I shoot split finger (one on top two below the nock) and with no sights. I really wouldn't call it gap shooting as I don't hold my draw long enough to really measure the gap. I grew up shooting recurves by just pointing my hand basically at my target an smoothly drawing and releasing the arrow. I have become pretty accurate that way and that works well for me. I guess it is instinctual. What advantages if any are there to shooting with three fingers below the nock/arrow? Or string walking for that matter. I never really tried any other style and was wondering if I was missing out.

I shoot one finger above two below. I don't measure anything or think of anything. Do you measure or think about throwing a ball? I don't I just throw it, same thing with traditional archery just shoot. But it takes a lot of practice which I find many guys don't want to or can't put in the time. So they turn to other measured methods of shooting. Nothing wrong with it if it works for you.

I used to shoot three fingers under and did well with it on longer length bows but switched to split fingers to shoot shorter bows and eventually shot all lengths tht way.

Less finger pinch on the top finger, cleaner release, for me anyway. Long distance accuracy went up when I made the switch.

My experience mirrors fyshbum's. I used to shoot 3-under but switched to split-finger for shooting shorter bows. I shoot more accurately with 3-under and resisted the change for a long time, but I wanted to hunt with the handy shorter bows, and those pretty old recurves on my bowrack keep calling my name. Ironically, I still grab the longbow every time. I just like shooting them better than recurves. Howard Hill said that he was not a good enough archer to shoot recurves accurately. Maybe that's it, I'm not good enough to shoot recurves. Maybe I'll go back to 3-under. That's how I earned my trophies and killed my game. Who knows? Who cares? (don't answer that )

3 under is louder, probably due the tiller getting out of whack because of the uneven pressure applied to the limbs. Your draw length is shorter with 3 under.

People use it because it gets the arrow under the eye and gaps get smaller.

I have always used split.

very much of the same opinion. I just draw, focus on the target and let it go when it "feels" right. I have shot compounds in the past that have been top notch with all the do dads ( A Matthews which is collecting dust) and have switched back to a traditional recurve because I find it more fun. Initially I was hung up on sights but have since abandoned them finding that I shot just as well without. I find that I practice or shoot more simply because my recurve is lighter, less complicated and feels better in the hand. Next archery toy will be a long bow without a doubt.

brinky72 checkout www.MontanaBows.com I have a Whip and love it.

Those are purdy. I had mine built by Steve Turay who owns Northern Mist Bows in Negaunee MI. It's almost too nice to take hunting but I love the way it shoots. I had a PSE Impala before but have used my custom bow exclusively since I bought it four or five years ago. I had it made from Michigan wood, the riser being birds eye maple with an accent strip of dark cherry. It is 55# at 28 inches with about a four to five pound stack per inch and I draw at about 31" I will try to get a good pic of it posted through Photobucket. But those are some pretty bows and it looks like he does beautiful work.

brinky they are so smooth and you don't notice the stack like most bows. I have the XX Whip. Here is a photo of it.

Montana, that is gorgeous. What is the riser made from?

Black and white Ebony riser, Myrtlewood veneers, and Bamboo core.

I shoot 3 under with a middle finger corner of mouth anchor. Why? because I can use the arrow to sight off of. It works and works very well. You should give it a try before just writing it off. I think it is much easier to stay consistant by using a gap type of aiming system and keeping the arrow as close to the eye as possible reduces the gaps. My point gaps are about 22" below the center of the target from 15-25 yards and point on at 40 yards. BTW, 22" is about the distance from the feet of a deer to the center of his chest. Draw back, check the point to his feet - focus on the chest and make a good release - sounds easy enough doesn't it! Good luck with it.

I am not writing it off. I know what works for me and my method works very well for me. Well enough to win a shoot or two a year. Wish I had time to enter more then that. But between the compound, sporting clays, hunting, and fishing I just can't find an extra day in the week.

I don't knock anyones method if it works for them. If they ask a question I answer with my answer, yours may vary. Different is what makes the world go round. How boring would it be if we all did the same things the same ways?

It depends whether you want to aim, or shoot instinctively.

I'll bet that you good instinctive shooters can shoot baskets with some degree of accuracy, can't you? It's hand-eye coordination. The hand automatically goes where the eye is looking. In short, I don't have it. I can throw balls at a bushel basket at 5 yards all day long and hit it less than 25% of the time. My hand-eye coordination is non-existant. I've spent many hours trying to learn instinctive shooting and I'm a total failure. Some of us MUST aim and use sights or we'll never hit anything.

Nothing wrong with that...just a choice. No offense intended. The only real difference is the ability to cant the bow.

I shoot instinctively, split fingered, canted, and spend VERY little time at 'anchor'. It took several hundred thousand arrows to hone that 'instinct'. lol. I agree that those blessed with good hand/eye coordination can make it work very well.

My shots on game are limited to 30 and under. If you want to really excel at tourneys where longer shots are common, a gap system of some sort is required, imo.

I've screwed around with gapping and even string walking for years, but for my purpose, which is short range hunting and usually in failing light, instinctive shooting is the best method for ME.

YMMV

Me too, though I limit my shots to around 20 yards. When I want to shoot farther, I carry my compound, which I am proud to do.

I hear ya. I've got a Mathews Switchback XT that I carry when I need to punch a hole at longer range.

I don't cant my bow when shooting. I guess I know where to put it by practice is the only way to describe it. I can hit a kill zone on a deer out to about 35-40 yards. It may qualify as gap shooting not sure. I just point my hand that is holding the bow at the intended target and adjust for the range how it lines up in reference to the shelf or gap. I don't hold the draw for but a second or two. Never was good with labeling. I do shoot my service weapon almost as well under low light and point shooting as I do with the sights. I guess it's a gift or an aquired skill.

It's all good. Put it this way, like shooting a shotgun, if you see the arrow(bead) you're aiming. If you just see the target, you're shooting instinctively. They both have advantages.

I've never heard it put better.

As each of IS different, and how we think and act IS different, what works for each of us IS going to be different.

The key to learning is to keep an open mind.

Don't be afraid to try something different...there is always something to learn. The difference may benefit YOU.

When I was first learning to shoot my recurve, I shot split finger, with a canted bow. That was how I saw the old timers doing it.

But since I also have and enjoy using my compound bows too, for me, I found it simpler to maintain a more consistent type of shooting form that would not detract from one bow type to the other.

So today, after experimenting and teaching others how to shoot both traditional and compound bows, the simplest is:

Stand straight, perpendicular to target, shoulders squared, with bow vertical, bowhand lightly gripping bow (always bring the bow to you, do not bend your neck to bring your anchor point to the drawing hand),
Draw and anchor, by using your back muscles to pinch your shoulderblades together, keeping your drawing arm level to your arrow and in-line with the arrow (anchor point and split vs 3 finger under dependent upon your own comfort and proficiency level), with most of the draw weight on the first finger under the arrow nock,
Aiming, arrow must be in a straight line from under your eye to your point of aim on target (instinctive aiming vs gap shooting dependent upon your comfort and proficiency level), keep your form square and aim by twisting or bending at the waist, but remember to focus on your point of aim, or else it won't matter how you shoot...you will miss it!
Release, whether you use a dynamic release or a static release, it must be clean, with no outward movement of the release hand, and keep the bowhand pointed at the target, until after the arrow reaches the target.

This is just a good starting point, and I do not imply that this is the best way for everyone.
Some body types do not lend themselves well to this exact style, and there will have to be adjustments made accordingly.

I prefer to shoot three finger under (or Comanche style) as it has proven to be the most accurate for me. It brings the arrow closer to my eye, so that I can focus on my point of aim more effectively, and yet still see that my arrow is perfectly in line from my eye to the target.

I also find that for beginners it is easier to keep the arrow on the shelf of the bow, as they aren't putting pressure on the arrow with the one finger over the nock, while they are struggling with learning to draw and anchor, and having the arrow come off the shelf all the time. Frustration leads to no fun and a tendency for some to give up too soon.