I agree with Arne, it sounds like your friend is a string walker. So far a putting the arrow under your eye, it does work fairly well at pointe-blank (10 & less) but loses its luster beyond that. My advice would be to look into string walking if you are interested, but stick with a style (3 under or split) and stick with it.
Side note: string walking is not allowed in a lot of tournaments and circuits, as they require that you touch the nock during the shot. FWIW.
Good luck, and good shooting!