Hello boys! I've got a 62" Assenheimer that's 51lbs at my 28 inch draw in the mail and on the way. I've been bowhunting for 15 or 16 years now, and compounds got tiresome so here I am.

Lately, I've become highly conufused: should I shoot instictive or gap? Split finger or 3 under. Do I cant the bow, or keep it vertical.

Can you guys recommend some books that a fellow should read up on? I don't have much for resources around here. Thanks.

I say shoot gap, 3-under, and slightly cant, and see if that works for you.

Read Byron Ferguson's book, "Become the Arrow".

Doug

try them all,then stick with the one that fits you the best.please yourself not everyone else.  good luck brother.

I had a guy tell me that gap shooting is the quickest way to gain consistent accuracy. Would you agree?

There are a ton of books and videos to help you out.  I would second the Byron Ferguson book.  3 fingers under they say will give you more immediate results. Not to discourage you, but, 51# is a lot of weight to start with. Good luck Joe

Yes, instinctive takes a lot of shooting. It's the way I learned but on retrospect gap would of been easier. You can learn how to gap and then once you have your form down you can switch to a more instinctive method. I like to cant  my long bow but keep my  recurve more vertical. Canting opens up the sight picture. I shoot split but I see people swithching to 3 under and are liking it, I think it makes it easier to get your eye over the arrow. I would suggest a book called " Shooting the Stickbow" by Tony Cameron. And as soon as it's release get " Masters of the Barebow vol III. - You will get a lot of different opinions on what is best, you just have to find one and stick to it and then you can start changing or varying techniques. Once your shooting well, make changes and if you shoot better with them then keep it.-Steve

Joe mentioned you might be overbowed and he might be right. Don't shoot to much, stop when you feel arm starts getting tired, stop if your arm gets sore and rest it for a day. You should( could) also use your bow as a strength trainer, just do some reps with it, maybe pull it back and hold for 5 sec and then let down really slow. Just remember if you do this you have to use good form, don't just muscle the draw, use back tension,keep shoulders in alignment etc.- Steve

Thanks for the advice. I've been strengthening with one of those rubber band type things, can't remember what it's called. I figured 50lbs would be a good compromise between power and shootability. I'll check out Ferguson's book. Another book I was looking at is Shooting the Stickbow by Anthony Camera. How do you guys like that one?

I need to check the mail and see if mine is here yet("shooting the stickbow"). It's sure getting great reviews.

I watched the video by G. Fred Asbell. I think it was "Instinctive Shooting" or something similar. Personally, I didn't really care much for it. G. Fred, I think, is very restrictive in his recommendations in the video. He pretty much is against shooting 3 under. Also, I think his methods require very, very much time to master, especially at shooting anything over 15 to 20 yards. Not meaning to bash G. Fred, but I recommend a new shooter to try another type of instructional video. I realize G. Fred has done more for archery than I can ever imagine doing, but I just think that many new shooters just don't have the time it takes to become efficient enough to hunt game by trying to learn to shoot totally instinctive, and then many newcomers get frustrated and quit. I think Byron's method can get you on the road to hitting your target quicker and, thus, make it more fun to shoot the stickbow. Just my honest opinion, for what it's worth.

Doug

Instinctive is not hard, it just takes practice. So does everything else. I recommend split finger for better control of the arrow on the string, at least until you get used to the feel. Snap nocks are a no-no on stick bows.

QuoteOriginally posted by varden:
I had a guy tell me that gap shooting is the quickest way to gain consistent accuracy. Would you agree?

Yes, varden, I would have to agree.

I agree with that sentiment in many ways Don. Unfortunately, with a toddler taking up alot of what used to be my shooting time, I need to utilize the most efficent technique accuracy-wise. I'm leaning towards gap shooting with three under, but I still want to research things.

Why are snap nocks bad in trad?

QuoteOriginally posted by varden:


Why are snap nocks bad in trad?

I'm wondering the same thing. I guess I'd better take all of my snap-on nocks off if they're bad for trad. Dang, and that's all I've ever used, too.

 

Varden,

As you've probably realized by now, there are proponents for every shooting style known to man, and to make things worse, they're all right - at least for themselves.  Take a look at Masters of the Barebow, Vol 1 and listen to the introduction by Gene and Barry Wensel.  Then find a style from among the myriad styles that exist that feels like it's going to work for you and practice it carefully and systematically until it does.

My only concrete suggestion is to second some of the others and suggest you get a lighter bow to learn on.  The learning process takes a lot longer if you're fighting your bow.

I suggest you read all of the books, articles and watch as many videos as you can. Try different methods and choose the style or combination of styles that work the best for you. Develop consistant form.....anchor, hand placement and in my opinion most importantly, a solid bow arm. Good luck and by the way, the Assneheimer is an extremely fine bow! Mike

The new bow arrived yesterday. Beautiful! I'll take some pics and post them up. As a compound shooter, I always shot 60lbs and I was told to go down 10 for traditional equipment. I've probably drawn the thing over 100 times since assemblying it, and it doesn't seem bad. I get shaky if I hold for more than 7 or 8 seconds.

I really like the looks of Shooting The Stickbow by Anthony Camera. Have you guys learned as much from videos as you have books?

I think starting gap is great.  I think many people start this way.  Once you start achieving accuracy start to focus more on the target and less on the tip.  Your brain is keeping track without you actually focusing on the gap,and you will be building the muscle memory to stay accurate. Unlike compound shooting my limited experience with trad is drawing as the animal approaches the opening or spot you plan to shoot, rather than drawing when the animals vision is blocked by a tree or something and holding until the animal is where you want it to be. I tend to hold for one to 4 seconds until I feel set and focused, then release. I would say you are probably ok weight wise, just take breaks during practice, as much to rest your mind and focus as your arms.

I would buy Rick Welch's shooting videos -- he shoots three under and has some very practical methods for maintaining good form

"Shooting the Stikbow" by Anthony Camera. It is a virtual encyclopedia of archery information. He could have written 3 or 4 books with the information that is in there. It is well worth the $20.

Winterhawk1960