Stickbow Target Archery Forums

Here's one we can kick around for a bit. What is your opinion/understanding of the difference between POA and gap shooting?n
As it was explained to me many years ago, point of aim happens at the target while gap happens at the bow in your peripheral or secondary vision.

I am a point of aim shooter. On the field course I have a particular point I aim at for each distance (I face walk too).

I believe Howard Hill described gap shooting with his secondary vision aiming system, where you concentrate on the spot to be hit but see the arrow at the appropriate "gap" below your line of sight.

Dave

Dave, I think your understanding of Point of Aim is the same as mine--putting your arrow tip on a specific point in the distance and FOCUSING on the tip/point matchup.

Gap was more accurately described by Byron Ferguson in "Become The Arrow" than Howard Hill. And again, I think your understanding of it is the same as mine.

Here is where my opinion differs from most on the subject Howard Hill's "split vision" or "secondary aiming" method differs from gap in that it is a combination of gap and point of aim. I believe Howard had a SPECIFIC POINT in the distance to put his arrow tip on (like with POA) but he focused on the target and used his peripheral vision (like gap) to put the arrow tip on the POA.

With gap you are seeing a distance between the arrow tip and the target, and never really pay attentinon to what the arrow tip is "on". This makes it slightly more difficult to correct your aiming error on subsequent shots because your are guessing at the size of the gap. When a specific point in the distance is used, you KNOW when you are above or below it on subsequent shots.

If you read Howard's description of how he aimed in "Hunting the Hard Way" with my descripion in mind, you will see that this is what he is describing. His aiming method was also described in the Popular Science article I posted here a while back, and mentions him using a specific tree branch to aim during one of his shots.

I realized too late in life that this was how he did it, and myself am a "gap guesser." I know if I devoted the practice to it, I would be able to quickly see the spot my arrow tip needs to go on before I ever begin to draw.
But I am curious, Dave, how quickly do you acquire your point of aim, since this is your practiced method?

I believe I am a point of aim archer. I concentrate on the point of the arrow and elevate it to a specific reference point, be it under or over the target. This is the way I first watched Ann Hoyt shoot. She even uses a point of aim marker on the ground and triangulates the distance with a measured stick at bowarm's length attached to a string which she holds in her mouth. I'm not that scientific, but I do try and establish specific points on the ground or above the target (e.g. top of the backstop, tree limb, etc) and I place the tip of my arrow on that point without really referencing the target other than for windage. For me gap shooting is only really applicable at certain middle distances where I can get the point of the arrow on the target itself, albiet above the bullseye (stacking as some call it) or below (gapping.)

Todd,n
I had to develop different aiming points for each distance I encounter on the field course. I combine that with different anchors (face walking) so that I keep my arrow point somewhere on or close to the target somewhere.

As an example, with the index finger in the corner of the mouth anchor I hold at 6 o'clock on the 4 ring at 60 yards, 12 o'clock on the 4 ring at 65 yards and the whole arrow above the paper at 70 yards.

This took time to develop and memorize but now it is fairly fast. Since I don't hunt I'm in no hurry anyway.

Dave

Dave,
Have you ever tried focusing on the center, and putting your arrow tip on your points using your peripheral vision?

Todd,n
Yea, when I was trying to come up with an aiming system I went from so called "instinctive" to a kind of gap/sight picture way of doing it. Borrowed a lot from Ferguson's "Become the Arrow" idea and tried to envision the flight of the arrow and put it where it lined up that flight to intersect the target. Frankly it didn't work for (explative deleated) - LOL.

For me it's about focusing on the point where I need to hold the arrow to get it to hit. Probably comes from 30+ years of serious handgun shooting. In field shooting I am trying to hit the "5 Ring" which isn't all that big. Gaping, at least for me, just isn't precise enough. No doubt there are gap shooters out there who can do it but it ain't in my bag of tricks (smiley face goes here).

Dave

I've long since given up on pure POA and GAP - it's just not as much fun for me as split vision/trajectory aiming. YMMV.

Rob,n
The purpose of this thread was not to convince anyone to use one or the other method but rather to find out how people define the two.

I have heard/read countless people describe "gap" shooting as knowing the distance below the target where you put your arrow point. That is "point of aim" to me. Gap is focusing on the spot you want to hit and seeing the "gap" from that line of sight to your arrow in your secondary or peripheral vision.

When I am using my POA system I don't look at the target other than to align windage. I concentrate on my POA, which is usually above or below the intended point of impact.

Dave

Dave,n
I'm curious as to where you read into any of my posting that I'm looking to convince anyone to do anything with regards to any kinda bow aiming?n
How you aim a bow is a personal thing and each archer needs to seek their own aiming solution(s) and comfort level(s), and I know that all too well, as should any serious archer.
With regards to your topic question, you can categorize the mechanics of barebow aiming any way ya like, but it still all comes down to picking an aiming methodology that works best for you. But to answer yer initial question ... POA and GAP are totally different.

Point of aim has long been defined as putting the drawn arrow point on an object somewhere beyond the archer, on the ground and below the mark (typically), or on or above the mark - thus turning the object into a crude bowsight. This is "hard" and "direct" aiming. Many decades later, some lazy archer stuck the POA object on the bow in the form of a taped-on hat pin or wooden matchstick ... geez, look where that's lead to.

Gap aiming has NO hard or direct direct aiming. It's a guesstimate measured form of trajectory aiming, because the air gap twixt the arrow point and mark can never be as finite as POA.