shooting high

[jamie]

i seem to have a habit of shooting approx 100mm high on targets 10mtrs or closer. i shoot ok groups at these distances (5 arrows in a tennis ball ) but can't seem to get them in the bullseye. i shoot instinctive ,any body got any ideas on how to approach a cure

[hue]

with all due respect Jamie
and i'm not taking the mickey here!
aim lower!!!!!!!!!

Hue

[pdccr]

Could be your nocking point...or could just be a last minute change of aim. No idea We really need a movie of your technique to get any sort of idea.

[Trad Bound]

Good one Hue.
I knew there was a good reason for your university studies.
Thats why he won Lets make a deal. Boy that holiday has made you sharp.
Get back to you holday and your partner.

[Stickbow Hunter]

Perhaps as your target gets closer you are perhaps not full drawing your bow which can actually make you shoot high.

Jeff

[hue]

sound psychological to me!
could be something in Jamie's mind that's doing this!
and Tony, you are soooooooo jealous, freezing your butt off in melbourne, while i'm in danger of getting sunburnt!
that is, if i could be bothered getting out of the pool to get a drink, perhaps i should have it floated out to me!
decisions, decisions!!!

Hue

[jamie]

my therapist says i'm psychological, sorry that's pathological but it doesn't affect my archery in any way

[longbow steve]

Provided your form is ok Jamie(which I think it is but I will take note next time) It could be that you need to make your equipment suit your instinctive shooting? ie up your arrow mass until your equipment matches your shooting. A secondary benefit of increased arrow weight is that it will absorb release flaws.
I am aware that your Rose Oak recurve is running hot with 9 gr/lb, try 10 gr/lb
Ps I have on of your arrows, I found it behind the targets . Steve

[longbowinfected]

Jamie, what Steve said but also, how often do you practice at the very short distances? most people do not and get sloppy.
Try seeing if you are better kneeling on one knee......it changes the eye's perspective and if that works better, and it should, perhaps you just need more practice.
The other thing, perhaps you re lifting your head too early to check out the result.....keep focussing until the arrow has hit and maintain your pose...the brain is probably relaxing your form because you knew it was easy, when it did not work out you panic a bit.

Just a thought or two from an ordinary archer to a better one.

Kevin

[White Hawk]

I'm with you on this one Kev, from my own experiences and watching others shoot at close range most seem to shoot high if not well practiced at close range. I have seen it on field courses with bugs eyes targts at 5,10,15m, seen it on 3D courses with small close targets like rabbits or foxes. I did it myself for a time, and for a while (when I was shooting my horsebow) did exactly what Kev suggested and knelt for close shots (especially low ones). Don't kneel now because I am shooting longbow but it helped back then. If you have a trad recurve it is doeable.

At indoor if I shoot high it is usually because my drawing arm elbow is cocked high and this causes uneven finger pressure on the string usually resulting in high arrows. That is at any distance not nessecarily close. I can only comment from my own trials and errors so hopefully this might work for you too.

good luck with it Jamie.

Gav

[kerrille]

as with rifle sights you aim low for short and higher for longer distances find where your point blank range is with your bow then you aim higher for longer shots and lower for closer shots. my point blank with my 53# longbow is 25mtrs at 5mtrs i aim about 3 inches low at 50mtrs im aiming 7 feet high and haveing lots of fun inbetween

nev

[jamie]

i'll drop some weight tubes in and see how it goes. i practice at 10mtrs in my back yard on a regular basis so i don't think it is not enough practice at short ranges,

[Antonio]

This is interesting to me and I have been having the same problem in sorts of ways but the same problem .What happens to me is I walk up to the range and start at 50 yards .
I use a 80lbs long bow put the point on the gold and shoot .
Gap shooting with the point on the target anchoring on the side of my mouth .
The arrows lands around the gold .

I start getting closer at 40 yards and I have to start aiming down .Same with 30 and when I get to 20 it all falls apart .

Until the 20 range I use the arrow like a rifle barrel aiming with the tip of my arrow and the whole arrow aliment .

Now at 20 it all falls apart .

You see I like the feel of certainty of gap shooting because to me it feels like rifle shooting .

So when I get to 20 I scratch my head and decide I will try instinctive shooting and even thou I do this often it always feels like I am trying it the first time .

When I start to instinctive shoot at 20 yards and under my arrows start to group
they have that danger of hitting each other .

Instinctive works for me .I don't know why it works .
It has an element of (X) Factor which means .There is some thing about instinctive that I don't understand .

Ron LaClair an instinctive shooter says there is some thing he can't tell people about his instinctive shooting .Because he says there is an element he does not understand .

I am not a Ron LaClair disciple .Because if it was up to me I would prefer to know the certainty of gap shooting all the way up closer than 20 yards but for me it just simply is not practical .What works for me from 20 yards and closer is instinctive .

I don't mind writing this as if I am missing something about instinctive shooting .
Because if some one could explain instinctive shooting to me it would be great .
It would be great to have the formula of why it works.

It astounds me that all I have to do is not think and my instinctive shooting gets better .
I start thinking and it falls apart .

If I go blank in my mind in instinctive shooting I shoot better .I get results ,I don't understand why I am getting the results but its practical because it works .

Sorry for the long rant .But it is important for me to mention that it works.

[ichiban]

probably have some ancent archer blood in ya antonio

[looseplucker]

I shoot instinctive in the sense of how I learned to shoot skeet, simulated field etc with a shottie. I was told by my coach "your first look is your best look - shoot with it" - which certainly ties in with the principle of emptying your mind. So I look at the target, draw the bow and bring the arrow up, breathing in the cycle and let it fly. Works most of the time.

[Stickbow Hunter]

Yep, instinctive for me as well. It's hand eye coordination and I agree, the first look is what counts. If I try and even take a peek at the tip of my arra or adjust anything I might as well not shoot as I won't hit what I was aiming at.

Jeff