# Push-pull method



## aread (Dec 25, 2009)

1. When do you start pushing vs. pulling? - You begin the push pull as you are drawing to anchor, and you don't stop. At some point, you transfer the load to your back muscles, but there is not start to Push/Pull, because you never stop. You slow down the movement while you are aiming, but don't stop. Stopping requires that you re-engage your back muscles which leads to shaky sight pictures.

2. How hard or aggressively do you do each? This is something that you have to work out through trial and error. You will probably end up at 50:50 or very close to it. The key is to balance it precisely the same on every arrow.

3. Do you use specific muscles, or are you simply trying to straighten the front elbow? The best coach I ever worked with told me, "The tension of holding is achieved in the back and only in the back. All the rest, arms, hands shoulders, are just hooks and levers." You need to find the muscles in your back that you will use to finish the draw and complete the execution. Larry Wise's video is can help you with this. The pushing should come from your bow shoulder, not your bow arm elbow.

4. If using a hinge, do I relax the hand and when? Many very good archers use the hand relaxation method to execute a hinge release. However, I recommend that you do it like Larry Wise shows in his video. Your hand is just an immobile hook and the release is triggered with your back.

5. Does all of this begin the instant you get on target? No, it begins as you draw the bow, before you are on target. See above. The sooner in the process that you can be on target with your back muscles engaged, the better you will shoot. You don't want to stop and engage another set of muscles to complete the execution. Use the same set of back muscles that you are using to hold at full draw to complete the execution to conclusion. A smooth continuous action is the goal. Note that while aiming, much of the movement is internal. But you are using the same muscles without stopping to re-engage. 

IMO, push pull is not the best method for archers who shoot under pressure. It's too easy to not balance the push/pull the same on every arrow. I prefer the immobile bow arm with all the execution coming from the back end. 

John Dudley has a good article on this on his website. He has a lot of other excellent articles posted there. Definitely worth the effort to download them.

There is quite a bit more to it than this, but hopefully I've answered some of your questions.

Hope this helps,
Allen


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## Iowa shooter (Feb 23, 2013)

I have read the articles on John Dudley's website and I own the Larry Wise video. Good articles and video. I just tried to start pushing recently to see if I could get my sight picture steadier.

With the immobile front arm and no relaxation of hand on hinge, do you feel like you are ripping the bow apart? If so does the pressure increase slowly to get to that point, or do you suddenly explode with your rear back muscles once on target?


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## nuts&bolts (Mar 25, 2005)

Iowa shooter said:


> I have read the articles on John Dudley's website and I own the Larry Wise video. Good articles and video. I just tried to start pushing recently to see if I could get my sight picture steadier.
> 
> With the immobile front arm and no relaxation of hand on hinge, do you feel like you are ripping the bow apart? If so does the pressure increase slowly to get to that point, or do you suddenly explode with your rear back muscles once on target?



PUSH-PULL.

or

PASSIVE, DEAD as a 2x4 bow arm (requires ALIGNMENT).

Ask aread about the "wall exercise" I showed him at Lancaster Archery.

So,
if you go PASSIVE on the bow arm....then, the PULLING is on the release side of your body.

Sooo,
if you have a 60 lb bow,
and you have 12 lbs of holding weight...

then,
when you get to full draw,
IMMEDIATELY do not STOP pulling until you get to 15 lbs of holding pressure
and maintain 15 lbs PULLING pressure
while you SETTLE your bow.


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## nuts&bolts (Mar 25, 2005)

Soo,
MY RULE of thumb,
for MY students..

is the MOMENT your release hand touches your face,
then,
i start my slow 3-COUNT...

ONE-ONE-THOUSAND
TWO-ONE-THOUSAND
THREE-ONE-THOUSAND....

FIRE-FIRE-FIRE.

So,
from the moment your release hand touches your face (anchor..full draw)
you have a slow THREE-COUNT
to do whatever you need to do,
to settle the sight picture
and to pull through the shot
with enough PULLING FORCE
to get your release to let go of the d-loop.


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## nuts&bolts (Mar 25, 2005)

Iowa shooter said:


> I have read the articles on John Dudley's website and I own the Larry Wise video. Good articles and video. I just tried to start pushing recently to see if I could get my sight picture steadier.
> 
> With the immobile front arm and no relaxation of hand on hinge, do you feel like you are ripping the bow apart? If so does the pressure increase slowly to get to that point, or do you suddenly explode with your rear back muscles once on target?


RIP bow apart is such an INEXACT phrase.

INCREASE pressure kinda slow.
INCREASE pressure sorta slow.
INCREASE pressure medium slow.
INCREASE pressure medium speedy.

See how folks can get confused.

ONE-ONE-THOUSAND.
TWO-ONE-THOUSAND.
THREE-ONE-THOUSAND.

Count starts when your release hand FIRST touches your face.

Helps to not waste any precious seconds,
by drawing back with the sight BLOCKING your view of the bullseye.

Not drawing back several inches HIGH and dropping down.
Not drawing back several inches LOW and trying to bring the sight up.

Just block your view of the target bullseye,
BEFORE you start to pull back the d-loop
and keep the sight blocking your view of the target,
as you pull back the d-loop.

This way,
when you release hand stops moving backwards
and your release hand touches your face,
you are ON TARGET already
and the count down starts.


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## aread (Dec 25, 2009)

Iowa shooter said:


> .....With the immobile front arm and no relaxation of hand on hinge, do you feel like you are ripping the bow apart? If so does the pressure increase slowly to get to that point, or do you suddenly explode with your rear back muscles once on target?


As Alan pointed out you really need your bow to fit you and you need good alignment to get good execution. His Nuts & Bolts of Archery describe this very well.

In short, you don't want to feel like you are ripping the bow apart. You do want to be actively spreading the bow apart. 

The secret to accurate archery is to get from full draw to conclusion with the least change possible. So a sudden explosion is probably no going to achieve this. Slow pressure increase is more likely to result in little or no change. However, it's not just an increase in pressure. You also have to move your elbow behind you a little to get the release to go off. Larry's video demonstrates this very well. 

This is something that is very easy to over think. Find a way that works for you and make sure you do it the same on every arrow.

JMHO,
Allen


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## threetoe (May 13, 2011)

Thanks a ton you guys.

For 6 years I was taught all the wrong ways.!
So-called coaches...you know.

I wasn't a bad shot, just hot and cold.
Then Target Panic set in. As the pin floated over the bull..I would punch the trigger. It was horrible. I was minutes away from putting my Experience in it's case and into the storage.

It was several of you who convinced me to give it another try.
I picked up a hinge, bloodied my nose and learned not to do that again.

It's the help of a select few here which has helped me immensely.

My last 3-D? unmarked.
Scoring 10-8-5

I shot 20 - 10' with 14 of them SPOTS.


I'm back

Thanks a ton.


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