tilting the head?

[targets3D]

I am a newcomer to trad (few months) after shooting a recurve with sights. I see many parallels such as back tension etc... but one thing I noticed on many videos is the horizontal tilting of the head and sometimes body towards the bow - tilting right if you are a RH shooter.

While I can see the logic of one is using a POA method to sight down the arrow, why do instinctive shooters do it? will it help me?

Thanks

[cbCrow]

What you are doing is trying to get your dominate eye as close to over the arrow that you can get, while focusing on the spot you are aiming at. It is the same theory with the lining up of sight pins over the arrow there you are looking at the pin/target relationship. With instinctive you will see tharrow fuzzily and its relationship to the target with out using a POA. In other words line up.

[targets3D]

Originally posted by cbCrow:
What you are doing is trying to get your dominate eye as close to over the arrow that you can get, while focusing on the spot you are aiming at. It is the same theory with the lining up of sight pins over the arrow there you are looking at the pin/target relationship. With instinctive you will see tharrow fuzzily and its relationship to the target with out using a POA. In other words line up.

That makes sense.... Now I hope I can do it without completely ruining my form  

[McDave]

Theoretically, you shouldn't have to tilt your head if you are shooting instinctively.  Your brain should be able to figure out the variables, without needing to define them all in words, and eventually you should be able to hit your target.

However, if your eye is not over the arrow, it does add another variable for your brain to figure out: that the arrow is coming toward the target from the side, rather than from directly under your eye.  The point of your arrow, blurred in your peripheral vision, will necessarily have to be to the side of the target rather than directly under it, and the amount of offset of the point of the arrow to the target will change with the distance to the target.

Because of this, most, though not all, instinctive shooters prefer to get their dominant eye over the arrow, and the usual way to do this is by tilting the head.

[targets3D]

Thanks guys. Certainly cleared things for me.

[HcSmitty]

I actually crease the middle of the eyebrow over my dominant eye with the bow string, and also the cheek under it.  For me this helps get a seond anchor point, assures i reach full draw and put my dominant eye right over the arrow.

Hunter Smith.

[RocketDog]

Tilting my head helps me keep from hitting my nose with the string.