# Form, form, form, form.....



## arrowshooters (Jun 5, 2006)

The biggest difference is going to be the anchore point. Most finger shooters I know use the corner of their mouth while alot of release shooters anchore under their jaw.


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## Unclegus (May 27, 2003)

One of the most recent things I've seem that really is great is an article in Archery Focus ( Last issue I think) called "pluck pluck pluck" If you have access to the rag, this is a damn good one..... Larry Wise's book Core Archery is another good one. Infact, My form got to screwed up, I spent some time with him getting it back.... I'm not a Bernie fan, but his last book is pretty good too.


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## extendereng (Oct 12, 2004)

*Pic of my form*

This is how I do it for informational purposes. I am very thick skinned so if you feel like critiquing go ahead.:wink: 

JK


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## extendereng (Oct 12, 2004)

*pic2*

another


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## TAYLOR CO. (Jun 9, 2005)

Your form looks mighty good to me! It looks very natural.


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## tothepoint (Dec 22, 2006)

While I'd love to say I can fix all your problems the truth is this is a highly complicated subject. Form is way, way, way more than how you hold the bow at draw. It's a combination of stance, draw, anchoring, fingers used, position the fingers on the string, extension of the bow arm, palming or bridging of the wrist, whether you use a drop style or pull through method of release, how long it takes you to get on target, how long you hold true on target, and lastly one of the most overlooked and important segments of for is the follow through of the shot all the way to the target. Only about 1/4 of different aspects of "form" (maybe less) can be captured in photos or video. This is why you won't find the answer in a single thread here at AT or any other archery site you may visit. 

My best advise would be to watch those around you who are shooting consistently high scores, Olympic archers are amazing examples, watch everything they do, you'll begin to see each archer has a routine. You might not see it the first time but after a couple of shots you'll see that they make an obvious and deliberate effort to make sure they're addressing a specific segment of form that may be their weakness. Then ask them why they do what they do, I've yet to run into an archer who won't take the 30 seconds to help you understand the mechanics of what they're doing.


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## rogbo (Jan 2, 2004)

Well, that didn't take long. Thanks for posting the pics and for the informative and contructive remarks. Here is a PM I got from Nuts and Bolts with a very detailed reply as to form as relating to finger release and some similarities with mechanical release shots. 

Hello Roger:

A compound shooter, whether a fingers shooter or a release shooter, has to release the arrow cleanly.

So, the parallels will be foot position,
bow hand grip technique, upper body alignment, bow draw length setting, d-loop length, and how that affects the drawing arm and drawing elbow tip and drawing muscles in the shoulder, bicep and forearm.

The fingers shooter has to deal with archer's paradox and with finger release technique.

I am a fan of Kisik Lee and his explanation of the biomechanics of shooting a recurve. 

I am also a fan of Ray Axford, and his book "Archery Anatomy".

I am also a fan of James Park, and his series of three books.

I am also a fan of Larry Wise and his book "Core Archery".


All of these folks, say in different ways, the same thing. Namely, the human body is just a shooting frame or a shooting machine. No different than the Spot Hogg bow shooting machine.

In theory, if we align the body in the direction of force (Ray Axford calls this the Draw Force Line), then the human body becomes a very efficient shooting platform.



Power triangle is a term I dreamed up to explain the concept of lining up the drawing arm directly behind the arrow.




Here is another example of a shooter with fairly good alignment.



Enough about alignment of the upper body to the arrow when at full draw.



The fingers shooter has to work with finger release technique.

You have folks who shoot Mediterranean style, i.e., one finger above the nock, and two fingers below.

You have folks who shoot three fingers under
or two fingers under or 
even one finger under (after drawing with several).


If a shooter, shoots with multiple fingers,
you must get the finger pressure on each finger consistent, otherwise, you will chase high and low misses.

The back of the hand must be flat and relaxed.
The forearm also must be relaxed, as if the forearm is like a rope, connecting the wrist and the elbow tip.

Some fingers shooters shoot the "dead" release style.
Other fingers shooters shoot the "live" release style, where you have the "surprise" release and a followthrough.

I am a fan of the "live" release.
Once you decide the committ to the shot,
then you just stop holding onto the string, and 
let the string slip away from your fingers...the string does the work....like snow falling from the limbs of a pine tree.


Easiest exercise is a bucket with a wire handle.
Fill it with 5-gallons of water. This will be over 40 lbs.

Hold the wire handle in the crease of your fingertips, like a string. Then, when you decide to no longer hold onto the bucket, you just let the wire handle slip away.

No need to fling open your fingers.
The weight of the bucket on the wire handle does all the work.

Practice your fingers release technique with a 40 lb recurve bow.

Very easy to let the string slip away.

When you have a 60 lb fingers bow,
with a 80% letoff cam, and you are only holding 20%, which is 12 lbs, then it is easy to fall in to poor habits for fingers release technique.




The draw length of the bow setting will affect whether you use your back muscles or your arm muscles to release the string.

Are you using a clicker?

Train with a recurve with a clicker,
and then your release technique for your compound fingers bow will improve.


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## rogbo (Jan 2, 2004)

damn, the pictures and diagrams didn't copy over. Any help on how to do that?


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## nuts&bolts (Mar 25, 2005)

rogbo said:


> Well, that didn't take long. Thanks for posting the pics and for the informative and contructive remarks. Here is a PM I got from Nuts and Bolts with a very detailed reply as to form as relating to finger release and some similarities with mechanical release shots.
> 
> Hello Roger:
> 
> ...


.


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## jerrytee (Feb 5, 2005)

Good advice from N & B as usual . Only a couple of things I would take issue with. First half fill the bucket with water, that will get the lower weight that a finger compound shooter uses.( for me 60lbs, 60% let off gives me around 24 lbs on two fingers) Secondly I found that practicing with a recurve is not much help for me because of the lack of back wall. I did try with a 24lb recurve which was near the weight but I had to rethink when I went back to a compound with a back wall.
As far as your form goes extendereng, the only thing that I can see is the wrist sling might be a little too tight.


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## tothepoint (Dec 22, 2006)

Is it just me or did anybody else notice that the pictures show the shooters using releases. I thought the topic of the string was about the correct form for finger shooters.


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## Jorge Oliveira (Aug 13, 2004)

tothepoint said:


> Is it just me or did anybody else notice that the pictures show the shooters using releases. I thought the topic of the string was about the correct form for finger shooters.


Hello, N&B

Any photos of Dado?


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## ia bhtr (May 22, 2002)

tothepoint said:


> Is it just me or did anybody else notice that the pictures show the shooters using releases. I thought the topic of the string was about the correct form for finger shooters.


ttp , pretty sure with the pics he was just showing body/shot alignment at full draw & not so much about the actual finger release ( thus the punchamatic really means nothing here) as long as the DL is similar to the pics , just my take on it anyways ...


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## DwayneR (Feb 23, 2004)

Hello Extender,

Ok...One thing I don't like, is pictures of forms... There is very LITTLE you can tell on the form unless you see the complete release and followthrough.

BUT somethings can be seen bEFORE the shot.

Someone has pointed out the power triangle...

One thing that has NOT been pointed out, is your fingers and finger grip on the string.

First off... I don't care how many fingers you grip the string with. I don't care how many fingers you use to straighten out. But what I DO CARE ABOUT is the FINGER and the FINGER TIP ANGLE

ALL your fingers should be PERFECTLY STRAIGHT AND RELAXED except the VERY TIP of the fingers. They should be curled around the string.

When you release, the FINGERTIPS release, not the whole finger. They should look something like the following (Parden my quick poor drawing)

|||||------\ 
Hand....^..^ 

Each arrow represents a knuckle.

In doing so, "Creep" is eliminated, and the string will have a much more consistant "roll" off the string.

Dwayne


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## TexasGuy (Jan 27, 2005)

*Just a minor point, but.....*

.......Dee Wilde claims he came up with the phrase "power triangle" to describe the relationship of the arms, back and shoulders at full-draw.... :darkbeer: 

He made that claim during his interview in the video "Straight Talk From the Pro's"........


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## nuts&bolts (Mar 25, 2005)

TexasGuy said:


> .......Dee Wilde claims he came up with the phrase "power triangle" to describe the relationship of the arms, back and shoulders at full-draw.... :darkbeer:
> 
> He made that claim during his interview in the video "Straight Talk From the Pro's"........



Ok.

We can call it the "force triangle", then.

I have the Michael Braden "Straight Talk" DVD,
but I don't have the "Straight Talk from the Pro's" DVD yet.

Thanks for pointing that out.


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## TexasGuy (Jan 27, 2005)

nuts&bolts said:


> Ok.
> 
> We can call it the "force triangle", then.
> 
> ...



No biggie, bud!  

"Straight Talk from the Pro's" was produced in 2003, I believe, by Jerry Carter of Carter Enterprises......about 15-20 of the top pro-archers were interviewed on a variety of issues.....good video......


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## marcusjb (Jun 22, 2005)

I'd like to see some good slow-mo videos of finger release shooting! Anyone have any links?


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