Having some issues..gotta few ?'s..

[JINKSTER]

Here's the deal..i've been a well accomplished compound archer for decades but just started "getting serious" about mastering trad barebow a few months ago..and thanks too the much help, advice and suggestions i recieved here?..imho?..i've come a long ways in a short time and at age 53 am shooting my recurve better than i've ever shot any trad barebow in my life..got my anchor and form down..i got my GT3555's flying so clean they're like watching something out of a hollywood movie and i'm hit'in spots better than pretty dang good..but here's what's going on..

Historically?..i shot my recurves straight up and gapping the window..but not anymore..i quit that months ago when i learned how canting my bow cleaned up the overall sight picture..relying on and trusting solid form and anchor gained me confidence in that "instinctive feeling"..but i also know there's "consistancy advantages too "GAP"..and what's happening recently with me is this..

From distances of 10, 15 and 20yds i'm pretty much "INSTINCTIVE/SPLIT VISION"..

But more recently?..I've been venturing out to 25 & 30yds (which btw has been increasing the fun factor)..but at the same time confusing my styles a bit..as since the longer the distance the more difficult it became for me to keep my new found instinctive skills consistant and when i'd miss one?..i missed big..so lately?..i've been trying to apply gap at those greater distances and have been enjoying good success with that aiming method as well (it doesnt pan out though at shorter distances cause my gap is too big to get a grip on)..gapping at 25yds i'm holding like one arrow shaft diameter below the bull..at 30yds i holding the point right at the bottom of the bull..but here's the rub..

When i'm shooting the GAP method at longer distances?..i'm drawing to anchor lock and holding for a second before releasing..but when i'm shooting instinctive?..i never stop..just one fluid motion that slows at the end as i line up but i never actually hold at any specific anchor outside of when the moment i hit anchor?..she's gone..and wether i'm shooting instinctive or gap?..the split vision deal seems to play a part in either all the time..is this normal?..or am i in some sort of weird transitional state or?..just completely lost? LOL!

Help me out here guys!..please?  

[McDave]

I think the way you're shooting seems ideal to me....as long as it works.

What happened to me was that the "fluid motion" when shooting instinctively degraded into target panic.  The "drawing to anchor lock and holding for several seconds" when shooting gap degraded into target panic.

I seem to have licked target panic for the moment, and am able to hold for whatever time I want to hold.  My plan for staying that way is to never shoot any shot without holding for at least 2 seconds - gap or instinctive.  Rick Welch is an instinctive shooter who always holds two seconds before he shoots.  It's a weird thing to do, at first.  You're holding for 2 seconds, which seems like a minute or so, and you're not doing 'nuttin.  Not lining up the tip of your arrow with anything; just focusing on the target.  For me, I've decided that I need the same hold when I'm shooting instinctively than I use when I'm shooting gap.

Maybe for you it will be different; I hope so.