Stickbow Target Archery Forums

Thanks, Redbow:
I try to separate factual observation and personal opinion in my remarks and did not do so clearly in this case. I started this particular fellow in archery, and he says he never tried gap or any other calculated method of shooting. I believe that is so.
He is not a tournament shooter and uses field archery with heavy bows like others use a gym or a health club. He is a very sturdy fellow, six feet four or more, and built like a tight end. He would often shoot a 14 target round with the 100 pounder, moving rapidly, and then shoot another with the 80 pounder. He found, naturally enough that he scored higher with the 80 pounder and now mostly uses it. He knows this is a higher than optimum weight for tops scores but he is in it in large part for the physical workout.

He did accompany me to a 2 day event, 3D, and got a bit rattled and did not shoot well. But in practice he scores really well, and I find that interesting enough to share.

Regarding tournament tackle, sure, glad to comment on that. I used to shoot hunting weight arrows and straight end longbows, using the semi-crouch, considerable cant of bow and tilt of head. I used a glove and drew 28 inches. I got pretty good and wanted to get better. I got a FITA recurve and a Cavalier tab, learned the upright style and increased my draw length over a period of two years, to 30 inches, with a dynamic release and my strong hand ending behind my head.
Then I transferred this technique to a 21st Century Edge, Rogue River shafts and small fletching. And man, did that ever mess me up! I could shoot good field scores with the FITA recurve but shot the Edge 30 points lower than I had with my straight end longbows.

I trained hard with the recurve over the winter, came back to the Edge and am finally getting the hang of it. I shot 166 with it for 14 targets at my clubs league tonight (with several mental errors).

Back to to the regular tackle issue: at the California State Field Championships two years ago, someone challenged Larry Yien on the issue of arrow side plates extending more than 1/4" above the arrow. The bows of all longbow competitors were examined and all but one were found to be non-compliant. I made a big stink on the grounds that outlawing all currently manufactured bows would deter archers from competing if they could not bring their regular, mostly hunting weight reflex-deflex bows. The outcome was that old rule was dropped and all the regular standard archers and their tackle are now welcome in California competitions.

That is similar tomy point in my recent remarks hereabouts. Some of us, who take target longbow archery very seriously, have gone to rather specialized tackle and technique. That seems to have become the norm in national and international competition at the top level.
I want to express, for the possible benefit of the ordinary standard shooters who read these pages, that fine results are also possible using less specialized tackle and technique. I have reported on some of the fine shooting I have seen done by standard, non-specialized means-- even home-made selfbows and hunting tackle.

I don't presume to tell national and world champions that they are doing things wrongly. Personally, I am hoping to join them, using methods and tackle similar to thiers. But I do wish to encourage what I call ordinary standard archers to participate in our ancient and wonderful sport.
And I personally shoot best out to 50 yards, by 'bridging the gap' as Larry Yien calls it in his article over on bowsite.com, and trying to let my subconscious do the aiming. Beyond that I gap. I do sometimes stoop to point of aim (even at 40 to 50 yards) when all else fails.