I've been shooting for 3 years now and I tried the G. Fred Asbell method of instinctive shooting and this works great inside of 15yds no matter what point I am shooting. When I get out to 20-25yds my broadheads group directly under my fieldpoints and the farther the distance the bigger the gap. I started thinking that at these longer distances I might be subconsciously looking at the tip of the arrow and since my broadheads are longer than my fieldpoints my aim is thrown off. I am really trying not to look at my arrow but I guess it is happening since the tip and the target are getting close at 25yds.
So my question is: Do split vision shooters run into this problem and have to shoot only their broadheads when they practice? Is there some technique to mentally block out the tip of the arrow near the point on distance?
its called looking at a spot and the arrow just goes where ya look. well thats what i do it works and the word it practice. have fun :archer2:
I have identical situation. I used to be a gap shooter and slowly grew out of it. So I thought???? I now do split vision which was a slow learned transistion. Either way It works. My broadheads are slightly low which for the wired deer I hunt is not a bad thing. They all "jump the string"
Split vision doesn't use the point of the arrow to aim. Gap shooting does. With split vision, you have a general sense of the arrow's orientation to the target. The point, field point or broad head, makes no difference. Your brain just ingrains an orientation that will put the arrow where you're looking based on it's general orientation in your peripheral vision.
I don't run into the problem you're having because i don't consciously gap. I shoot split vision. Probably not being of much help. Sorry.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a281/sf1oak/splitvision_zps2d086f87.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/sf1oak/media/splitvision_zps2d086f87.jpg.html)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a281/sf1oak/splitvision_zps2d086f87.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/sf1oak/media/splitvision_zps2d086f87.jpg.html)
As Hill put it, look at the spot and pick an 'imaginary' spot for the arrow in your side or peripheral vision. If you miss then adjust the 'imaginary' point the amount you missed. The reality is that for many it becomes second nature and they don't think about it, even though they are doing it. With arrows that are difficult to see when shooting, I copied what I seen on a Bob Swineheart photo, paint the first couple of inches. If you can practice shooting with noticing the shaft and not the point, then the broadhead may get less notice. I still like to shoot with the blade vertical. My son says that heads like Deltas can mess with him if they are flat, he says that seeing the blade angles is distracting.
I'd just get some extra broadheads and practice with them. Or start shooting broadheads and field points interchangeably. I really enjoy doing this and it boosts my confidence in the field.
It's one reason I don't shoot high $$ broadheads
I agree that it is very important to practice with broadheads, perhaps more so for myself. I always make my broadhead arrows so the vertical broadhead just tags my finger, a draw check of sorts. The first shots of the year with the broadhead arrow is always a bit of a wake-up to hunting season after target shooting in the summer. However, in a few shots it gets to be comforting reassurance that everything is right and I barely notice it.
Broadheads will be all I shoot from now until hunting season unless at a 3D course somewhere. I have all my arrows already set up with the arrows and BH's I intend to shoot. Week before the season I will sharpen them all up again. I seem to always have one arrow that always goes where I want it to go. It becomes my #1 arrow. I shoot point on these days.
I shoot a multitude of set-ups including arrows from 8.5 gpp to 11 gpp and have my set-ups dialed in to maintain the same split vision light window to match my hunting set-up out to nearly 25 yards. There are several methods and combinational modifications to accomplish this.
joe skipp, great picture and excellent explanation of "split vision" shooting.
Whatever system you use, the extra length of the broadhead doesn't bother most folks. Those that it does often orient the blades vertically in their site picture to be less of a distraction. I think most folks are picking up the ferrule and not the tip in their periphery, which is about where a field point ends. For my hunting set up I tune and select an arrow spine/weight combo that allow me to be basically point on within my normal shooting range. I orient my 2-blades at 11-5:00 o'clok and paint the trailing edge of the one that's vertical (with my slight cant) fluorescent orange. It then becomes just like the front sight of a rifle. Put the edge of the blade just under the spot and pull through!
Based on what you say you should be able to hit reliably out to 25 yards by simply lowering your nock point slightly to compensate for your slightly lower impact point at that range.
So why not just limit your hunting shots to 25 yards?
At this point I am going to limit my shots to 15yds. Unless i can solve my problem at longer distances. I practice with field points and get good accuracy out to 30yds but as soon as I screw on a broadhead I shoot low. My goal is to set my limit to 20yds by the time season starts on October 1.
What TSP said, if your broadhead hits lower than field points and the difference increases with distance, your knock height is slightly high. I shoot split vision and do not have a problem.
My knock height is only 3/16" high. I did go a little lower during my tuning process and I would get a noticeable bounce off the shelf. The tail end of the arrow would kick up during flight and I would get a nocking sound after the release. I really don't think its a knocking point problem. The more I shoot the more I am convinced that it is a concentration problem. I started shooting mostly broadheads during practice with a fieldpoint mixed in randomly and really trying to focus my mind on the target. The problem is improving slowly.
I'm with Joe Skipp on this. Maybe the best and simplest description of split vision I've come across.