learning to shoot- am unaware of anchor point etc, have questions

[richpierce]

I previously shot compounds with sights.  I've made 6 self bows now and am shooting them w/o knowing what I am doing, but am starting to hit what I am looking at with one bow pretty regularly.  I walk around a little patch of woods and shoot at a little mound or a tree root or a clump of leaves that stands out etc.  I broke some arrows shooting at tree trunks so am laying off that.

My goal is to be a good instinctive shooter at up to 25 yards or so for bowhunting.  I read a bunch of fine articles in the tutorial section on instinctive shooting but it's a lot to think about and still consider it "instinctive" for me.  I find that if I focus on the target with high concentration then I become unaware of many other things, like anchor point, how the heck my shoulder blade is rotating, whether I am holding my elbow this way or that and even how I am deciding when to release.

Should I get a book, get a coach, or keep shooting and become "self taught" or am I likely to develop bad habits?  I think it's kind of crazy if I don't know where I am anchoring but if I focus on that, then I think I hold my draw and start aiming the bow.

Maybe finding one good instinctive shooter to shoot with a couple of times would be a good idea?

My elbow is doing better (I previously posted that I had elbow joint pain) but I have to keep in mind the damage to my right shoulder.  I suffered a severe separation (unrepaired) 12 years ago so my clavicle sticks up in the air at the shoulder joint then 5 or 6 years ago I shattered my scapula on the same shoulder.  Rehab got me to the point where I can throw a baseball or football but lack range and velocity.

thanks

[jamie]

in my opinion the worse thing you could do is start thinking about it. im horrible at 3d and paper because i start thinking. i can stump shoot and hunt very well cause i dont think. on one outing i fed myself with chipmunks and squirrels i was shooting at from 10 -50yards away while stump shooting

[hawkbow]

I agree with Jamie.. Just shoot .. the rest will work itself out. every archer has a different style and approach to shooting..Mike A/ho

[Coo-wah-chobee]

Like Jamie said dont think it out. Find a way ta shoot comfortable as you can. It will come around. Huntin' is VERY different from paper er 3d. Ya gotta be fast. Ya know like was said " first right then fast !" I know yer heard this before but its worth repeating "bows are like shotguns ya dont aim like projectile weapons ya point !" Wheelie bows seems like the "gurus " tell ya ta aim. IMO thats great BUT aint gonna work huntin' ya aint got the time Rich. Ya got 3 ta 5 secs ta get a shot off unless yer in a tree and ya aint been busted. Animal aint gonna wait fer ya ta setup and think and line up this and that......................bob

[lowell]

I have to agree with the above thoughts.  The worst I have ever shot was trying to follow what I read in "Become the Arrow". 

 I admit I have never shot with sights so it must be harder to make your transition.

 Like has been said before ( I don't take credit for this quote but I really like it!!)

  "Shoot enough arrows and you begin to know where they are going to go!!"

[Kegan]

Just find somehting that's comfortable with you, and go to town on it! I have bad eyes, so instinctive doesn't work well for me (can't pick that little spot so well), so I use Hill's split-vision. After a while I ggot comfortable and started shooting quicker and with less thought. My record so far is about 53 yards and sunk the arrow where I wanted it !

[Pat B]

What got me more interested in instinctive shooting(many years ago) was a kill I made with a c*mpound bow. I always had all the bells and whistles on my wheel bow. Had a small buck come in to a scrape I was sitting over. I remember standing, concentrating on my target, putting tension on the string...and the next thing I remember is a bloody arrow sticking out of the ground and the deer running off. After that I figured...why bother with all that other crap when I didn't need it in the first place.
   When I shoot, I'm not aware of my bow or arrow, just what I AM gonna hit.   I read G. Fred Asbell's book"Instinctive Shooting" and got a lot of good info about truly instinctive shooting. In the end, the more you shoot and the more familiar you are with your equipment, the better you will get.
   A few years back I bought a Treadway Glass longbow. I estimated that in one year I put 10,000 arrows through it. I was shooting 30 to 50 arrows a day and almost every day. After you get all that instinctive information embedded in your brain, just let your brain do your shooting for you. You'll never miss.      Pat

[El Destructo]

I shot Compounds for years...with Peep Sights, Scopes, Releases and Stabilizers..........forget all of the Crap you learned from doing this....a Stickbow is not a Deer Rifle..do what has been stated in this Thread....use what ever is comfortable to you....it is no different than making a fist and pointing you finger .....your mind and body will point that finger at what you are looking at....just like throwing a Baseball....it takes a lot of Practice....but your hand and eye will cooperate on getting the Arrow where you are looking...I don't Instinctive Shoot....at least not on purpose..I just look at my Target using my same comfortable Anchor Point.....and Shoot..and 7 out of 10 times I can hit the Mark.........I concider this a lot bigger accomplishment than getting a 290 or so at a 3D Shoot with my $900 Bowtech Rig!!! And a whole lot more Enjoyable too..........

[richpierce]

Thanks, guys.  I'll just keep shooting and not worry or think about it too much.

[TRACY]

Practice, practice, and then practice some more. let your mind and body tell you what to do. The more I think about it the less I can hit. Like Pat B said one minute your watching a deer and the next your looking at a bloody arrow and a deer running off. Not sure what happened inbetween but the mind and body reacted without you realizing it. No need for me to analyze that any further. Good luck!

[keekeerun]

keep practiceing. just remember shooting primitve or traditional is a JOURNEY. Each day you'll learn something new, and your brain won't let you forget the good shots you've made. Make it fun, and it will come. And one day you'll be typing the same advice on here to the next fellow.

[Otoe Bow]

Keep practicing and develop your muscle memory, as it pertains to anchor points etc.  That helps make you consistant without having to think about it,  and develop that laser-like visual lock-in with a small target, (remeber:  see small, miss small).  Your eyes will guide your hands.  Quit thinking too much and avoid the 6 inch miss.  That's the one you miss because you used too much of the 6 inches between each ear.

Glad you elbow is getting better.  I developed a similar problem last fall.  I've laid off since December and now the elbow is better.  Sometimes rest is the best medicine.

Otoe

[Pat B]

The keys to good shooting is consistency of form(very important), concentration(extremely important) and a smooth release. When I'm shooting(something I haven't done much of lately), and my form drops off or my concentration is slipping I go back inside. The bad habits you gain from non-productive shooting are very difficult to get rid of.  You don't have to shoot 50 or 100 arrows a day if you make every arrow count. You do have to shoot enough to get your muscles familiar with the actions of shooting. Now, when I shoot it is 12 to 18 arrows at different targets from different distances...and I don't shoot at a bulls eye. I pick a spot in the target I'm shooting at.   Pat

[carpenter374]

Just try to make sure your focus is good, and you get a good clean release. Dont pluck the string like a guitar just keep your hand still and let the string go. I try to 'just shoot' most of the time unless i notice a serious problem then i break down my shooting to see what im doin wrong.

[Minuteman]

'I'm gonna have to go against the "just shoot" mentality. I've seen a whole lot of primitive archers that couldn't hardly shoot the side of a 5 gallon bucket at 10 yards let alone pick a spot and drill it. The whole thing boils down to repeatability of your form.
 Now theres nothing wrong with doing it your own way as far as anchor points and how you hold yer bow and stuff like that, although some are better than others for certain kinds of bows. But there are a few things you need to get imbedded in yer brain like Pat said. Your anchor needs to be there EVERY TIME or your gonna be inconsistent, whether its at the corner of your mouth or under your pectoral muscle, same every time. Keeping your bow arm still through the shot will improve your shooting, having a dead release(non moving ) is good , Keeping the bow arm,  shoulders and the upper arm of your drawing arm in a straight line helps as well. Now all these things , any shooting form, even bad ones, have to be learned.
 I had to break down my form last spring and build it back from scratch. I'd developed some really bad habits. I was having accuracy issues at 20 yards, not good. I did alot of shooting from 10 yards at a blank haybale. Just concentrating on feeling my anchor and how I was doing everything til I got it ingrained again.
 Oh yeah the big one , "PICK A SPOT"
  It helps to have the properly spined arrows for your bow as well. I've seen folks fighting to  hit a target with underspined arrows and its hard.