# Snatching at the Riser



## fgignac (Aug 21, 2014)

You can't not do this. This is a subconscious reflex that is very hard to train out. And it is only a problem if the movement is happening before the shot goes off. If you start grabbing the bow before the arrow is released, it means that you are letting your subconscious run your release for you and it is attaching pre-ignition movements to it. 

If the movement happens after the release it isn't really a problem. A good way to tell what is going on is to look at the eyes. If you blink before releasing, your subconscious is running the show. If you blink after the release your movements are probably also happening post-shot. 

A guy that is really good at explaining this stuff if Joel Turner at SHOTIQ. He really breaks down how the brain and body react to shooting a bow. I recommend listening to Gritty Bowmen podcast #153. He goes into quite a bit of detail about this.


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## nuts&bolts (Mar 25, 2005)

AussiePete said:


> I'm pleased to note that my shooting has been improving significantly. I have a nice loose grip on the bow, and my follow thorugh on release of good. My strength and steadiness is improving and accuracy is getting better and better, and until today I thought my form was OK and I just needed more strength in my bow arm to improve accuracy even further. Today I was at the range with my son, and he took a slo-mo video of me shooting. To my surprise I saw that I am snatching at the riser at the moment of release. I was not aware that I'm doing it, as I have a open fingers with no grip whatsoever on the riser while aiming. This is almost certainly impacting on my accuracy.
> 
> Any hints on how I can get rid of this bad habit?


1) install a bow sling.

2) make a foil ball, that is 2-inches in diameter. YOu are going to HOLD the foil ball with 3 fingers, so impossible to snatch. Cuz 3 fingers are kept busy, then you have only the thumb and the pointer finger to gently hang onto the bow.







SHOOT your bow, while holding onto the foil ball. FOIL ball acts as a spacer, to FORCE you to rotate your bow hand clockwise, so the knuckles are at 45 degrees.



With fingers curled around a 2-inch diameter FOIL ball, IMPOSSIBLE to snatch the riser.
Feels weird, for the first 1000 shots with the foil ball.
YOu will have enough muscle memory after 1000 shots with the ball, so you can hold your bow hand like this,
without the foil ball.


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## Fury90flier (Jun 27, 2012)

It's really easy to fix.

No sights on the bow, no Target face... just blank bailing. Use the sling and Method as above stated and just let the bow fall into the sling.

Give yourself 2 weeks... I would say a hundred shots a day, all clean but that's really difficult to do. Start off at 25 shots a day all clean, when you hang grip the bow you start over.

You know you've done it right when you forget your sling and the bow shoots out of your hand... LOL, you'll only do that three or four times before you get it


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## Flyinhawaiian (Nov 2, 2018)

Shoot with a finger sling.


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## AussiePete (Feb 8, 2020)

Thanks for the great suggestions.  I'm now shooting with my bow hand fingers extended, rather than loose and slightly curled, which has pretty well eliminated the "snatch". If that doesn't work out, I will try some of the other suggestions.


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## b-a-maniak (Apr 19, 2014)

AussiePete said:


> Thanks for the great suggestions.  I'm now shooting with my bow hand fingers extended, rather than loose and slightly curled, which has pretty well eliminated the "snatch". If that doesn't work out, I will try some of the other suggestions.


No, do not extend fingers, go back to relaxed and curled. Keeping fingers straight creates unwanted stresses in hand and forearm that should stay relaxed. Work with the ball or similar like N&B is showing and get it ingrained as Fury90flier lays it out. The idea is for bone to bone alignment and contact from the bow grip to release elbow. Just that little carpal bone at the base of the thumb sits on the grip. Hand, fingers and thumb should be kept quiet, relaxed and passive in the shot.


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## Johnfajitas (May 27, 2020)

What I did to improve that for myself was going into every shot with the mindset that I am willing to drop my bow. I would practice by blank bailing and just feeling the difference between being completely relaxed at the point of shooting, to snatching. 

Honestly, I want to try the foil ball activity. I’m certain I occasionally “snatch”, and so I see no reason to keep reinforcing better habits.


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## Chipalexander (Mar 30, 2017)

fgignac said:


> You can't not do this. This is a subconscious reflex that is very hard to train out. And it is only a problem if the movement is happening before the shot goes off. If you start grabbing the bow before the arrow is released, it means that you are letting your subconscious run your release for you and it is attaching pre-ignition movements to it.
> 
> If the movement happens after the release it isn't really a problem. A good way to tell what is going on is to look at the eyes. If you blink before releasing, your subconscious is running the show. If you blink after the release your movements are probably also happening post-shot.
> 
> A guy that is really good at explaining this stuff if Joel Turner at SHOTIQ. He really breaks down how the brain and body react to shooting a bow. I recommend listening to Gritty Bowmen podcast #153. He goes into quite a bit of detail about this.


I watched the video too. Good info


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