how do the best shots shoot?

[Guru]

Excellent Jason    

[Bowwild]

I don't think there is anything wrong with scoring or competition. For some folks it is a good game and test of their shooting process. I thought I was an instinctive shooter from 1969-1981, I wasn't.  I was a gap shooter.  Gap shooters see (whether they will admit it or not) the arrow point and the target.  To prove the point you will notice the gap change when you move from say 20 yards to 30. Most of the "instinctive" shooters knew at what distance their bow was "point on" -- at what distance they could put the point of their arrow on the target and it hit right there -- instead of holding under or over.  I think a real instinctive shooter is very rare. String hand set (split or 3 under) doesn't matter in either system. See the bowstring, see the arrow point, reference the target. Then take your mind off the target and concentrate on an active bow and drawing arm as you think about your drawing arm elbow moving rearward via back motion to "follow-through".

[House]

Loved what Jason had to say.  I must admit that I've enjoyed this thread very much!  

To each his own!

Good luck to all this season

Travis

[bolong]

I've read all the post on this and I agree with Jason. I don't really even know for sure what my style of shooting is. I shoot a few 3d shoots but mostly practice in my yard and roving shooting at whatever. I'm not the best target shooter, but when an animal presents itself, I just  do what comes naturally and most of the time the animal comes home with me. I think people should shoot whatever style they are most happy or proficient with. I'm 57 years old and have been shooting tradional since I was 8. That's just my 2 cents worth.

[zetabow]

Originally posted by bolong:
I think people should shoot whatever style they are most happy or proficient with.

I agree, lot of people trying to put you in THEIR own version of what archery should be.

I've shot every type of Bow from English Longbow to Compound, I recommend more Archers trying more styles, maybe we would all have a little more understanding and respect for each other in this sport.    

I know a long armed fellow that shoots with a very short draw form, three under, pulls the arrow to his eye and can only shoot at deer 15 yards or less away. He gets his deer regularly.  We went after some pheasants and he could not shoot without loosing control of his arrow, when he tried to shoot faster.  What he does for deer works for him and by most shooting form methods it is completely wrong and very limiting.  Although it is tempting to try to get him to change, if he is happy with his timing limitations, what's the point.  However, if he wants to start hitting longer targets or flying pheasants, there are a number of things he should change.  It is good to compare a wide variety of experts' methods to help make informed decisions.  My target form worked for targets, not so good for the way I ended up hunting, but I do admire those who can shoot good groups on paper with hunting equipment at long ranges.  Way back when there were some that hunted deer with light target bows and target bowsights.  There is nothing slow about some of the old target bows, mine was faster than most hunting bows ten pounds heavier, but I couldn't hunt with it.  I thank John Schulz for showing me what would work best for me.

[Markus77]

I beleive it was compound shooter Mary Hamm who said that "proper" form has become proper because it its the easiest way to shoot an arrow over and over. We shoot with both feet on the ground because it is more easy than shooting with one foot in the air. That is something to think about, it is easy to get lost and tie your self in knots with all the theories about shooting. But it should be as simple as possible. And for me, target archery is a great help to learn to repeat a good shoot over and over again. And as an instinctiv shooter, I can hold my own against target experts with point of aim systems. But I´m not sure there I am really an instinctive shooter, I see the arrow in secondary vision but don´t set a gap, it´s more like Byron Ferguson´s method of seeing the path off the arrow. But Zetabow and Ron LaClairs method sounds the best to me, to do what ever the shot calls for.

[zetabow]

Markus I feel my gap is now closer to instinct than what most Archers consider normal Gap, I still see the arrow (always will) but 90% of my aiming focus is where I want the arrow to hit, and I rely a lot less on distance estimation nowadays, I draw up and my subconscious knows if the sight picture is wrong, a bit like a slightly wonky picture hanging on a wall, your subconscious picks up the mistake and sends an alert to the conscious that something doesn't quite feel right.

When learning Gap it's more like 50-50% aim split between target and arrow and feels kinda awkward during this learning phase but as your confidence grows reliance on looking at arrow is less and accuray increases, funny but in some ways I feel like I've come full circle from my old instinct aiming days. lol

I've heard the term Gapinstictive and think this is what to top gap shooters end up doing after a while, as far as I can see you end up with the best of both worlds.      

[Humming]

I am a instinctive shooter and most all of my compition is with point aiming shooters,but they need to know yardage and shoot best when their point is on the target,when they are too close or the target is too far most have troble as to where to hold the point that is when I pick up points.Last year at the IBO World womens first place was won by an instictive shooter with longbow and wooden arrows verses point of aim shooters with recurves and carbon arrows.If I wanted to shoot sights and guess yardage I would shoot compound,lots more money it.

[canshooter]

Where I live hunting season basically last from Sept to the end of December. But I like to shoot bows...so the rest of the year I shoot 3d or Paper. I dont see a reason to despise one over the other.

[MAGICMAN]

I dont understand why why everybody has to judge or throw their shooting style around like you need to defend it.If it works for you great. If someone else doesnt like it thats tough. Just keep on keepin on & let others bicker or argue that theres a right & wrong way to shoot. I believe we need to embrace all shooting methods to bring us together as tradional shooters. It seems that all some try to do is judge or demean others style. We need to help each other not single out each other.

[chuckbow]

[gorillabows]

These fellas are not wing shooting and are not shooting moving game.........which I am not advocating.......but they are target shooters. And although they can kill game with this method, it is a much more clunkier, and regimented form. Instinctive shooting is by far the way to go for hunters. If you like 3d shooting and want to be as good as the rest, then shoot this method. If you want to have every advantage in field chasing game, shoot instinctive. YOU CANT SHOOT AN ASPIRIN OUT OF THE AIR AIMING DOWN THE ARROW.

[Terry Green]

Proper detication and proper alignment are what most all great shooters had in common.  No mater if the canted or held verticle - Instinctive or Gap.