# Proper backtension shot



## subconsciously (Aug 22, 2009)

I am not going to tell you "how" to do it cause everyone is different. How I do it an how I teach it is like this. 

Upon draw ( which is angular - elbow up and using my back) my thumb is on the peg and index finger is relaxed. Upon anchor draw arm tension is bled into the back and maintained. The release hand is flat and relaxed. As I come into the spot thumb pressure is released and the release slightly rotates into a relaxed index. Now I have even pressure across the release. As back tension is still ever increasing ( little by little) I am aiming. -only aiming. With only a little bit more subconscious increase in back tension the release rotates and the arrow is gone. Follow through, conclusion, reflection. 

Now I'm no pro and everyone is a little different. One of the most important aspects is getting the hinge set correctly. Pm Padgett on here and he has got a real good write up on hinge set up. Or Maybe one of the other coaches will chime in. 

Remember, you can't work on 2 things at once. You either learn execution or aim. Once the process is turned over To the subconscious you need to let it run the shot. If you ever back up in process , that is your cue to let down. Proper relaxation and use of back tension will also slow the pin down. Exact draw length will greatly slow the pin down and help with proper execution. 

.02


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## Bees (Jan 28, 2003)

Jakepse said:


> I shoot the tru ball ultra 3 backtension release currently. What I do to execute my shot is draw back with most pressure on index finger, anchor, aim , transfer pressure to middle and ring finger. Im kind of new to this , is this correct?


there is no right and there is no wrong.
how do you transfer the pressure? 

I do it like subconsciously. only I don't have a thumb post. I draw transfer the holding weight to my rhomboid as I come to anchor I deliberately rotate my handle from the not shootable position( drawing bow I don't want it to go off) to my shootable position. when I get happy with everything and decide to commit to the shot. I Simultaneously relax my fingers as per how Griv taught me and increase my rhomboid squeeze, my shot breaks, when I do it right I cannot stop the follow through. When I don't do it right my follow thru is abbreviated.


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## Ky*Bowhunter (Aug 18, 2013)

Ask 100 different people and you will get 100 different answers. There is two constants in hinge shooting that is common with good shooters. Good tension in the rhomboid muscles so you have almost zero tension in your arms and you have shot so much that the firing engine you have chose is totally subconcious and requires no thought. You cant think about aiming and firing at the same time. Find a solid anchor point that is as easily to repeat as you can get so that when you draw everything just falls into place and feels natural. 

When i draw all of my tension is loaded in my back. I get the release deep in my hand. Settle in and just relax my hand and feel like it stretches out my palm. Getting the release deep allows you to relax your hand and know that its not going to slip out like it may feel if you have it more towards the tips of your fingers. After i anchor i do not manipulate the release what so ever. I simply let the tension of the string and holding weight stretch my palm against my back tension. I just simply aim until the release fires. 

This is just my own way of doing it. Took me a long time to find out what worked for ME. It isnt an easy road but if you can last their are great benefits to becoming a proficient hinge shooter. Ultimately people have to end up finding whatever is comfortable and natural to them. Its very hard to learn something that just doesnt feel right.


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## Dave V (Aug 13, 2008)

I could never mentally get past the "rotational" aspect of a hinge release. I was always conscious of my finger tension. So, for me I just drew the bow using thumb and index with little to no pressure on the other fingers, rotated to the click (clicker notch on Zenith release) and then settled into my anchor then simultaneously relaxed my index finger as I added tension to my ring finger, maintaining backward tension the entire time. Middle finger remained relatively constant which seemed to steady my hand against my jaw.

Like he said, 100 people=100 answers.


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## Bees (Jan 28, 2003)

I'm not a coach, but this is what I have learned over the past 10 years shooting a hinge.

My first mistake was pulling hinge release straight back. trouble with pulling the hinge straight back is, it will not rotate.
the quandary is the hinge has to rotate or it will never fire. What to do? I invented all kinds of ways to rotate the handle with my hand. and so does everyone else, slipping the fingers, Squeezing with this finger while letting off with that finger, all the while pulling my guts out pulling straight back. Score wise I have been stuck at 292 with about 15 X's on a Vegas face. I went to Griv's seminar in fall of 2009, he taught me pull back (don't recall how or if he even mention how to pull back) but relax the hand and let the palm stretch out and let the fingers grow. this helps greatly getting the handle to rotate but pulling straight back it is still difficult. what all this hand motion does to me is it upsets my float. My site jumps arrow goes off and I get a nine and sometimes even out into the red. 

So I quit, hurt shoulders and elbows, I rode around on my motorcycle and thought about things for 13 months. About 10 months ago I started back but this time I had decided I need some rotation in my back pull. I look up the rhomboid muscle and found when I flex or squeeze it, my shoulder blade pulls back but around my spine. Hmm maybe this is why Larry Wise says use your rhomboid. Anyway it's taken 10 months for me to finally feel my rhomboid squeeze when I am shooting my bow. the advantage is there is built in help with the handle rotation using the rhomboid instead of just pulling straight back. It is because when I squeeze my rhomboid my shoulder blade rotates back and around my spine, at least on my body it does. I allow this action to be transmitted to my release handle through my shoulder, arm and fingers and the handle on the hinge rotates because of the rhomboid squeeze, not something I did with my hand.

Now I set my hand on my release the way I want it at anchor, but I don't have to do any further manipulation of my fingers after that. I do allow my hand and fingers to stretch as per Griv, I call it get the long fingers while squeezing my rhomboid Simutainusly. So practicing this new pull back method I notice my alignment wasn't too good, found out I could squeeze better if I was more in line. Like I am when I draw my recurve. I changed my stance and posture to put as much of my recurve stance and posture as I could into my compound bow stance and posture. That's what I've done and on a good day I do OK. I find the real trick is when shooting for score I cannot think about any of this, especially my release hand, if any thoughts go to my release hand I am not going to hit the X with that arrow. So the discipline continues on the aiming part and trusting that what I have practiced with the pulling part will work. all of this hasn't been easy for me either, but my X's are slowing going up and at age 66 this is a real surprise. I did all this just to hang on to what I had not really expecting an increase.


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## slicer (Dec 18, 2008)

I would say one of the biggest components for shooting a hinge ala Larry Wise.....Core Archery, is holding it more horizontal than vertical. A good analogy is the golf swing plane, only for archery imagine a plane of glass is resting on your draw forearm and back of your release hand at a slight angle. This pane of glass goes through your body and out the back of your shoulder blade. 

Now, try to swing the entire pane of glass back parallel with the shooting line with a passive hand and forearm, and on that same slight downward angle. 

Set your release cold so it's difficult to fire, and mechanically work through it in training up close with eyes closed, never aim or shoot at a target when training your execution:

1. Move shoulder blade towards spine, 
2. Work elbow back behind you, 
3. Move pressure towards ring/little finger side of release.

You are learning to walk, give it a few short practice sessions daily.

Pretty soon......sooner than your think!.....your body will start to do this on it's own. 

Take your time, eventually working on a hotter release setting as you go along.....and have some awareness of your draw arm,hand being relaxed and manipulated by your BT, not the other way around. 

There should be no tension in your shot, no brute force, or straining of any kind. It should feel buttery smooth, relaxing, and make shooting a very pleasant experience.

How do you know when you "got it". You will draw with a target present, align pin, and the shot will just happen without any commanding or conscious manipulation on your part. You will feel your body "doing something"...just stay out of your own way and let it. 

That's my take on it, hope it helps.


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## threetoe (May 13, 2011)

FYI

Thanks you guys.

I too am working on the new discipline.


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## ron w (Jan 5, 2013)

if you are 'transferring pressures with a hinge, you are not executing proper "back tension' and are actually paying attention to that transfer of pressures, which is exactly what using a hinge is supposed to eliminate.
when you contract you rhomboid muscle, it makes your elbow swing in an arc, back towards the middle of your head. this rotation is to be transferred to your hand, to rotate the release enough to allow it to release the arrow. 
"back tension with a hinge", is one area in archery where there is no, " different ways of doing it, because everyone is different"...in reality,....just the opposite is true,.... everyone is exactly the same in this situation and there is definitely and clearly a "correct" and an "incorrect" way to execute back tension with a hinge.
if you are doing it by transferring finger pressures, you are using your hinge "incorrectly" and not executing a true "back tension release". as you transfer your finger pressures, you have to think about doing that and pay attention to how you do it, that attention detracts from the attention being directed to aiming, where the attention should be directed and completely defeats the purpose of using back tension and a hinge release.
that " discipline" you are "working on" is the exact opposite "discipline" that true back tension and a hinge is meant to be used in. essentially, you are training yourself to "cheat" a hinge release and is no different than a shooter that uses a index finger release by fingering it off, with his finger tip..


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## aread (Dec 25, 2009)

All good advice above.

However, step one is to get your bow set up to fit you. DL & D-loop have to be the right so that you are aligned, but still have a good range of motion in your draw shoulder. Also, your peep should be the right height to allow good posture. 

I've seen several people try to shoot a hinge release and fail because their bow isn't set up to fit their form with the hinge.

If you are having trouble getting your release to fire under pressure, look at how your bow fits.

Hope this helps,
Allen


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## ron w (Jan 5, 2013)

the way to successful back tension with a hinge is to set up your draw length so that your elbow is slightly outside of straight alignment at initial anchor and as you work your back tension, the shot breaks just as your elbow comes into perfect straight alignment. when your elbow starts out aligned at anchor, it will be out of alignment at the point the shot breaks....either outside of staright.... (elbow outside of a plane through string and arrow)... or beyond straight....(elbow inside of the plane through string and arrow). the latter, also being when you are having trouble getting the shot to break, with back tension. draw length is critical and this is why you need to adjust in small amounts (a twist or two at a time) to find the sweet spot of your release execution when using a hinge and back tension. the idea is to have that entire alignment be at the right tension at the instant the shot breaks, during the swing of your elbow, not before or beyond straight alignment.
the worst thing to do, if your having trouble getting the shot to break, is to adjust your release hotter to reduce the travel needed to break the shot. that generally leads to a lack of control of the entire release execution. when that control is compromised, target panic can and usually will develop. it is said that about .006" engagement is a good, secure amount and then adjust your draw length to allow your back tension to work around that.


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## mike 66 (Jan 21, 2010)

ron w said:


> if you are 'transferring pressures with a hinge, you are not executing proper "back tension' and are actually paying attention to that transfer of pressures, which is exactly what using a hinge is supposed to eliminate.
> when you contract you rhomboid muscle, it makes your elbow swing in an arc, back towards the middle of your head. this rotation is to be transferred to your hand, to rotate the release enough to allow it to release the arrow.
> "back tension with a hinge", is one area in archery where there is no, " different ways of doing it, because everyone is different"...in reality,....just the opposite is true,.... everyone is exactly the same in this situation and there is definitely and clearly a "correct" and an "incorrect" way to execute back tension with a hinge.
> if you are doing it by transferring finger pressures, you are using your hinge "incorrectly" and not executing a true "back tension release". as you transfer your finger pressures, you have to think about doing that and pay attention to how you do it, that attention detracts from the attention being directed to aiming, where the attention should be directed and completely defeats the purpose of using back tension and a hinge release.
> that " discipline" you are "working on" is the exact opposite "discipline" that true back tension and a hinge is meant to be used in. essentially, you are training yourself to "cheat" a hinge release and is no different than a shooter that uses a index finger release by fingering it off, with his finger tip..


very true ron i watch many with the same issues,,most dont have the dl. anywhere close.and a few that do have a super high elbow trying to pull down the one with the dl which is long i watch them start to rotate the hand, or start punching the thing and then i watch them shake the head...it only takes a small amount of movement if its set up right.most are overwhelmed.and it looks like they are in a gem .doing a workout....without watching them shoot to make sure i find it difficult just to tell them over the net..how to correct the problem once they start cheating the thing..i like being there watching..but there are a few on here that have a way with words which i dont have.. great write -up ron


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## ron w (Jan 5, 2013)

when things are right, the movement is almost not noticeable to a by-stander. the more relaxed your release arm and hand are, so that you're just hanging on the the relase with your fingers, the less movement it takes. tension in your arm, wrist and hand, has a tendency to keep the release in the positon it starts at, and resists the transfer of rotation from your back tension. that is the key meaning of the phrase..." getting out of the way"....let you shot mechanism, run itself and just be the by-stander, along for the ride. this is the area that so many have a real problem with,.... the can't allow themselves to not be in complete control of the shot process. they need to learn to be in complete control of their aiming process but let the shot execution run by itself, as two completely seperate processes. that is the "core reason".....sound framiliar ?..... (Larry Wise's "Core Archery")..... we learn to use back tension and the sub conscious release execution.


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## Thermodude (Dec 15, 2011)

I read an article about this a while back and Ive tried to find it again while doing a search but cant so Ill ask. The article was in regards to pro's and con's of the thumb post. Ive only been shooting a hinge a little over a year and Ive been through alot with it trying to get it all put together. I shoot a Stan Jet Black and I use my thumb post be it good or bad. I come into my anchor with slight preasure on the post and as the clicker goes off Im slowly relieving preassure from the post and imagining my elbow moving toward the center of my back...................the shot breaks. Am I going in the wrong direction?


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## mike 66 (Jan 21, 2010)

i agree,the biggest mistakes i see are just that it dont run on auto pilot...it not set in concrete in the mind...they think a hinge alone will cure T.P without having a set in steel shot seq.and let it run in auto or they dont let down when it breaks down most have issues with this... or they are trying to control the aiming process.


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## ron w (Jan 5, 2013)

that is basically correct. yet, at the same time you are still using finger pressure differential to get the release to fire, by slowly letting up on that post. that is counter-productive to the use of a hinge and bactension. by the time that click sounds, all pressure on the peg should be off and you should be just hanging on to the release with your hooked fingers. your release arm and wrist area should be releaxed and fully extended...nice and flat plane over the back of your hand and wrist. this will allow your release arm's rotation from rhomboid contraction to transfer into your relase hand and rotate the release to fire it.
try to visualize the tendons in your fingers and forearm as ropes that meet together at your elbow. when they are hanging on to your release they are under equal extended tension and because the terminate at the elbow, they transfer thwht the elbow does into your fingers. as the elbow swings, the "ropes" rotate the release an equal amount and the release fires, from that transferred rotation. in order to do this those tendons have to be completely relaxed, with the only tension being what is necessary to maintain the hook in your fingers, the retains the release. 
the click s there to separate the shot procedure as actions, "before the click"....draw, anchor and aquire target and "after the click"..... a pause in the procedure and "ready to go", time to concentrate on aiming. it is this point where the sub conscious release process is so important to the function of the shot process. at this point..."the ready to go" after the click portion of your shot, there should be no reason to think about the release execution any more.....that should run by itself, all your concentration should be on the x-ring, with the click being the audible signal that starts the release process. 
you might equate this area to that of "Pavlov's dog" in psychology.... the ringing of the bell makes the dog drink water..... the ring of the bell is the "click of your release", and the dog drinking water is your "subconscious release mechanism" starting to run.


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## oldgeez (Sep 29, 2002)

the hardest part for me, was getting the click to coincide with relaxed hand and forearm. old stans don't micro adjust very easily, lol!!


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## Tony Bagnall (Sep 8, 2012)

Best advise.... go look up Padgett he has articles on shot execution and back tension.....


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## Slabbro (Nov 4, 2012)

Cannot believe no one gave the man the golden web address..........

www.padgettarchery.com

Pretty much everything you need, answers, how to, theories, is all right there!! Start with the hinge set up routine. I could not believe how wrong I had my hinge set up. It will take some getting used to, drawing with all fingers on a hinge, it will spook you a little at first but once you have the feel it is so much more natural to execute the shot engine with a hinge that is actually set right for you.


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