Aiming Without a Sight: Applying the NTS Shot Cycle to Barebow and Traditional Recurve

Olympic recurve, barebow recurve, and traditional recurve may look very different at full draw. One archer is looking through a sight aperture, another is string-walking and using the arrow point, and another may be using a gap or split-vision sight picture.

Underneath those visible differences, however, the foundation of the shot can remain remarkably similar.

The USA Archery National Training System (NTS) gives us a biomechanically efficient process for organizing the shot. The stance, posture, hook, grip, set-up, angular draw, loading, anchor, transfer, expansion, release, and follow-through are not exclusive to an Olympic recurve bow. They can also provide an excellent foundation for barebow and traditional archers.

The primary difference is not how we build the shot. It is how we establish elevation and acquire a sight picture after reaching Holding.

The bow style changes the aiming reference - not the need for a repeatable shot process.

Where Aiming Fits into NTS

The complete NTS shot cycle is commonly organized as:

1. Stance

2. Nocking the arrow

3. Hook and grip

4. Set

5. Mindset

6. Set-up

7. Draw and load

8. Anchor

9. Transfer to Holding

10. Aim and expand

11. Release and follow-through

12. Feedback and evaluation

One of the most important NTS principles is that deliberate aiming begins only after the archer has completed the draw, established the anchor, transferred the load, and reached Holding.

That does not mean the archer is unaware of the target before Holding. The bow must obviously be oriented toward it during set-up and draw. It means the archer is not yet trying to perfect the sight picture. Until Holding, attention remains primarily on building the skeletal structure of the shot.

Once Holding is established, attention can shift from an internal focus on the body to a narrow external focus on the target and aiming reference. Expansion then continues while the archer accepts normal movement in the sight picture.

This principle applies whether that reference is a sight pin, an arrow point, or a visually learned gap.

Aiming Is Not Steering

Many archers - sighted and unsighted - allow aiming to take over the shot. They reach anchor, see that the reference is not perfectly still, and begin steering the bow. Expansion slows or stops. Tension transfers into the hand and forearm - creating more movement. The release becomes forced.

The goal is not to freeze the arrow point on an exact location. The goal is to establish a repeatable aiming relationship, accept its natural movement, and continue executing the shot.

The sight picture confirms direction. It should not replace expansion.

Barebow Recurve: String-Walking

String-walking is often described as a barebow aiming method. More precisely, it is a method of adjusting trajectory.

The archer moves the draw fingers a measured distance below the arrow nock. This distance is called the crawl. The arrow is still used as the visible aiming reference, but the crawl changes the relationship between the archer’s eye, draw hand, and arrow. That allows the archer to use a similar arrow-point placement at multiple distances.

In simple terms:

The crawl establishes the elevation. The arrow point establishes the direction.

Establish the Crawl Before Building the Shot

The crawl should be completed before Set and before placing meaningful tension on the string:

1. Place the tab’s reference mark at the bottom of the arrow nock.

2. Count down the required tab marks.

3. Move the tab to that location on the string - achoring the thumb on the center serving.

4. Establish a three-under hook beneath the arrow.

5. Confirm normal hook depth and finger position.

A useful cue is:

Measure, crawl, then hook.

The archer should not establish a loaded hook and drag it down the serving. Doing so can change the measured crawl, distort the hook, and create unnecessary serving wear.

The Crawl Changes—The Form Does Not

After setting the crawl, the archer executes the normal NTS process through Set, Set-up, angular Draw and Load, Anchor, and Transfer to Holding.

Changing distance should not produce a different:

- Anchor location

- Head position

- Hook shape

- Bow-hand pressure

- Draw-side alignment

- Expansion direction

Deep crawls will change the pressure the string places on the fingers and can change how the bow reacts. Those effects should be addressed through good equipment setup, tuning (tillering), and practice - not by moving the anchor or manipulating the release.

Acquiring the Barebow Sight Picture

Once Holding has been established, the barebow archer can confirm three visual relationships:

1. The target: the intended aiming area or point of impact.

2. The arrow point: the elevation and windage reference.

3. The string blur: the blurred string’s position relative to a repeatable part of the riser or arrow.

For a right-handed archer, the exact string location may appear along a portion of the riser, limb, or arrow. A left-handed archer will see the corresponding reversed image. There is no single universal position because riser geometry, eye dominance, facial structure, and alignment vary. What matters is that the archer identifies a useful reference and reproduces it.

With the sight picture established, expansion continues. The archer allows the point to float within an acceptable aiming area rather than trying to force it motionless.

A useful execution cue is:

Crawl for distance. Point for direction. Expand through the picture.

Traditional Recurve: Gap Aiming

In gap aiming, the arrow point is positioned a perceived distance above or below the intended point of impact. That perceived distance is the gap.

At shorter distances, many archers see the arrow point below the intended impact point. At the archer’s point-on distance, the arrow point can be placed directly on the intended impact point. Beyond point-on distance, the archer may need to place the point above the target center or use another visual reference.

The important word is perceived. A gap is a visual relationship from the archer’s perspective - not simply a measurement taken on the target face.

An archer’s gaps are affected by:

- Anchor height

- Eye-to-arrow relationship

- Draw length

- Arrow weight

- Arrow speed and trajectory

- Target distance

- Individual visual perception

For that reason, a coach should not prescribe a universal gap such as “hold six inches low at 20 yards.” Each archer must develop and record a personal gap system.

Integrating Gap Aiming with NTS

The traditional archer proceeds through the same NTS foundation: Set, Set-up, Draw and Load, Anchor, and Transfer to Holding.

After reaching Holding:

1. Locate the arrow point in relation to the intended impact point.

2. Confirm the required visual gap.

3. Accept the normal movement of the point.

4. Maintain expansion and direction.

5. Allow the release to occur without a last-second correction.

The anchor must remain fixed. Raising or lowering the draw hand to manufacture the gap changes the eye-to-arrow relationship and creates a second aiming variable.

A useful cue is:

See the gap. Accept the gap. Continue the shot.

Traditional Recurve: Split-Vision Aiming

Split-vision uses the same physical references, but the archer organizes visual attention differently.

The archer’s primary focus remains on the intended point of impact. The arrow point is still visible, but it is perceived through secondary or peripheral awareness. With enough repetition, the archer learns the relationship between the target and the out-of-focus arrow point without deliberately shifting focus between them.

Split-vision is sometimes confused with purely instinctive shooting. They may feel similar to the experienced archer, but split vision retains an awareness of the arrow point as a reference - even when the archer is not consciously measuring a gap.

After reaching Holding, the sequence becomes:

1. Focus clearly on the intended point of impact.

2. Remain aware of the arrow point in the lower visual field.

3. Recognize the learned relationship between point and target.

4. Continue expansion while maintaining target focus.

5. Finish the shot without switching visual focus to the arrow.

A useful cue is:

Look where you want the arrow to go. Remain aware of the point.

The Danger of Acquiring the Sight Picture Too Early

Unsighted archers often see the arrow point approaching its desired location during the draw. That can create a powerful temptation - or reflex - to release as soon as the picture looks right.

When that happens, the archer may never complete the anchor, transfer, or Holding phase. The sight picture becomes a visual trigger for an uncontrolled release. Over time, this can lead to increasingly short holds, loss of expansion, creeping, plucking, or target panic.

The answer is not to ignore the target. It is to maintain the order of operations.

Build the shot first. Confirm the sight picture second. Finish with expansion.

An excellent drill is to draw, anchor, transfer, acquire the sight picture, and then let down without shooting. This teaches the archer that seeing the correct picture does not create an obligation to release.

What Should Remain the Same Across Recurve Styles?

Regardless of aiming system, the following NTS principles remain valuable:

- Stable stance and posture

- Consistent hook and bow-hand placement

- Low, stable bow shoulder

- Angular drawing movement

- Repeatable anchor and facial references

- Transfer of the holding draw weight into the back

- A distinct Holding transition (physical and mental)

- Expansion through the aiming process

- Relaxed release rather than consciously opening the fingers

- Direction and tension maintained through follow-through

- Honest feedback after each shot

The archer may change the crawl or perceived gap from one distance to another. The physical shot should remain as consistent as possible.

Diagnosing the Miss

Separating aiming errors from execution errors is one of the greatest benefits of a structured shot cycle.

After a poor arrow, the archer can ask:

- Did I set the correct crawl?

- Was my hook unchanged after setting the crawl?

- Did I use the intended gap?

- Was my string blur consistent?

- Did my head or anchor move while aiming?

- Did I reach Holding before focusing on the sight picture?

- Did I continue expanding, or did I stop and steer?

- Did I maintain direction through the release and follow-through?

“I missed” tells us very little. Identifying where the process changed gives us something useful to train.

One Shot Cycle, Different Visual Systems

Barebow and traditional archers do not need to discard sound biomechanics simply because they do not use a sight. NTS can provide the structure needed to build alignment, manage the load of the bow, reach a stable Holding position, and execute the release with direction.

The aiming method is then added to that foundation:

- String-walking: set a measured crawl, then aim with the arrow point.

- Gap aiming: establish a repeatable visual distance between the arrow point and intended impact point.

- Split-vision: focus on the intended impact point while retaining secondary awareness of the arrow point.

Different visual systems. The same commitment to a repeatable shot.

If you are struggling to combine your aiming method with a controlled shot process, the answer is likely not to aim harder. It may be to improve what happens before - and while - you aim.

I am a USA Archery Level 3-NTS Coach. I coach compound, barebow recurve, traditional, and NASP archers through Unlock’d Archery Training in the Weatherford–Mineral Wells area of North Texas.

This is an independent coaching resource applying NTS principles to barebow and traditional recurve. It is not an official USA Archery curriculum or certification document.

References for the Author

- KSL International Archery, “KSL Shot Cycle”: https://www.kslinternationalarchery.com/Technique/KSLShotCycle/KSLShotCycle-USA.html

- USA Archery: https://www.usarchery.org/

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