’ in front of the boat. Doesn’t sound far but a moving target with a very heavy arrow dragging water logged Dacron line is pretty good.
Shooting fish in the water you may have a couple seconds if you’re lucky to guess the lead, but also factor in how high to shoot above the fish to account for refraction on targets that may be 1-3” wide in some cases on a moving boat.
Most guys run about 35# draw but I shoot about 50-55 for longer shots. Also I’d rather blow through a fish that not penetrate and have the arrow pull out. I use a two loop system so my arrows come off/go back on the line real quick.
I shoot an Oneida lever bow. It’s a compound recurve with hinged limbs if you’ve never seen one. They work well for snap shooting, sometimes you may only have time to draw half way back and release so I think they are better in that situation myself.
This is going to sound stupid, but what I really think helped my instinctive shooting was a wrist rocket, it’s not exactly the same but you candraw that a couple hundred more times than a mid range draw weight bow. I got where I could shoot minnows with 3/8 bearings without using the fork, or looking down the band to aim.
I’ve never tried the method you use, may have to try it if I can start shooting again. Shoulder problems and archery don’t well. May just need a light poundage bow.
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Thanks for sharing.
Moving target, short reaction time, standing, fired from an unstable platform? Sounds far to me. I'd be happy with a pistol shot at that distance.
With my recurve I have limbs in 10 lbs increments from 25#'s to 55#. I can switch out the draw weight in less time than it takes to mount a rifle scope. Its handy if I intend to shoot more than 144 arrows in a single practice session, or if I am feeling sore that day.
I don't know if string walking works for compound bows. I don't see why not, but I never heard of someone doing it with a compound and I don't have enough experience with a compound to relate.
Moving target, short reaction time, standing, fired from an unstable platform? Sounds far to me. I'd be happy with a pistol shot at that distance.
With my recurve I have limbs in 10 lbs increments from 25#'s to 55#. I can switch out the draw weight in less time than it takes to mount a rifle scope. Its handy if I intend to shoot more than 144 arrows in a single practice session, or if I am feeling sore that day.
I don't know if string walking works for compound bows. I don't see why not, but I never heard of someone doing it with a compound and I don't have enough experience with a compound to relate.
Might work on Oneida the string goes on the same as a recurve. They are affectionately known as “nut slappers” people try to shoot them standing square the the target bent over and SLAP! Lol.
