Everyone, at some time in their lives, has picked up a stone and thrown it at a target, could be another stone, a tin can, etc. If you care to analyse this action, you will soon discover that it can only be “instinct” which guides your aim. You have no exact idea of the weight of the stone or the distance to the target, or even the aerodynamics of the stone, yet as often as not the average person can hit or get very close to the target.

So, what’s going on?

Well, I believe,(and this is only my opinion), that one learns from experience and that “instinct” is formed from the information gathered (subconsciously) from life's adventures.

So how does this relate to archery?

Well, for me, it means lots of practice and patience and forbearance, it can be a long road to travel… Consistency in your technique is vital, as is the need to keep your kit as unchanged as possible. By that I mean don’t keep chopping and changing various elements of your kit, just because things aren't going too well (unless of course there is an obvious mismatch) Basically, if you are “comfortable” with your equipment, then ignore all the well meant advice and stick with it. In time, you will gain confidence and be in a better position to decide for yourself if you need to change anything.

Right, so how do you go about aiming “instinctively”?

You don’t !!

Look at the target, both eyes open, concentrating on the centre, draw your bow and , most important, settle,…then shoot. The most difficult obstacle I had to overcome was to trust my instinct, I was inclined to fall back on old barebow aiming techniques. To counter this tendency, I now “cant” my bow so that I cannot use it as an aiming reference.

You may hear some archers say that instinctive shooting is impossible, what they mean is, they didn't have the patience to overcome all the obstacles that crop up.

If you decide to try instinctive archery, just remember that, at first, you will spend a great deal of time looking for lost arrows. I have found that placing your bow stand in such a way that a straight line can be drawn from the bow stand, through your shooting position, to the target, is a considerable help when searching for lost arrows. You can easily establish your shooting line when you are down at the butt simply by looking back to your bow stand and lining it up with the boss.

Practice on as many different distances as possible (in the same session). Even if you are not shooting well you are subconsciously gathering information which will eventually bear fruit when you can finally walk up to any target, whatever the range, and hit the centre with your first arrow.

Pin a balloon in the centre of the target to help you focus on the job in hand Lastly, I will always be happy to pass on any information, advice or help that you may need, although I am still learning myself.

Good luck !

By Ralph Porteous

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