Always too high

[Firemandivi]

I'm still new to archery but his summer I've really been trying to get better in the hopes of going for some deer this fall.  For some reason my arrows are usually 8-10" higher then where I am aiming.
 
When I talked to people about it they all told me that with more practice it would go away.  Well it hasn't, I have no problem horizontally but I'm vertically challenged.

Finally this past weekend I raised my anchor point closer to me ear then my jaw and now it seems that where I am aiming is where the arrow goes.  This new anchor feels very foreign but I'm thinking I will get use to it.  

Did I do the right thing by raising my anchor point?  Thanks for the input.

[moebow]

Fire,  Not enough information!  When you are ready to release, the arrow point will look to be well under the target to be hit.  Just moving your anchor point may or may not help.  Can you post a video of your shooting?  That would help a lot.  Also, how far are you shooting? 8-10" means different things at different distances.  Your description of "closer to my ear then to my jaw" doesn't help much either.  Your anchor should most likely not be anywhere close to your ear.

Arne

[TSP]

Firemandivi, you might try keeping your regular (natural/comfortable) anchor but moving your string nock up a 1/4" or so.

[Firemandivi]

here's some more info
at 20 yards I'm 8-10" high
at 15 yards I'm about 6" high
I'm shooting a Ben Pearson Colt that is 45lbs @ 28"
My draw is 30.5" so I figure I'm shooting more like 50lbs
My anchor was just past the corner of my mouth and I would have to aim what felt to be way below the target to hit where I wanted no matter the distance.
by raising my anchor up about an inch I feel that I am hitting where I am aiming.

TSP- I have tried raising my nock and it made no difference

[McDave]

I'm making a couple of assumptions from your post which may be incorrect.  You say you are hitting higher than you are aiming.  I assume you are "aiming" instinctively (otherwise you would just adjust your "sight")?  My second assumption is that you are shooting from more-or-less the same distance (otherwise, as Arne said, it is unlikely that you would miss by the same amount at 50 yards as you would at 10 yards)?

Incidentally, if you have achieved left-right consistency, you are more than halfway there, because most form errors show up as left-right misses.

One thing that people do who aim instinctively to groove their shot is to start very close to the target, like 5' away, where you can hit your mark almost every shot.  Then move back a few feet until you can hit accurately at that distance.  Then move back a few feet more, and so on.  Once you are hitting accurately from 5' - 15 yards, then go back and forth to intermediate distances so you don't lose the accuracy you built up at those distances.

Another thing you could do if you are consistently hitting high is to switch from split-fingers to the three under string grip.  Usually, when people switch to three under, they have the opposite problem that you have: they start hitting low for a while until they adjust.  You might find that you start hitting right where you want to.

[kawika b]

Are you canting severely instead of holding your bow perpendicular to the ground? Not sure if i missed it but... arrow specs?

[kawika b]

Stoopid phone...

[reddogge]

Easiest fix to my thinking is learn simple gap system like Ranger B just posted. He may have posted it here but it's on Tradtalk and LW for sure. It's really hard to mess up using it.

[Firemandivi]

Here is some more info with out posting a vid I hope this is enough:
Yes I am shooting instinctively
I shoot split finger, 1 above and 2 below
I do vary my distance and I find the less distance between me and the target the closer my arrow lands to where I want it.
I cant my bow a little only a few degrees it is almost vertical while I target shoot.
I think this is everything...So why is it so bad to move my anchor up an inch?
by the way, thanks for all the help and info  

[moebow]

"So why is it so bad to move my anchor up an inch?"

Don't think anyone said it was "bad."  Just not really necessary.  Aiming and form are separate issues.  You need to get good form before aiming is effective to any degree.

That said, the higher you anchor, the weaker you are.  Really, the "horse bow" shooters have the strongest position when they draw basically at the top of their sternum.  The FITA style target shooters, anchoring under their chin/jaw is the next strongest.  Us "side of face" shooters are trading some strength position advantages for the speed and reduction of the associated aiming gaps.  We are reaching the upper limits of achieving descent back tension.  If you take it to an extreme, try pulling your bow to your eyebrow and see what you have to do.  At the extremes, you can only use your arms to get the bow back.

Everything is a trade off, and what works for one may not work for another.  BUT I feel it is generally accepted that if you limit the upper travel of your string hand to the index knuckle under the cheek bone, you will have a good trade off between strength and aiming capability.

Arne

PS.  Try keeping the arrow nock under your eye and in line with it.  Getting too high, you will loose that.

[Firemandivi]

Okay, I listened to what you all said and I tried shooting and aiming different for a few days and her are my results.

Apparently I was not really shooting instinctively, I would look down the arrow and align it with where I wanted it to end up.  The worst part is I read Ashbell's book on instinctive shooting but never took it to heart I guess.

I have now changed to shooting a kinda mixture of gap/instinctive and have seen a very nice change in where my arrows land.

Thanks for the help

[moebow]

Fire..., that sounds good.  Just take your time and do not change things too fast.  Frankly, Most of my students, kids and adults alike,  don't get to shoot at a target for the first month at least.  They just shoot blank bale until they are shooting well and getting groups.

How you label your aiming  method or frankly what aiming method you use is FAR less important than shooting with consistent form.  Once you have the form, "hitting something is fairly easy."

Arne

[hunt4life]

I'm having the same problem too. For the last 3 months I consistantly hit 6 inches high at 15 yards. The only thing  can think to do to where I want is aim 6 inches lower on the target.

It's very annoying but it's too close to season to change now.

[moebow]

hunt4,

Here is a simple way of thinking about the "high" issue.  If you want to hit lower on the target, hold your bow hand lower and learn the references you need.  

To, perhaps, oversimplify it, your string hand MOSTLY controls your left right hits and your bow hand MOSTLY controls elevation.  If you are not getting the elevation you need the first place to go to fix it is with a lowered bow hand.

Arne

[McDave]

hunt4,

If you're hitting 6" higher than you used to hit, then you changed something: either equipment or form or both.

Since we don't deal with equipment on this forum, I'll assume nothing changed there. These are the things you could be doing to raise your point of impact:

1.  Increasing your arrow speed, by increasing your draw length or using a more dynamic release.

2.  Raising the front of the arrow.  Changing the pressure point on your bowhand grip can have the effect of doing this.

3.  Lowering the back of the arrow. Changing your anchor point, changing the relative pressure of your string fingers, or holding your string elbow lower can all have the effect of lowering the back of the arrow.

This is not a complete listing; just examples. It is instructive to find out what caused a change in your shooting, because if you don't, it will just happen again, and again.

[hunt4life]

The only thing that changed was me. I hadn't picked up a bow in almost 2 years prior to this past may. So I'd basically say I was starting over again. Im thinking it's a mental block. I've always been able to adjust in years past when I shot a lot. I'm going to try moving my nock point and playing that's. I'm leery of doing to much though seeing how deer season just started.

[hunt4life]

Little update. I'm still hitting high. Tried playing with nock height and such, no results. Pretty disappointing. It's at the point where I can't even confidently go to the woods and know I'll make a 15 yard shot. So for now, I'm giving it a break, and I'll come back to it in a month, after deer season. Any other advice to try is welcome, because not hitting what you want is frustrating.