Instinctive archery is that magical style of archery in which you don’t consciously aim; you just see your target, draw, release, and watch the arrow strike exactly where you wanted it to. So, how do you do that in real life?
Let’s use an analogy, because …well, why not? When you were a kid, you threw things. Toys, balls, rocks, frisbees. Pretty much anything you felt like throwing. More if you were a boy than if you were a girl, but that’s a flaw in our culture.
You don’t remember this any more, but your first few thousand throws were pathetic. You were two years old, or maybe less. And you weren’t throwing that plastic block “at” anything. You were just throwing to experience the wonderful feel of manipulating an object and seeing it fly through the air at your command. But, without realizing it, you were learning how to throw.
By the time you were five, you were throwing “at” things. Not very well, yet, but with an actual intent to hit a target. As you got older, your aim improved. And eventually you became Tom Brady. Well, you didn’t. But Tom Brady did.
But, let’s talk about you. Did you “aim” when you threw? Well, sort of. You looked at your target, and you threw the stone, and it went somewhere. And you picked up another stone, looked at the target, and threw again. And again. And again. All afternoon. Eventually, you got better. That’s instinctive aiming. You didn’t have a “sight” on your throwing hand. You almost certainly did not have a “range” with distances to the target marked out in feet or yards. Your target was not consistent. You threw stones at what you thought you could throw at without getting yelled at by some spoilsport grownup.
Instinctive archery works the same way. (Though usually without spoilsport grownups.) You shoot thousands of shots, and you slowly get better. It’s both harder and easier than learning to throw was. Harder because you are no longer a child who’s willing to invest thousands of hours into throwing stuff, simply because throwing stuff is fun. Easier because bows inherently come with more “tools” that make “aiming” easier. So you can detect patterns that will improve your shooting.
For example, how did you know how far to take your hand back when you threw? Until it felt right, probably. But with your bow, you can–and should!–have a consistent “anchor point” for your string hand. For example, I draw until the middle finger of my right hand touches the right corner of my lips. By itself, that’s not enough, but it’s one part of making my practice more consistent.
(to be continued)
Backyard Archery 