This is an often discussed issue at the archery shoots I have attended.

Anyone who has been through marksmanship training will tell you that the focus MUST be on the pin and not your target. I'm not going to say you can't focus on your target and shoot decent groups, because one can do that. With practice. I will say that, with practice, focusing on your pin and not your target will aloow you to shoot groups 1/2 again tighter than you were capable of while focusing on the target.

From the Marines, we all learned the "secret" to the one shot one kill philosophy is perfect sight alignment and perfect sight picture. In fact I often say in my head while shooting, Sight Alignment is, when the "clear" front site post is centered half way up and left to right in the blurry rear site aperture. The reason for this is if you have everything perfect at the weapon, whether it is a rifle, pistol or bow .. which mostly have a front site, and a rear aperature of some sort making them all fundamentally the same to shoot, then as long as the site pin is on the target, when you release the trigger the projectile will hit the target.

When you focus on the target, no matter how "centered" you think that pin is, you can't be 100% sure because you are looking at the target. The target should be blurry behind your perfectly clear pin. Now that doesn't mean you can't pick your spot.. as there should be some focusing on the target, then back to your pin, then back to the target, then back to your pin .. but I promise you .. if you are centering that perfectly clear pin in your rear peep site and hold that pin in on your "blurry" target .. you will hit your mark every time!

People who have switched from focusing on the target to focusing on their pin have ALWAYS improved their shooting in our group. In fact when someone hits a "slump", often it is because they cheat, and look at their targets right before they release the arrow.