Intuitive | instinctive shooting

First of all: Whether you say "intuitive" or "instinctive" archery doesn't change the fact that you have to practice and practice and practice. Essentially, both statements mean the same thing—shooting a bow without consciously using an aiming technique. The term "instinctive archery" was and continues to be popularized by well-known archers such as Fred Asbell and Henry Bodnik. Instinctive archery is also a separate bow class according to the WA rules.

Accordingly, the term "instinctive archery" is used frequently. The reason why "instinctive archery" has increasingly been replaced by "intuitive archery" in recent years lies in the precise meaning of the two terms. Instinct is an innate mechanism for controlling behavior that is triggered by key stimuli. The term "intuition," on the other hand, means being able to come to an insight or make a decision without conscious conclusions. This is precisely what happens in archery without conscious aiming: the archer can simply shoot without having previously calculated with their intellect where their arrow seats or other prominent points on their bow should point based on distance and angle of fire.

The choice of words – as mentioned above – doesn't change the need for intensive practice. However, the term "instinctive" can be misleading here, as it implies there's something within people that simply needs to be activated for archery to work. However, this isn't true – archery must be learned, and the mechanisms related to instinct and intuition are different. Anyone who delves into the topic of "instinct" won't find anything that will help them with archery.

However, anyone who deals with the topic of intuition will find exactly those processes that occur in intuitive archery.

Manfred Herrmann is... an avid archer, certified mental coach, blogger, and author.