[quote]idaho wrote:
[quote]batman730 wrote:
Pardon the thread resurrection gentlemen.
Idaho (or anyone else who cares to weigh in), how conducive is trad archery to self-teaching? For most practical weapons/hth skills I’m a pretty big believer in the idea that most people who are self-taught are often taught by fools. The bad habits ingrained can be more harmful than not training at all.
Part of the appeal with archery, however is the idea that I could practice on my own schedule, with limited ongoing costs. This is probably naive of me, but it sounds good in theory.
Thoughts?[/quote]
Like with any weapons training or Martial Arts, a solid , basic foundation is required for consistency and accuracy. I would suggest acquiring a copy of a book called " Instinctive Shooting" by G.Fred Asbell. He has written 4 books on the subject, but, this was his first, published in the late 80’s.
Archery requires consistency on form, draw, anchor point, and release. His book is a basic primer that covers these steps in a very user friendly way and is inexpensive.
Yes, traditional archery can be practiced almost anywhere you have a backstop for the arrows. I have carried a take-down recurve bow in my backpack throughout the Middle East and South West Asia. I have shot in hangers, garages, landfills, behind T-walls, bomb bunkers, deserts, and river banks. In my house in the states, I have a shooting lane in the basement, plus targets and backstops on my little piece of land.
The greatest benefit from the traditional archery is improving your ability to concentrate, because after the basics are ingrained, your ability to focus will determine how accurate you are. I have heard that golf requires the same level of focus.
My ability to focus on shooting the bow has transferred over to shooting firearms, especially pistols, where focus on the front sight is paramount.
I have actually given training in shooting a traditional bow to some foreign units, just to improve their ability to concentrate on the target.
Yes, you can practice anytime that fits your schedule.
Besides, the flight of an arrow is truly a beautiful thing to see:))
Any way I can help, just let me know.[/quote]
Thanks Idaho. That’s helpful and much appreciated.
By “self-teaching” I did mean with the aid of a few good books and other resources, just in the absence of formal one on one coaching.
It is precisely the focus, simplicity, and self reliance of archery practice that appeal to me. And I agree, it is a beautiful thing.
I remember you commenting on carry over from archery to front sight focus in an earlier thread and that is definitely a plus. I am cross hand/eye dominant (which can be a challenge for rifle shooting but doesn’t bother me much with pistol). Interested to see how that goes with a bow.
Thanks again for the reply. Be safe.
