Bow Walker
04-24-2007, 09:52 PM
...Drawing and Aiming the bow...
This is primarily directed at 3D and Target archers, but it does affect us all. It may seem like a "no-brainer" but this part of your shooting form is as important as any other. The goal is to establish, and use, a totally repeatable and comfortable shot sequence.
Drawing the bow (mainly compounds) can be done easily and with minimal effort if done correctly. Use the largest, most stable muscles that you have for this part of the shot sequence - namely your back muscles.
Draw the bow using an across the body, push-pull type of motion. Bend slightly at the waist and point the bow/arrow toward the ground while you start the draw cycle, this is for obvious safety reasons and is a good habit to develop. If you use a release aid, keep your trigger finger behind the trigger thus blocking any accidental release during the draw cycle.
Don't laugh. I was at a 3D shoot where a woman was struck by an arrow from an accidental release. Fortunately she was only scratched as the arrow was nearly spent when it hit her. So – don’t "sky" the bow while you draw in preparation for the shot. Nobody intends for these types of accidents to happen but, as they say, "Guano happens - and it usually flows downhill."
Maintain a smooth, even draw and slowly straighten your body so that when you reach the end of the draw cycle and you come to anchor you are facing the target.
There are several places that you can anchor for the release. If using a release aid, find a solid, bone on bone, contact point for your index finger knuckle, where it joins the palm. This may be the corner of the jawbone, or the hollow just under the ear, or even anchor the knuckle in the ear hole itself. Consistency and repeatability are the things we are looking for here.
If you shoot with fingers, you should be concerned about finding a solid anchor point as well. This can be the index finger tip at the corner of your mouth, or the bent index finger curled just under the middle of your chin with the bowstring splitting the chin and touching the tip of the nose, or any solid, easily repeatable anchor that is comfortable.
Choose (and use) an anchor point that (for compound shooters) does not make you lean or tilt your head into the string just to see the sight and/or pins through the peep, as this will cause strain on your neck and shoulder muscles, which will lead to soreness and stiffening, making shooting your bow an unpleasant exercise. Coupled with that is the fact that your accuracy and consistency will suffer greatly.
Now is where the individual preference of the shooter comes into play. Some like to hold their point of aim a few inches above the target and float down into the X, while others like to come up from the bottom, or the side. Whichever way you aim, it is almost impossible to hold perfectly steady on the “spot” until you are ready to shoot. Most experts agree that if you allow the pin to float slightly in and around the spot, and not try to force yourself to hold on the tiny “x” in the middle, it will lead to a more accurate result.
The actual shot or release of the arrow should happen as an unconscious act, just when your subconscious recognizes that the pin or aiming point is in its optimal position. This sounds a bit mysterious, but it works, and has been proven to work by better archers than myself.
This is primarily directed at 3D and Target archers, but it does affect us all. It may seem like a "no-brainer" but this part of your shooting form is as important as any other. The goal is to establish, and use, a totally repeatable and comfortable shot sequence.
Drawing the bow (mainly compounds) can be done easily and with minimal effort if done correctly. Use the largest, most stable muscles that you have for this part of the shot sequence - namely your back muscles.
Draw the bow using an across the body, push-pull type of motion. Bend slightly at the waist and point the bow/arrow toward the ground while you start the draw cycle, this is for obvious safety reasons and is a good habit to develop. If you use a release aid, keep your trigger finger behind the trigger thus blocking any accidental release during the draw cycle.
Don't laugh. I was at a 3D shoot where a woman was struck by an arrow from an accidental release. Fortunately she was only scratched as the arrow was nearly spent when it hit her. So – don’t "sky" the bow while you draw in preparation for the shot. Nobody intends for these types of accidents to happen but, as they say, "Guano happens - and it usually flows downhill."
Maintain a smooth, even draw and slowly straighten your body so that when you reach the end of the draw cycle and you come to anchor you are facing the target.
There are several places that you can anchor for the release. If using a release aid, find a solid, bone on bone, contact point for your index finger knuckle, where it joins the palm. This may be the corner of the jawbone, or the hollow just under the ear, or even anchor the knuckle in the ear hole itself. Consistency and repeatability are the things we are looking for here.
If you shoot with fingers, you should be concerned about finding a solid anchor point as well. This can be the index finger tip at the corner of your mouth, or the bent index finger curled just under the middle of your chin with the bowstring splitting the chin and touching the tip of the nose, or any solid, easily repeatable anchor that is comfortable.
Choose (and use) an anchor point that (for compound shooters) does not make you lean or tilt your head into the string just to see the sight and/or pins through the peep, as this will cause strain on your neck and shoulder muscles, which will lead to soreness and stiffening, making shooting your bow an unpleasant exercise. Coupled with that is the fact that your accuracy and consistency will suffer greatly.
Now is where the individual preference of the shooter comes into play. Some like to hold their point of aim a few inches above the target and float down into the X, while others like to come up from the bottom, or the side. Whichever way you aim, it is almost impossible to hold perfectly steady on the “spot” until you are ready to shoot. Most experts agree that if you allow the pin to float slightly in and around the spot, and not try to force yourself to hold on the tiny “x” in the middle, it will lead to a more accurate result.
The actual shot or release of the arrow should happen as an unconscious act, just when your subconscious recognizes that the pin or aiming point is in its optimal position. This sounds a bit mysterious, but it works, and has been proven to work by better archers than myself.