# Back tention



## mr alien x (Sep 26, 2010)

Okay at the range im starting to hear a lot about back tention. Im semi new to archery and the guys at the range say that is the correct way to shoot.

1. What is back tention?
2. How do you shoot with back tention?
3. Is it the correct way to shoot?


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## aread (Dec 25, 2009)

Here is the best explanation:

What really is back tension?
By George Ryals

Many shooters are mystified with the notion of “back tension.” For many shooters it is this mysterious feeling you get in your back when your shoulder blades are rotated, tucked, pulled, and squeezed into just the right contorted position that enables the elusive “perfect shot”. For others it requires a medical degree and a body chart to locate ambiguous muscle groups that must be flexed and pinched at just the right interval while poking at your release trigger. Ultimately, it is a confusing distraction that takes our mind off aiming, and aiming is the grand wizard of tasks that must be completed without distraction to complete the perfect shot.

All kidding aside, “back tension” can be simplified as a dynamic tension that is set up at the beginning of the draw and it is continues through the release of the arrow.

I feel that it is second only to aiming as the key fundamental part of shooting form that generates accuracy and consistency. Proper setup and use of this "tension" can help you shoot longer by relieving fatigue. It will make you a more stable shooter by relieving muscle tension in the arms and hands. Dynamic tension also reduces the amount of muscle groups involved in the shot. This will diminish muscle tremors that can cause sudden misses, quick shots, and general unsteadiness.

What does it feel like?

Try this exercise. Make a bow drawing motion (without a bow in your hands). For most people it is easier to isolate the back without the weight of the bow or the tension of the string. While making a drawing motion, make sure your hands, forearms, and shoulders are relaxed as they can be. Actually let your hands dangle loosely as you do this. Keep your back straight, head up and turned towards the target, and straighten your bow arm, but keep the elbow unlocked. As you reach full draw, you will be able to feel your back working to hold full draw. Keep your elbow high. The lower your elbow gets, the greater your chances become for your back transferring the pressure to your arms and hands. Loss of tension is usually unrecoverable without letting down and restarting the shot. Leaning back at full draw is also another common cause of tension loss. I had this problem and it is hard to fix because you can’t feel it. Stick a bow square or an arrow in your waistband and let it go down into your pant leg next to your leg. Usually an arrow works best because of its length. It will remind you to stay straight as it stops you from leaning as you draw. This feels weird, but it does help.

This is the critical juncture in the whole technique. If your hands and arms take over, you will increase your shot time and will lose stability. The longer you stay with the shot the more unstable you will become, almost guaranteeing a miss. You can test this feel just as you did above by going through the same motions except make your fists super tight. You will be able to feel a diminished amount of tension in your back and if you keep your hands balled tight enough, you can feel the shaking and muscle tremors caused by this loss of tension.

How do you shoot a bow with well placed tension?

Dynamic tension is a simple push pull technique. You need to feel a balance between the push and the pull. Imagine drawing a bungee cord and you are stretching it between your bow arm and your drawing hand. Dynamic tension or the push pull effect stretches the cord. Most pro shooters set up this dynamic tension when they raise the bow to the target. This stages the proper muscle groups. The muscles that you use to draw the bow are the very same muscles that you use to aim the bow, and the back muscles will give you the most stability. I feel that it is virtually impossible to reach your full potential as a shooter unless you draw the in this manner because it is extremely difficult to draw the bow with one muscle group and then, at full draw, switch to the proper muscle group. If you draw it with arm and hand power, you are doomed to aim it with arm power, which is incredibly unstable. As you reach full draw you should pull the bow into the stops and continue to apply mild pressure as you align your peep with the scope and the dot with the X. Once everything is centered and anchored in the center of the target, You will then commit to the shot and the release opens in time.

How do you shoot a release while using Dynamic Tension?

We have reached full draw and aligned the whole shooting match up with the X. Now what do you do? Well the release better go off pretty soon or you will pull the wheels off of the bow. right? With a trigger style release, usually you will need a slightly stiffer trigger than you are used to. This will let you build strong tension with you r finger on the trigger without risk of pre-fires. I allow my wrist muscles and the tendons in the back of my hand to slightly relax as I pull. This causes my hand to yield on the release. There is no real perceivable movement, but it is just enough to change the pressure on the trigger, and the shot is released. A rotational style release works in the same manner. When you commit to the shot and your tension builds allow your hand to soften or yield on the release and that is just enough to change the attitude of the release handle to make it fire.

How do you know if it is right?

This is where the mystery is revealed. If your elbow is above the plane of your shoulder, your are pushing and pulling, and there is no undue tension in your hands or arms, you have to be doing it right. Your bow will feel easier to hold, and your sight will hold tighter on the dot. If you feel like you are working too hard you are probably not doing it right. You may be over pulling. If your shot will not go off, you have lost tension. Let down and reset.

Do not over complicate the feel just push and pull. Practice this on a blank bale until you get it down. Then practice it on a target at close distances until you can forget about it and allow it to naturally happen. Then move to your normal distances and go for it.

If you need a visual aid go to www.archeryhistory.com and click on “archers” at the top of the page is a video of Terry Ragsdale and Eric Hall in a shoot off in Australia 1985. Terry, in my opinion, is the model by which all form should be judged. In the video, he exhibits flawless form and perfect shot execution. Grab the 20meg file. It will take a while, but it is worth it.
The word back tension is used often when describing shot execution. Many shooters are mystified with the notion of “back tension.” For some it is this mysterious feeling you get in your back when your shoulder blades are rotated, tucked, pulled, and squeezed into just the right contorted position that enables the elusive “perfect shot”. It often feels like it requires a medical degree and a body chart to locate ambiguous muscle groups that must be flexed and pinched at just the right interval while poking at your release trigger. Ultimately, it is a confusing distraction that takes our mind off aiming, and aiming is the most important task that must be completed without distraction to complete the perfect shot. Without perfect aim, perfect form alone will not produce perfect shooting.

“Back tension” can be simplified to a basic feel. We refer to it as dynamic tension. Dynamic Tension is set up at the beginning of the draw and it is continues through the release of the arrow. We feel that it is second only to aiming as the key fundamental part of shooting form that generates accuracy and consistency. The feel that you get with Dynamic tension is the constant rearward pressure against the bow while you aim.

What is Dynamic Tension?

Dynamic Tension is a simple technique. You need to feel a balance between the solid bow arm and the pulling pressure of the release hand. The feeling should be like stretching a band between your bow hand and your release hand. This stretch increases as you commit to the shot. Most pro shooters set up their dynamic tension when they raise the bow to the target. This stages the proper muscle groups. The muscles that you use to draw the bow are the very same muscles that you use to aim the bow, and the back muscles will give you the most stability. As you reach full draw you should pull the bow into the stops and continue to apply mild pressure as you align your peep with the scope and the dot with the X. Once everything is centered and anchored in the center of the target, you will then commit to the shot, slightly increase the tension against the bow, and begin relaxing the hand through the shot. (we will explain relaxing through the shot a little later)

Proper setup and use of this tension can help you shoot longer by relieving fatigue. It will make you a more stable shooter by relieving muscle tension in the arms and hands. Dynamic tension also reduces the amount of muscle groups involved in the shot. This will diminish muscle tremors that can cause sudden misses, quick shots, and general unsteadiness.

Activating the release by relaxing through the shot

Whether you are using a triggerless Stan or one of our models that are trigger activated, the technique is the same with only minor adjustments. The art of activating the release is pretty basic. Essentially what should happen is as you pull against the bow and build dynamic tension between you and the bow, you will allow your index and middle finger to yield or soften against your pulling pressure. If you are shooting a Triggerless Stan, that yield of pressure causes the release to rotate just enough to cause it to fire giving you a complete surprise release. If you are shooting a Thumb button or an Eagle release, (which triggers with the middle finger) you will start with a heavier than normal trigger tension. Wrap your thumb or finger over the trigger and apply a tiny amount of pressure to it. As you pull and allow your index finger to yield to the pressure, the tension transfers to the button or trigger. This slight transfer of pressure as you relax your hand through the shot will cause a nice smooth surprise release.

Ultimately you are striving for a surprise release. You do not want to be concerned when it is going to fire. A perfect shot would seem something like this:
You draw the bow and squeeze into the stops. You align the peep and scope and bring the target into view. You will give it a half a beat to begin its normal motion in the center of the target (depending on experience this will be a little wobbly or very steady. Practice and conditioning will improve your hold over time.) Your sight is as steady as it ever gets and you commit to the shot. Allow your Dynamic tension to build on your release fingers through pulling into the stops. The tip of your elbow is in perfect line with the dot in your scope and it is pulling straight away. To activate the shot your index finger softens on the release and allows the handle to pivot slightly (there is very little perceivable motion here, but you can feel it) and POOF! The shot is released. You hold the form for about 3 beats for follow through and you are ready to reset. You have just shot a perfect arrow.

If your release fires too fast, you can adjust it to make it a little slower. If you feel that you have to relax too much and there is too much motion in the release body, adjust the release according to each models instructions to tweak the shot speed.

Transferring the feel to your bow

As you get used to the feel of dynamic tension and you get used to yielding through the release to activate the shot, your exercise with the shooting loop will be important. It will help you memorize the feel and commit it to muscle memory. The more automatic these motions are before you go to the bow, the more consistent your shot sequence will be.

Now that you are practiced up and you have established the feel, you will need to transfer that feel to the bow. An easy way to accomplish that is to shoot at a very close range without a target. When shooting the blank bale, it is important that you do not aim at anything, and resist the temptation to aim at your previous arrow. The point of this exercise is to acquaint yourself with the feel of shooting with your new release without the extra distraction of aiming.

Remember, these exercises can be boring and it is tempting to skip forward and begin shooting as normal, but the more time you spent here developing a broad foundation through these exercises; the more accurate you will be in the long run. Spend enough time at this stage to get your shot execution as normal and comfortable as you can. Compare the feel to the shooting string to be sure that you have it down.

Incorporating the feel into your full shot routine

Now you have the feel down pat and it is as consistent as possible. The final step is to learn to aim and commit shot execution to muscle memory and allow it to happen naturally. For many shooters, sight movement and release problems are correlated, so learning to accept sight movement and continue with great shot execution is important. One of the best ways to accomplish this is to start off shooting targets at a very close range. Set up a target and shoot a few well aimed shots at 5 yards. Be mindful of the release and be sure that the feel and speed feels the same as it does with your string and the bow on the blank bale. Once you are comfortable with this, you can step back to ten yards. If you really want to get the full use of this exercise you can shoot full games on your favorite target to build confidence and get used to the feel of the automatic release while your sight moves in the center of the target. When you feel like you have it down and your shot execution feels great, you can step back to 15 yards and repeat. Slowly stepping back and gradually getting used to accepting sight movement will help your shot execution remain consistent. As you get better and become a stronger archer, your sight movement will bet smaller and smaller and your average will rise along with your improvements.

George Ryals IV


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## mr alien x (Sep 26, 2010)

Wow what a great piece of information! thanks a ton for your time to get all of that


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## aread (Dec 25, 2009)

You are welcome, but I didn't write that.

This is from George Ryals' book that he has been writing since 2004. At least that's how long I've know about the "impending publication". :teeth:

In his defense, he's put out two DVD's and numerous magazine articles. The DVD's are well worth getting and the articles worth finding.

George is something of a legend here on AT. He was working for Martin in 2002 when AT began and was one of the people behind getting it started. I think that his member number is 2 or 3.

I've been to two of his seminars and they were worth every penny. 

He goes by the user name of GRIV. Do a search for his posts, there is a lot of great information in them.

Good luck,
Alle


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## da white shoe (Mar 10, 2009)

How to shoot with back tension and a surprise release 
If you're useing an index finger triggered release, you need to touch the trigger with the 2nd pad back from the tip of your finger. (Don't use the tip of your finger. It is too sensitive and easy to move.) To do this, you have to keep your release shortened up. With some releases you will have to keep the strap very tight and with others, not so much. For target panic, I would get a pure back tension release.

Before you draw, position your hand on the grip and start pulling back to put pressure on the string. You are trying to find the exact spot for your bowhand to be in. On your bow hand, you want to feel all the pressure from the bow at full draw, at one point on your palm. Pretend there is a steel rod running parallel and exactly between the two bones in your forearm. Where that rod would exit your palm is where this point is. If you find this spot, it will help keep you from torqueing the bow handle. Once you start your draw, do not move your bow hand AT ALL.

At full draw, your release hand, as well as your bow hand, should be completely relaxed. That means that you don't want to be grasping or squeezeing the barrel of the release with that hand, or the grip of your bow handle with the other. Also, do not force either of your hands open. Your fingers should be hanging limp. I lightly touch my first finger and my thumb together around the handle, but some people use a wrist sling.

Use the bones in your arms and your back muscles to hold as much of the weight of the bow at full draw as you can. Relax every muscle in your arms that you don't need to use to stay at full draw. That goes for the muscles in your torso and legs, too. Remember; tension in your muscles is what causes your sights to wobble and jump around. If you can learn to relax everything that isn't needed to hold at full draw, your sights will barely even move. Your draw length must not be too long. If it is, you will have a hard time relaxing fully. 

Next thing to work on is getting a surprise release. After you have learned to relax at full draw and your sight pins are fairly still, teach yourself to aim while slowly squeezeing the muscles of your back so that your shoulder blades are trying to touch. Put as much pressure on the trigger as you can without making it fire and then squeeze just your back muscles until it goes off. You do it this way with a back tension release also.

To aim, reach full draw, line up your bubble level, (yes, you need one!), pick the right pin and center it, (or the sight housing, which ever you do), in the peep. Next, move your whole upper body to get on target. You don't want to just move your arm up and down or side to side. At full draw, your upper body and arms should at all times form a perfect T shape. When the pin is on the spot, concentrate on relaxing and then start your squeeze. The pin will still seem to float around the spot, but you need to forget about the pin. You will naturally try to keep it on the spot without even thinking about it. You should be focusing on the spot and nothing else. Keep your concentration while slowly squeezing off the shot, making sure to follow through after the release. The first few times the bow goes off, it will scare the heck out of you. Keep at it! You will get used to it and it is important to do. You will know you are doing it right when the arrow goes dead center even when you think the pin was not on the spot at the time your bow went off.

When you "follow through" after the bow goes off, people say you should try to keep the pin on the target or keep aiming until the arrow hits. I've always felt that that was a bad way to describe it. You can't keep aiming or even see the pin once you shoot. What I would say is... keep your T form until the arrow hits, do not drop your bow arm or move your head, stay relaxed and let the bow go where it wants to with out grabbing it. Good follow through takes practice.

When you start trying all of this for the first time, it will speed up the process if you do it with your eyes closed at first. Your target needs to be at the same height as your arrow. I hang my target from a rafter and stand close, so that the tip of my arrow is about 3 feet away from the target at full draw. After you reach full draw and have lined everything up, close your eyes and think through every step of the shot. 

When that feels comfortable, move to a blank target that is 3 yards away and start shooting with your eyes open, but use no spot and try not to aim for a spot on the target. When you have the hang of it, move to 5 yards with a spot and try it all while aiming. Work your way out to longer and longer distances, but if you feel yourself slipping back to doing something wrong, don't be afraid to get close again.

The philosophy you want, is to think of yourself as a bow shooting machine. You have to stay out of the way to allow the arrow to leave the bow with no outside influences working against it. Do everything listed here, do it the same everytime and you will soon be looking for a sight that has 7 or 8 pins!

Learn this and I promise you, you won't be sorry. It will absolutly cure target panic and it is the right way to shoot a compound with sights anyway. I just wish I had known all this when I was starting out. Not only that, but I had to go through 5 years of target panic before I found this all out for myself!

Good luck!


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