STL All Sports

After completing the draw and anchoring the shooting hand to the jaw, the arrow is held momentarily before being released. This is called holding, and is essentially and fundamentally a part of aiming, in that it is during this period of holding that the process of aiming occurs.

The process of aiming is accomplished by sighting over the pile of the arrow and lining it up with the point of aim. The only way to determine the proper point of aim is by practice or by the process of trial and error; it depends~upon the weight of the bow and the distance from the archer to the target. At short distances, 40 yards or under, the point of aim will be below or directly at the target, depending on the exact range, and for long distances, above the target. For short distances, some readily discernible object such as a piece of white crumpled paper may be used, but for the long distances, certain spots in the trees or landscape beyond the target may be selected. For extremely long distances, clouds may be used.

As a rule most beginners close the left eye and sight with the right eye. This may be all right for people who shoot only occasionally and never expect to be expert, but for those who shoot often and especially for long periods at a time, better results are obtained by sighting with both eyes open. This avoids undue eye strain and many people, including expert riflemen as well as archers, believe better scores can be made with this method.

It is advisable for the beginner to start shooting by learning to use the point of aim. This is not particularly difficult and can be learned efficiently in a fairly short time if the archer is conscientious and persistent. It is almost impossible to learn to shoot accurately without using the point of aim and therefore the sooner it is learned the better.