Each month in 2024, we will be posting a new article in our Fundamentals of Shooting Archery series. These articles are intended to supplement and further explain any instructions given or terminology used by the instructors and assistants.

If you have any questions about these articles or anything to do with archery, ask your instructor. They’ll help you get the answers you want and you might even prompt a future article.

What does it mean to aim?

USAA shooting step #9, tells us “Place the point of the arrow towards the intended target. The focus is equally on the arrow point and the target.” Great, that explains everything! Ok, maybe not. Let’s break it down into some manageable ideas.

Aiming is the moment during the archery shot when we shift our mental focus to a narrow external view, centered on the target.

There are two components to this focus shift:

One is the physical component – stance, body posture, draw, arm position. You as the archer, need to learn all of these so that they become second nature when shooting at any given target, distance, and orientation. At first, they will require some focus and minor adjustments to get just right. After that, they should just happen for you, your mind and your body will do what they need to do when you step up to the shooting line allowing you to shift focus to the target.

The second component is visual – what do you look at? What are you seeing? What is the relationship between the arrow, bow, string, & target in your field of vision? Your instructor will give you pointers on finding a consistent visual cue for the given target range or shooting style.

Both of these components are the same for every person (we all need to learn the same basics) and different for every person (because of height, draw length, & physical capabilities).

Both of these components will also need to be reset with changes in target range (further or closer), target angle (off to the side vs straight on, higher or lower ground), or equipment (different bows or arrows). But they will become consistent again with a bit of thought and practice.

So, how do we learn to aim?

In the beginning, listen to your instructor. They are trained and knowledgeable in archery. At your first class, the instructor will give you the basics on stance, body position, and visual aim. Then they will give you some arrows to shoot. The instructor is watching you for stance and posture as well as results and safety. As the class progresses, you will instinctively make some minor adjustments yourself trying to get closer to the target. Your instructor will also add more instructions, in the form of small adjustments to posture or draw/anchor. They may also make some non-physical suggestions, like relax this is a fun activity, let go of the stress. Always remember that you can ask your instructor to watch you more closely or maybe video your shots & if the class is not too hectic they will.

Your instructor may respond to your questions by mentioning the grouping of your arrows on the target. A large, spread out group is indicative of inconsistencies in the physical components of the draw or the release (see next month). A repeatable, tight grouping indicates that you have achieved a good automatic physical setup for each shot. Using visual cues and minor adjustments, this tight group can be moved to center on your target.
Over time & with repetition, both the physical & visual components become automatic and consistent.

So how does it work?

There are two main schools of thought on aiming in archery with traditional or barebow (no sights, stabilizers, mechanical releases, etc) gear.

Instinctive archery – this is described above. Learn and then practice stance, posture, and draw, making incremental small changes until everything feels right and you are hitting the target where you want to. This will take time and lots of repetition, until your muscle memory and instincts just know what to do and make all the necessary adjustments.

Instinctive archers tend to keep both eyes open, looking towards the target. Other items in the sight picture – the bow, string, and arrow – are visible in your peripherals; but you do not consciously focus on any of them. If one of them is majorly out of position, you’ll notice and make the necessary adjustments to your form.

Instinctive shooting is like throwing a ball or pointing at something. Look at your target, pick a spot on your target, and focus on that spot while you release the arrow. See where the arrow hit in relation to the spot and make small adjustments before you release the next arrow. And repeat until you no longer have to consciously think about it with each arrow.

Gap shooting – here the archer again focuses on the target and also consciously sees the position of the arrow tip in their peripheral vision. The arrow tip position relative to the intended target (the gap) is used as a visual cue to aim with.

And guess what? This will take time and lots of repetition, while you determine what the necessary gap is for a given distance. The gap may be lower, higher, or off to the side of the intended target, depending on the range, target angle, equipment, your form, and your vision (if you have limitations). Yes, we’re back to emphasizing a good, consistent form so that we can actually determine the gap.

Pin or Peep Sights – For some non-traditional archery competitions and styles, sights may be added to the bow. The archer then lines up the sight with the target in order to aim. The Enso Center bows do not have sights attached.

Why do some instructors mention expansion during aiming?

We’ve already transferred any remaining tension to our hold position, preparing to aim, what is expanding? Aiming is not actually a static moment while you focus on the target, your shoulder blades are still rotating together in the back and there your draw elbow is still moving back and rotating to be in line with the bow arm. These motions cause a sense of expansion across the collarbone area. This is a micro-motion, not something most people can see when they’re watching you and not something for you to focus on too strongly. Just know that it is occurring and your instructor may mention it while teaching.

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