Gap shooting

[DanielB89]

Ok, I know what gap shooting is, but I don't know how people do it. lol.  When I try to hold "point on", it isn't actually point on, but about 3 inches to the right.  It could have something to do with my long draw? I would like to semi experiment with gap shooting, because I think it could make me more consistent.

I guess what I am really asking is, is why is my tip of my arrow not perfectly in line with where I want to hit?

[Matt Parker]

I had the same problem. A higher anchor point caused my shooting hand to hit my cheek bone which put the arrow at a angle to the target. I had to lower my anchor point to get the arrow in line with the target. But that will increase the point on distance

[McDave]

Rick Welch is not a gap shooter, but he does use his sight picture, including the arrow point, as a reference in his peripheral vision.  He told me that his arrow point in his peripheral vision is about 3" to the right of his POI at 20 yards, so it is possible to shoot very accurately without the arrow point being directly in line with the spot you want to hit.

Assuming your form is correct, you can adjust your POI to be in a vertical line with your arrow point by anchoring (or canting the bow) such that the arrow is directly under your dominant eye.  However, if this makes for an awkward anchor, it may be preferable to just live with the offset, as Rick Welch evidently does.

But before we dismiss form issues out of hand, however, note that shortdrawing or overdrawing the bow, such that your string elbow is not behind the arrow at full draw, can cause the same result.

[hart2hart]

Sending you a PM..maybe help.

[olddogrib]

Interesting Dave, I thought I was the only one to hold at "3 o'clock" to the spot, but I've found it quite comfortable.  As someone who started out with an approx. 2' gap @20 yds. it took an evolution of many little changes to get to the point where i can hold the arrow point level to the spot at hunting ranges. The last change that closed the gap (pardon the pun)was a fixed crawl.  Before that, I was holding about 3" low at "6 o'clock" to the spot with a slight cant. I found that I prefer having the point in my periphery. I can let it "float" there, whereas if it's true point on the spot I tend to tense up due to it being a distraction from my focus.

[ThePushArchery]

Check your string blur.

At full draw, make a conscious effort to look at where the string blur is in relationship to your riser in your sight picture.

If you're having to hold to the right of the target, your string blur probably is 1-2" to the right of your riser.

Try bringing your string blur more in line with the side of your riser. You should see a more in line arrow impact with your tip then.

[ThePushArchery]

The above statement is assuming you've gone through the paces of bareshafting with bareshafts impacting tight with your fletched shafts.

If not, you may be a little stiff on your arrow setup. But knowing you, you probably have a well tuned rig.

[Terry Green]

I would love to help but I'm not a gap shooter so therefore .....

I won't "pretend to assume to know" how to tell you how to shoot

[Stagmitis]

Mcdave,

"Rick Welch is not a gap shooter, but he does use his sight picture, including the arrow point, as a reference in his peripheral vision."

So would you consider Rick Welch a Split Vision shooter?

[McDave]

From everything Rick has told me, and everything I have read about Howard Hill's method, I see no difference between the two methods.  However, Rick states that he is an instinctive shooter, and I don't dispute that.  Howard stated that he was not an instinctive shooter, and I don't dispute that either.

[BWallace10327]

I try to make a decision where the arrow point should be before I draw, but I don't focus on it at full draw.  I draw focusing on the spot I would like to hit, but I see the arrow tip in my peripheral vision. I release when the tip is in the pre-decided spot.  Am I gap shooting or am I split vision shooting?  I shoot split finger and my shot doesn't last more than a second or 2. Thanks.

[tracker12]

I consistently hit 3" to the left at 20 yards. It drove me crazy.  I thought it was a form shooting problem but in actuality it was just a factor in my anchor and my inability to get the eye under the arrow.  If I close my left eye and execute the shot I am dead on.  But when I do that I have to press my hand tighter into my anchor.  Easy to do on the range but in a hunting situation not so easy.  It has taken practice but for me it is just easier for me to pick a spot right of my intended impact spot.

[McDave]

Originally posted by BWallace10327:
I try to make a decision where the arrow point should be before I draw, but I don't focus on it at full draw.  I draw focusing on the spot I would like to hit, but I see the arrow tip in my peripheral vision. I release when the tip is in the pre-decided spot.  Am I gap shooting or am I split vision shooting?  I shoot split finger and my shot doesn't last more than a second or 2. Thanks.

Gap shooting is where you estimate the range and have a chart, either written down or memorized, of where the arrow point should be for that particular range.  Split vision is where you don't estimate the range and place the point where you think it should be based on your experience of shooting many different shots at many different ranges.  So gap shooting is calculating where to place the point, whereas split vision is placing the point where it feels "right."

This may be why Mr. Hill wrote that he didn't shoot instinctively, while Mr. Welch says he does, even though their descriptions of their methods of aiming are the same, as far as I can tell.  Neither calculates the gap, so in Rick's way of thinking, that makes it instinctive, but both use the sight picture as a reference, so in Howard's way of thinking, that made it not instinctive.  Possibly they each had/have a different definition of the meaning of instinctive.

If you do use the sight picture as a reference, be careful not to focus on it, or you will get flyers.  I discovered that after years of successfully using this method, I recently have begun to occasionally focus on my arrow tip, probably in an effort to position it more precisely and improve my accuracy.  It wasn't an easy thing for me to figure out.  Even now that I know I'm doing it, sometimes I only know after the fact.  When I shoot a flyer, unless I can actually remember focusing on the spot, I'll assume I must have shifted my focus to the arrow point.  On the next shot, I'll make darn sure I'm focusing on the spot, and if it flys true, it sort of validates for me that I must have shifted my focus on the previous shot.

[Wolftrail]

Interesting stuff here McDave.  Sure makes sense about shifting the focus and concentration and having all these flyers going every which way.  Concentration is a biggy for me when I have all my focus on good form, anchor, proper release and follow thru my grouping reflects that.  Gap shooting seems to take my mind off the important task at hand and thats holding the image in my mind and (mentally aiming).