Gap SHOOTERS

[Jessebeaux]

Anyone have any tips on holding steadier when gap shooting...? past 20 yards I cant seem to settle down my arrow tip....

[longbow fanatic 1]

Like you, Jesse, I have trouble with gap shooting. It's hard for me to settle on the tip if the gaps are too big. Here is my advice: leave your arrows full length, move your nock up higher than normal and move your anchor up. If you normally anchor index finger to the corner of your mouth, move up to middle finger in the corner of your mouth. Remember that heavier arrows have a narrower gap until you get out to 30(ish) yards-depending on the bow.

[longbow fanatic 1]

Check this video out.
 

[reddogge]

If you concentrate on the target with the point in the peripheral you won't notice the point moving as much. A subconscious gap.

[McDave]

Your question seems to be how to improve your gap shooting at longer distances beyond 20 yards. In a lot of the tournaments we shoot in, which are mixed compound/trad, the rule is that if the shooting position is more than 50 yards, trad shooters shoot at 50 yards, or sometimes closer. So we get a lot of practice shooting 50 yard shots. As a result, I feel more comfortable shooting 50 yard shots than 40 or 45 yard shots, and often shoot a higher score at 50 yards than I do at the shorter distances. To me, the messsge is just practice a lot at further distances and you will gradually get better at the longer shots.

[YosemiteSam]

Can you hold steady with a kids bow?  If so, try shooting lighter draw weight bows.  Also, are you getting shaky after shooting a number of arrows or are you shaky on the first handful of shots, too?  I'd try to eliminate strength/stamina from the equation (the simplest explanation) before trying anything else.

For me, aiming is secondary.  As my groups open up, I usually find that I'm focused on aiming, not the other fundamentals.  None of my gaps are going to matter if I'm out of alignment, if the string whacks my nose or armguard or if I'm so focused on aiming that I create side movements that throw off the arrow before it has a chance to leave the string.  I've seen older guys wobbling on 35# target bows still manage to put decent shots on target because, I assume, the other fundamentals are there.

After that, I'd take a look at breathing.  This helps strength but also helps steady your hold since you are steadier at some parts of your breath cycle than at others.  I'll let others chime in on what is best here.

[Jessebeaux]

Originally posted by YosemiteSam:
Can you hold steady with a kids bow?  If so, try shooting lighter draw weight bows.  Also, are you getting shaky after shooting a number of arrows or are you shaky on the first handful of shots, too?  I'd try to eliminate strength/stamina from the equation (the simplest explanation) before trying anything else.

For me, aiming is secondary.  As my groups open up, I usually find that I'm focused on aiming, not the other fundamentals.  None of my gaps are going to matter if I'm out of alignment, if the string whacks my nose or armguard or if I'm so focused on aiming that I create side movements that throw off the arrow before it has a chance to leave the string.  I've seen older guys wobbling on 35# target bows still manage to put decent shots on target because, I assume, the other fundamentals are there.

After that, I'd take a look at breathing.  This helps strength but also helps steady your hold since you are steadier at some parts of your breath cycle than at others.  I'll let others chime in on what is best here.

Typically I don't shake until fatigue. However, I do agree if I focus and over think aiming and let my form go to crap then I start spraying arrows

[SAMMO]

Gaps become automatic after years of the same weight and arrows. I went down in bow weight when my left ark was injured.

I see lots of times that people do not shake when they are drawing, but start to shake as soon as they start holding.  I secondary aim when I am over 30 yards with more discernment than when I am under 30 yards. I find that I am no more accurate with long holding times than virtually no holding time.  My final aim happens as I come to anchor.  if I am on target as I reach anchor, I will not be more on target 3 seconds later. My point on runs from 52 to 60 yards depending on the bow and the arrow, I don't think in terms of gap, I like the term indirect aiming point better.  We can all get a general sense of where and how an arrow is pointing without looking at it. The 'imaginary' indirect point of aim, is just that 'imaginary', a relative position particular to that one shot.  I try, when holding for a longer period, to get a feeling continued draw.  If I do not, I tend to block, that is not a strong way to shoot.

[McDave]

Holding is an acquired skill.  I think almost everyone shoots better at first without holding at full draw, and of course some people, like Howard Hill, become quite proficient at it.  I do believe that most people would become more proficient if they learn to hold, even though they might have to go through a period where they shoot worse in the process of learning.  All the top recurve shooters in the Olympics hold, and I believe the same is true of most the top trad shooters in 3D competitions, although there are a few snapshooters in there too.  It is harder to know the breakdown between holders and snapshooters in trad hunting, although I have read many posts promoting both styles on this forum.  Out of necessity, I would suppose that the ratio of snapshooters to holders increases as bow weight increases, but with the efficiency of modern bows, most people should be able to find a bow that is effective for hunting as well as comfortable to hold for a few seconds at full draw.

[Steven-P]

A few thoughts, Jesse,


1. If you haven't tried three under, it reduces the gap size down range. It also reduces point blanc range which might be a problem for your bow and style of shooting. You could shift to split finger for longer ranges which widens the gap, but I wouldn't personally advise this. There are arguments for/against 3 under - for me if it works, I'll use it.
2. If I don't anchor firmly on my canine, I get noticeably unsteady at 40+ yds.
3. At full draw, I become unsteady if my upper draw arm is not fully in line with my shoulders. This and #2 above become more like likely with fatigue.
4. Ki Sik Lee talks about "expansion" at the end of the draw, that is, pulling the shoulder blades fractionally closer together with the mid-traps thereby sliding into the release. It works partly because wobble comes when the drawing motion stops. This leads me to #5...
5. Fred Bear advised that the draw should not be held unless unavoidable. His view was that the end of the draw should occur simultaneously with release. This works for me, but it requires a little faith and practice.