[drifter410]

hey guys. i have a martin firecat pro x an 2009 that i shoot with fingers. it has a nap flipper centerest i shoot it instinctive. the problem i am having is at in order for me to hit the center of the target i have to hold low right. all my arrows go high left. i don't know how to fix this. i shoot split finger and my arrows are carbin force stl hunter 200. i have read that to shoot instinctive you should be able to look at the target and hit were you are looking. mybe i am doing something wrong? by the way i have moved my rest back in to right and still it does not help much. any help you guys can give me i would be very thankful for.

 

[NeilM]

I don't shoot instinctive with a compound, as I am too much of a liability. However, I was shooting with a lady at a comp. last week who does, and her 'point on' is 65 yards, so it is not too much of a surprise you are aiming low at 20 yards.

As for the aiming right, there could be a lot of reasons behind that: Arrow rest / centre shot, torquing the grip, arrow spine, etc.

What is your draw length? And what is the draw weight of the bow?

 

[drifter410]

hey thanks for the info . my draw length is 29 inchs and my bow weight is 50 ibs. it my be me lol. i thank you very much for your help.

 

[whitebuck]

Nobody shoots compounds 'instinctive', they might say they do but everyone has a concious or sub-concious aiming system

My point of aim is 65yds, @ 20 yds my arrow point is nearly on the ground, hence I have 'gaps' to give me sight marks for all distances from 20ft to 80 yds

I aim by sighting down the arrow, the same as you, if you moved to 3 fingers under your point of aim will drop by 15 - 25 yds

 

[mitchell]

Good suggestions above. Here are some thoughts to add to the pot.

Where is your nock set? Generally the nock set has to be above level for a fingers person. Exactly where depends on the draw style (three under, or split), how you grip the bow, and possible even tiller. But generally, guys seem to set the nock anywhere from 1/4" above square all the way up to 5/8". Put a bow square on your serving and rest, and see where you are. Experiment a little and see if it changes. I generally need to be about 3/8".

If your nock set is too low, the arrow can sail upwards.

Hitting left in general can also be a spine match issue. Shooting a bare shaft can help figure it out, but you need someone to help you that understands bare shaft stuff, or it may drive you crazy. Are you seeing any wobble or porpoising in the arrow flight when you step back and shoot? Hitting left for a RH shooter can mean an over spined (too stiff) arrow. I think your arrows are 400 deflection, so they may be fine depending on your head weight and shaft length. If spine is the culprit, you might see some benefit from a heavier point, so you can try a heavier point just to see if that helps.

Are you seeing any excessive feather wear on the inside feather? Or are you shooting vanes?

If you are just getting started good, I would encourage you to at least try three under. Even better, draw three under and drop the ring finger. For me the joints in the fingers line up better with the middle and ring fingers.

Another option is to draw split, and drop or substantially drop the index finger. For some people, depending on your anchor point, a split draw causes you to torque the string.

 

[whitebuck]

i have moved my rest back in to right and still it does not help much.

Wrong way, if your R/H then you should move the rest to the left until a true center gauge shows the tip of the arrow to the left by 1/2 shaft .... approx

The Easton tuning guide shows this clearly

 

[zestycj7]

Wrong way, if your R/H then you should move the rest to the left until a true center gauge shows the tip of the arrow to the left by 1/2 shaft .... approx

The Easton tuning guide shows this clearly

There excepions to that rule. On my shadowcats My arrow shaft is pointing real far to the right of center to get it to shoot center.
Don.

 

[NeilM]

There excepions to that rule. On my shadowcats My arrow shaft is pointing real far to the right of center to get it to shoot center.
Don.

YUP, both of mine too. Must be a SC thing.

 

[drifter410]

thank you all so much for the help.my nock is set at 3/8 above level. i am not seeing any wobble or porpoising that i can tell of. i shoot 4 inch feathers rw. the feathers look ok to me. they are not torn or anything. i will give 3 under a try and see if it helps. by the way were do you anchor with 3 under? again thanks for all your help.

 

[mitchell]

There are a number of ways to anchor three under. Pretty much anywhere you can touch your index finger and repeat is consistently can work.

Some people put the index finger at the corner of their mouth. That seems to position the draw arm so that it is easier to get the elbow of the draw arm all the way behind (emphasis all the way; you should literally feel the elbow rotate around and the back muscles slightly engage) the draw arm. This promotes a good clean loose of the string. The down side, is that for a bare bow guy, the gap is pretty wide and so "gapping" or even subconsciously "gapping" can be more difficult. Some guys do it fine. Others find its easier to be more accurate (bare bow) with a higher anchor.

I anchor with the index finger at the base of my nose. Its similar in feel, but a little higher. I do know others who find this works for them as well. I also set the cock feather (see below) so that it touches a place on my nose to help with head position.

Rich Welch, possibly the best trad guy out there, does not emphasize the finger on the face as an anchor. Rather, he touches the cock feather to the tip of his nose, and also has a second anchor with his thumb touching his ear. YOu can go to utube and search for Rick Welch shooting school and see how he teaches his method. Rick is deadly. Rick is deadly. Apparently his method is teachable to others. In fact, if its practical, you could attend his school. Its a two day deal, and has raving reviews by students.

One more comment about bare bow shooting. Consistency in head position is huge. Your anchor points need to promote a consistent head position so that your sight picture is also consistent. If you lean your head forward on one shot, more erect on the next, and more to the side (canted) on the next, it is very hard to be consistent with the shot. Makes sense when you think about it.

Hope this helps some.

 

[drifter410]

yes sir that helped alot. thanks to all of you for your help. i will give it a try this weekend and see how i do.