Shooting Form/Stance Does This Make Sense

[MJB]

When shooting I usually stand sideways to the target. With my left shoulder facing the target, I'm (right handed) feet 10-15" apart. Burning a hole , I start to raise my bow arm and begin the draw. Hit my anchor and release.

I don't know what you call it ? But I faced the target with more of my left chest. Instead of just my left shoulder. This to me seemed more natural and almost automatic when starting the draw. Puts you in the position , sorry hard to explain turns your body naturally ? Also wanted to add that I could feel a lot more of my back muscles in executing the shot.

Does this make any sense and does anyone understand what I'm trying to say.

THANK YOU,
Mike    

[NDTerminator]

I did essentially the same thing more or less by accident by dropping my left foot back a couple inches (I'm left handed).  This forced me to twist slightly right at the waist into the target.  The result was a Trad Bow Epiphany, my accuracy & consistency improved immediately.

I've since learned to duplicate this form sitting, kneeling, fully facing the target, etc...

[Str8Shooter]

By inducing more twist into your torso, through opening up the stance, most people tend to feel the back muscles more. The difference, I think, has to do with alignment. With a more traditional closed stance you're pulling against the bones more which might make it harder to feel the back. As the stance becomes progressively more open you pull less against bone and rely more on the various muscles for support.

One other difference with the two stances is the bow arm shoulder. The open stance tends to fatigue the deltoids more over prolonged shooting sessions. However, for the bowhunter the open stance will generally give more string clearance which can be very important.

I've heard that to find your bodies most natural stance to use stand facing a target like you'd shoot it with a square stance. Close your eyes and lift your arm naturally. Open your eyes and look where you are pointing. Open or close your stance until your arm is pointing at the target. Keep repeating closing your eyes and adjusting your stance until  you get it where all lines up without adjusting. Interesting thought on how to learn the correct stance for your particular body type.

Chris

[MJB]

THANKS for the replies    

Mike  

[Matt Fowler]

MJB and NDT, it sounds like you guys are talking about opposite stance adjustmemnts. Right-handed, exposing your left chest would open your stancec. Left-handed, sliding your left foot back exposes more of your back to the target. Am I missing something?

[MJB]

Matt,
Maybe I'm missing something ? Please go on as I am new to Traditional archery . Any help / pointers is greatly appreciated.

Thank You,
Mike  

[NDTerminator]

We're doing the same thing, twisting slightly into the target.  Just from opposite sides as he's right handed and I'm a leftie. As Mike pointed out, it feels much more natural.

I also added a very slight cant (maybe 5 degrees) where before I shot with the bow vertical.

I agree with Chris, I think it brought my shoulders more into alignment as well as more back muscles into the draw, hold, and release.  

I think before I was trying to translate my sighted compound shooting form to Trad and it just doesn't fly. Whatever, this slight adjustment in stance sure worked for me!

[MJB]

Jon & Chris,
To me with the slightly more open stance my shoulders were more in line. And I could feel more of the back muscles working going into the draw.

THANKS,
Mike    

[Matt Fowler]

I'm pretty sure you guys are doing the opposite.
NDT, I shoot left handed too. When you address the target, your left foot is the back foot, away from the target. When you slide the left foot back you must turn to the right, as you have said.
When MJB addresses the target his right foot is the back foot. What he is doing is effectively sliding his back foot FORWARD, exposing more of his chest. I do the same thing you do to get better shoulder alignment. MJB is "opening" his stance. I think!!

[30coupe]

I practice open stance, closed stance, sitting, etc. because I never know where the deer is going to present the best shot. From a tree stand, you need to be able to shoot from a variety of stances without moving your feet much if at all. It's good to find your ideal stance, but don't forget to practice from a variety of stances and elevations.

[Dave Bulla]

I'm reading it the same way as you Matt.

You guys when starting out, it's good to pay attention to your stance from the ground up.  As in foot position in relation to your body and the target.  Once your form becomes really ingrained, you will find that it is really mostly an upper body thing and you can do almost anyting from the waist down without changing your upper body form and alignment.  Just like shotgun shooting.

When you can do that, you can shoot standing, kneeling, stradling a log, behind you (without moving your feet) etc. and always feel like your upper body alignment is pretty much the same from your bow hand to your string arm elbow.

FYI MJB, standing sideways or edgeways to the target is what is called a "closed" stance while quartering towards it is an "open" stance though really it's not cut and dried open or closed.  It's more relative as in "his stance is MORE open (or closed) than mine".

A great thread on this a year or two ago was called "everybodies form pics" and it has a ton of info and pictures too.  It's worth looking it up in the archives via the search whether you are a beiginer or experienced.

[MJB]

Dave,
THANK YOU, I didn't know what the sideways or edgeways was considered. I will look up the thread you mentioned. Again THANK YOU

Mike  

[SteveB]

Mike Fedora teaches a more open stance - up to 45deg's.

Better balance in all types of footing is the main reason.
Better alignment is another.
And more clearance for the "belly/chest" endowed is a factor as well   .

Adapting an open stance did as much as anything to improve my shooting.

Steve

[Terry Green]

To me, form and alignment is from the waist up.

Luckily, that aspect allows bowhunters to not worry about the stance or the terrain when offered a usually narrow window of opportunity to shoot at game.

If you are properly aligned, you can take that with you to many difference shooting positions.

[Dave Bulla]

FYI, I've since found out that the post I mentioned above has long ago been erased.  Too many of the pictures people posted were not kept on photobucket or whatever website they were being accessed from so you couldn't really follow the thread anymore and it was really huge so it was deleted.  Sorry for pointing you in the wrong direction about that.

One good one I saw the other day was titled "terrys shot clock" I think and gave some nice pictures of good form and alignment.