poor had-eye coordination = bad shot?

[buckeye_hunter]

I was wondering if a person that had poor hand-eye coordination could ever be a truly excellent instinctive shooter?

Instictive meaning look and shoot with no conscious aiming technique.

My accuracy is good at 0-15 yards, but not beyond. 15-20 yards I'm OK and beyond that error increases greatly.

The reason I came up with this question is that I'm horrible at basketball and often shooting a good game of pool evades me. When throwing a ball, it goes where I want half the time. I was a tackle in football and a wrestler. I stayed away from baseball and basketball for these reasons. Does this translate to my lack of ability at greater ranges in archery?

I would appreciate any input.

-Charlie

[buckeye_hunter]

Assume well tuned equiptment,good form  and a good release for this question.

Even if I could use some improvement in all those areas.

[moebow]

buckeye,  I don't know how long you've been shoting instinctively but that sound pretty typical.  The whole idea of instinctive is to point at the target with your bow hand.  When you first start, pointing at a close target is pretty easy but at longer distances your "point" becomes more vague.  Only practice will refine your pointing process so you can become more exact.  Many shooters struggle with distances beyond twenty yards shooting instinctively.  That's not to say it can't be done, just that it takes mega-practice to really get good at the longer ranges.  Hang in there.

[McDave]

Each person has different levels of inborn talent.  Some can progress to high levels with less practice than it takes others to reach much lower levels with more practice.  When I throw a baseball, the best I can say is that it goes in the general direction I want it to go.

I shoot archery instinctively and practice daily because it is a joy for me to do so.  I benefit from instinctive shooting on many levels, the most important of which is the way it settles my mind and centers me spiritually.  I don't claim to know anything about Eastern mystical practices, but I can understand why archery is a component of Zen, because it is much more than just a physical exercise or a means of hitting a target.

Because of daily practice, I have reached a level of proficiency that is surprising to me.  I don't shoot my pistol very often, but way back 40 years ago, I qualified as an expert with the .45 in the Marines.  It was surprising to me the last time I went to the pistol range to find out that I now shoot the bow, unaimed, much more accurately than I can shoot the pistol, aimed.  I can usually shoot a 6" group at 20 yards with the bow, but was shooting 10" groups at 15 yards with the pistol.  Probably if I practiced with the pistol as much as I do with the bow, the groups would be reversed, but I don't love to shoot the pistol.

So if you love to shoot the bow instinctively, then shoot the bow as often as you can.  If you learn the fundamentals and good form, you will progress in your accuracy over time.  I will say that if you would like to become more accurate sooner, a day or so with a good coach will work wonders with your accuracy.

[dan ferguson]

I agree with McDave, some are more blessed with god given talent, Howard Hill was one of these, but what alot of people seem to overlook is from what I,ve learned that he shot up to 800 arrows a day, not many of us are willing to make that kind of commitment.

[dragon rider]

McDave's right.  Hand-eye coordination has a lot more to do with sports like baseball, tennis, etc. in which you have to bring some implement, bat, glove, racket, to where the ball is at the right time.

Dan is also right, some people just naturally have more ability at some sports than others - that's what produces athletic superstars - everybody who's playing at the professional level has worked his butt off to get there, but there's no amount of work that by itself will take a good professional athlete to, for example, Michael Jordan status.  Some of it's work, but some of it's inborn.

However, part of the pure joy of archery is that you control the shot. You don't have to swing something at a ball, you don't have to throw it any place - you are in complete control of when, or if, the shot is made.  Even hunting, you can always pass on the shot if you don't like the way it's setting up.

If you assume good consistent form from the beginning of your draw to anchor to release, and assume that you adjust for distance as per Terry's form clock, at the waist not at the arms, you need a lot of practice to allow your brain to learn how to hit a selected spot at varying distances.  You've got the most amazing computer the world has ever known planning your shots.  Keep your form consitent, give that computer enough input with practice and you'll be very good.

And yeah, somebody will always be better, but who cares.  If you're having fun and love to shoot, that's what matters.

[buckeye_hunter]

Thanks guys.

I remember a pro-golfer getting upset with a fan. The fan said it wasn't fair that the golfer was so good and that golf came too easy for him.

The pro golfer overheard this. He then asked the guy if hitting 200-300 balls a day to be that good was what he considered easy.

A little talent and a lot of quality practice goes a long way. I guess I'll have to keep working.

-Charlie

[Chris Wilson]

Only time, combined with good, solid, routine practice, will tell how good of an instinctive shooter you'll be.  Just like any athletic endevour, some take to it very quickly and excel.  Others have to work, some more than others, to achieve the same level.  Still there are a few that just never fully get it.  Put in the time and effort, you'll improve.  To what degree, only God knows.

[buckeye_hunter]

Last night I only focused on the shot feeling right. My groups were much tighter. I'm shooting a 54in recurve and thinking I might need to go to a longer/heavier/more stable bow. Should help some I think.

[TheFatboy]

Now that you mention golf... I've played a lot of golf a few years back, and I was pretty damn good at it (not meaning to brag, only stating a point). But things like juggling, throwing and catching... all that stuff which requires some deal of hand-eye coordination, I truly don't have a talent for. Yet, after minimal (but efficient and rewarding) practice with my bow, I'm able to place arrow after arrow right in the bullseye. And this with an old, sturdy bow at ranges between 15-25 yards. So even though you may have been born with a somewhat average degree of hand-eye coordination, you may still be able to place arrows where you want them, if you constantly seek to find the right way for you to shoot.