Shooting Traditional...

[CopperHead]

SMJ,
I just wanted to say THANK YOU for taking the time to do this. You put forth alot of effort and I really appreciate it. I definitely glads it here so that I can go back and read it several times to make sure I grasp it all. Thanks again!

[royden]

Thanks smj

[smj]

Here are a few more points to ponder about traditional shooting...

Fistmele – an ancient English measure for the distance between bow handle and string when strung, we call it brace height. There is no exact brace height. For new strings, a vigorous rub with a cloth to keep your hand from burning can help to settle them in by warming/melting wax between strands (with bow strung!). Adjust brace to the height that give the least noise or vibration while shooting, best flight, and also to get the least wrist slap. Adjust by adding or taking away twists to the bow string.

Nock point is usually set between 1/8 and 3/16ths of an inch above a perpendicular line (to the string) that runs from the string to the top of the arrow rest when the bow is strung and at rest. To place the nock so that the arrow sits at a right angle to the string will not give the best flight off the shelf. Even though the arrow looks a bit strange having some downward angle to it, as it sits on the string, this slight angle does allow a smoother shot and can make a big difference in arrow stability

Drawing the bow should be a single, smooth motion from rest to full draw. If the arrow falls off the rest, you are probably making a fist as you draw. This motion, as you pull your fingers more tightly towards the palm, puts a twist on the string and if the nock is snug at all or you pinch the arrow with your fingers, the arrow tends to follow the twisting motion right off the rest! If you do the opposite, lengthen your hand as you draw, the arrow will twist in to the rest. Neither of these is desired. You really want your hand to remain neutral as you draw the bow, with the string staying put on your fingers rather than sliding in or out on them.

Fred Bear says that “Intense concentration on the very center of whatever you are shooting at is the secret of instinctive shooting. This concentration must be overwhelming. The whole body from the toes to the top of the head must be involved in every shot. All other thinking must be erased from your mind… The whole body is directed to this end as if you were funneling all your efforts to the pinpoint spot on the target. Not the whole target – just the center of it, whether it be a leaf, a deer, or an elephant.”

On distance shots, Fred Bear says “… You must visualize the arc of the arrow in order to hit the target at varying distances. This again is part of the instinctive process and not nearly so complicated as it sounds.”

Fred put gap shooting and instinctive shooting as separate forms. Gap shooting uses the gap between the tip of the arrow and the intended target as a means of gauging elevation. I think some folks get in trouble with gap shooting… A lot of traditional shooters start out as gap shooters to get a feel for shot placement. But I hold that the brain figures out the required angle every shot and if you shoot enough it will learn how to process the data presented to get it right! If you continue to focus on the gap, rather than the spot on the target, you can get caught up in adjusting the gap – sort of second-guessing your brain – and end up chasing gaps rather than hitting targets. Again, traditional archery is a mind game as much as a physical game! No matter what technique you use, short of sight pins, what goes on behind the eyes is every bit as important as having drawn the bow to make the shot. The two have to be in sync and at some point you have to quit telling the brain what to do!

Byron Ferguson says “Unfortunately, most shooters stop progressing when they become competent with the gap shooting method…and that’s what trips them up.” And then “Once you have become proficient, immediately begin concentrating more on the mark and less on the gap.” Become the Arrow, page 33.

Some common issues, these can be combined to make things even more interesting, too!

Arrows grouping high – Make sure you are not exceeding full draw past your anchor point, and that you have not lowered your anchor point (like from high cheek to under the jaw). Check that your nock point on the string has not slipped down a bit.

Arrows grouping low – Make sure you are pulling to full draw, also that you are not allowing your arrow to creep forward prior to the shot – opening your hand before release or moving forward from your anchor point. This could also be caused by dropping the bow hand.

Arrows grouping right – Weak arrow spine, change in body position (toe over line to target), over engagement of the string in your draw hand.

Arrow grouping left – Stiff arrow spine, death grip on the bow, pulling your release hand outwards away from the anchor point.
Porpoising – if the arrows are spined right, this could be a nock point to low on the string. Try raising the nock point an 1/8 inch at a time to a higher mark.

Arrows drift to one side on long shots – could be from having the bow hand turned to far inward. Make sure the arm and wrist are straight and in line. Also, more subtle, this can have to do with the thickness/shape of the riser directly above the arrow rest, where we would normally place a bit of leather to keep the arrow from rubbing into the wood of the riser as it slides off the rest during a shot. Depending on your shooting style, you may need to thin or thicken this pad.

When the arrow slaps the bow on the way off during a shot, you may be gripping the bow to tightly and putting torque on the grip, also the brace height could be to low.

Bowstring slaps your arm – could again be low brace height or a wrist that is rotated in to far to the plane of the bow. If you jerk the release you can expect to be slapped for it as well.

One common problem that can cause poor arrow flight is not having equal tension on fingers used to draw with on the release hand. If you don’t keep even pressure, your release will be more of a pluck than a clean release. Plucking the string is bad for arrow flight. Very bad! Even pressure across the fingers, all released at once, is correct.

Anyway, thanks to everyone! I think I am about done here, but please feel free to add anything that comes up! Some great questions being added above, and equally great replies. I am far from being a know-all source of knowledge on traditional shooting, but with all the folks wanting to give it a try I thought it might be worth taking a stab at putting something down. If nothing else, all of this might wet your appitites, so to speak, for reading the more complete works (and way better written!) on the subject by Ferguson and Kidwell that I listed before.

[BT]

These last few tips are great and easy to follow.

[oldgun]

The last few really helped to identify a couple of things I was doing.
Could see the result but didn't know what I was doing that resulted in what I was seeing. Thanks! Great reading.