Longbow shooters question

[Pat B.]

Do you guys draw and hold a few seconds while aiming or are you more of a snap shooter, meaning you release when you hit anchor..

Do you grip the bow firmly or very loosely ?

Trying to learn !!!

[Ben Maher]

Pat .. I shoot pretty quickly and pull through my anchor ... with my straight grips on my Hill style bows i hold pretty firmly

[Ric O'Shay]

Hello Pat,

I use the swing draw or push pull method, so I'm at 3/4 draw as the bow comes up. The last 6" or so of draw are completed as I'm aiming. When I reach anchor, I release.

[BONE]

Mornin' Pat-I never could snap shoot and be any where near on target.I come to anchor-steady my bow arm,get solid anchor, zero in on the spot,and let her rip.Maybe 3-4 seconds from start to finish.-Bone

[cbCrow]

Pat, my advice would be if you are just starting with the LB is to take the time to learn good form. When  you come to anchor pause for a couple of seconds then release. Do this in the beginning and I assure you it will pay off later when you do need that quick shot. As far as holding the bow, not too tight not too loose, experiment and find what seems comfortable for you. There is no quick way to becoming a good shot with out form and practice. If you PM your address I have a copy of "Become the Arrow" which should give you an good idea what to do to become proficient with the bow.

[Terry Green]

Pat....I don't think your 'style' matters concering whether your bow has curved tips or not.  You shoot how ya shoot....no matter recurve or longbow.  I don't think there is any reason to change style just because you changed bows.  I shoot exactly the same no matter what I'm shooting

Also, good form and proper alignment are required for both.

[Pat B.]

I suspect you are correct Terry...

However, I was kind of slippin' in the back door here and hoping to pick up some tidbits on methods that I don't normally use!

[arrow flynn]

im that guy in lonesomedove who was trapped in that wash with gus after gus took that arrow in his legthey were talking about holdin em off and the otherguy tells gus he had to take careful aim i got abetter chance of hitting if ihold for acouple secs i got away from tp when igot away from snap shooting just me though

[zetabow]

Nothing wrong with snap shooting, as long as you're in control of the Bow and not the other way around.

It's good to learn both ways then you're adaptable to all shooting situations.

[Larry Yien]

Originally posted by Pat B.:
Do you guys draw and hold a few seconds while aiming or are you more of a snap shooter, meaning you release when you hit anchor..

Do you grip the bow firmly or very loosely ?

Trying to learn !!!

I pause a few seconds, in that pause I see my target move to a "really" strong dynamic anchor and follow through.  I grip the bow very loosely with my fingers, in addition my bow arm is solid,and firm

[Pat B.]

Thanks guys.  

I think you have convinced me to give the longbow a try using the same style and techniques that I've used for years and that is to pause at anchor, aim, release and follow through..
   I thought seriously about trying to learn to draw, anchor and release all in one motion.. I truly admire the folks that can shoot well this way. I think it may be a superior style for hunting but it also may be difficult to truly master.

[arrow flynn]

when i conquered tp and went to 3 under my 3d scores and confidence went up a deer at 40 yrdsis not to far now i just have to find that dumb forked horn

[Kentucky Jeff]

When I first learned to draw and shoot a handgun properly (I had formal training at Gunsite) you learn the basics through hundreds of repetitions done only as fast as you can PROPERLY execute the motion.  So you first practice gripping the gun in the holster and do it several hundred time.  Then you practice the basic stroke...again several hundred times and only as fast as you can do the move correctly.  You practice this tediously slow process at first and build on your skill over the course of the week and by the end of the week we were drawing our handguns and making two hits on a 7 yard target inside of 1.5 seconds!   Its all muscle memory but you begin by learning the multiple complicated actions slowly at first.  You don't start by quickly drawing badly and missing alot!  

Learning to shoot a bow--instinctively, gap or otherwise--likewise is developing the muscle memory required to complete the action properly.

In truth, a good instinctive "snap shooter" accomplishes the action of shooting the bow that to many people looks too casual.  But like the trained handgunner--its all done with lots of practice.

Shoot a lot of blind bales...work on one or two aspects....stance, bow hand postion etc.  Forget trying to hit something.  Get your repeatable routine down.

[zetabow]

Originally posted by Kentucky Jeff:
 you learn the basics through hundreds of repetitions done only as fast as you can PROPERLY execute the motion.  

A perfectly executed statement.    

[Terry Green]

I think Pat has the longbow down now after owning one for only a day....   :D