# point of aim



## oldgeez (Sep 29, 2002)

i have run across this term twice from 2 fellow archers. they say it refers to 3d and takes 2 people to execute, but they won't tell me what it is..like it's a deep dark secret or something. can anybody enlighten me, or is everyone who knows about this sworn to secrecy under penalty of death, lol?????


----------



## aread (Dec 25, 2009)

Point-of-aim is an aiming method used by some of the old recurve target archers. The archer aims by holding the point of the arrow on a specific point off of the target. Some would use a white ball, like a golf ball & put it on the ground at an exact point in front of the target. They wouldn't even look at the target, but focus on holding the tip of the arrow on the white ball. 

The white ball would have to be at a different spot for each distance, so I'm not sure how this would work for 3D. Maybe the two archers they mentioned requires them to be in different groups. The guy with the first group would figure an exact range through trial and error or pacing off, then dropping a marker on the ground to give the range on each target to the archer with the second group.

If that's what they are doing, it's cheating.

Are these recurve or compound archers? Recurve archers often use a legal aiming method that most call "gapping". There have been millions of words posted on the various forums on this, so I won't describe it here. When gapping is used legally, it doesn't require two archers.

I don't shoot a lot of 3D, but the only reason I see that an aiming method would require two archers is to cheat.

JMHO,
Allen


----------



## oldgeez (Sep 29, 2002)

the old point of aim for recurve shooters is common place, and that's all you find on a google search. these are compound shooters usin this. it's weird and that's why i'm so curious. 2 people know about this, but won't tell. hoping somebody knows..i know the person who originated it, but i'd have to pay to find out. i'm broke and can't afford it. it's really disgusting that fellow archers would hoard a secret that might help other archers, but they are. both are supposedly ood friends og mine, too.


----------



## aread (Dec 25, 2009)

Does it seem to give them and advantage? Better scores?


----------



## darton3d (Oct 16, 2009)

Sounds to me like they are messing with your head.


----------



## oldgeez (Sep 29, 2002)

probably so...i'm sooo naive, but i ot it from 2 different uys, both of which are reat shots. the youner uy said, he hasn't had a chance to try it out...the older uy is one of the best shooters in the city of atlanta....so i don't know..they both quoted the same source, again an archery coach of well known credentials, here locally. the older guy said she told him over 15 yrs ao, the youner uy just recently. so i'm just sayin'...... if it's a hoax, it's a pretty good one, lol


----------



## dchan (Jun 29, 2004)

Hi oldgeez

FYI your "G" key must be broken. Your whole post is missing a lot of "g"s where there should probably be one. If you are on a laptop with a "pointer" nub in the middle between the G, H and B keys on your keyboard, you probably need to have the keyboard replaced.. (known problem with those laptop keyboards) Eventually the H and B keys will start to get intermittent as well.

Generally, As mentioned above, Point of aim has to do with figuring out where to place the point of your arrow given a specific distance in order to shoot without a sight. If archers are using hunting pins instead of sights, they will often use the term "point of aim" as to how far off the center they need to aim to hit the center. If are shooting in a group, quite often a second person will be your spotter and tell you specifically how far off you are from the center and you can adjust your "point of aim" accordingly.

If one person is shooting with a scope and one is not, one thing that used to get done, is someone would put an arrow somewhere else (off the center) so that another person could use that as a "point of aim"

Or it could be someone is just messing with you and playing a mind game with you.

DC


----------



## walbash635 (Nov 6, 2012)

i think dchan is on right track...since ya said took 2 people...first guy uses' 30' pin e.g. every time , second guy knows how high/low he hit with it etc...so can adjust his point of aim too center shot target. 

i hold dead on hit 4" low ....you hold 4" high ....you nail it ....


----------



## oldgeez (Sep 29, 2002)

this is like voodoo. if anybody read this, they might think it was bs..to aim somewhere other than dead center. that said, i have actually experienced this craziness. on a coyote target, for instance, i can go inside and hit perfectly at 30 yds..go right outside, put the rangefinder on the yote, hold dead center and put 4 orrows on a 2" group...all 2 to 3" low. this is insane, and it's happened 3 years in a row. it's insane..i've got to actually go outside and set my sight tape for 3d, DIFFERENTLY, from indoor. whacky, and i always thought it was just me??? maybe, this is the "point of aim" secret??? i think it's more of a lighting thing...but when 30 yds is hitting off by that much, year in and year out, well.......


----------



## TheAncientOne (Feb 14, 2007)

No secret about it. 

It can also be used for rifle, pistol or any other lobbed projectile. The complete term is "point of aim - point of impact". Since arrows, bullets, cannon balls etc. describe an arc during flight they only agree with a fixed sight twice - once on the way up and once on the way down. Point of aim allows you to compensate for that arc. Most archers anchor below their line of sight so the arrow is pointing up at release. The arrow raises above the line of sight (which is a straight line of course) and as it looses momentum it falls below the line of sight. 

When I shoot bare bow using point of aim I place the tip of the arrow directly below the center of the target. How far below the target depends on the distance to the target. You can do the same with a sighted bow or rifle, instead of adjusting the sight you adjust the point of aim. Most people do this instinctively, if your arrows are hitting a target 2 rings high you may aim 2 rings low instead of adjusting your sight. Competitive archers compensate for head, tail and cross winds by adjusting their point of aim.

For hunters and 3D archers you can sight your bow so that you aim at the bottom of the chest and the arrow arcs into the kill spot. Since deer tend to crouch when they get startled in preparation to run, you may eliminate some of those over the shoulder shots as well.

TAO


----------



## bcbow1971 (Oct 24, 2007)

Well what I do sometimes on 3D is a target that is not well marked I find a mark, shadow, crease or something else I can use as a reference and adjust my yardage so the arrow will impact the 10 or 12 I am aiming at. 

For example on a strutting turkey target I may aim at a black dot above the 10 ring and subtract a few yards and allow the arrow to drop into target. If I were aiming at the 10 ring at proper yardage I would have to aim at an area and hope but if I aim at a spot in line left and right just above or below than I can adjust my pin to allow me to hold on a small spot versus an area.


----------



## oldgeez (Sep 29, 2002)

yes, i agree..i do the same thing. i call it, plan your work and work your plan. it's easier with a slide bar sight, but that wouldn't involve 2 people?? that's good info for folks just starting in 3d


----------



## bcbow1971 (Oct 24, 2007)

oldgeez said:


> yes, i agree..i do the same thing. i call it, plan your work and work your plan. it's easier with a slide bar sight, but that wouldn't involve 2 people?? that's good info for folks just starting in 3d


You can also instead of pin gaping hunting sight just figure where the upper or lower pin hits target when you first gap and then use pin to aim high or low.


----------

