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Guy Layton wrote:Hi All,
Could someone please explain "instinctive" shooting to me...?
Cheers Guy...
Morning Guy, I'm sure many will disagree with my explanation of what "Instinctive" is. In simplest terms , you focus on the target , your subconscious mind takes over the alignment of the Arrow and you complete the Shot.
I believe that constant repitition trains your sub conscious where to position the Arrow for the various distances and positions you find yourself in. I believe on a sub conscious level you are using the Arrow to Gap distance, windage etc. Take your Mathemetical time Table, when I was at School we sat down and paroted the times table until the Answers became automatic / sub conscious.
Actions you take throughout your life such as throwing a stone on the surface of things seem Instictive also. But when you think about it you have been throwing something your whole life - Learning. As a baby perhaps you threw Food on the Floor, in the School yard you used a similar action to throw a spit ball and playing sport you throw a ball. particularly in a ball throwing Sport you learn to lob the ball high in the air in order to hit a distant target.
A common action is to point where you wish to throw the ball, think about this and try throwing at something without pointing at it, very awkward, you need to lern to throw without pointing. Your subconscious through learned reponces from constant repition signals your muscles to put this much effort into the throw, your sub conscious signals to throw it on this or that trajectory. Think about shooting an Arrow, you point at the target, you choose an elevation / trajectory the Arrow will follow and you complete your shot.
Take Shotgun Shooting which incidently is tremendous practice for Barebow Shooting, particularly coming up to a Trad Shoot where Fluid shots at moving targets are required. You Swing your Gun with the target, you are focused on the Target then the planets align, you have sub consciously sqeezed the trigger when your Gun was in the correct alignment for the Shot to break the Clay. That shot just like an Arrow does not travel in a straight line, it Arches through a curving trajectory, the wind affects it's sideways tracking, all the same elements that occur during an Archery Shot. Actions your Brain signaled you to take learned through previous experience. It amazes me how quickly and accurately your Brain can make all those calculations in such a brief period of time .
I believe that what is known as Instictive is a learned behaviour, look what happens when you are faced with a new situation such as a long range shot. Your complete your shot the Arrow falls short, you learn [ many do not
] to point the Bow higher, you might fall a bit short again but previous experience has equiped you to walk that Arrow onto the Mark. If you shoot at this longer Range REPEATEDLY you will commit the movements required to your sub conscious , it will become SECOND NATURE you will apply no conscious thought to it next time you are confronted with a similar shot.
regards Jacko
"To my deep morticication my father once said to me, 'You care for nothing but shooting, dogs and rat catching, and you will be a disgrace to yourself and all your family.' "
- Charles Darwin
about the true nature of what is known as "Instinctive " but there is already Reams on the topic on this Forum 
