Asbell style and bow poundage

[mand0ralen]

hi all,

First of all thank you for reading my post.

I am actually trying to improve my shoting style and i am trying to use the Asbell shooting style (i mean pure instinctive shooting).

Today, i am using a #45 bow and the problem is that with this poundage i can hold it at anchor more than 10 seconds and still shoot a correct arrow at 30 yards. The fun thing is that as i can "hold" my shot easily, as soon as i focus on a single point , i keep it at anchor about 5 sec if i am not catious and as a result get a very very poor and static realease (i call it lazy release). not very instinctive i bet ^^

My question is: did you experience such a problem and do you think it can be solved using a #50-#55 bow i won't be able to hold long.

Thanx for your time (and the translation in proper english ^^)

++M

[Jeff Strubberg]

It will cover up the problem, not fix it.  Fixing it is letting down, telling yoruself you got hung up, then repeating your shot sequence and making a good, dynamic release.

[Stick n' String]

What do you mean by "dynamic release" specifically? I presume you are no longer pushing and pulling but rather holding a full draw?

[mand0ralen]

Originally posted by Stick n' String:
What do you mean by "dynamic release" specifically? I presume you are no longer pushing and pulling but rather holding a full draw?

yes exactly, no more push pull --> holding it about 5 seconds at anchor point.

++M

[McDave]

Fred Asbell teaches instinctive aiming, but his style of shooting is not the only style to use instinctive aiming.  For example, Rick Welch also teaches instinctive aiming, but his style of shooting is to stand up straight and hold at full draw for about two seconds before releasing the arrow.

If you want to learn the Asbell method, which is to release the arrow as soon as you come to full draw and anchor, I think it is a good idea to learn it with your 45# bow.  It might be easier to get a clean release with a 55# bow and you won't want to hold it at full draw for very long, but you will probably learn the techniques better with the lighter bow.

Anchoring for 5 seconds does not necessarily mean that you have to have a poor and static release.  Although Rod Jenkins does not aim instinctively, he does hold at anchor for several seconds, and has a good dynamic release.  He does that by learning to hold with a balanced pull at anchor, and then when he's ready to shoot the shot he increases his back tension until the shot goes off.  He also shoots with a lighter weight bow than your 45# bow.

I would encourage you to continue to learn the Asbell method, but don't throw out other methods you have learned, because the best method for you may be a combination of different things you have learned.

I would be interested in knowing how well someone could learn to shoot instinctively if they used some other aiming method previously.  I learned to shoot instinctively first, so it was easy for me to ignore the point of the arrow, because I was never inclined to notice it.  After I began to incorporate gap into my shooting for longer range shots, I found that over time I began to notice the arrow tip more and more at shorter and shorter ranges.  Now it is hard for me to ignore the arrow tip at any range, and I might just have to bite the bullet and become a pure gap shooter at all distances.

[swamper]

instinctive can be what works,tough call I was never taught,just been bowhunting for 40 plus years,half my shots my fingers release the arrow when it feels right

[ChrisM]

Going up in weight to fix your problem will only cause TP in my opinion.  Consentrate on the push and concentrate on the center of the center before you draw.

[Kentucky Jeff]

Blind bale....lots of blind bale.

[mrjsl]

When I shoot lighter bows it's easy to forget back tension, because the back tension is harder to feel with a lighter bow.

With a pause at anchor if I don't have back tension I get the "lazy release" you speak of. I use the pause at anchor to make sure that the weight of holding the bow is on my back muscles.

[Widow's Son]

I never could shoot using Asbell's method. I thing trying to emulate someone elses style just leads to problems. Shoot your bow. Shoot it a lot and you will find what suits you the best. Everyone is different. For me that means my left arm is crooked from a shattered elbow at age 5. Still played football, 9 years Army Infantry, but I can't shoot like these guys advocate. Byran Ferguson's book "Become The Arrow" helped me the most. Shoot a lot and good luck.
Ross,