Instinctive Shooting

[Raedwald]

well, today's instinctive shooting has left three field-piles in and around various targets...... and I shot like a, well... yes, that bad!

[chris]

Originally Posted by Raedwald

well, today's instinctive shooting has left three field-piles in and around various targets...... and I shot like a, well... yes, that bad!

did you enjoy yourself???????
chris

[Raedwald]

Originally Posted by chris

did you enjoy yourself???????
chris

'course I did!!

Enjoyed shooting the half-round (albeit badly!)....

Enjoyed complaining about it afterwards with a couple of others, sitting drinking coffee in the "club shelter"....

And I'm going to enjoy replacing the field-piles on the three arrows, albeit they'll be a little shorter than I'd like, but it's the start of making my own arrows....

So, all in all a good day!

[chris]

Originally Posted by Raedwald

'course I did!!

Enjoyed shooting the half-round (albeit badly!)....

Enjoyed complaining about it afterwards with a couple of others, sitting drinking coffee in the "club shelter"....

And I'm going to enjoy replacing the field-piles on the three arrows, albeit they'll be a little shorter than I'd like, but it's the start of making my own arrows....

So, all in all a good day!

there ya go then
chris

[Raedwald]

And there you have one aspect of the fun/pleasure of instinctive field archery!

[gwynn]

I have always shot instinctively, I miss a fair lot but hey!
I keep both eyes open, stand side on to the target and nock the arrow without looking at the target, I think it confuses the brain, then the bow comes up and around as the string comes back. If you time it right you're at full draw, the target is in front of you, the 'picture' is right and the arrow goes.
Up to 60 yards I reckon I'm totally instinctive, 60 yards plus I seem to take longer to loose and I think that sub-conciously I am aiming, though at what and how I don't know.
I get a great deal of satistifaction knowing that when I hit a target, that I have hit it, without any artificial help
Just go out there, don't calculate distances or work out angles, just get the picture right and go for it!

[chris]

Originally Posted by gwynn

I have always shot instinctively, I miss a fair lot but hey!
I keep both eyes open, stand side on to the target and nock the arrow without looking at the target, I think it confuses the brain, then the bow comes up and around as the string comes back. If you time it right you're at full draw, the target is in front of you, the 'picture' is right and the arrow goes.
Up to 60 yards I reckon I'm totally instinctive, 60 yards plus I seem to take longer to loose and I think that sub-conciously I am aiming, though at what and how I don't know.
I get a great deal of satistifaction knowing that when I hit a target, that I have hit it, without any artificial help
Just go out there, don't calculate distances or work out angles, just get the picture right and go for it!

good init

chris

[Macbow]

"I have always shot instinctively, I miss a fair lot but hey!..."

No offence but that says to me that instinctive doesn't work very well. If archers are happy just flinging arrows in the general direction of the target then that's great but I don't see any real virtue in being instinctive without being consistent.

"I get a great deal of satistifaction knowing that when I hit a target, that I have hit it, without any artificial help"

Having a barebow shooting system of any kind - gap, point of aim, split vision, trajectory etc - still means you are not using artificial help ie a mechanical sight. Watching good barebow shooters may give the impression that they are just looking at the target and sticking four arrows into it with Zen-like ease but just because they are not using sights doesn't mean they are not aiming. They have probably worked very hard and methodically to develop those skills.

"Just go out there, don't calculate distances or work out angles, just get the picture right and go for it!"

I think it is possible to shoot well on a subconscious level to a certain extent but the brain still needs basic information to "calculate distances or work out angles". Without windage and elevation calculations in relation to the bow hand, riser or shaft the brain cannot learn the right picture well enough to repeat the same shot three or four times in a row.

MikeD asked about learning to shoot instinctively and while he wants to dispense with sights and stabilisers I assume by his post he still wants to hit the target.
The general advice for learning instinctive archery is to shoot with good form at 10 yards until you are breaking nocks only moving back in five yard stages when you are grouping so tightly that shafts are touching. That way you are imprinting the distances and angles into your subconscious through repetition. But even American bowhunter, author and traditional archery guru G Fred Asbell realised instinctive shooting has its limitations when he put his own instinctive shooting to the test on a field course.

[chris]

Originally Posted by Macbow

"I have always shot instinctively, I miss a fair lot but hey!..."

No offence but that says to me that instinctive doesn't work very well. If archers are happy just flinging arrows in the general direction of the target then that's great but I don't see any real virtue in being instinctive without being consistent.

"I get a great deal of satistifaction knowing that when I hit a target, that I have hit it, without any artificial help"

Having a barebow shooting system of any kind - gap, point of aim, split vision, trajectory etc - still means you are not using artificial help ie a mechanical sight. Watching good barebow shooters may give the impression that they are just looking at the target and sticking four arrows into it with Zen-like ease but just because they are not using sights doesn't mean they are not aiming. They have probably worked very hard and methodically to develop those skills.

"Just go out there, don't calculate distances or work out angles, just get the picture right and go for it!"

I think it is possible to shoot well on a subconscious level to a certain extent but the brain still needs basic information to "calculate distances or work out angles". Without windage and elevation calculations in relation to the bow hand, riser or shaft the brain cannot learn the right picture well enough to repeat the same shot three or four times in a row.

MikeD asked about learning to shoot instinctively and while he wants to dispense with sights and stabilisers I assume by his post he still wants to hit the target.
The general advice for learning instinctive archery is to shoot with good form at 10 yards until you are breaking nocks only moving back in five yard stages when you are grouping so tightly that shafts are touching. That way you are imprinting the distances and angles into your subconscious through repetition. But even American bowhunter, author and traditional archery guru G Fred Asbell realised instinctive shooting has its limitations when he put his own instinctive shooting to the test on a field course.

just practice and enjoy there is no need for all this analysis, that is hardly instinctive is it?

chris

[Macbow]

Originally Posted by chris

just practice and enjoy there is no need for all this analysis, that is hardly instinctive is it?

chris

I would accept that if this thread was on the Longbow section where many traditional archers are happy to just go with the flow and accept they will miss a lot. But if you cannot judge distances from 11 yards to 80 yards with at least some degree of accuracy you really shouldn't be on a Field Archery course. As I said earlier you can practice a system until it becomes instinctive but to shoot well on a field/3D course takes discipline and methodical practice. Without analysing your technique you won't know why you are missing and what you need to do to get on target - enjoy your practice but learn from it.