The joy of simple archery...

TSP · December 03, 2015, 05:49:00 PM

I was thinking today about why I enjoy shooting my bows so much and it dawned on me that the sheer simplicity of picking a spot, drawing and watching my arrows fly there without need to overthink or break down every nuance of the shot (as a target archer might do) is a HUGE part of the fun of it. Shooting without grinding down all the parts is like running without watching my feet or riding a bike without training wheels, lol. I get to soak in so much more of the essence of using a simple tool to accomplish a simple yet wondrous task, the way it's been done for thousands of years. This isn't a slam at target archers (to each their own), but for me the satisfaction of shooting the simple way is hard to describe...much better than repeatedly pounding bullseyes with a bow sight either real or 'imagined'. Maybe not as accurate, but it suits my needs fine and feeds my appreciation of what a 'simple stick and string' means.

It's a treat every time I pick up one of my bows to fling a few arrows, I hope I get to do it until the day I don't wake up, lol. And, I hope that those just getting into archery give 'simple archery' a try, before moving headlong towards serious target shooting. It's definately worth the try.

Gdpolk · December 03, 2015, 08:08:00 PM

I agree. This is why I choose to shoot traditional bows over the obviously superior technology found in compounds and crossbows. For me its a hobby/passion and I simply enjoy trad more.

ti-guy · December 03, 2015, 08:10:00 PM

maineac · December 04, 2015, 08:51:00 AM

I agree!!

VA Elite · December 04, 2015, 10:26:00 AM

It's simple a tool but it aint nothing easy about using one.

northener · December 04, 2015, 11:24:00 AM

VA Elite you said a mouthful I agree The simple stick and string has many facets to it that simply do not meet the average persons eye.

Stumpkiller · December 04, 2015, 12:02:00 PM

Nothing better than a bow, quiver full of blunts, a tough knife just in case, and obliging stumps.

Compounds fell flat with me because I was destroying aluminum arrows when I went stumping. What good is a bow that does that? Gone.

I'm blessed to have (not by accident) a home with tall cellar ceilings and a long straight-away. I can just get 20 yards. I shoot every day - sometimes just one and sometimes for hours. Before I leave for work it gets me in the right mindset for the day.

Burnsie · December 04, 2015, 01:40:00 PM

Well said.
At this stage of my life, I want simple. Not really interested in standing in front of a target and grinding over every shot, analyzing everything to death.

beaunaro · December 04, 2015, 02:08:00 PM

You nailed it!

After one gets a decent shot routine put together, to where the muscle memory is trained...
that's when it becomes pure fun.

No more thinking and agonizing over every move.

Pure simple fun!

beaunaro · December 04, 2015, 02:08:00 PM

You nailed it!

After one gets a decent shot routine put together, to where the muscle memory is trained...
that's when it becomes pure fun.

No more thinking and agonizing over every move.

Pure simple fun!

sancoon · December 04, 2015, 02:41:00 PM

I agree with TSP. When I get out of my truck and strap on my quiver to go stump shooting I always have this overwhelmingfeeling of pure peace nd relaxation

December 04, 2015, 02:56:00 PM

People make lots of money drawing attention to every nuance. Whether your style is more static or more fluid like Hill style, I think where folks run themselves into trouble is that good form is tighter than what they may think. However, once your own tight form is engrained, visualize and then do it, the only thing left to do is load up a quiver, clear your head and go shoot. I prefer the simplicities of wood arrows. I have been at this long enough that I know what will work for me, no need for any calculator. Making things complicated when they do not need to be, clouds the brain. A cloudy brain gets to be a busy brain, trying to cope. How can that be any fun? When asked about hitting moving targets, Hill said, "I just point and shoot them where they are." All to often, people never get past that point where they are only working on form. The goal should be to get to the point sooner than later where one is only concerned about hitting what they are trying to hit and not so much how and why they are doing it.

T Sunstone · December 04, 2015, 07:17:00 PM

It's not real simple if you have TP.

December 04, 2015, 07:59:00 PM

I have a friend that said that he had the same form of TP as Hill. He would blow up trying to hold the string for three seconds. He would work himself into a mental spasm just planning on trying to hold for three seconds. When we watched a Hill video, he claimed anyone could do that, because it eliminated the need to hold. I asked him to prove it, but we first watched my Schulz video. While I do not know if anyone could do that, but he sure could and he still calls it TP. Since that day, one coyote and three deer have died because of his TP form. He adapted a mental state of 'just do it'.

beaunaro · December 05, 2015, 12:33:00 PM

Pavan,

Great comments...

Thanks for sharing.

TSP · December 05, 2015, 02:19:00 PM

There is more than a little artistry and whimsical delight involved in shooting a bow without applying engineering concepts, an area that gap theory and mechanical devices do not share. There's no argument that deliberate shooting and aiming can be highly accurate, of course it is. But is that really why we were drawn to simple bows and arrows and letting our dreams and boyish imaginations rule us to begin with? Was the wonder and excitement of making and shooting our first bent sticks in the woods behind the house borne from a desire to shoot them like a rifle? For most I think not. We were fascinated by the idea of how even as children we could make a 'real' bow and arrow with our own hands, then shoot and use them in pursuit of dreams that only young adventuresome minds can conjure. We didn't need to analyze or worry about failing, there was only boundless enthusiasm for enjoying the sheer fun and challenge of it all.

So what the heck happened to us?

Don't give in to the grudgeries of growing up. Simple bows, simple arrows, simple form and simple fun. You CAN go back, if you want to.

dbd870 · December 05, 2015, 04:49:00 PM

QuoteOriginally posted by GDPolk:
I agree. This is why I choose to shoot traditional bows over the obviously superior technology found in compounds and crossbows. For me its a hobby/passion and I simply enjoy trad more.

Indeed

David Mitchell · December 05, 2015, 06:29:00 PM

QuoteOriginally posted by T Sunstone:
It's not real simple if you have TP.

Boy did you get that right! :rolleyes: