So If I am not focusing

[Butts2]

Hello- So if I am not focusing on the spot but on my stance, breathing, bow grip,string grip, head angle, bow angle and then perhaps the spot, where are my eyes wandering to and fro this entire time ? Or, are my eyes looking toward the target yet not fully focusing on the spot?  

It’s a process.  Directing attention to each (proper) step of the shot sequence ingrains it into the subconscious, and becomes automatic through repetition over time.  You’ll then find that more focus will be on the mark and less and less on the sequence.

[chuckbow]

the stance, breathing, grip ,back tension ect, is youre pre shot routine.after you have repeated it enough , that is becomes subconcious , then focusing ,on as small of  a spot that you can focus on ,  you wil begin to get truly accurate ! at least thats what i work on !    

[njloco]

If you have ever taken any kind of martial arts you should know exactly what it is, if you haven't, just try and remember the first time you tried to do anything athletic, the more you did it the better you got because once the brain and body become one with what you want to accomplish it happens almost automatically.

Blank or blind bale shooting is what accomplishes this the fastest and best way, and if you start to have a form problem it's what fixes it also. Remember you can't think of doing two things at the same time ( multi task ), you might think you can, but all you are doing is thinking of one thing at a time very quickly.

Bale shooting takes care of this because once it is ingrained,  your body does it by habit rather than you having to think about it, and all you have to do is think about one thing, that tiny spot you want to hit.

[BobCo 1965]

You may also want to close your eyes if a target is distracting you while working on form aspects. In some cases I may also suggest ear plugs to eliminate sound distractions.

[Scoobiedooo]

PS A friend that used to shoot tradition for many years told me of a method to practice to improve 'focus' very well...it is this:

He states that one should shoot at night by taking a birthday candle, and taking an old arrow shaft with a screw-in insert (or a wood stick could be used or made with a rubber band, duct tape, or string to secure the candle to the stick, etc) - and take this stick with the candle on it, insert it in the ground in front of your target, and shoot in he dark ONLY focusing on the tiny flame itself. He states that it improved his shooting greatly and in doing so - he learned to focus better w/o distraction(s) and ate art of 'picking that spot and burning a hole in it' - which comes in handy later on when shooting in daylight and in hunting situations where one has to 'pick a spot' on a deer and focus completely.

I have not tried this myself yet - but plan to soon and see how it works....

Just thought that I would share this training method with others though...