Great topic!
I've been working on learning to shoot Hill style, as taught by John Schulz. I'm improving slowly.
Recently I also had an epiphany of sorts, which may be pertinent to this discussion. I'll try to explain it:
I wear strong prescription lenses, which have the undesired effect that when my right sighting eye is peering sideways out of the inside corner of the lens, my vision is not in perfecf focus. So for most of my time learning I was therefore looking at the target more through the center of the lens, then turning my head more sideways while simultaneously attempting to acheive both proper back/shoulder tension and aiming. The results were not consistent.
Finally a couple of weeks ago I too had a big breakthrough: I now position my head with the target in the upper left corner of my lens FIRST, exactly where it should appear at full draw and properly aimed. THEN I begin the Hill swing draw, being careful to not move my head at all in relation to the target. As Howard would put it, I "drill a hole" with my vision into my aiming point at the target.
To achieve this during the swing draw, my shoulders come up to full draw and proper alignment without my head moving again. All drawing and aiming then takes place below my neck. My sighting is indirect, although I maintain a "sense" of both the "angle" of my arrow and the point as I come to full draw. Then I release.
I don't know why it's taken me so long to come to this realization. It's obvious to me now when I go back and watch videos of accomplished swing draw shooters. And it is also very fluid and natural. But I am often a slow "learner" when it comes to physical activities such as fly casting, playing the violin, and now trad archery.
Best wishes,
Frank
Topic: I quit aiming hard while pulling. What a difference! (Read 2299 times)
