Reddit reviews Become the Arrow (On Target Series)

This isn't going to help you much immediately, but there's no one right answer for longbows. What works for me and what works for you might be completely different, and that's the beauty of the longbow form (it's really more about discovering what works for you and understanding why it works)

I too shoot longbow and it works out best for me when I cant the bow. Mechanically, how much you cant the bow doesn't really affect arrow flight that much (because archer's paradox and the right spine of arrow will correct for pretty much any cant you have on a longbow), but the reason why this works best for me is because the more I cant the bow, the greater my field of view (and target picture) is going to be, which allows me to focus more on the target. Focus is everything with traditional shooting styles.

Some people shoot better with the longbow held almost vertically, some people do best when they hold the bow flat. Part of the reason why I think longbow is the hardest style of archery to learn is because unlike olympic/target/compound shooting, there's no one right form to learn because so much of your longbow form is dependent on your body's make, shape, strength, etc.


That being said, if you're shooting longbow, it really helps to set your anchor so that the arrow is straight in line with the middle of your dominant eye-- this allows you to use your secondary/blurred vision to line up the arrow with your target (all of your focus needs to be on the target). This means you might have to lean forward and hunch over the bow a little


Some helpful books:
http://www.amazon.com/Hunting-Hard-Way-Howard-Hill/dp/1568331460/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1410501267&sr=8-1&keywords=hunting+the+hard+way

http://www.amazon.com/Become-Arrow-On-Target-Series/dp/091330509X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1410501281&sr=8-1&keywords=become+the+arrow


And some videos:
(part 2 of 4-- skipping part 1 because it's mostly a rant about traditional shooting)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98fuYYD5LOM

(part 3) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJKOZ6KfRRs

(part 4) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jJh15ErDII


(also I tend to cant the longbow at slightly more than 45 degrees, unless I'm shooting while crouched (bow's held mostly parallel to the ground) or over an obstacle (bow's held almost straight up))

Oooh oooh ooh, [Byron Ferguson's Become the Arrow] (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Become-Arrow-On-Target-Series/dp/091330509X/ref=pd_sim_b_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0TCA8CRDMQBYP95760YE) is great!

Aswell as the Beginner's Guide to Traditional Archery :)

Everyone here is right. And nope, there's no correct distance to start with. Bryan Ferguson says "If I can see it, I can hit it." He tries to see the smallest part of whatever he's trying to hit. Another way of saying that is that if you try to hit the deer you're going to miss. If you try to hit that dime sized discoloration you can see in the hide, you're going to hit it. Instinctual shooting requires a zen-like focus and years of practice. You either get addicted to that regimen or you don't. I did.

Good luck man, and just keep shooting! Pick up some used books on amazon too. You'll pick up something a little different from each one. Become The Arrow is a great place to start.