1. Technical Field of the Invention
This invention relates to archery and gunnery training devices. More particularly, and not by way of limitation, the present invention is directed to a training device and method for training an archer or gunner to shoot with improved accuracy.
2. Description of Related Art
Over the years, many advances have been made in the sport of archery to improve accuracy. Improvements in bow design, the addition of sights, and the use of release mechanisms to release the bow string have all contributed to greater accuracy. For example, the bow has evolved from the long bow to the compound bow. The compound bow uses a cam to increase arrow speed and improve accuracy. Sights and/or scopes are mounted on bows, and may have a plurality of sight pins that are adjustable for different target distances. Release mechanisms assist the archer by enabling the archer to release the bow string with a trigger device. Releasing a bow string with fingers increases string oscillation, thereby reducing accuracy. Release mechanisms reduce string oscillation, with a resultant increase in accuracy.
Despite the technical improvements in archery equipment described above, accuracy is still limited by the human operator. One limitation is known as “target panic”. All shooters (archers and gunners) experience target panic to some degree. This is a condition at the moment of shooting a bow or firing a gun when, having made the decision to release the bow string or press the trigger, the shooter's mind freezes and no longer makes corrections if the sight drifts off the target. For example, with a fully drawn bow, if the pin in the sight drifts off the target, the archer's mind does not recognize the error, and no correction is made.
Target panic is an unconscious condition which often goes undiagnosed as the source of a shooter's accuracy problem because the shooter is not aware that it is happening. It is thought that target panic occurs because the mind is overloaded, and cannot simultaneously perform another task. In archery, for example, archers are simultaneously performing the tasks of holding back the bow string, making corrections to hold the bow vertical, judging the wind, judging the distance to the target, selecting a sight pin appropriate for the distance, and moving the bow to optically align the selected sight pin with the target. Competition archers use from 9 to 15 steps to complete a shot. When the additional mental task of deciding to shoot is added, or if a thought enters the mind raising a fear about the accuracy of the coming shot, the mind overloads and stops making corrections. This causes the archer to squeeze the release mechanism when the sight pin is not aligned with the target.
An existing method of overcoming target panic is to train a shooter to squeeze the release mechanism or trigger so slowly that the shooter himself is surprised when the weapon fires. The reasoning is that the shooter's mind will continue to make corrections up until the moment of shooting since a mental decision to fire is never made. However, this technique presumes that the shooter's mind is not already overloaded from other tasks, and that it is the decision to shoot that causes the overload and the target panic. This may not be the case. In addition, this technique has several other disadvantages. First, being uncertain when the weapon is going to fire may be uncomfortable for many shooters. Second, since an archer must maintain considerable force to hold back the bow string, his shot may get less accurate if this position must be held for a longer period of time. The same is true for a gunner if he is shooting a fairly heavy rifle or pistol. Third, archers and gunners engaged in shooting competitions may have to shoot rapidly, and it is not realistic to squeeze the release mechanism or trigger so slowly that the shooter is surprised when the weapon fires.
Thus, in order to overcome the disadvantage of existing solutions, it would be advantageous to have a training device and method for training an archer or gunner to overcome the mental problem of target panic that effectively eliminates the problem of target panic regardless of other tasks being performed. The present invention provides such a device and method.
In one aspect, the present invention is directed to a training device for training a shooter to shoot with improved accuracy. The device includes a picture of a target, and means for mounting the picture on an opposite side of a sighting mechanism from the shooter's eye. The picture is mounted in a position in which the picture is visually aligned with the sighting mechanism when the shooter is in a shooting position. By shooting shots while looking through the sighting mechanism and focusing on the stationary picture, the shooter's subconscious mind is trained to maintain a sight-picture in which the sighting mechanism remains aligned with the target while shooting.
In another aspect, the present invention is directed to a method of training a shooter to shoot with improved accuracy. The method begins by fixedly mounting a picture of a target on an opposite side of a sighting mechanism from the shooter's eye, the picture being mounted in a stationary position in which the center of the picture is visually aligned with the sighting mechanism when the shooter is in a shooting position. This is followed by shooting a plurality of shots by the shooter while looking through the sighting mechanism and focusing on the stationary picture of the target. In this manner, the shooter's subconscious mind is trained to maintain a sight-picture in which the sighting mechanism remains aligned with the target while shooting.
The invention will be better understood and its numerous objects and advantages will become more apparent to those skilled in the art by reference to the following drawings, in conjunction with the accompanying specification, in which:
The present invention is directed to a training device and method for training an archer or gunner to overcome the mental problem of “target panic” at the moment of shooting. During shooting practice, the invention trains the shooter's subconscious mind to hold the sight on the center of the target until the shot is completed. Thereafter, when the shooter shoots at a real target, target panic is overcome, and accuracy is improved.
The picture 13 is stationary relative to the pin sight 11, and thus the sight cannot drift off of the pictured target. The shooter then practices shooting in a safe direction while “aiming” at the pictured target. This process trains the subconscious mind to maintain the image that the shooter sees (i.e., the sight pin 14 aligned with the target and not moving). Thereafter, when shooting at an actual target, the mind is conditioned, and the mind will not allow the sight to drift off the actual target when shooting.
The operation of the training device in this embodiment is substantially unchanged from the first embodiment. The scope sight uses an aiming point 24 in the center of the scope field of view. The picture 13 of the target is therefore mounted in a position in which the aiming point 24 is visually aligned with the center of the target. The scope sight mounts to a bow (not shown) with a scope sight mounting bracket 25. The entire apparatus (pin sight 11 and mounted training device 10) is thus held in a stationary position on the bow. Once again, the picture 13 is stationary relative to the scope sight 21, and thus the sight cannot drift off of the pictured target. The shooter then practices shooting in a safe direction while “aiming” at the pictured target. Again, the subconscious mind is trained to maintain this image while shooting at actual targets.
The shooter is then ready to practice, and at step 73 loads (nocks) an arrow. At step 74, the shooter raises and draws the bow in a safe direction. For safety reasons, since the shooter cannot actually see where he is aiming, it is recommended that this procedure be performed only at a controlled archery range, and at a distance of no more than five yards from a safe arrow impact zone. At step 75, the shooter then looks through his peep sight and through his pin or scope sight, and focuses on the mounted picture and the stationary sight pin positioned in the center of the target. The shooter then executes the shot at step 76 while remaining focused on the mounted picture of the target.
At step 77, the shooter repeats the training method as often as he is able, and preferably at least once daily, for a training period of four to six weeks. With repetition, this process trains the subconscious mind to maintain this “sightpicture” all the way through the shooting process. It is also recommended at step 78 that the shooter abstain from shooting at real targets and concentrate his training solely on this process for at least the first three weeks of the four to six week training period. Training the subconscious mind takes dedication, requiring many hours of practice and repetition. For those willing to make the effort, test results of the present invention have shown remarkable improvement in shooting accuracy.
It is thus believed that the operation and construction of the present invention will be apparent from the foregoing description. While the training device and method shown and described has been characterized as being preferred, it will be readily apparent that various changes and modifications could be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.
This nonprovisional application claims priority based upon the prior U.S. provisional patent application entitled, “Training Device and Method for Archery and Gunnery,” application No. 60/301,397, filed Jun. 27, 2001 in the name of Fay F. Frigon.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20030003425 A1 | Jan 2003 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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60301397 | Jun 2001 | US |