Aiming the arrow

[Wysteria]

Apologies if this has been covered - I did a search and read several threads but didn't see this covered.

When aiming the arrow, what do you use to sight the arrow? I thought I had read Kyrian saying you sight down your knuckles, but when I practiced last night I wasn't very accurate doing that.

Can I get some newbie advice on sighting and aiming the arrow?

Thanks!

Wysteria

[Phrix]

It actually depends partly on where u draw to... some people draw to there ear or some there cheek me personally I draw to my cheek so I aim straight down the shaft of the arrow

I have short arms so I have never been able to pull to my ear so I have no clue if its done the same there or not

the only difference with belegarth arrows is you have to kinda look THROUGH your arrow head at your target.. but again thats just what I do ... everyone is different

[Kyrian]

Apologies if this has been covered - I did a search and read several threads but didn't see this covered.

When aiming the arrow, what do you use to sight the arrow? I thought I had read Kyrian saying you sight down your knuckles, but when I practiced last night I wasn't very accurate doing that.

Can I get some newbie advice on sighting and aiming the arrow?

Thanks!

Wysteria

I normally use the left edge of the arrowhead to sight as well as using the natural pointing of my arms to aim. However, I might do it differently than other people because I'm actually using my left eye to sight instead of my right--my right eye is 20/200 without correction--even though I shoot right-handed. My suggestion is that you figure out what aiming point/line works for you, be it knuckles, edge of arrow, thumb of the hand holding the arrow, etc., and practice using it ALL the time. Don't waver and change aiming points from shot to shot. If you start seeing yourself drifting, stop for a moment and mentally force yourself to use the same spot. Eventually, like pretty much everything else in fighting, you will eventually develop the muscle memory to do this without a lot of conscious thought. But you have to be rock-solid consistent throughout the time it takes to train your body to do this.

[bo1]

i find that i am better served by just looking at what i am shooting and then releasing. with practice you will be surprised how easy it is to hit the target. our arrows are very inaccurate, instinct has more of a roll than aiming. we are not hitting bullseyes, we are hitting poeple at ranges of about 20 yards or less.

kyrian did so extensive testing on accuracy, we used a shield 28" dia. at 100 feet we were able to hit it 4 of 10 times if i remember correctly. but i doubt i would be able to make someone stay still longenough for that to matter.

[Wysteria]

Alright, thanks for the tips guys!

[Soo Ma Tai]

I tend to do like Bo said and just look at my target and fire. It's very instinctual. I would suggest practicing your draw and fire. I generally walk with my bow down, arrow aimed toward the ground. When I shoot I draw the bow as I bring it up and release when I am aimed at the target in one smooth motion. Set up a target and just practice drawing and firing at it. Don't take time to aim, just draw up to the target and fire. You'll get a feel for when to release for best effect.

[Isk]

What Bo and Soo said.

I generally walk with my bow down, arrow aimed toward the ground. When I shoot I draw the bow as I bring it up and release when I am aimed at the target in one smooth motion.

This is a great technique for what we do.

What we do on the field is instinctive, period. You very rarely have time for carefully aimed shots and they normally move before your slow arrow can get there. To practice for this game, shoot from kneeling, shoot while walking or running and try to practice with moving or swinging targets. Make your arrows as identical as possible and try to keep your draw and release consistent. There are some great books on instinctive archery and archery games for developing your reflex shooting you might look into as well.

[Plithut]

When I am arching, and want to "aim" at a target I keep my left pointer-finger on the shaft of the arrow. I literally point at my target, and release the arrow. As its been said, this game is more about instinct than accuracy. My suggestion, fire arrows over and over again. The repetition will build the knowledge you need.