mfeens t1_ixzg5ph wrote on November 27, 2022 at 4:29 PM

Reply to comment by leadchipmunk in TIL that many pro archers use surprise release mechanisms to prevent themselves from anticipating and reacting to the impending impact. by broogernavn

I’m not even a good archer. But the idea is that the bow going off is like an explosion and the human mind hates explosions. Your body will shrug your shoulders and close your eyes to try and prepare you for the shock of if. Those movements will make you miss at any real distance.

Again, I don’t fully understand it, but the aiming is easy. Just close one eye and hold you thumb up to any target. You brain just does it. The hard part is not messing it up once it’s aimed.

Wrobot_rock t1_ixzql5w wrote on November 27, 2022 at 5:41 PM

Don't you have to estimate and compensate for distance, wind, and elevation?

mfeens t1_ixzs83c wrote on November 27, 2022 at 5:53 PM

Hell yeah you do. So, there are lots of ways to shoot a bow and situations where you can shoot a bow. Some times people are hunting a moving target, so that’s like throwing a rock. You look at your target, big brain math happens in your head and you let it rip. That’s different from shooting a controlled shot, at say a tournament or sometimes while hunting.

When you have time to make a great shot, the distance and wind are judged and you adjust your sight if you thought you needed to. After seeing what the first arrow did you could adjust again.

But the main idea is that you think about it, set your sight or what ever, and then your mind goes back to your shot cycle. It’s way more mental than a lot of folks appreciate. Your not just trying to make the same physical movements each time, but try also thinking the same thoughts each time you shoot. Have fun with that last one haha

Devario t1_iy03vkw wrote on November 27, 2022 at 7:09 PM

You also can’t be fidgeting with the arrow when it goes off, because it’ll fuck the ballistic arch. I learned that to avoid being scared or surprised, you very slowly squeeze the trigger of once you’re locked on.

CarrotJuiceLover t1_ixzrrnv wrote on November 27, 2022 at 5:49 PM

It’s more so the fact that your mind is good at noticing patterns. This is why archers that start out don’t have target panic, but it always develops later on down the line. Once you shoot 1000 arrows your mind eventually says “when I see target I must hit button to release arrow”, because you’ve repeated the pattern over and over. It gets to a point where before you can even consciously settle your aim, your subconscious mind sees the target and instantly tells your fingers to press the release button. It’s at this point you have to find a way around your subconscious mind, and that’s why surprise releases are used.