BobCo19-65

I have had the problem of refocusing in the past and it crept up tonight at the club. I started by shooting out of the platform (about 15 high). Shot pretty good, first shot was right in there on a deer 3-d target setup at 20 yards. I shot maybe 20 arrows at various target from 5-30 yards. Next, I moved to the field archery targets and shot 50 yards,again, about 16-20 arrows - same target (I'd shoot 4 then go get them).Next I moved to a steep slope with a deer 3-d at about 20 yards, and could not focus on it at all. I shot a few arrows pretty badly at first and gradually got them in there after about 10 shots. Last 2 were touching in the sweet spot.

But from moving from the 50 yard to the 20 yard, I really lost something. And this has happened in the past. I don't think I was over fatigued because of the gradual increase of accuracy at the end.

Comments? Advise?Your own experience, etc....

bigcountry

The worst position for me to be in is uphill shots. I don't know why. I have never shot longbows past 30yards, so don't know what its like to go 50. But could definatly see how it would mess with the whole computer moving to extremes.

Arthur P

That's one reason I completely forget instinctive and shoot only gap at distances beyond 30 yards.

BobCo19-65

Actually, I was using gap at 50 yards. Conditioned instinctive at 20.

Also, when I mentioned sloped, I was shooting down as if in a treestand.

FWIW, my point on is at 60 yards with that particular bow.

LBR

One of the hardest things for me to do (and most others I've talked to about this) is maintain focus after a bunch of arrows. The second hardest is to maintain proper form.

My guess is after you had some bad shots, you got aggravated and buckled down--got your focus back, and concentrated on proper form again--hence the improved shooting.

Switching from the long shot on level ground to the shorter downhill shot just added to it--don't know that I could have hit much more than the ground after that!

I don't think what happened to you is uncommon at all--just wish I knew the cure! I've had days where I walked 100 yds from the practice butts where I was stacking arrows to the 3-D range, and wondered who switched out my bow and arrows along the way. That had to be what happened--there was no way my shooting could have gone from that good tothat lousy in such a short time!

Chad

wade7575

Ok I have a question I have never heard of gap shooting.I have olny been in archery for 1 year and havehad little timetoshoot orread Traditional Bowhunter for that matter,I wanted to shoot a lot this year but my Step dad Was sick with Cancer and just past away this month on the 15th.So a lot of my spare time when I was not working was looking after him I would have killed to get more with my Bow but you know what they say familyfirst.I have a Checkmate Falcon 46# recurve.

BobCo19-65

Thanks for your help and advise guys. I've decided to lay off the field range till after the season. I love to watch the arrow fly 50 yards though. It is hard to describe, but after shooting the 50 yard shots and going to the 20 yard downward shot, it felt like I never shot an arrow before.[:@]

wade, here is the basic of gap shooting . It's an aiming system that puts the point of thearrow in directrelation to the target. You are basically looking at the tip of the arrow and target at the same time. There is a midportion that is basically halfway to your point on (the point where the tip is placed right on the a target, with my recurve its about 60 yards)that will be the biggest gap (mine is about 18-20inches below the target at 30 yards). I'd suggest getting Bob wesleys book if you are interested in this system. When I started (as many do), I used the gap system, then moved to secondary vision (the arrow isin your secondary vision), and then to conditioned instinctiveto about 30 yards (through conditioning and repetition of secondary vision, I do not look at the arrow at all).

LBR

Yep--what Bob said on gap shooting. It's basically like shooting a compound with one sight pin, except the point of your arrow is the pin.

Chad