Aiming vs. Instinct

[jlenzo]

Hi,
I am new to trad shooting, so I'm hoping that some of you who have been shooting since the last ice age can help out.
Aiming, i.e., sighting down the arrow like a shotgun, versus instinctive shooting...pros and cons?
I can do both almost equally well, but which is better to learn for a newbie? I'm not a great shot, but ever since I started hunting about 12 years ago, animals always seem to die if I want them dead. I think my instincts are good, but maybe I'm training myself totally wrong too...thoughts?

[wingnut]

Instinctive shooting is nothing more then training yourself over time and repetition to subconsciously
do the aiming.

I would start with a gapping system you can understand and repeat and then practice to a point it becomes automatic.

Mike

[NOMAD88]

Get your form true, use the same anchor point every time and focus on the smallest point possible where you want your arrow to hit. Then shoot many, many times  

[jlenzo]

Gapping system??

[Sam McMichael]

jlenzo, you seem to be asking about gap shooting. In an overly brief explanation, instinctive shooting emphasizes staring intently solely at the exact spot you want the arrow to hit. Gapping means paying attention to the perceived gap between your arrow point and the desired impact spot. Both methods depend on repetition to train the brain to make the appropriate adjustments to make an accurate shot.

There is a whole lot of better info than this available from members of this forum than I can give. Study and try varying aiming/pointing systems till you find what works best for you. It can be a bit confusing at first, but that is part of the fun of making the journey to competence.

[D.J. Carr]

Gapping - knowing where the target needs to be in relation to something constant, usually the tip of your arrow.

I started out gap shooting, after a few months its merely a reference I don't pay much attention to where the tip of my arrow is anymore, because I alreadt know its where it should be.

[Jake Scott]

Let me start by saying that there are a whole lot of fine folks here more qualified to answer your questions than me.  My advise is to develop rock steady, unwavering form and alignment early on, before you can develop bad habits.  Consult Mr. Terry Greens form clock in the "shooting form" section of the forum.  From there experiment and find what works best for you.

Jake

[joe skipp]

I prefer the Hill/Schulz method of Split Vision aiming. Works for me....I'm not a big fan of "Point and Hope".

[Paul_R]

I apparently don't have good instincts. Split vision works for me...Most of the time...

[Pat B]

When I first started shooting I bought G.Fred Asbel's book, "Instinctive Shooting" and learned from that.
I met Fred at the Hickory NC shoot a few years ago and asked him to sign my copy of his book. He was surprised how old the book was and it was obviously in a heavily used condition.
 Find a method that suits you and stick with it. Self doubt is a killer. I like Fred's methods and when I'm well practiced and in shape I only have to think about where the arrow WILL go. Everything else comes automatically.

[Onehair]

I shot purely instinctive for many years and took a lot of game. The only problem I had was that if I was off, I had no way to fix it. With an aiming style (gap) you can make the needed adjustments.

[ChuckC]

We all aim, every time, or we don't hit.  With sights and gapping we are using a point of aim, of some sort, be it the sight pin, or the arrow head.

Instinctive, which is just a name, that's all, there is nothing instinctive about it, is a matter of training.  You shoot enough and train enough to know what the sight picture should look like.  If the deer is this big there should be this much space above or below it etc.  We aim using the whole sight picture, or we gap shoot, or we use sight pins or cross hairs.

Pretty obviously, if you are using a sighting device of some sort, the average Joe will likely shoot tighter groups.  Why don't we all do that ?

Well, why don't we all shoot magnum rifles instead of sticks and strings ?  

We all make choices, based in part by peer pressure, and (hopefully) in larger part by our own wants, needs, and experience.  I like shooting what and how I do.  I shoot well enough to accomplish my goals and make me smile.  

End of story

CHuckC

[quail]

Get a copy of Byron Fergusons "Become the Arrow" information, either video and/or written book. He does as good a job as anyone at laying out a "Gap to Instinctive" aiming system.

[larry]

if you want to hit something, you've got to aim, whether it's split vision, gap, instinctive or any other method....  

[mwosborn]

I was going to add my 2 cents worth - but I couldn't say it any better than ChuckC.  Couldn't agree more!

[Stumpkiller]

Originally posted by jlenzo:
Aiming, i.e., sighting down the arrow like a shotgun, versus instinctive shooting...pros and cons?

I shoot my shotguns instinctively.      

Seriously, I look at the target and pull the gun up and fire when my brain says everything is in line.  Often at some imaginary space ahead of a bunny or grouse.  Same as I do with my bows.  I would notice if I forgot to put an arrow on the string so I can't say I am "unaware" of the arrow.  

I was shooting a bow with no sights LONG before I was allowed to use a rifle or gun so I can say I shoot a shotgun "arrowneously" instead of vice versa.      

The brain - the best ballistic computer in the known universe - works out all the angles from muscle and optic inputs and computes the required firing solutions subconsciously.

Call it what you like as long as it provides vittles.

[Terry Green]

Instinctive is a 'style'......the name came from the style being 'instinctive like'...basic hand and eye coordination.  Subconscious aiming.  Like a LOT of sports require.  The subconscious knows a lot more about what's going on than you 'think'...pun intended.

I will say that on my shots I don't 'see the arrow'  like when I'm driving, I don't 'see' the hood of the car....and on my very best shots, I was so immersed at the spot I wanted to hit I don't even remember drawing the bow.  

There is no 'my way is the highway' when it come to shooting or aiming styles. Instinctive is not 'point and hope'.

I shoot instinctive, couldn't gap my way out of a paper bag.                

Again, instinctive is just a style...works great for some, and not so great for others.  Gotta find what works best for you.  Some are better at figuring out the trajectory to the moon, and others are better suited for flying the rockets...best not to switch them at lift off.         :D

[DaveV]

This pic might explain what words can't
   

If I tried to add words, the "point of aim" is the spot on the target that lines up with the arrow point(in the pic it's at 6 o'clock below the target). The "gap" is the relative distance between that point and the center of the bullseye.

[jlenzo]

Originally posted by DaveV:
This pic might explain what words can't
     

If I tried to add words, the "point of aim" is the spot on the target that lines up with the arrow point(in the pic it's at 6 o'clock below the target). The "gap" is the relative distance between that point and the center of the bullseye.

That is a perfect explanation! Thanks!

[jlenzo]

Thanks for all the great tips and explanations! About ten thousand arrows from now, I might be almost as good as I'd like. Practice practice practice. I have a few neighbor kids that I would like to pin targets on, but my wife says certain authorities frown on such things...