Professional Spearfishing Guide Specialising in Spearing Trips to Madagascar & Mozambique.
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Let's look at some aiming techniques and how and when to use them.
Essentially there are two ways guys take shots. Guys either aim down the barrel or they point and shoot. Often this Point & Shoot is more instinctive and does not rely on ‘aiming’ at all.
From what I have noticed, the guys who use the ‘Point & Shoot’ technique are normally guys who hunt on the reef more. Hunting fast skittish fish in close quarters means that lining up down the barrel is too slow and cumbersome.
While bluewater or open water situations where you chase down fish generally give you loads of time to line up and take the shot.
Let's look at both techniques and how to master them, as well as the Pro’s and Con’s of both.
Let's look at the most common aiming technique first, and that's aiming down the gun.
This technique is pretty self explanatory as you aim like you would any gun or rifle. Line of sight down the gun at the target.
Most guys aim over the top by first placing the speartip on the target and then adjusting the handle up or down to line up the shot.
Another way is to come from the side. This can be really effective if the fish is coming in from the right side. By looking down the side of your barrel the height of your shot is easy to adjust or get right. I will often use this technique to determine if a gun is shooting high or low as you there is little mistaking how high you are aiming.
It can also be helpful when on the bottom and aiming at fish approaching you as you dont obscure the target until the moment before pulling the trigger.
Either way you are lining up the gun like you would a rifle.
The ‘Pro’s’ to this technique is that it is pretty easy to master and if you have the time and an easy target you can make sure of your shot.
The ‘Con’s”
Aiming like you would a rifle can take too long. In blue water situations where the target is cruising along. Spanish Mackerel & Wahoo are a good example of this, you can take your time and line up your shot.
But when you are rushed or don't have time, you might land up just squeezing off a shot without being 100% certain of the shot.
When aiming your gun is extended out in front of you. So if the fish is moving erratically or you are in a shoal where your target keeps changing. You landup trying to track your gun and making large cumbersome movements. It is very hard to change target or direction when your gun is extended.
Having your gun out in front of you is an extremely bad habit. It not only limits your manoeuvrability & fluidness in the water. It increases your profile for one, you become in some cases almost twice as long in the water.
You also put an additional barrier between you and the target. Some fish will keep a certain distance from you, whether it is your mask or the end of your gun. Keeping them a whole guns distance further away is not helpful.
Some fish like wahoo and snapper also don't like to be hunted. These fish read your body language and having your gun out pointing at a fish is not helpful. I constantly have to remind myself to keep my gun draw in and close to my body.
Another negative to aiming down the barrel is being so focused on the aiming that you forget to brace or lock the elbow in the shot. This is common when lying on the bottom waiting for a fish to come in.
Having a bent elbow or limp wrist means that when you shoot there is nothing solid holding the gun, and the energy is sent backwards in the gun instead of forwards in the shaft. You lose a massive amount of energy this way. The gun kicking backwards will also affect accuracy as that backwards kick is never perfectly straight back and will affect the way the shaft leaves the gun.
This is why recoil is such a big thing for me. And why guns with recoil are a waste of time.
But even with well set up low recoil rollers you still need to have a sturdy grip and locked elbow, wrist and shoulders.
Another potential issue with aiming down the gun is a lot of your focus is on the gun, so you don't focus on a specific spot on the fish, but rather aim in a general area on the fish.
Aiming down the gun takes time and it is easy to ‘over aim’ second guess yourself. I think anyone who has dived for any amount of time has experienced this at some time or another.
Let's look at the ‘Point & Shoot’
The ‘Point & Shoot’ method does not rely on aiming but rather, hand / eye coordination to place the shot. It is the same as taking a stick and quickly pointing it at the target and then without moving, look down the stick you will find that you are pretty much spot on. This shot is particularly good when hunting on the bottom and needing to keep your gun concealed until the very last moment.
The main Pro’s of the ‘Point & Shoot’ are that you are able to or in some cases forced to keep your gun drawn back and close to your body for longer. And you are forced to make quick decisive decisions and execute the shot with confidence. This means that you are constantly looking for opportunities and weighing up when it is best to take the shot.
In the beginning you might blow a few shots, but as you get better at anticipating situations and executing quick clean shots at the opportune moment you will become far more proficient.
I really believe this is what makes a great spearfisherman.
The ‘Point & Shoot’ also means that because you are extending out as you take the shot, your muscles in your arm and shoulder are engaged and are better able to take up the recoil of the gun.
A very big Pro for this technique for me is the fact that all your attention is on the fish and the exact point you want to land the shot. You are not distracted by aiming the gun, and focusing on that specific spot on the fish, and when is the best opportunity for that shot. This will make you more lethal in the water.
The cons to the ‘Point & Shoot’ are mainly with handling big clumbersom guns. Even long guns become a problem, and this style is best suited for shorter guns. And this is where shorter lighter rollerguns make all the difference.
Another downside to the ‘Point & Shoot’ is if you miss it is almost impossible to tell if it was you or the gun that messed up the shot. When aiming and you know 100% you were on target and miss, you can be fairly sure there is an issue with the gun.
So which is better, the ‘Point & Shoot’ or aiming down the barrel? Well actually neither, and I like to use a combination of both techniques depending on the situation. The ‘Point & Shoot’ is more difficult and requires extreme confidence. I have to constantly remind myself to try hunt in this manner.
Even if it is just going through the motions of keeping the gun drawn in, waiting for the right moment to execute the point and shoot, with a quick aim to check my shot.
A really handy tip I learnt a few years ago is the ‘Poke & Shoot’ This is a technique I have subsequently taught to guys new to the sport as well as those old school guys stuck in their ways. This is a sure fire way to improve your accuracy and grow in confidence. It also helps you move away from relying on aiming down the barrel and transition into a ‘Point & Shoot’ style of shooting. As well as a host of other good things.
How the ‘Poke & Shoot’ technique works is right at the moment when you are about to take the shot, shift your focus onto the exact spot on the fish and project the gun forward imagining that you are pushing or poking the shaft through the fish on that spot. At the end of this extension, as you would imagine the shaft going through the fish you squeeze off the shot.
This is not a sharp or fast movement, but rather a controlled movement. I always liken it to a Chameleon about to nab an insect with its tongue. Its tongue comes out smooth and steady, not alarming the prey, and then snap. It shoots forward and nails its meal.
The ‘Poke & Shoot’ takes the ‘Point & Shoot’ and adds an ‘aiming’ component. Its like aiming without aiming. It is a conscious part of the point motion you focus on right when taking the shot and can also be used in combination with aiming down the barrel.
I often use this when aiming down the barrel to help me to shift focus from the gun on to the exact spot on the fish.
The ‘Poke & Shoot’ also forces you to fully extend your arm and not make the mistake of having a bent elbow. It also helps those guys who have the bad habit of supporting the gun with the second hand. Either up the barrel or double handing at the grip. Both are unnecessary with rollerguns and only lead to bad habits like having your elbows bent and swimming around with the gun extended.
I also find the whole motion or action helps with committing to the shot. While you are aiming down the barrel at the fish you can pull the trigger at any time and sometimes it can be difficult to know exactly when to pull the trigger. This indecision can lead to you doubting the shot and second guessing yourself.
When you are poking your spear through the specific spot on the fish, you are being very decisive and your shot is at that moment when you are fully extended. Its like the decision of when to shoot is taken away and it is just part of the whole motion. If that makes any sense?
So whether you are an aim down the barrel or a ‘Point & Shoot’ styled diver the ‘Poke & Shoot is a great technique to improve your shots.
I guess this is just small part of an overall way of hunting. Its the full stop at the end of that moment of the hunt.
So for me I just try remember two things. Keep my gun in and at the right moment poke through the fish and release the shaft.
Everything else that happens in between will just flow.
You will start to look for the right moment to extend your gun out. Sometimes it will be a quick point and shoot style shot other times you will line up the shot with time to spare. But finish off the motion by focusing on the spot on the fish you want the shaft to land.
Push the shaft through that spot as you let the shaft fly.
Like I have said in this and so many other videos, confidence is key to shooting straight. The Poke and shoot is a technique that can really help you build confidence by helping you commit to your shots and make your shots decisive & functional. My advice is that you get out into a pool or go shoot some fish for the pot. Practice applying the various techniques that apply to you and build your confidence.
The great thing is the Poke n Shoot you can practice in a pool at a target.
So just a quick recap.
It does not matter if you aim down the gun or shoot from the hip with a point and shoot. Or even a combination of both. Just remember keep your gun in as much as possible. Try anticipate when you are going to shoot and when you do act decisively and focus on the spot you want your shaft to land.
Then whether you are aiming down the gun or not push forward with the gun extending the shaft through the spot you are focusing on and let the shaft fly. This way you will make sure you are holding the gun firmly and have your wrist, elbow and shoulders all engaged. Your shot will then be on exact spot you want and with all the power and accuracy your gun can produce.
