Instinctive "snap" shooting

[Terry Green]

Snap shooting is not Target Panic. End of story Target Panic is a mental problem and not a shooting Style again end of story we need to put this to rest and quit calling snap shooting target Panic it's ridiculous

I've seen people hold an anchor have Target panic and even gasp at release fear of releasing plucking the string bow going everywhere an absolute Trainwreck by someone who held for like 6 seconds so don't accuse people of Target panic just because they are snap shooters

When I was 16 I went to an area archery club and was told that I was a 'snap shooter'.  The know it all also told me that all of the good shots like him hold for at least 3 seconds.   The problem was that my arrows were all in the kill zone of the black and white paper deer target while his were all over the place.   I said then and still maintain, "If I am on target as I tighten up my anchor, am I going to be more on target 4 seconds later?"

[jackdaw]

Wow...I see this thread if mine has  taken off again..!!! Terry Green is one zillion percent right..!! And bogeyriders comments are dead on..!!!! I've thought a lot about mine and many others who's draw cycle is one continous motion, vs. Those who draw, anchor and hold for 2-3 seconds. If you are gapping you must hold at least for a moment to "set the gap" before release. Same with "point on" shooting.  
For those of us who draw and release immediately at felt anchor, I guess it could be construed as a timing/focus thing..?? My focus is at its peak upon felt anchor, so immediate release and follow through just naturally occur.......it just "happens"..!  To hold for even a moment totally screws with the timing of the shot..! I never really thought about someone not being able to do it this way, but apparently some cannot..??? Those are the ones who always say...."you shoot too fast"..?? MADDENING..!!! If I was all over the place they may have a valid point. But on most given days, I fare quite well....!!!!!!  
I've come to the final conclusion that as long as I'm satisfied with my shooting prowess...so be it. For those who cannot grasp it...they do not need too..!!! I'm glad for this post as it has brought about some, shall we say, passionate answers..!!! It is NOT target panic....its merely a method requiring great timing and focus. I'm good with that...........JACKDAW

[jackdaw]

Oooops......double post.....

[Wolftrail]

Hill was basically a snap shooter and I think he used a split vision type of aim where he would focus on the target and the point of arrow.  This seems to work for me as well and sometimes taking seconds to aim just causes a miss in my opinion.

[jackdaw]

Yes....as a "snap" shooter, my concentration is at its peak when full draw is achieved. I need to shoot then or ir all  falls apart. Its very much a rythmic thing. Hard to explain if you don't shoot this way...

[nhbuck1]

alot of respect for that man mr . fred bear, god bless him and may he be with us on the trails we hunt together.
kyle

[crazynate]

I have found with snap shooting that I develop a short draw more frequently than if I hold anchor and let it rip. I shoot well this way out to40yards. Howard Hill said if your form right you wont be to far off at 5o yards. Interesting

[Terry Green]

Short drawing would-be Target panic and Howard Hill was a snap shooter.

   

[jackdaw]

I was just watching that Fred Bear video posted a few posts back on this thread....What he says about his way of snap shooting is exactly the way I feel ....EXACTLY..!!! No I'm not putting my Archery skills on the same level as old Fred, But he explained it exactly the way a Snapshooter goes about his shot process. I was very tickled to see that! Would have loved to have seen those people say to Fred Bear  himself "you shoot too fast"..?? For a long time it never occurred to me that people would have a hard time "snap shooting"..??? And I do not mean short draw Panic shooting ..!!!!! I mean AIM/DRAW/ANCHOR/RELEASE In one smooth, continuous motion....!!!   Really enjoyed Hearing old Papa Bear talking about exactly The way I feel when shooting...Although I will never enjoy Even a modicum of his success, I feel a little more Vindicated in my "shooting style".....all good.

[KeganM]

Target panic has nothing to do with holding or snapping. It results from having a poor or nonexistent shot sequence. We always talk about good form but a good shot sequence is just as important. I developed target panic while I was a snap shooter. It carried over when I began holding. Common denominator was my lack of a good shot sequence. I take it slow because that works best for me. It works better on paper, foam, and fur. Doesn't work without a good shot sequence though.

All that matters is where the arrows go. Snap or hold, if you can't hit the mark then you can't hit the mark. People have done it very well many ways, so it just comes down to how far you want to go and how much effort you want to put into it. Everyone is on their own path, and no one can tell them how to walk it.

[Sam McMichael]

Many still don't seem to know what snap shooting, as defined in earlier times, is. That is the shooting process of releasing as soon as the anchor point is reached. It does not equate with target panic. Of course, a snap shooter can develop target panic, but the quick release is not the cause. Snap shooting as a definition of a form of target panic is a newer usage of this term.

As stated numerous times, Hill and many other great archers were snap shooters, but their form was quite good. If you are shooting accurately and under control, you do not have target panic. If that is the case, do not pay attention to your critics. Unfortunately, many well meaning people speak eloquently and vociferously about that which they do not know. Just as long as you are consistently hitting the mark, all is well.

[jackdaw]

Right on keagan and sam.....its called being "dogmatic"...Having all the answers with none of the facts. Ive been saying pretty much all along, snap shooting is merely A different form of shot sequence  than holding at anchor then releasing. End of story for me..

[Draven]

Originally posted by Sam McMichael:
Many still don't seem to know what snap shooting, as defined in earlier times, is. That is the shooting process of releasing as soon as the anchor point is reached. It does not equate with target panic. Of course, a snap shooter can develop target panic, but the quick release is not the cause. Snap shooting as a definition of a form of target panic is a newer usage of this term.

As stated numerous times, Hill and many other great archers were snap shooters, but their form was quite good. If you are shooting accurately and under control, you do not have target panic.  

I think that the real difference between 'snap shooting' and the rest is when the aiming was done. A snap-shooter aims before his bow and arrow is 'on target'. The moment the bow and arrow is on target, the release happens as result of natural causes:
aim - checked
form -checked
Eyes-brain-hands coordination is everything for a snap-shooter.
For me, target panic is the lack of understanding of what is happening with the aiming in the process of your own shooting sequence. Form can bring you just to shoot arrows clean and close to each other. Aiming process put them in the spot.

[forestdweller]

One thing I have noticed is that almost all of the snap shooters only do so within what I would consider a short distance (20-25 yards).

Most of them tend to hold and slow down their shot process significantly the further out they are shooting OR the more precise that they have to be with their shot which makes perfect sense.

This mainly applies to Byron and Hill.

It seems like a really solid almost necessary skill for hitting aerial targets or moving game.

[jackdaw]

Snap shooting is harder to do at distance. At least for me. But its lethal at 30 yds in. That being said, 15 yds and in is light out. Quickly.....

[reddogge]

You snap shooters take heart. I saw last weekend on the live stream from Ireland in the WA field championships the barebow shooter from the German team was a snap shooter and he was in the shootoff! I don't know the longest shot he would have shot but I did see him shoot from 50 meters severly uphill.

[forestdweller]

That's really interesting reddogge. I'm assuming he was shooting a FITA Oly style barebow rig right?

Normally those guys string walk and take their time with their shot's. Was he shooting instinctive/split finger?

That's really interesting.

[reddogge]

He was shooting a 25" barebow riser but I didn't take notice of the riser mfg. In this competition they could string walk and he did that on the shorter targets but I didn't note how he held the string on the last target which was 50 meters uphill so I'm assuming split finger on that one. BTW, NONE of these guys shoot instinctive.

[Trenton G.]

This thread is really interesting. I'm self taught to shoot instinctively, mainly from watching old videos with Fred Bear and Howard Hill. They snapshot, and were considered some of the best, so I figured that that was how I wanted to shoot. At that point, I didn't even know that there was any other way to shoot a traditional bow other than snap shooting. I've found that I'm effective out to about 20-25 yards, but after than I have to slow down and hold for about 1 second.