# Bad RHS shoulder



## cubed (Jun 19, 2012)

Hi Guys,

I have a bad rugby injury that ripped the deltoid off my right shoulder. It went undiagnosed for quite a while and is now deemed un fixable.
I have about 90% movement back after a lot of physio and weight training.
The only movement I do not have is when the forearm is at right angles to the bicep. My shoulder cannot sustain the movement and collapses.
This has meant that when i draw, my forearm is dragged across the front of my body until the bow is drawn, then I raise the arm up to initiate settling into the shot and finding my anchor point. This has worked okay with my current bow a bear done deal that has quite a substantial valley, so the transition from arm tension to back tension is okay. 
I have got a Prime Shift on the way and shot one on the weekend and discovered the valley is substantially smaller than the one I have. This meant I was fighting creep during the transition from arm tension to back tension and had to let down quite a few times.
We turned the poundage down to 60lbs from 70 which is what I shoot now and was still fighting it.
I have got a training aid, ( cant remember the name) that is set at 28lbs and I can kinda draw it like you are supposed to draw but when transition back to the bow my shoulder collapses under the weight.
I have been quite accurate in the past, hitting whatever I point at but now that I want to get into 3d and target shooting I feel that I need to get things settled properly.
Will I just have to live with the way I draw the bow and get better at the transition or can I work around it? I will try and post up a video of the draw to show the technique.


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## cubed (Jun 19, 2012)

Quick video showing my form. You can see the transition between arm and back tension clearly as i bring my elbow up. Hope this helps and I can get somewhere or nowhere...


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## aread (Dec 25, 2009)

I don't see where your cross chest draw is a problem. Getting there is important, but less important than your full draw position.

In fact I think that you are doing a lot of things right. One of the more important form parts is the follow through and you have that better than most. 

The main that you may want to work on for target shooting is your release. Currently you are punching the release. When you see a good sight picture, you tell your index finger to trigger the release. This works for hunting and can work for target when you are "on". But over the thousands of arrows necessary to be a good target archer, this method tends to break down. A trigger release can be shot without punching, but a hinge or thumb trigger usually works better.

For target archery, you want to develop an efficient draw to anchor. In the video, you are making a lot of adjustments at full draw to get to your anchor. This costs energy that makes a difference over a long match.

A more erect head position will help you avoid bow shoulder soreness. Also, if you position it over the center of your body mass, your balance will improve.

These are small points that I'm picking on. Overall you are doing well. I don't think that your injury will make a significant difference. If you work with a coach, just explain your limits and a good coach can easily work around it.

Hope this helps,
Allen


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## cubed (Jun 19, 2012)

Hey Allen,

Thanks for the advice mate, its greatly appreciated.
I will certainly work on the head position and trying to fidget less and get to anchor sooner.
I went to the thumb release to initiate the shot through back tension rather than punching it. Having only just got it I have quite a bit of practice to work on not punching and relying on technique to fire the shot.
I will get cracking on those things and see if I can get some progress. 
I really want to get pretty decent at target shooting so thanks again for the feedback, it's good to know i'm heading in the right track and the bad shoulder is not making things worse and that I can work around it. 
I'm not sure if we have access to any decent coaches here in Tasmania, I have never looked so I will.
Thanks again,
Sean


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## Splitshafts (May 7, 2012)

Bernie Pellerite has a book out that can and will help you tremendously!!! Check out "coachbernie" here. Buy and read his book, follow the training methods he decribes to a "t". You will be amazed at how much your shooting, both target and hunting will improve. Currently you are not using any back tension. So read up and find a spot where you can do Blank bale shooting for several weeks. You will be just fine with a little work


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