I had the great pleasure of watching Fred and Steve in "Pure Bowhunting"...while sitting in Fred's den eating pizza, and getting his behind-the-scenes stories about the making of that film. A night to remember, for sure.
I did the same thing in my spot league last night. I made a conscious effort to focus on holding my bow arm on target until arrow hit and kept focus on bullseye also. Jumped my score by 30 points from the week before. I am now back to where I was 2 years ago when I shot regularly. Taking a 2 year break from shooting I am having to basically relearn how to shoot again.
I always thought it a bit absurd Fred Asbell swing arm method became the bible for trad. bowhunting technique. My gosh, try that in a ground blind for example...Logically, coming straight back is the ideal method to minimize movement. I'm not even a big believer in the rotational draw for bowhunting although it isn't as bad as what Fred G. teaches per se.
Howard Hill said there is bowhunting and then there's target archery, but ironically he also did the swing draw. .So why don't we follow what Howard Hill and Fred Asbell recommended? Well,a majority of trad. bowhunters do! The real reason has nothing to do with what's ideal for close range bowhunting. Rather, it's part of their system to get close to the arrow. I suggest this all needs a serious rethink.
Trad. bowhunting is hard and very few guys are consistently successful. It's a close range effort and swinging your arm up or down is only helping your quarry survive...of course there is rebuttal, but it is mainly a rebuttal based on authority vs. logic.
David, I agree with you. In a hunting situation the less movement the better. But in target archery movement isn't bad. I find when I am shooting spots that I set my grip with my bow down low and then raise slightly above the target and draw. This seems to help with my back engagement. I think I do that to keep my shot sequence in order. I don't do that when shooting 3 D or hunting.
I have a friend who knows Steve a bit. He has been a 3 blade guy since the Snuffer originally came out. We both bought them, but I moved to Grizzlies in the 90s. Anyway, not all that long ago he said he was going to go to 2 blades, and he thought they hurt the animal less. Sorta strange criteria for something that when it works is short anyway. Surely getting something that works best is the key?
Then I saw their broadhead video about a month ago. The sequence that starts at 8:30, let's say it winds up quickly... I think I know what turned my friend.
Appreciate the video links. Watched them both. Wow! Excellent, simple, "point on" presentation of shooting basics. Watching and listening to these two guys left me with a refreshed, "nothing to it, all you have to do" feeling; soon to be tested by my next shooting session, I'm sure. But a good excuse to rewatch.
