# "virtual spot" practice



## Arturito (Jan 10, 2013)

I usually do this without target, just fixing a spot over the backstop and watching the placement, I've put a soda can top to attest the hit sound, of course there are references to aim at, but light and contrast changes a bit from shooting position, I help myself with the "virtual spot", which is in my case to "overlap" in my mind a know target, a bottle cap LOL !
this sample is very noisy, workers in front of my house




less noisy sample




and the third shoot




I believe that it helps improving accuracy
Cheers
Arturo


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## AZ Stinger (Aug 30, 2012)

Great vid and the property looks beautiful my friend....


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## bigron (Nov 29, 2012)

thats some sweet shooting as always art you are the man,have you shot anymore bad dogs lately :neener:


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

Good suggestion, Arturo! Nice shooting, as always.

Cheers .... Charles


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## Arturito (Jan 10, 2013)

bigron said:


> thats some sweet shooting as always art you are the man,have you shot anymore bad dogs lately :neener:


thanks bigron, no dogs shooting fortunately no more incidents, all good nice guys ...



Charles said:


> Good suggestion, Arturo! Nice shooting, as always.
> 
> Cheers .... Charles


thanks Charles, more related to group placement than accuracy, I use to warm shooting over the backstop (without target) at different places, a good exercise to develop "target abstraction" ...



AZ Stinger said:


> Great vid and the property looks beautiful my friend....


thanks Ray, yes very nice and peaceful place to live except for the workers noise building a nearby house ... anyway peace will return soon ha ha ...

Cheers

Arturo


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## treefork (Feb 1, 2010)

.


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## Bill Hays (Aug 9, 2010)

Okay... I'm not trying to be antagonistic, but here's the thing, I understand WHAT and HOW you're doing what you're doing... but I just don't understand WHY you're doing it...

Why not simply look at the target and intently focus on the smallest point of the target you can see that's in the center of where you want to hit, and shoot that?

It seems to me that projecting a virtual spot may actually detract from your accuracy as your perception of depth will be altered... and that would increase the likelyhood of get your elevation wrong for a given distance or even an unknown distance.

Anyway, that's my first take on this idea... maybe I'm wrong about what you're doing and it wouldn't have any effect... but in that case wouldn't you then visualize something smaller than a bottle cap? Like maybe the tip of a match or something?

An example of what I'm saying is... when you want to hit a bullseye, you focus on the center of the "X", not the bullseye... if I want to hit a soda pop can I try and focus on a letter or the smallest thing that's closest to the center I can see, not the whole can.... and if I were to mentally project a bottlecap on there, what good would it do me?

Of course as always when discussing shooting techniques... YMMV...


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## Arturito (Jan 10, 2013)

Bill Hays said:


> Okay... I'm not trying to be antagonistic, but here's the thing, I understand WHAT and HOW you're doing what you're doing... but I just don't understand WHY you're doing it...
> 
> Why not simply look at the target and intently focus on the smallest point of the target you can see that's in the center of where you want to hit, and shoot that?
> 
> ...


I could barely see a letter or a detail at that distance (I see a blur), so overlapping a well defined "mental or virtual" target at the center of the blur helps me a lot, why a bottle top ? because I am very used to shoot at them and give me confidence (psychologic effect ?) ,,, the hidden target is only an memory exercise on where place the virtual spot to shoot at and get the sound feedback ... tricky but works pretty good for me ...

disclaimer: I am not saying that this is the right way to aim or will improve someone else accuracy

Cheers


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## tradspirit (Jul 23, 2012)

Kidwell's classic work on traditional archery shooting suggests the very same process that Arturito is using, i.e., visually projecting a small object (he suggests a button) onto the target, , and aiming at that. In fact he suggest carrying a button around in your pocket to constantly refresh your "eye's memory". I too suffer from the ability to focus on a small part of what I want to hit due to visual acuity issues. but have not been able to be as successful as Arturito in his application of the technique. Obviously for some of us it works. If the system works Arturito...keep using it!


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## Arturito (Jan 10, 2013)

tradspirit said:


> Kidwell's classic work on traditional archery shooting suggests the very same process that Arturito is using, i.e., visually projecting a small object (he suggests a button) onto the target, , and aiming at that. In fact he suggest carrying a button around in your pocket to constantly refresh your "eye's memory". I too suffer from the ability to focus on a small part of what I want to hit due to visual acuity issues. but have not been able to be as successful as Arturito in his application of the technique. Obviously for some of us it works. If the system works Arturito...keep using it!


I was an archer aficionado in my youth but I've didn't practice this way in that days, seeking something to help my diminished focus I've found this

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympic_games/world_olympic_dreams/8845704.stm

so this guy needs to do something indirect to weight the blur or a trick in his mind, even he has not disclosed what he "does" it's evident he "knows" the exact point on where to aim ...

Cheers

Arturo

PS. the sound is less evident but is a hit 1.5" target






done for GKJ SOTM (facebook), only enthusiasm I don't expect win nothing LOL !


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