If I draw and shoot quickly I always hit better ?

[Aggieland]

I'm more or less new to traditional archery although I shot a compound for years with no sights and using a glove. Now, I am shooting a long bow and I have questions. I have watched many of the "Pros"/World Ibo Champs, on youtube etc. I  notice they draw the bow, anchor and aim sometimes as long as 3 seconds. I believe I have pretty decent form but my problem arises when I try to draw, anchor, aim then shoot. If I just draw  anchor "quick" and shoot maybe a 2 second or less draw and shoot sequence I hit darn near bulls eye every time. But If I try to get a good anchor and "aim" or concentrate on the target I end up shooting all over the place.
  From what I can gather just using the quick shot method is not in the long run going to be the best move right?? I know some of you guys have experience with this and figure you might could help me with what I'm doing wrong or right.. Thanks

[TxAg]

How far are you shooting?  I ask b/c I can snap shoot accurately at 7 yds, but not at 17.  I preferred to learn correct form..it's taken some time but much better for me in the long run. I shoot waaaay better if I hold for a couple seconds.

[Aggieland]

20-30 yds on the shots.

[Aggieland]

I also have one more question not to draw this thread off track but here we go. I'm shooting old arrows that I once used for my compounds over the years. Easton FMJ's 400's and Easton A/C/C pro hunters 340 spine all cut to 25" shaft to shaft. Using 175 grain field tips, I'm guessing these shafts are way over spine shooting a 27.5" draw pulling 52# at 28" does that cause major problems or not

Just think how good you could be if you had a good set of woodies to to go with that quick,same as mine own, form. So you look like this when you shoot in the normal speed segments?   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFqjNKC72dA&feature=related  
If so, I would not worry about the speed, just make sure that you don't end up shorting off the full draw part of your form.

[Aggieland]

So are some of the "great" shooters out there shooting fast like we do pavan or is shooting fast really not the correct way to do it? I have never used wooden arrows but it would be interesting to try them. I know these shafts I'm using now are to short drawing them back with field tips works but with broadheads they hit my riser if I try and come to full draw.. ahhh

It is good to be able to do both, slow and fast. I have seen it with a number of shooters that do fine as long as the whole shot process is one smooth continuous motion, but then things breakdown when that accustomed rhythm is broken down. when I flinch, it is usually when I am planning on changing that rhythm up in process. I had for a period that I was shooting about the speed that Hill did when he was shooting coins out of the air, it seemed that every time I would go down in draw weight that I had to consciously tell my self not to rush things for a time. What foiled my accuracy was an accelerating draw speed. The shot should be smooth, there is no law that says what is too fast for one is not okay for another.Hill advocated shooting quickly at game, providing it was not a crazy rushed event. All other parts of what makes good form still applies, just in a continuous, unbroken and perhaps quicker time frame.

[mrjsl]

Your arrows are almost certainly too stiff.

As for shooting fast, there is an advantage and a disadvantage to it..

The advantage is it gives your brain much less opportunity to screw up the shot. Shooting a bow is something you need to do without thinking about it, or at least without thinking about it a lot.

The disadvantage - and this is a big one if you are just learning - is that it may take much longer to develop consistent form that will work shooting that way. If you start out shooting slower, it will probably be easier to develop a solid repeatable anchor, reach proper alignment, etc.

[Aggieland]

Thanks for the advice guys, I have been shooting bows since I was young so some of the shooting is second nature to me compared to some of my friends that are also trying to go traditional. Maybe I have a slight advantage over them when it comes to just drawing and shooting while focusing on the target. I do need to consider new arrows. "any advice" I want to use the ashby theory but not go to overboard with  super heavy arrows. Thanks for any tips advice. Casey

[mrjsl]

what kind of bow are you shooting?

[zetabow]

For Field rounds things like Instinctive and snap shooting will put you at an disadvantage over the other more experienced and deliberate shooters but if your shooting good to 30y then I see no reason why your method wont work for you on IBO distances.

The only way to know for sure is do a couple of IBO shoots and see how you stack up, if you do bad then you can then decide if you need to make form changes or want to keep developing what natural talent you already have to an even higher level.

Some good stuff on Youtube of Kassi Lajos shooting fast,he did a thing for history chanel shooting 18 thrown discs in 60 secs and didn't miss a shot, inspiring to watch and at least you can see fast shooting works with the right dedicated training.

[Aggieland]

Originally posted by mrjsl:
what kind of bow are you shooting?

A good friend of my Dad gave me an Apache bow from  from Roy Hall, "Navajo Stick"  It's a sweet bow 62" long 52# @ 28"dl.

[mrjsl]

If you want to build a heavier arrow, start with Carbon Express Heritage 150's for a shaft. You will probably have to leave them fairly long and use some weight up front.

If you want to stay at 9 or 10 GPP you may need to swap to Heritage 90's or Gold Tip 35/55.

35/55's are .500
Heritage 90's are .530
Heritage 150's are .487

[Aggieland]

Anyone use or like  Alaska Bowhunting supply's new shafts? also I'm a long time fan of the Easton FMJ's or the Victory Armour Piercing shafts. I know their not wood but they have served me well in the past.

[last arrow]

If you like the FMJs or Victory shafts, shoot them, many Trad archers do.  They are fine shafts. Depending on your head weight and length of shaft you want, probably a 400 or 500 spined shaft will work. I have no experience with the ABS shafts.  Don't feel you have to shoot wood - the bow doesn't care as long as what you shoot is properly spined.    

If your style is repeatable, shooting fast is probably ok for you.  I personally shoot better with a 1-2 second pause at full draw to focus on back tension and release.

Try a practice session shooting a decently matched (spined) bare shaft.  If it flies and hits consistently (not necessarily good flight), your form is consistent. If not, you have work to do. The bare shaft will magnify your form variations from shot to shot.   This may not work with the shafts you have now as they may be so overspined that any form issues would be masked.

[Aggieland]

Thanks last arrow. I shot yesterday bare shafted arrows at around 15 yds hitting the target but most shafts were stuck in the target with the nock end facing hard right. I used different weight heads from 100g-350grain the 100 was way left several feet the 175s were scattered all over the rinehart 18-1 and the 315 was always close and usually just a little right..

[soap creek]

I've been shooting trad.a good many yrs. and I've found at least for myself, my shot sequence has a rhythm. If I shoot faster or slower than my (normal) rhythm then my accuracy suffers.Typically I shoot fairly quick.Once I reach anchor my shot sequence is over.I tend to hold slightly longer on longer shots, but only a fraction of a second.This type of shooting lends its self well to shooting game.Even though I shoot quick I Still need to reach anchor and have good follow through, to aquire good accuracy.

[OrTrail]

Though I started shooting in the 60s, in the short time I've been here my accuracy has improved greatly. This may be over simplifying a point but it was said, "pick the point to concentrate on before drawing".  That for me was the key. I was pulling the bow and pointing before picking a spot, which then required additional time. If you pick the spot first, drawing, anchor, and release can be quite quick and smooth. There's tons of good advice here but watching Terry Green's form videos are totally amazing.