Archery FAQ: Is there a way to aim in instinctive archery?

To aim without using a sight as example. Of course there is, like gap-shooting and so on. For me aiming is not "instinctive" anymore. When you use any part of your bow or arrow, you already set up your shot in your mind. Check it out.
Please subscribe to my channel! / @arminhirmer
Facebook me! / maltaarchery
Facebook me! / arminhirmer
Email me! [e-mail]

[@hafgrimrthewanderer]

Hi Armin. One way that I explain to my archery students, about how instinctive shooting works, is to use this analogy. I tell them to imagine that there are a few cans lined up in front of them at different ranges and that they have a pile of small throwing rocks next to them on the floor. I then say that in order to hit the cans you throw rocks at them. You pick up the rock, it will be a different size to the last rock and a different distance to the can you are throwing the rock at. But you pick up the rock, look at the target, throw the rock and hit the can. Your brain works out how hard you have to throw the rock and the parabola you throw it at based on subconscious measurements. You don't have any sights attached to your arm, you don't consciously know the distance to the target, but yet you can hit it. This is exactly what happens in archery, but through the mechanism of loosing an arrow from a bow. Most of the time I find students just need to have the confidence in their natural instincts reaffirmed and then they just shoot instinctively. Just do it, don't think about it, the brain already knows how to do it, thinking about it just makes you miss.:)

[@evolutionCEO]

I like to close my eyes, spin around a couple of times and simply use the force. Works every time... I always hit something ;D

[@yibinzhou6225]

Gap shooting still use some sort of reference like the arrow tip. One popular theory about instinctive shooting here in China is based on two technical details: alignment and pointability. If drawn properly, the archer should form a "bow hand - arrow - draw hand - elbow" alignment that's parallel to your eye-target alignment. It's sometimes called "facing the target". The pointability derives from the argument that shooting an arrow should be as natural as pointing your index finger at the object you refer to (aim at). It's even more convenient if you stick out your left index finger, and for another practical reason, touching the arrow tip as a draw length indicator. I've met a few guys who shoot this way and get fairly consistent results in competitions, which of course takes huge amount of practice.

[@ArminHirmer]

Yepp

[@77BuickBoss]

I've shot "instinctively" since childhood and I watch these videos to help me articulate to others what I'm doing. The "throwing a baseball" example I find is a good one. It is a mind and body connection that takes years to develop and continual practice to hone. The purity of it is what makes it so satisfying in my opinion.

[@jj987987987]

9k view and no dislike. High quality informative video.

[@user-ff1nm1mq2y]

I have been using a 60-pound KTB Kaya Korean horse bow. I've been shooting it for months, but have always struggled with missing to the left of the target when I aim. Then I watched this video. Armin's aiming method made everything click. In literally one day, I went from unpredictable shots to tight groupings around the bullseye. At the distance of 40 yards I got four out of six arrows onto the target. Thanks Armin!

[@Sarantis-ox4ds]

I agree with all the above about the instinctive or intuitive shooting. Here is another, personal, point of view, regarding the issue: just like when, as a kid, sometimes I was playing "war" by myself, shooting with an imaginary bow at imaginary opponents and hitting everyone of them (of course!) in an instinctive way, without aiming and never questioning the success of the hit, just like that one has to shoot instinctively his bow, in the same natural way and with the same feeling of self confidence. Maybe this approach is very personal, maybe then not so...

[@ictw7521]

Trust the force, Luke!

[@countbasingstoke]

Great videos and lessons. Good humour also 😊

[@catherined.398]

The technique where you aim with your knuckles is known as the occluded eye and it is used in Occluded Eye Gunsight, or OEG, (but using the gun sights instead of your knuckles) in the firearm world. You don't look at the sights directly, but instead look directly at the target and line up the sight with where you want to shoot while never actually directly looking at the sight itself. The sight overlays that ghosted image of where you want to fire and you fire. It's not as accurate as looking at the sights on you firearm, but it is accurate enough and significantly faster; and it is the preferred technique when a competition requires speed and accuracy simultaneously.

[@ArminHirmer]

thanks

[@janedagger]

I'm with ChrisDSX below... beginner and this answered a folio of questions. Thank you, sir.

[@martindavidsmith8907]

thank you, you are a natural teacher

[@ArminHirmer]

thank you for watching

[@chrisdsx5]

Awesome video! I am new to archery and have bee experimenting with both left and right hand and also all forms of aiming. Instinctive is by far the most fun!

[@yugen]

Oh wow. I've always shot instinctively (it's simply more fun and rewarding for me) but I have noticed that i'm subconsciously using the knuckle to "aim" even though i'm not aware of it. Thanks for this!

[@mrsteel250]

I tend to shoot instinctively but I think I should practice point and aiming if I ever plan to bow hunt. Great video!

[@gizmonomono]

I would recommend to anyone who hasn't read it, The power of your subconscious mind. A great book for everyone. Just to get the impression of how powerful your subconscious is, and how many processes are going on in there.

[@jesusfirstto-the-pointendt4552]

It is refreshing to watch you shoot this bow, because I feel alone loving the horse bow (I have a KTB) but I retain my "Western" instinct in full, including shooting off the left of the riser, "regular" 3 fingers and release, and only about 28" draw. It seems you are shooting this Asiatic-looking bow as I would.

[@jmstrmp56]

I agree that the subconscious sets up your aim the only thing physical I have to recollect is my anchor point on my draw . I focus on the target and pull up and shoot in one motion, no pause and have a better percent hitting the target than physical aiming

[@ArminHirmer]

exactly

[@gizmonomono]

From my experience, when you cant the bow so that the arrow is bellow your eye you can aim extremely fast. As soon as you draw your bow you can align the arrow with the target, without taking your eye off the target. At least for mediterranean draw. Distance on the other hand, is purely instinctive and experience based. But leaving it all to your subconscious is the best way to go. In my opinion

[@SarcastSempervirens]

instinctive shooting is about fun. you try to get better whether you shoot trad instinctive of a compound with sights, but this to me is more fun. it's not magic, it's training your brain-hand coordination to produce the "feel" for the different shots and distances so you simply get the result of the subconscious calculation in the form of a "feeling" if you're too high or too low etc.

[@mikebyford5258]

Armin .. very interesting just comments .. "instinctive" is aiming and only works if you have shot thousands of arrows at various distances ! You are aiming "subconsciously .. It needs massive practice AND will never be as accurate or consistent as OLY recurve fully sighted archery .Gap shooting , string walking face crawl are also aiming methods. All need lots of practise BUT less than so called " instinctive" To say one isn't aiming as many so called instinctive archers claim is simply untrue. The Chinese method is exactly how I aim my OLY recurve without sight pin for Clout shooting at 180m

[@vassa6483]

Thank you for posting and sharing your experience :) Very awesome :)

[@bagyi6010]

Good archery lesson 👍🏹

[@thomasrobson6370]

Use the "Force" Armin :-)

[@bagyi6010]

Good Armin 👍🏹

[@DingleDut]

When I shoot, I aim on insinct. I predict where the arrow will go and 95% of the time I'm pretty accurate to the green.

[@avaljaeukozlovb1784]

This! I've been doing instinctive archery lately, and I found that in my mind, I project where the arrow would go, lock my bow hand to make sure the straight line of the arrow don't deviate, and have a good release. This has allowed me to improve my instinctive shooting accuracy in my practices

[@punkrockviking]

I have tried different aiming techniques and I just don't like any of them. To me, I stare at the target and I shoot. It has always worked for me.

[@VOGTLANDOUTDOORS]

Greetings Armin! I'm wondering what YOUR opinion is about STRING WALKING for precise control over ARROW ELEVATION, hence over DISTANCE? I'm NOT talking in BATTLE, where time ISN'T your friend; but I AM talking about HUNTING when more-often-than-not PRECISION trumps SPEED nearly always... Looking forward to your thoughts! - Mark Vogt - VOGTLAND OUTDOORS

[@ArminHirmer]

For me it has a reason that you never saw it see it on my channel. I am purely instinctive or intuitive or how you wanna call it

[@Leverguns50]

I would rather do instinctive shooting than use and aiming Point

[@R3dBubbleButNerfed]

Olympic archers looks and focus on target too :) Only the sight is blurry, not the target.

[@ArminHirmer]

:)

[@yellowsundarkside1418]

Muttersprache ist Muttersprache.... Muttersprache macht Charakter......

[@harleyme3163]

well, I dont use any sights or gimmicks.. so its really a matter of trial a error... the only thing we can teach is proper form..

[@peterlukac5486]

Hello, I'm novice in archery I'm practicing it just 3 weeks. I want to learn the instinct shooting but I don't know If I'm doing wright way. I'm fixing with my eyes just one point, but not the target, but as in gap shooting different distances different gap = eyes fixing point . But I'm not aiming with point of the arrow like it is described in gap shooting - I really don't see where the arrow is pointed, Im just shooting when I thing it will hit the target, I just rely on that felling. Is it correct? Should I lear to fix my eyes exactly on target and don't thing about gaps and after more practicing it will be better? Or it is just a beginner failure? I'm shooting form 15m and when Im fixing the target the arrows are flying 10 cm above it .

[@ArminHirmer]

Hi you can join me on patreon, then I will teach you.

[@stefanmoors8589]

I shoot instinctive with mediterranean draw and I'm trying to shoot instinctive with thumbrelease. With thumb release I'm hitting the target more to the right. Will practice changes this?

[@ArminHirmer]

Yes it will. It happens always in the beginning when you switch. Short distance, new way of pointing at the target and soon you will have it in your muscle memory :) have fun

[@PaulEBoy-gz1rp]

Hi Armin. This is probably another FAQ, but I was wondering if you can use this method to shoot longer distances, like 50 to 70 meter targets for example. I only ask, because I have been told a few times that the instinctive method works particularly well at short distance. I would be really interested to hear your opinion on this and how you find horse bows to perform at those distances in general. I'm guessing it is achievable to get relatively good results at long distance with enough practice.

[@ArminHirmer]

when i shoot long distance, sometimes I first point straight to my target, then i lift my bow arm until i reach the estimated angle. The rest is simply practice practice practice.

[@jmstrmp56]

For me the estimated angle at long distance is by gut feeling at 70 yards and the poundage I'm using there are no marks to aim at because the arrow point is in the air above the target back stop .In my mind I draw a straight line up vertical threw the center of the target and follow my arrow tip up the imaginary line till it feels positive. True instinct finds it target without markers this is the spiritual side of archery

[@ArminHirmer]

very true

[@Jazzman-bj9fq]

I think 'instinctive shooting' is possible but I would think it would take thousands of repetitions to create that neural connection to your brain for various ranges.

[@ArminHirmer]

perfect practice makes perfect :) and repetition is the key to success in every art

[@Jazzman-bj9fq]

Absolut!!

[@danielrice3053]

What bow are you using in this Video? Looks like all wood horse bow. I will bring my horse and bow together in the next few weeks.

[@ArminHirmer]

Guess a vegh sipahi

[@danielrice3053]

@@ArminHirmer Thanks. Great video. I need a strong bow for horseback.

[@Foreverisoverforever]

Armin I've been practicing thumb release and am having a very difficult time aiming/being accurate do u have any tips?

[@ArminHirmer]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/bYfZmGaof8yJgas

[@MalayArcher]

what about thumb method :) ?

[@ArminHirmer]

I prefer instinctive with thumb release, as there are many ways to look beyond your bow (left or right...) or along your arrow.

[@blanka1376]

so do u know the real secret about archery?

[@ArminHirmer]

no, please tell me

[@blanka1376]

Armin Hirmer shot the way that feels naturall other wise it will take longer to master it

[@ArminHirmer]

nice approach :)

[@blanka1376]

:)

[@blanka1376]

Armin Hirmer r u french btw?

[@catherined.398]

The technique where you aim with your knuckles is known as the occluded eye and it is used in Occluded Eye Gunsight, or OEG, (but using the gun sights instead of your knuckles) in the firearm world. You don't look at the sights directly, but instead look directly at the target and line up the sight with where you want to shoot while never actually directly looking at the sight itself. The sight overlays that ghosted image of where you want to fire and you fire. It's not as accurate as looking at the sights on you firearm, but it is accurate enough and significantly faster; and it is the preferred technique when a competition requires speed and accuracy simultaneously.

[@blanka1376]

why r u talking about guns XD

[@catherined.398]

They are super similar in *many* ways.

[@blanka1376]

Catherine Demsko ok