Focusing on the spot??

[VA Elite]

The last few days I have been really trying to stare at where I want to hit, never taking my eye off of it until the arrow hits. Many times it has done exactly that...there some shots that don't go quite that well. maybe I took my I off for a split second or bad anchor, or grip...any tips on how to really focus every time?

[kevsuperg]

i draw,anchor,aim.  
i stare at the general area i want to hit then once i am anchored i pick the spot ( aim) and release.
 we as humans can only concentrate on something for so long then the mind wonders.
 by aiming last i only have to concentrate on the spot for a few seconds.

[DanielB89]

best advice i had is practice. lol.  I focus on where I want to hit before I ever start drawing.  When i get to full draw, I don't hold my draw very long.  probably between 1-3 seconds until it feels "right".  

I know a lot of guys who say you need to do the exact same thing every time and that is probably true, but i don't.  I am not a guy who knows exactly what I do everytime, which is definitely bad, but I do have a pile of first place trophies and plaques that don't seem to mind.  My most important things to me are hitting my anchor and holding.  The rest seems to fall in place.

[tim roberts]

This suggestion was passed on to me from a good friend, and can be practiced any where.
Through out your daily routine at work, grocery shopping, any where, look at something and pick a specific small point or spot, and focus on it teaching your mind to close out all the other "sight noise" associated or surrounding the point. You can do it walking up to and past something, just sitting, etc.
After some time your mind will be better to focus on a specific place and help to close your groups.
I am finding that when given a small window of time to focus on the spot I want the arrow to go on a deer results in a much quicker and cleaner kill, and it also helps to hold the "buck fever" at bay a bit!
Hope this helps.
Thanks,

[mcgroundstalker]

Try to imagine a small sticker, a coin or even a fly where you want to hit... This helps to overpower distractions... Sometimes I'll see my arrow fly in my minds eye and hit "that spot" before I release...

... mike ...     ...

[northener]

I too have focused on the spot before,during and after with pretty good results  but

I am more consistent  like kevsuperg explains  

draw while focusing on general area but I do not really aim until at full draw.

prolonged focusing during pratice sessions is really hard for me. It fades the longer I practice, so if I loose focus and still want to shoot  I then shift my concentration to form and my release. I will not worry about shooting tight groups after I loose concentration.

[VA Elite]

Daniel I know what you mean...I don't know what I do every time either. In fact someone asked me if I  was an instinctive, gap, or arrow tip guy....I said, I have no clue. I don't honestly know how I shoot. I don't know if I aim with my arrow tip, use gap or just throw it up and shoot.

[centaur]

I seem to do better when I focus generally during the draw and then bear down when I am at anchor for a second or so. When I do it, everything comes together. When I don't, well, I don't want to talk about the great stalk I put on an antelope this year only to miss him twice at 15 paces. Pick a spot and there is success. Shoot at the whole critter, and he lives to taunt me another day.

[fnshtr]

My father used to tell me that if you shoot at a hay bale, you will USUALLY hit around the edge of it. Shoot at a soda can and hit the edge or "close". Aim small, miss small.

Good advice above. I agree with those that aim GENERALLY until the anchor, then aim specifically at the smallest spot you can imagine, shutting out all other sight "noise" that distracts.

Good shooting!

[DanielB89]

Originally posted by VA Elite:
Daniel I know what you mean...I don't know what I do every time either. In fact someone asked me if I  was an instinctive, gap, or arrow tip guy....I said, I have no clue. I don't honestly know how I shoot. I don't know if I aim with my arrow tip, use gap or just throw it up and shoot.

I know that I don't gap shoot or aim, but I do look for a good sight picture, which is really hard to explain(lol).  

I do know that I have some form of mental adjustment(i guess thats called aiming) at longer distances, but it is all based off of a guestimate of yardage.  It is just my mind taking over.  It is wrong pretty often.  If i am at a distance that I don't have to adjust mentally(usually inside of 27), I am deadly,  Which is one of the largest reasons I want a fast bow. The faster my bow is, the less mental  adjusting I have to do, the better I am.

[Pat B]

Practice, practice, practice.

[PaulDeadringer29]

Developing a shot sequence will help big time.

[McDave]

You can't focus on something and think about something else at the same time. If you're thinking about something else and you think you're still focusing on the spot you want to hit, what you're actually focusing on is a memory of the spot; that is, the way the spot looked the last time you were really focusing on it, as opposed to thinking about something else.

So the next time you miss, ask yourself, what you were thinking about during the shot?  Joel Turner is famous for asking this question to his students.  You may not remember thinking about anything, because your thoughts may have been so intertwined with the shot that they didn't really seem like separate thoughts at all.  For example, thinking about focusing on the spot is different from actually focusing on the spot.  You can't think about focusing on the spot and actually focus on the spot at the same time.  One is a cognitive thought in words, and the other is mental concentration without words, which is what you want to do.

I agree with the comment above that humans are only capable of concentrating for a short period of time.  Of course, that differs from person to person, and it is possible to increase your ability to concentrate, just like you can develop a muscle by exercising it.

[VA Elite]

can someone walk me through their own shot execution? I know it may be different from all others, but just to get an idea of the thought process from you guys.

[northener]

Ill give it a go  no pro here but this is my shot
comfortable stance first and feet orientation to target
when i nock my arrow I am feeling that bow hand placement on riser is comfortable and correct, next, deep hook on string, raise bow with some tension on string and general aim at target getting things lined up by siting down arrow to spot.
draw bow to anchor keeping my draw arm in alignment
now I aim
keep pulling
keep pulling
keep pulling
bam arrow is gone
follow thru until arrow reaches target.

[northener]

A excellent book to read he goes over everything in detail from equipment,shooting form,tuning,aiming,physical and mental aspects of shooting

Shooting the Stickbow by Anthony Camera

[VA Elite]

Ok will look for it.

[McDave]

I first look at the target I want to hit and set myself up for the shot, so that I will be properly aligned with the target.  From the time I start my draw until followthrough, I try to keep my mind free of cognitive thoughts.  As I draw the bow, I try to expand my awareness to include all aspects of the shot: bow hand, bow shoulder, string hand, relaxed forearm, string elbow, back tension, etc.  I don't try to control any of these aspects, just observe them.  When I reach full draw, I decide whether I'm going to shoot the shot or let down.  If I decide to shoot the shot, I narrow my concentration to the spot I want to hit for about two seconds and then release the arrow.  If I feel my concentration is fragmented, I may repeat a mantra to myself (which I also learned from Joel Turner) during the 2 second hold: "keep pulling, keep pulling, etc." until I release the arrow.  The mantra keeps distracting thoughts from intruding during the critical 2 second hold, and helps me to maintain back tension as I focus on the spot.

If I feel like I'm rushing my shots, I purposely draw the bow with the arrow horizontal, regardless of the orientation of the target, and then tilt at my waist until I achieve the sight picture I want, and then start my 2 seconds of concentration.  I'm not as accurate when I shoot this way, but it keeps me from slipping into target panic.  After a few shots this way, I can usually go back to drawing directly to the sight picture I want.

[VA Elite]

So you hold at full draw for at least 2 seconds?

[McDave]

I think I'm most accurate when I hold for about two seconds. Less than two seconds, I haven't fully stabilized my sight picture; more than two seconds, I begin to lose concentration or start to fatigue.