My last missive dealt with aiming and what part it plays in your shot. Well I left out how to implement your new, more efficient aiming strategy. Assuming you now buy into the statement that the mind is very good at efficiently and quickly aiming, what steps can you take to facilitate it?

I would like you to consider the size of your sight aperture. Most sights come with an aperture with a diameter of about 1/4″, or smaller!! What this means is that it will take you longer to center this on the middle of the target. Think of it this way. If you were to roll a golf ball into a hole the size of a bushel from a few feet away, the mind would very quickly resolve how to aim and you would roll the ball neatly into the hole with little calculation, or effort. What happens when you shrink the hole to the regulation size of 4 1/4″? Well, you get all that plumb bobbing and meticulous aiming, so the golfer can sink the putt……..maybe.

So, if you increase the size of your aiming aperture, you can decrease the time it takes to aim and then execute your shot more efficiently. You can pull in your sight bar to effectively make the aperture closer to your eye and that works! My solution was to create my own sight apertures in larger sizes. I have 3/4″, 1/2″ and 3/8″ apertures. I used a 1/2″ aperture to set a national record. So, you should experiment with what size aperture allows you to acquire your target quickly and shoot accurate, rhythmical shots. I would hazard to guess this is something most archers never do. Get together with your coach and determine what is right for you!

Ok, so size matters. What about using a pin versus an open aperture? This falls under the personal preference category. All though again, the open aperture promotes a faster target acquisition and I prefer its use. Too often I see archers chasing their pin around the target. This slows your shot. One issue I had in my early years of shooting was to peek around the pin at the break of the shot, which of course hurt my accuracy.

Take some time to explore this topic. It will pay off in better shooting.