Aiming?

[Prewar70]

So I bought my first traditional, BW Graybark 53lbs at 30", 62", and have a couple hundred arrows through it.  Did the spine calculator and picked up a dozen proper arrows for it yesterday.  GT 5575 trad, 5" feathers, alum insert, 25 grain add, and 145 field point, 31" arrow.  It was shooting near perfect holes thru paper, with a slight tail left, but I am going to leave it alone for now and work on form, etc.  I feel comfortable drawing and anchoring, I'm shooting split finger and index finger to mouth corner and thumb touching my ear lobe.  Seems to work.  Arrows are grouping nicely, penetrating to the same depths, and lining up the same direction.  So finally my question(s). Aiming.

I have read about gap shooting and believe I understand it, however I am not using it.  I don't see how folks use the point of the arrow as an aiming reference, it just doesn't seem possible keeping my windage accurate and it's so close to my riser.  I've been aiming instinctively which as I employ it is drawing anchoring, looking to where I want to hit, and getting a good release.  How do I continue to improve upon this?  I feel like I want to find a reference for distance but can't, like using the edge of the riser or something on my bow as a  but that doesn't really work.

So back to my question about instinctive shooting.  What can I do to continue to improve.  Does it sound like I'm on the right path?  Any basic tips to help a newbie.  Would you recommend a good instructional video?  Thanks.

[Ragnarok Forge]

Buy Become the Arrow by Byron Ferguson.  This book will help you understand what you need to know to become a proficient instinctive shooter.  There area few other good books out there, I am sure others will chime in with names of some of them.  

It is all about training your mind to know what the proper angle of your arm is at what range.  Your brain is gapping off of something, you just not realizing it.  Your brain puts together the sight picture and tells you bow arm where to hold the bow.  It takes time and practice.

[zwickeyman]

IMHO, you need to shoot alot. When I shot instintive, the best practice for me was to never shoot a one spot and try to group. For me varying yardage every shot, one arrow at a time. Even if you don't plan on shooting at a Deer over 20 yards, practice between 10 and 40 yards. Like Clay said, it's all about subconcously training your brain and it takes repitition.

Shoot staight and good luck.

[zetabow]

This is the thing about GAP, everybody thinks you have to look at the arrow.

Gap and or Split-vision starts off as a visual learning sequence where you do look at the arrow but once mastered the Archer is less dependent on visual imput of seeing the arrow point and more about Saptial awareness.

"Spatial awareness is the ability to be aware of oneself in space. Awareness of spatial relationships is the ability to see two or more objects in relation to each other and to oneself."

One of the reasons I call it Split-Vision and not GAP but it's all related Instinct, Split and Gap it's just how much your conscious mind is aware of the arrow or sight picture.

[ishoot4thrills]

I see very good advice so far. I also highly recommend Byron Ferguson's book. Very good, detailed information found in his book on aiming. He explains how you really need to center the pupil of your eye directly over and in line with the arrow shaft. After a little practice, it really doesn't take that long to develop a sight picture, with the point of the arrow in view, and train your mind what the gap looks like at various distances. Eventually, you won't have to actually estimate the range in yards all that much, but you will learn where to hold your bow by the look and feel of the position of your bow in relation to your arrow point as it relates to the target. (I know I slaughtered that up real good! Sorry I can't seem to explain it as well as Byron, but I would need more space to do so.)

[zetabow]

Originally posted by ishoot4thrills:
 you will learn where to hold your bow by the look and feel of the position of your bow in relation to your arrow point as it relates to the target. (I know I slaughtered that up real good! Sorry I can't seem to explain it as well as Byron, but I would need more space to do so.)

I understood    :D

When learning Gap\\Split it feels awkward and groups are poor at first because your focus is on the gap but as confidence grows you quickly focus more on where you want the arrow to go and see groups beging to tighten. I was an Instinctive shooter and learning Split-vision required a leap of faith but I stuck with it and found myself more accurate in the end.

I like Byron's concept 'Become the arrow' the arrow is an extension of your consciousness and you project your arrow into the target before it even leaves the bow.

[Arwin]

Tons of shooting friend!!!  
 You can get lots of great advice but each person has their own style. Sometimes imitating another persons shooting style can mess up your own natural ability. I do read up on improving my methods but use it in reference to my own way of shooting.
 Go out and shoot stumps, garbage, weeds, bugs, squirrels whatever you can. I love stump shooting at unknown distances, seems to be better practice than any 3-D shooting I've done.
 Here is another:
 Round up the family with bows, judo tip arrows and a few garbage bags. Go out to any piece of land you can(I do it on public) and "hunt" garbage.  Whoever has the biggest bag wins!!!  The kids like it too because they collect cans and bottles for ice cream money.
 Tons of shooting and after a few months the brain and hand will do everything for ya.     Just remember to anchor consistently and follow through.  

[americanhunter7]

I tend to agree with zwickeyman and a few others in answering the question. Shoot a lot of arrows,and move your distance during sessions. I remember when I started to shoot instinctive I took out some flu-flus and rubber blunt arrows and just walked around the yard. I might stop and shoot at a large sycamore leaf, then pick a walnut out from the same standing spot that was five to ten yards farther away. It gets you outside, and its fun, as well as working on that instinctive shooting.

[woodbender]

to me the sight picture is more important than anything eles use the plain of the shaft not the point to aim then repatition will grap hold and the sight picture will get burned in to your head and will become automatic

[Renaissance Man]

Great advise all, it is obviously diffrent for everyone what becomes eventually your "sight picture"
A few thoughts on the subject

1. Beware the man with one gun!
An old axiom with tremendous truth and experience behind it. Pick a bow you own and set up your arrows with the same length etc. matched to it and shoot them all the time.
2. At first you need to establish that sight picture, so rather than walk around with diffrent ranges focus instead at the sight picture for one range, say 15 yards, mark it off, use a deer target if that is your main quarry and shoot the bejeezus out of that one spot for awhile.
You will develop a sight picture in a short order.
Then pick another range, around twenty five yards and do the same, groove it in. Stay there until you are shaving close repeatedly.
When you gather that confidence at those two ranges, rotate a few at each at first, if you find you are grouping all around you lost your pic in your mind, stop and focus at one or the other again.
When you are zoned in at those two you will realize that it is a very small adjustment for the in betweens and you will instictively in your mind go to your grooved distance and compensate slightly for the various distance.
You need to establish those bases first.

[woodbender]

renaissance man you just explained exactly how i learned to shoot, all other methods had failed im left eye dominate and shoot right handed i close left eye use the plain of the shaft as reference practiced on deer target many arrows the picture is so burned in its automatic i killed the first 5 animals i shot at.

[NDTerminator]

Once you get comfortable with a draw & anchor, then try a few techniques to see what fits your pistol.  Then it's a matter of putting enough arrows downrange to imprint the sight picture for various distances in your shoulder mounted computer and muscle memory.  Fortunately, shooting the required thousands of arrows is fun!

I shoot neither instinctive or gap, but kind of a hybrid of both.  I look at my target and let my shoulder mounted computer decide what distance picture in storage it matches.  I bring my bow up and draw to anchor, beginning to focus on the spot I want to hit as I do.

As I reach anchor head is fine tuning my bow hand position and I'm aware of the arrow point in my peripheral vision but not really aiming per se. This takes a couple seconds and when it feels good I release, concentrating on push-pull and follow through (bow on target, release hand pulling straight back with thumb ending up on top of my shoulder).

Sounds complicated when broken down but it's really not bad, and only takes 3 to maybe 5 seconds from beginning the draw until release. This is not a conscious effort, if I try it takes longer and leads to missing via second guessing...