How to Aim while Shooting Barebow Archery 

THE 4th method, used by some top 10 world barebow shooters( would do it myself if i was not shooting longbow in competition) - is to AIM WITH ARROW REST WIRE. It is much precise - smaller, you are not dependent on arrow size. totally tunable - you just move your fletched/unfletched group to where you are aiming.

Hi Jake, I’m just getting into archery, and on a pension. So I’m starting with the bare basics and your info on Bare bow shooting is so helpful. Thank you for your help

Thanks Jake! Your a total asset to the archery community. I also find most of your training methods carry over to the compound also.

Hey Jake. Definitely food for thought. I’ve always lollipopped for exactly the reasons you state. It’s very easy to see the contrast between that center dot and the next ring, no matter the target type. (I love hunter targets for this reason). It’s always felt safe and precise. That said, I understand your logic for the center aim and will give it a try. The burning question?? Are my skills good enough to reveal a difference!!

If you keep both eyes open you can “see through” the circle formed by the tip of your arrow and center it on the target face, but I like your method better

I recently started shooting barebow and my technique to shooting is to allign the tip of the arrow with the centre of the target and raise your bow a slight bit depending on the distance

Jake, I am about to get into barebow recurve shooting - used to shoot "instinctive" years ago with compounds - and your center target hold makes perfect sense to me, because when I shot pistols and rifles - with bare sights - it was much faster to acquire the target by holding center mass. And using this technique is effective - with considerable practice - out to 1000 yards / 914 meters with rifle peep sights. * Yes, many traditional - old school - small arms target shooters like holding at 6, but for rapid target acquisition, e.g., combat shooting competition, holding center mass is far superior - for me.

Excellent Video. Thanks. I’m new to Archery

Once I get my form down I will try that Center shot.

I practice method #3 and I have always called it eclipsing. It always worked for me with handguns and now I use it for barebow. IMO lollipopping = gapping, and is less precise for the reasons mentioned in the vid.

I’m always pulling them left but good groups. I’ve recently started aiming the arrows like looking down a gun barrel and hitting more center mass. I love it. Very challenging. Only been shooting for a month. I figure after 1,000 shots I should be getting to where I want to be.

Thanks for this video. I been practicing using the inside of the riser to hit center. I normally have to aim right.

It would be awesome to see your experience with how to aim when not string walking. My bow is suboptimal for string walking så i have to gap shoot. Awesome advice on your channel - i am new to archery and have learned a lot that i can put into practice. Thank you!

GREAT SHARING Its really valuable for Bare bow beginner Best Regards from Indonesia

Very helpful. I'm 50+ and just started archery about two weeks ago. Just subbed.

Thanks Jake! Are you doing the U.S. open this year? Would be cool to see you shoot barebow against the likes of Demmer and Dillinger!

I use your lollipop advice and it's work. Thanks a lot.

Thanks for this.

Hi Jake, Just used the crest of arrow on center and my bearbow group got smaller. Thank You.

At 50 yds I’m aiming the arrow in the grass 🤣

Last time I discovered that the best results I have when I'm aiming like normally on 40m and my point of the arrow is on the top of whole target face, so there, where 'white' ends. When I'm aiming normally into the Center of yellow, then I get target panic and my shots are often not fine. Every another distance, like on 20-30-40m etc. I always aiming into the Center of that what I'm aiming and it works great without any problems. Only on outdoor 50m I had to make a change. Best Regards for you and thanks a lot for what you are doing for other people! 👊

More good stuff! Thanks Jake!

my trainer told me to aim with the arrowrest (or the small triangle spot between the rest and the arrow) because aiming with the arrow tip is not accurate enough due to slightly different draw lenght. but aiming with the arrow tip just feeld way more natural

Very good info boss 👍👍👍, I can see the yellow for my aiming

I suck at aiming just because I'm using my sight to aim I'll try out and hope for the best and take off my sight next time I go out

Thancks a lot, or, in french : "Merci beaucoup Jake"

Good video really helpful cheers

Thanks for this Jake. Would you talk about the parallax effect and aiming this way. The natural way to present and hold form greats this. The only way for me to put the arrow shaft in line with my eye and the target would be to always hold the bow vertically, and move my bow arm unnaturally across my chest, since my anchor hand and the Nick of the arrow are not right in front of my eye. Please offer your comments on this. ???

Thanks Jake! Good video as always. I like center hold for variable distance for the reasons you stated... consistency across targets, aiming off, etc. I started out only shooting 20m indoor though and for that I actually preferred 6 low between yellow and red to be nice and consistent because I could line the top of my arrow RIGHT ON that high contrast line. But here in Cali, shooting in and outdoors all year around I find it helps my focus while aiming to not bounce between methods and I wanted to just pick one... I settled on center hold because I feel like it gets me more benefits out doors than harm indoors and so it is the strongest method for me overall.

I have a problem when aiming. The arrowhead drops to the 1-2 (when I draw and aim the yellow), and I always have to raise the arrowhead slightly. It's stressful. WHY?

Thanks Jake, glad to see your really into barebow shooting, how's your wife shooting these days?

So what are you focusing on, the arrow shaft or the target?

Hi Jake. This video and other are so usefull for me, but I would like to get the explantions wroten in anyway because I am from Spain and my english isn't good enough for your talking speed.

crest of the arrow seems to work best for me. I'm using a bastardized version of michele's heretic technique (i'm waiting on the book to see what i'm missing or getting wrong) and found that lollypopping drives my arrows high into the 8. Compensating with crawl works to a certain degree but doesn't seem to have the same consistency as cresting the centre.

Can you use gap shooting instead of string walking in a barebow contest? I've never done archery before so please forgive me if this is a stupid question.

I mean lollypopping is just another name for what is essentially gap shooting. So you can crawl down to distance but also gap from that point. So if you’re gapping four inches down you just use that as your reference regardless of how big gold is. Also I gotta imagine that viewing it from the perspective of gap will also transfer to making micro adjustments for distances that aren’t perfectly defined. Does that make sense?

super materiał, pozdrawiam gorąco🔥🏹

Thanks! Good video. I am planning to start barebow along with target bow. I learned that you are using "string walking" as your grip in string. What happens when the target is like 50m away, Do you still aim at the center of your target or are you aiming higher up and trust your instinct and experience to trust the arrow hits the target? What is the max distance you can shoot by aiming at the center of the target? Can you/should you put the fingers on top of the string nock for very far targets? Thank you.

This is what I do / advise too! What do you do with your string alignment / nose?

Thanks Jake! You are awesome. But can I ask for 1 question, what is the crest of the arrow? Is that the tip of the arrow?

Thanks Jake. I've never used the "Lollipop" method. I find that with the "Quiet Eye" approach I use, the method that you suggest and that I use works well for me. Thanks, also, I just received Training for Archery.

Hello friends, With this method, do you move your anchor point for targets further away? Thank you

I'm confused. Seen comp shooters close one eye. to aim but does this really make your shot more accurate?

I like to aim directly at the point center with my arrow tip while string walking. There are a few challenges that I face. Firstly, the blue effect of the arrow and the target or either one of them. Please give me some advice.

Hi. New as to archery, trying to help my daughter. She has a bow and shooting 1 finger top and 2 below her nock. So lollipopping doesnt seem to work because she is not looking straight down her arrow. Does this make sense? How can she sight her target using this finger grip?

Buenas sensaciones las que me transmite la bici

This is perfect for new shooters. Awesome new shooters should find try lots of styles and develop a confusing hybrid style. String walking and gap shooting should be the very first endeavor of a new Archer. No one. Should ever shoot split fingers anymore. Its sooo neanderthal. Thanks for this. Tots mazeballs.

Not sure I get this... Sure at certain distances you'll be able to hit the yellow by aiming like you suggested. But at other distances you're going to be higher or lower if you contnue to aim at the yellow circles. - Confused.

No idea if you'll see this now, Jake but here's the thing: At longer distances like 80 & 100yds (in UK) my aim point is off-right, which I know isn't ideal. What can you advise for bringing my aim point over to the centre of the target? I really don't like a head tilt, it feels weird and frankly uncomfortable. Should I reduce plunger pressure and walk the arrow left that way? Or something else? Thanks v much. ps I wear glasses and wonder if this isn't helping.

I couldnt stop looking at the bug! lol

Has anyone tested the velocities of using a crawl? It seems like string crawling loses alot of speed and power.

Thanks for the video! I try to think about aiming as little as possible and to just point the arrow where I want it to go, then adjust for rang. Typically I hold the bow at a 15-20 degree angle, get a little over top of the arrow and aim with both eyes open. I also try to draw and release really quickly It's amazingly consistant as long as I dont think about what I'm doing to hard haha

I have just started barebow after shooting Olympic for a year, but my current aiming point is basically the number 3 at 30m or the number 1 at 50m. Plunger tension isnt making a big difference, and I haven't figured out how to adjust it otherwise. Could it be an arrow spine problem, or do i need to change some technique?

I thought putting crest of arrow at point of desired impact was part of idea of stringwalking.

I taught archery to kids for many summers, I should have thought of a water bottle as a learning tool lolol Too bad all of my bottles were colorful or black.

Could you please add a warning for the flashing in this video for people with photosensitivity please? Thank you in advance!

Jake does this apply to the Mediterranean finger draw, I shoot Instinctive, but hate three finger under, so does my bow. Yes I do have the tiller set to shoot three under but it's just not for me.

hi Jake i shot since 2019 with barebow and from the begining i shot without a good, solid aiming point. i mean, when i shoot if i focus on the tip of my arrow, i don't see the gold of the target face or really blurry. when i focus on the gold of the target face i don't see my arrow at all. So i focus on the gold but lately some archers said to me that i have to aim with my arrow tip wich i think it's a good advice but i am struggling a lot with that change. Do you have an advice that i can apply on my training ? (sorry for my english, i am french and i don't speak well in english). thank you for your vidéos they are really helpfull . Yann. (i forgot i shoot both eyes open)

This video to me is where to aim not how to aim Bare bow. I would appreciate if you can show us the placement of bow string

Thank you Jake. Is there a place I can send a video to you so you can see and comment. On the way I shoot and hold.

Hey Jake, just to clarify, I should see the crest of the arrow point crystal clear on the target area that I want the arrow to impact and keep the target slightly out of focus? Also, do you aim one eye closed or both eyes open?

I’m currently using a traditional bow(Galaxy Sage) while I work on locking down elements of my form. What aiming technique would you suggest during this process?

I getting into barebow, but my point on, 3 under, idea to corner of mouth is only like 25 yards? I shoot 46lb, 350gn., 29 draw. I don't get how you and reaching 50 yards without aiming off?

Tq..💐💐🦾

What about gap shooting? Most places I shoot don't allow string walking

Are you using the crest of the field tip or the crest of the arrow shaft closest to the field tip?

Son this is string walking?

Lol , you do a great job of explaining the aiming but then you use a term that I have no clue what this phrase means shooting a bare bow (that’s easy enough) while string walking . WTH is that lol . I can aim 6 o’clock and hit but if I aim where I want to hit then I hit high so , I don’t understand what your msg intent is .

Wait, so you're telling us, we should be aiming at the center? What an odd notion.

Not for beginners.

You should have started out by saying that your advise applies ONLY to string walkers. BIG FAIL!!!

I totally disagree with you jake.....not sure what about, but i just think your wrong.....you can trust me, im a plumber. A better method is using a sight 🤣🤣

Thanks Jake the centre hold also makes more sense to me.

Probably should tell wether it is one or two eyes aiming. when aiming two eyed it is easier to see the yellow even if you are outting it center.