I studied under Bob Wesley. He was Howard Hill's friend and student. While at Bob's house I had the privilege to handle some of Howard Hill's arrows. Howard was a big guy at 6' 2" tall and 200 lb. of muscle but I was astounded to see his arrows ranged from 26" target arrows to 28" arrows with broad heads. To achieve this shorter draw he dropped his shoulder and bent his bow arm.The shorter draw and face on posture was part of the Howard Hill style. Bob Wesley still shoots that way today and so do I. I also teach this style with Bob's blessing.Nice video.

If only more folk could see this Grey. But stll they pay good money for Yoga and Pilates. Fools say/think a Bow and arrow is a dangerous weapon. Could go on, but, we know. Thats It. Brilliant mate.

Good talk. I never realized how unsettling it feels to have someone draw and aim an arrow right at my face... until now.

100% agree, it's that simple! Even the importance of "back tension" is a myth in my opinion. Shoot Straight!

" Become the arrow " of Byron Fergusson .He Comment a book from Howard Hill and Howard say this word " I seen and meet hundreds of instinktive archers and no one is a good archer" This is the word of Howord Hill and his system was "split vision" same kind of gapsystem as Byron Ferguson use .All this things can you read of in Byrons and Howards books . :)

a year later from my last comment.... I am amazed how the truth you speak resonates over and over. I spent the last year trying not to be instinctive as there was some scientific magic to make the switch away from instinctive. As a hunter... it sucked. I am back to instinctive; not worrying about my draw length, not worrying about 'back tensioin', not worrying about the fact that I kant alot, not worrying about holding my anchor.... etc etc Now I am back to enjoying the bow, and enjoying the deer meat. To hell with indoor paper targets.

I am pleased this video is back up! I am just getting into archery since a short course in high school. I am 50 now. I admire Howard Hill's skill and style. This video improved my shooting instantly! I sense some of the negative reviewers of this video are trying to "over think" the principles you give and have tried to make it 'technical' or about a specific 'technique'. A good friend of mine who is older than I, and has archery hunted and competed his entire life, has been changed by this information as well. His accuracy improved instantly as well and he seemed to shoot with a more 'natural' expression and less as if he was a slave to 'rigid' form. I can't thank you enough for having the courage to, "say it as you see it" in this video. My friend and I make up the extreme of beginner and seasoned archer. To effect both equally speaks to the accuracy of the principles you have shared. Please leave this video up. Many of us 'little archers' are thankful and 'get it!' -A friend in archery.

You are 100% right. You have been right all this time. Thank you for what you have done for the instinctive archery community.

You’re exactly right. When you’re having fun shooting. You’re always best when you’re doing it natural. Athletic stance eyes forward draw release. Bam target hit

Greyarcher, ,I've been following your archery lessons for about eight months I'm pleased to tell you that the solution has worked well for me. I've been able to call the shot hit the spot at 15 yards 2 inch targets including dandylions of the out in the field. Anyone wanting to improve their accuracy and consistency should check out your archer lessons. Thanks again Gray.;-)

Respect from Australia! I am transitioning from compound training to take town long bow ,have been looking to the masters for guidance for instinctive archery ,and this film was it ,great guidance by someone who knows what works, through experience, and is happy to guide the way in Knowledge Applied . Love your passion and presentation skills! :)

This is wild I never considered opening up my stance more to face the target. I am going straight home and trying it out. I have been in a wicked slump with my shooting for years now, and that is how i first descovered this channel and I love the way Grey breaks it down.

Hello from the USA... This is a great video and should clear things up for those who see it and use your advice... As you said... Short drawing is something a child will do in order to hit the target... I was short drawing and using "the solution" and was dang good at it when I was 6 years old... Then as time went by I was told that I was doing it all wrong... And I began a career of not so good and difficult archery... But in the past 15 years or so I've returned to short drawing and using "the solution", as you say, because it is easier, fast and accurate... One thing I have found is that it is important to have a bow that shoots exactly where you point your arrow... And regardless of your style you need to know what distance your dead zero is located... Any distance under your dead zero means your arrow point must be somewhere below your target and anywhere beyond your dead zero distance your arrow point must be above your target... And as you said... You need to have both eyes open in order to see your target at all times especially when your arrow is held above your target... As you said... You should always keep your eyes on your target and have the arrow in your vision but not focusing on it... That's all for now... I won't go into the way I grasp my string and arrow and how I release... If I were to explain or show it, there would be someone saying that's not so special... But I have yet to see anyone on KZfaq or anywhere else using the method that I use to release an arrow... And it is the only method that works well for me... It would probably work well for others also!

I get bad buck fever when hunting so sighting techniques give me more certainty and confidence

I have been searching, but have never found the information I needed till you discussed the solution, as always thanks for all of your hard work and help.

I have allways thinked that, fron day 2 i watched your films, this Howard style is what you ment. Now is that you have outsmartend yourself sometimes.🤔😉

I'm short drawing at least 3 inches after an injury to my elbow. I'm shooting straighter than ever. I used to be a tactical shooter with handguns and rifles. I use the same pyramid stance ... Face the target head on. Eyes on eyes. Improved 100%

Grey youve done more for my archery than anyone else, youve taught my brain and muscles to shoot consistently focusing on the target not just with the bow but also now with slingshot, There is so much information it confused the hell out of me but you made it simple. Thank you for all your videos over the years

Thanks for sharing this , I started doing this about 2-3 weeks ago and have noticed an improvement in my groups , I was amazed , It does work ! Thanks again love your videos

Great News! I have been doing this at times, short draw and face on target, but I always been thinking that this was the wrong way to shoot, even if I shoot much better when doing this. because all videos, and instructors teaches the olympic way to draw, but thanks to your video, I know now that I been doing the correct way instead of wrong way as I have been learned since past five years, I will go out and do the right way tomorrow, be sure, and thanks for this very good video, that was passed to me by my mentor. I only have been shooting Longbows, even tried a to be a left shooter, but all comes back to to a right shooter even if my left eye is the dominant eye. Great `! and so many thanks to this video, that really shows how to shoot. Howard Hill was the best!!!

amazing! I was short draw and facing the target for a long time, last months I've been trying the Olympic style and failed miserable. your words are absolutely true and you did an amazing job explaining why it works thank you!

The longer I anchor the worse I am.

One problem with this form is it’s a little hard to do from a muscular skeletal point of view. The reason the Olympic archers have the form they do is because it helps them to “lock in”. With Howard hills style, he was putting more strain on his back muscles if he held for any length of time. That all being said, I agree with you. First off, Howard didn’t hold very long. Second, when Howard wasn’t shooting his bow, he was inside drawing his bow. Big key I think is that Howard kept him self in shape so he didn’t need to rely on his skeleton, his muscles could handle it. Great video, completely agree with you.

Very funny cause I started out shooting with a 30" draw, went down to 29" draw because 30" felt too uncomfortable, now I'm down to 28" with a slightly bent left elbow and have been shooting my best ever. I also don't get any more shoulder pain when shooting either as I think locking out can be a bad thing for the joints where as "short drawing" as you put it puts the weight of the muscles more so on the muscles themselves vs locking out with a long draw which put's a lot of strain on the joints. When you bend the left arm specifically you are able to pull through the release better and get a cleaner more natural release as well. I agree with others that I think back tension is non sense and a non issue for stick bow shooters. If you shoot enough with a bow that is at least 30lb's or so at your draw length you will naturally use your back and shoulder muscles very quickly naturally. If anything you want to keep your back and everything else relaxed and as loose as possible. any tension = poor shooting.

I found this out on my own. I'm 6'7 and have a 32+ draw length so when I shortened it and face the target I had better success. It's not the proper way but I'm not target shooting I practice for hunting instinctively.

Lowering the elbow is interesting. I might try that. Thanks Master Grey. Been trying to adopt the Howard hill style. But information about it is so dispersed on the internet. Looking forward to more vids.

I’ve found myself falling into that ‘facing forward’ draw but correct myself cause it’s not ‘correct’, but I’ll just let it happen now👍

Thanks Grey. My stance is usually open 45 degrees to the target. I have noticed that when I short draw I am more accurate when rapid shooting. This works well using the thumb draw.

WOW! how timely this video is for me. I hear back tension all the time but I have not been able to "get into my back" unless I overdraw. man is it uncomfortable and my accuracy is terrible. I feel to like I am pulling past my normal draw length which is short at 26 1/2 just to achieve back tension I have to pull to 27 to 28. I have been shooting everyday for the last 2 weeks and I have been short drawing 26 inches and facing the target more and its been wonderful. the whole time it felt comfortable to my body but the teachings I have heard says I am doing it wrong by short drawing. this is confirmation to me to shoot what is comfortable to me. the only downfall is I tend to shoot lower at longer distances I guess because I have been overdrawing getting that extra power. thanks again Grey

Greyarcher I too use a style very similar to what you describe as the "solution". Howard Hill has always been a hero of mine and I studied all the old films of him shooting. Turning the upper body to "face on" the target is a key IMO. I don't even call it "short " drawing. I think turning the upper body and facing forward at the target dictates the draw length and naturally shortens it. I need to hold at anchor before release as opposed to Howard who was more of a snap shooter, but this is just what works best for me. Another key for me is pushing the bow hand forward which helps get you in the proper alignment IMO. I see people who over exaggerate the digging in of the anchor and pushing the draw arm elbow back in an attempt to get into alignment and force back tension. I have been shooting for 30 plus years and its a life long journey for us all but I think the "solution" as you call it makes things much simpler for people new to archery if they start with this style right from the start, and when I teach people new to the sport this is how I instruct them .

Very interesting subject and it makes sense to use your best tools to your advantage which is both your eyes and the super computer between your ears. I watched an old video on the last native american indian and he shot with his release in front of his face under his dominant eye, and his bow was his way of feeding himself so he had a very important reason to use a technique that works.Also shooting this way I guess allows you to shoot lower to the ground for example from a crouching or kneeling position from a hunting perspective.

I tried and got quite interesting results. Very good grouping from 8 meters. But i really need to continue practising this new form of shooting to make it "my way" of shooting.

I tried that this afternoon.. It was amazing.. Thanks. 😁😘

OK I am going to go out right now and give it a try!

Absolutely correct. Thank you sir.

Thank you Mr. Grey

I tried all the correct methods and lost a lot of arrows in the grass, so when I started shooting the way that felt right to me. Just look, shoot, don't think about it too much, I could hit the spot every time.

Totally agree.

I like very much this video and I agree, having a crystal clear view of the target is very important to get accuracy, but is there one "The solution", I don't know. I only stump and I start every session with three warmup "exercice" : 1) I shoot arrows downhill, I don't know why, but this wake up in me a very natural fulldraw position. 2) I aim on a stump and at fulldraw, I rotate to another target, and still at fulldraw, I aim and shoot. This wake up in me a very stable and relax fulldraw position. I do these two exercise until I feel comfortable and accuracy increase. After that, the third exercise is to shoot an arrow, I walk back a little, I shoot another one, etc... until 20, 25 yards. And I do it in both direction, 10 step backward, 5 frontward, etc... I do it until I obtain satisfying results and after that I go stumping for 1, 2 or 3 hours (most of the time I go for 1 hour and I come back after 3 hours without seeing the clock running). As you can understand, I completely stopped thinking on shooting sequence, stance, bow grip, string grip, back muscle, anchor, release, target panic, etc... The only thing that is still difficult for me is the bow hand, arm and shoulder. To improve this in order to get a stable, strong and relaxed bow arm, I shoot without armguard. Yes it hurt but less and less and the accuracy increase more and more. I don't like short draw because with short draw my bow arm is not stable and strong, I don't know why, perhaps you have an answer. Am I a snapshooter, I don't think so because I aim when I'm at full draw. But I agree, snapshooting procures a very special feeling and a lot of pleasure. Do I shoot instinctively, probably not because I aim the target with the arrow but I'm not a gap shooter too because I cannot say how much inch I have to shoot up or down based on the target distance. Perhaps I'm an instinctif gap shooter, I don't know if this exist ;-) That's my experience and that's how I obtain the maximum of pleasure which is for me the most important thing when I go stumping.

Man I love archery

How do I get to the video of Howard Hill shooting, or the DVD of either one and also Howard hills African safari I would love to be able to get both in a DVD

To me, it looks like Howard Hill also noticeably bent his bow arm elbow. Try it. Works better than keeping the bow arm straight.

Just thougt one thing. Because i have shortened my draw, i need to braceheight-tune the bow again to get max performance from the bow. And after that tune the arrows for that braceheight.

Grey I've been shooting for about a year now this video has spoken to me. I wanted to reach out and ask would shooting a heavier bow help this solution? I ask mostly because today i went to a shop that I have never gone to before and shot an 80lb draw longbow and my gosh i kid you not 40/50/60 yard shots were easy i took my own nock off at 50 yards out! that is with this open stance both eyes where i wanted to shoot. let me know what you think grey and keep up the great work!

I'm shooting a recurve, a cheap one, I think I have a pretty good form and shooting instictivly, kind of. I mean I use some methods of my own using the shelf in the sight picture. I tried the solution!!! BUT! I had some issues. 1) My release couldn't get clear and that is a problem with a recurve. 2) I couldn't transfer the tension to my back and my shoulders started to ache, guess I just shoot a 30 pounds. As an aiming method I realise and accept that is "apocalyptic"easy, but how will I overcome those issues? With regards.

How long do you anchor when throwing a stone??

I short draw a lot. If I do an Olympic style draw, I can get 28 inch draw. However, when I do an instinctive draw and shoot, it usually is around 24 to 26 inch. I have to relearn this now since I switched from a longbow to a recurve. -_-. Learn, forget, and relearn.

8:52 Would this effect a left dominant eyed Archer differently? Love the vid by the way, I saved it with a playlist I call the bible of Archery. Keep on the good work, I Just subbed.

They recommend 20# -25# draw weights for beginner archers. Do they make longbows that low of draw weight?

I always thought Howard hill short drawed because of his immense draw length otherwise? believe he had like 32" drawlength normally but was able to shoot 29" arrows because of it? especially back then when materials wherent as exact as they are now

I’m so confused. I started out confused from your opening picture. Bow is almost horizontal and I’m ok with that. But your string hand is almost vertical. I’m so confused

I understood somewhat with your body language and movements but too bad there's no closed caption for deaf instinctive archer like myself to read with his explanation, would love to learn Howard Hill's shootings.

Grey, check out G. Fred Asbell. He has written many books and articles, and he shoots and teaches much like this where he faces the target more, and draws shorter.

👍👍👍

Many would wonder if it’s prudent to listen to a guy about archery when he has his arrows backwards in the bow quiver??

Interesting, but I am a little confused. You talk about how great Howard Hill was (and I agree), and about instinctive shooting yet Hill was not an instinctive archer. He used a form of gap shooting (split vision he called it), using the arrow point in peripheral vision to aim. In fact I am sure I read that he once said that he had seen many instinctive archers, but never a really good one.

Hill is the best

Kinda sounds like an argument of power vs. Accuracy

Laber?

I really respect you (and your capabilities as an archer) but this one will definitely be a "controversial". One of my personal heroes (if you will) in archery is Wolfie Hughes. He has won numerous tournaments and is easily one of the best instinctive archers in the world. Yet his personal shooting frame is almost completely upright straight. Now, I absolutely agree that you should cant the bow if the top limb is getting in your view (particularly the dominant eye), but if it does not then I don't believe you should if that does not feel comfortable for you. When I first started shooting I did cant my bow and stood very open to the target (much like yourself), however I could not get any consistency that way.

All you had to do was watch a thumb draw shooter. It's a form of archery where you have to shoot instinctively. Anyone one who shoots this way and is accurate does the same exact thing and you don't have to short draw to accomplish it. One eye watches the target and the other pays attention to the elevation. I know it sounds crazy but it works.

I guess you won't get back tension with the" solution".

also ich fass mich kurz und am besten auf Deutsch. Dear Grey, such dir einen Therapeuten i, es ist ja wohl unglaublich das Du das verkaufen willst.Wenn man sich sein Leben nicht leisten kann muss man arbeiten , das hilft Körper und Geist.