How do you aim?

[jerp]

Sometimes I feel as if I can feel the good shot before I loose the arrow based upon physical cues in my form. When I get that feeling and focus on my spot even post release, I'm scary accurate. !

That is a good way to describe it. Sometimes you look at the spot and a feeling washes over you and you know with absolute certainty that particular arrow is going to go exactly where you are looking. It is really hard (for me anyway)to stay in that zone for long but it's what keeps us shooting

[Bisch]

It is definitely easier when you don't have to think about it!

Bisch

[DRT]

Focus and follow through are keys. I can tell when it's time to put the bow up as fatigue affects me and my shots start to scatter.

That's the greatness of archery for me. The focus shuts out all of the other crud. Brings me back to center.

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[KenWood]

When I miss, I know exactly where the arrow will hit before it gets there. That tells me it was a focus issue. Or I'll see erratic arrow flight in which case I know I plucked it. It's funny how I can shoot fifty shots with a good release. Then out of the blue I pluck one. It's usually a moment of distraction.

[Shiloh]

Ive been paying special attention to my first shot (cold) when I begin a session - since that shot closer represents what I can expect in the field.
That is where that 'feeling' of a good shot really matters. In my minds eye, I can see and feel the perfect shot during my cycle - almost having a sense of salivating before the shot just 'knowing' I'm gonna hit my mark. Its like what Jerp said above, feeling the good shot or having projection of it before it happens. Everything just feels right, my deep hook, light loop grip on the riser with my thumb and forfinger - the sense of perferct form at full draw, feeling as if I'm perfectly aligned in all aspects, and metaphorically 'laying flat on top of the arrow as if I'm gonna launch with it head first into the spot I'm intensely zeroed in on'. That feel comes only with a proper clear mind and focus. When its there - I absolutely smoke the dot I'm staring at. While I can't do it all the time with my first cold shot, the frequency of its occurrence has been increasing for me. I think that feeling is the same thing Ferguson is explaining in his words of 'clear focus' in Become the arrow.
It was certainly not a trait that I picked up on quickly - at all. It took me about 18 months of shooting trad pretty much every day with no less than 50 arrows day - some days over 200. Mixed in there were likely many sessions that I developed bad form habits due to fatigue which could have possibly caused me to take even longer to develop this trait.
I have tuned and retuned arrows multiple times as my draw lengths have gone from 28 to 29.5". Im only 5'10" shoot 29" DL on compound bows, but actually was shooting trad very well at 29.5" DL for a while. But, as I later learned, I was actually over drawing.
Today, my draw is an honest 28" and it has been where I found my feel of good form. My arrows are cut to 28.25", Beman Centershot 400's with a 75 grain brass insert, 310 grains up front, 10 grain H nock, 3-3.5" parabolics and a turbulator band. Arrows weigh in at 670 grains and are at 28.76% FOC (around 12.8-13.0 GPP) using my 53 and 52# @ 28" Bob Lee Recurves and 50# Bear Super Kodiak. The 52 and 53# Lees shoot the arrows as 158 fps, and the Super Kodiak 155. Out of the same bows, I was getting between 168-171 fps when I was shooting 550 grain arrows. I definitely had to re-learn trajectories with the much heavier arrow. They do make 25-30 yard shots harder for me, but inside of 20 I'm deadly accurate. I like the way they shoot.

[CRM_95]

We are pretty much all in the same boat. I know there's a few gap shooters around. I tried it years ago and it wasn't for me. Though, years ago if I had the instruction Draco gave in the sticky, things may have been different. I just really like my subconscious doing the ranging for me.

One more question. What is y'all instinctive shooters max range to shoot at an animal? Mine is 25 yards. And everything needs to perfect to take that. I prefer inside 20.

Most of these guys shoot a lot better than me. I won't shoot at a deer past 15, and 10-12 is where I set up for. I did shoot a squirrel at 17 though lol!! I'm practicing at 20 and 25 a lot, just hoping that by next year if I had a good 20 yard opportunity I'd feel confident. But I'll still set up for 12 yards or so. If it's under 12 yards I'm 100% confident. And Bisch is being modest. I've seen him shoot and he could kill a hummingbird at 20 lol.

[Tradman1971]

Regardless of the way you aim, i think one of the best ways to practice is to shoot one arrow and then put your bow down. Walk away for 10 minutes and then shoot another arrow. Repeat!

[Shiloh]

What REALLY helped me was shooting groups with bare shafts that are tuned to the bow.
I stumbled across this one day by accident. It was a drizzly light rain day. That kind of aggravating drizzle that's just enough to make you need your windsheild wipers, but not enough for them to even be on the longest interval setting.
I felt lkke shooting so bad that day and was seeing my feathers getting gradually ruined. So I figured I'd shoot bareshaft groups. I made 6 matching bareshaft arrows and shot them for hours in the drizzle. What I quickly learned is that you have to pay very close attention to your bow hand grip when trying to group bareshafts. If you impart the slightest torque on the string (as a result of an uncompromising hold on the bow) you will not be able to geoup bareshafts well. Equally as important is consistency in the distribution of pressure imparted from the bow along your thumb or palm. You barely change it drom shot to shot and your bareshafts wont group tightly.
I assure you - put away the fletched arrows for a while and shoot groups with bare-shafts only over the next several sessions. After you figure out the demanding consistency of grip requirements to group them well - you will see a big improvement in your ability to group fletched shafts. It was very noticable for me. I still take my 6 bareshafts out and shoot them for groups to hone my skill.

[TxSportsman]

I close my eyes


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[Felix40]

Fixed crawl for me. Its silly how accurate you can be using this method.

[DRT]

What REALLY helped me was shooting groups with bare shafts that are tuned to the bow.
I stumbled across this one day by accident. It was a drizzly light rain day. That kind of aggravating drizzle that's just enough to make you need your windsheild wipers, but not enough for them to even be on the longest interval setting.
I felt lkke shooting so bad that day and was seeing my feathers getting gradually ruined. So I figured I'd shoot bareshaft groups. I made 6 matching bareshaft arrows and shot them for hours in the drizzle. What I quickly learned is that you have to pay very close attention to your bow hand grip when trying to group bareshafts. If you impart the slightest torque on the string (as a result of an uncompromising hold on the bow) you will not be able to geoup bareshafts well. Equally as important is consistency in the distribution of pressure imparted from the bow along your thumb or palm. You barely change it drom shot to shot and your bareshafts wont group tightly.
I assure you - put away the fletched arrows for a while and shoot groups with bare-shafts only over the next several sessions. After you figure out the demanding consistency of grip requirements to group them well - you will see a big improvement in your ability to group fletched shafts. It was very noticable for me. I still take my 6 bareshafts out and shoot them for groups to hone my skill.

The problem with that is then I have to fletch them again. And if you knew me you would know, I'm pretty lazy.

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[Draco]

What REALLY helped me was shooting groups with bare shafts that are tuned to the bow.
I stumbled across this one day by accident. It was a drizzly light rain day. That kind of aggravating drizzle that's just enough to make you need your windsheild wipers, but not enough for them to even be on the longest interval setting.
I felt lkke shooting so bad that day and was seeing my feathers getting gradually ruined. So I figured I'd shoot bareshaft groups. I made 6 matching bareshaft arrows and shot them for hours in the drizzle. What I quickly learned is that you have to pay very close attention to your bow hand grip when trying to group bareshafts. If you impart the slightest torque on the string (as a result of an uncompromising hold on the bow) you will not be able to geoup bareshafts well. Equally as important is consistency in the distribution of pressure imparted from the bow along your thumb or palm. You barely change it drom shot to shot and your bareshafts wont group tightly.
I assure you - put away the fletched arrows for a while and shoot groups with bare-shafts only over the next several sessions. After you figure out the demanding consistency of grip requirements to group them well - you will see a big improvement in your ability to group fletched shafts. It was very noticable for me. I still take my 6 bareshafts out and shoot them for groups to hone my skill.

That is why I tell people to hold that bow like it's trying to get away. The loose grip is the problem because you can put pressure in so many places. Grip it hard and solid and you won't have those problems. Try it, you may like it.

[DRT]

That is why I tell people to hold that bow like it's trying to get away. The loose grip is the problem because you can put pressure in so many places. Grip it hard and solid and you won't have those problems. Try it, you may like it.

This was a hard thing for me transitioning from a compound where it's just the opposite but it does indeed make a difference.

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[Danielb89]

Yep, burn a hole for your arrow to go in!!!

doesn't happen very much, does it? haha!

[Hunter Todd]

doesn't happen very much, does it? haha!

I've seen Randy shoot! It happens more times than not!