instinctive vs aim

[Northwest_Bowhunter]

Originally posted by Terry Green:

However I'm a snapshooter as the term was originaly coined.....

What is the original definition of a snapshooter?

[Terry Green]

Originally posted by Ron LaClair:
I've been shooting a bow since I was a squirt... but I didn't really start to learn about form and style until I started shooting competition 49 years ago. While we never "stop" learning there are some things that become apparent after 50 years of study. One thing I do know for sure is there is no absolute style when it comes to shooting a bow.

When someone says you have to shoot this way or that way because all the top shots shoot that way, I say baloney. Some of the best shooters I've been privileged to know shot with what some would call an "unorthodox" style. Jim Pickering used a "Dead" release and high anchor when he competed in some of the top tournaments of the day in the 1960's. Everyone else in the Country shot with what was call "Power Archery" Jim whipped them all. He was a National Champion and a PAA Champion using a style that everyone said was "wrong". Jim Caspers another Archery Champion shot with a high elbow on his drawing arm. He actually pumped his arm up and down after he was at full draw, he said it helped him build up back tension.

As for the term "Snap shooter", I've been hearing it for 50 years and it was probably used before that. It has "always" been used to refer to someone that shot in one fluid motion, and whose release was triggered when they touched their anchor.

I was privileged to talk to Fred Bear many times over the years and I remember him calling himself a "snap shooter". He said, "I'm a snap shooter,..I concentrate from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet". He said he couldn't shoot a compound because the let off interfered with the rhythm of his shooting style and broke his concentration.

"Good snap shooters"?...I've seen a lot of them. In the early years of the GLLI (Great Lakes Longbow Invitational) when scores were kept , we had the best shooters in the Country shooting for the honor of top dog. The shooters that won that shoot more often than not were what I call "Snap shooters" Very controlled, very meticulous, very accurate shooters whose release was triggered when they touched their anchor.

Someone that "does not" come to full draw or touch their anchor before they release have what's called "target panic or what use to be called "IT". They are NOT...repeat NOT, snap shooters.

I think the problem is like what Terry said people today are "mis using" the term "snap shooter".  Snap shooting is definitely not an inferior style of shooting a bow, however it must be realized that not everyone can master the snap shooting style. Those that can't may end up with target panic and be called snap shooters but in reality they are  not. Maybe we should come up with another term to describe these failed snap shooters...."short snappers"?..."Half snappers"?

[Northwest_Bowhunter]

Thanks Terry, I have learned so much from this sight I can't even describe how greatful I am.

[Hoyt]

I really don't know what you would call how I shoot..split vision I guess. I know it's not gap, because I've tried that and don't like aiming at the ground. When the target is out past 45yds or so I'll use point of aim and aim over using the point of arrow as a sight.

Hunting I look at where I want to hit, see my arrow with peripheral vision and when I'm shooting good I'll look more over the top of the arrow and put it where it needs to be. I don't aim down the arrow. I just lean my head over and see it with split vision.
When I'm not in a groove I notice I don't lean my head over like I should and I'm not as accurate.

[RocketDog]

When you reach the yardage where the tip of your arrow is on the bullseye when you release and your arrow hits the bullseye, that is your "point of aim" yardage.  It varies according to your anchor, bow weight, etc.  My POA is 62-63 yds shooting split finger.

There have been an amazing number of good studies done on "instinctive" action in sports in many fields other than archery.  The general concensus is that human instinct is actually learned behavior that has been repeated enough that it happens without apparent thought.  If you practice enough that you don't have to think about it, you are shooting instinctively.

[Biblethumpincop]

I shot "instinctive" with a recurve since about 1987. The only method I could find back then to help me out was the Asbell book. In the 20+ years since then, I had gotten pretty darn fluid with my "instinctive" shooting. I was averaging 8.5 to 9.0 points per target in the Western States Triple Crown in 2005 and 2006. I had a max limitation with the shooting method of about 30-35 yards. My eye just wasn't able to focus on the spot at the farther distances. I enjoy field shooting with my Dad, so I tried to adopt to a "split vision" type shooting style that I could shift into a Gap at the farther ranges that the field shooting would offer. I moved my split finger anchor from my middle finger (instinctive) to the index finger (split vision/gap).

I shot this way exclusively since about June 09. My 3-d scores went down. I was now barely averaging in the 7's. However, I was able to shoot the longer 40-60 yard targets on the butts with more regularity. I competed in 2 legs of the Western States Triple Crown this year, but my poor scores are averaging in the 6's. Wow, when you look at it on paper, that stinks!

I know that in the past year, I now shoot more erect (stance that is). My draw increased from just over 31" to about 32". I used a slightly longer bow and hold the bow vertically. I anchor with my index finger. I hold for a few seconds, then release. I can group well on the target faces at known ranges, but when I get on a unknown ranged 3-D target, my consistence isn't what I use to have with the original method I used.

This weekend was the last straw. I decided to go back to my old, tried and true method of "instictive" shooting. I started anchoring with the middle finger and canting again. My shot timing sped up to almost an instantanious release upon anchor, like it use to. It only took me about 15 minutes of shooting before I started shooting my feathers off my arrows at 20 yards again. Wow, I guess the ol' mind remembered "how to ride a bicycle".

Moral of the story...

[Biblethumpincop]

The issue I had for years when I tried to use my instinctive method up to about 30-35 yards, and then transition to the gap/split vision is that I don't guess yardage well.  My natural timing for shooting instinctive gets a "hiccup" in it when I slow down at the anchor.  I tried to hold slightly longer at full draw, but once again, the timing is screwed up.  In addition, I unintentionally start shooting split vision when I hold longer...which brings me full circle back to why am I getting away from shooting that style.  Hmmm....