# Finger shooting release



## HighCountry46 (Feb 13, 2009)

High rights happen to me when I creep slightly before releasing.


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## catkinson (Jul 17, 2007)

I just make a effort to relax my hand and let the string roll-- no plucking or jerking etc..


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## arrowshooters (Jun 5, 2006)

I get rights from plucking.


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## Pierre Couture (Oct 28, 2004)

The one thing I'd suggest is for you to find a certified coach who knows the ins and outs of a smooth release and can help you pinpoint what's causing this. That will save you lots of trouble.


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## fisherking73 (Feb 12, 2011)

Unfortunately there is none close too me. The archery club is about 1 1/2 hour or so away from my house, and there is NO one there that shoots fingers and sightless compounds. Would a recurve coach be helpful?


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## IBBW (Mar 29, 2005)

Stay solid in your anchor and never stop aiming.


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## zestycj7 (Sep 24, 2010)

Don't move either of your hands until you hear the arrow hit the target.
If I keep my release hand glued to my face and my bow arm still I can get every arrow right down the pipe.
Give it a try.
Don.


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## bolo7735 (Jan 31, 2011)

fisherking73 said:


> Unfortunately there is none close too me. The archery club is about 1 1/2 hour or so away from my house, and there is NO one there that shoots fingers and sightless compounds. Would a recurve coach be helpful?


Yes there is. Ft. Lauderdale Archers is 15 minutes from your house. They have instructors that can coach you to the Olympics if you wish.


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## fisherking73 (Feb 12, 2011)

Compound barebow no sights at Ft Lauderdale?


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## eaglecaps (Nov 4, 2009)

A guy a long time ago taught me to take a breath and hold it, feel for your heartbeat and release on the third one.... still use that technique sixteen years later...


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## StringHusher (Aug 27, 2011)

I get high rights when I start to fatique, due to not keeping my bow arm stationary through the shot. When I start to see these hits, I know it's time to pack it in for the day. To continue at that point usually leads to over-correcting and other bad habits.

StringHusher


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## bigbob29 (Sep 7, 2009)

I have posted this before but a good release with fingers is like letting go the handle on a bucket of sand. Just relax the fingers and its gone.My fingers also stay right where I anchor and my hand doesnt leave the side of my face 'till the arrow hits the tharget.


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## NeilM (May 22, 2006)

bigbob29 said:


> a good release with fingers is like letting go the handle on a bucket of sand. Just relax the fingers and its gone.


What a great description...that's it right there.


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## bigbob29 (Sep 7, 2009)

Not my original thought though, comes out of a coaching manual


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## fisherking73 (Feb 12, 2011)

Thanks, put the sights and using release again on my Matrix LOL BUT!! only to get through hunting season. In the mean time I am trying to sell some of my knives to raise some funds to buy either a Matthews LD or Hoyt Vantage, which ever I can get at the right price to set up strictly for fingers and instinctive. So your help was not in vain LOL


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## b0w_bender (Apr 30, 2006)

Well I'll refrain from getting in a lengthy discussion with bigBob about release. We'll just say that we disagree, I follow the Olympic coaches opinion that as you relax your fingers with constant back tension upon release your back pulls your hand back ward 2 to 4 inches 

Hi BigBob.  poke poke ...

(assuming you shoot right handed)
Honestly what I find causes a high right hit is when your draw arm's elbow drops. This causes the force on your release hand to be down and in. this motion affects the arrow in an up and to the right direction. Elbow dropping may be caused by: fatigue, loss of focus and also by a draw length that is too long or all of the above. Practice with someone watching you and have them watch this for you or video your self.

Of course right hand hits can also be caused by peeking where the archer pushes the bow aside to see where the arrow is going. My experience has been peeking most often causes a low right hit. 

Plucking causes all sorts of bad things to happen but and they aren't usually very consistent up down left and right are all fun things that happen.

Well that's MHO


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## bigbob29 (Sep 7, 2009)

Lets agree to disagree bowbender. I have a static release which suits me just fine and have come to the conclusion that there are as many theories on archery technics as I 've had dinners! Some will work for some folk but not all will work for all folk.


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## b0w_bender (Apr 30, 2006)

Atta boy Bob! I knew I could count on you

:icon_1_lol:


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## bigbob29 (Sep 7, 2009)

Heh heh heh.


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## fuelracerpat (May 6, 2008)

If one maintains the proper back tension...yeah, I know...that ol' saw. I think the release will take care of itself, regardless of whether it is static or dynamic. Proper form...or lack of it is the most critical thing to shooting well. Proper back tension and good follow through(not dropping the bow arm) is the key to successful archery...now, if I could only practice what I preach! And then, one must have his/her head in the right place(mental game)...I wish I had one(mental game)!

Man all this is easy for me to type...back tension, follow through and mental focus...sure sounds easy.


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## Pierre Couture (Oct 28, 2004)

b0w_bender said:


> Well I'll refrain from getting in a lengthy discussion with bigBob about release. We'll just say that we disagree, I follow the Olympic coaches opinion that as you relax your fingers with constant back tension upon release your back pulls your hand back ward 2 to 4 inches
> 
> Hi BigBob.  poke poke ...
> 
> ...


Works fine for me too, but to be clearer, the hand always glides against my jawbone and never moves away from it (moving straight backwards, not sideways). And yes, we can agree to disagree, which is the purpose of this thread


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## Pierre Couture (Oct 28, 2004)

And then, there's also handle torque that might be a factor... Hard to tell without seeing you shoot... but if there are coaches in Ft Lauderdale, go see them. Whether you shoot with sights or instinctive, they will help you with your release and being consistent from shot to shot.


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## mitchell (Mar 5, 2005)

I have a Mathews LD in excellent condition that I will make you a deal on. I just have too many bows.

I'd like to throw in a comment or two about the fingers release. I learned in my trad days that correct alignment is essential in getting a clean "loose" of the string. It is essential; essential; essential that you get the elbow of the draw arm all the way completely around behind you, so that you are pulling straight back with the force of the draw. Trad guys overlook this primarily because they are told to anchor at the corner of the mouth. That will work for some people, but for some, it does not allow the full draw of the arrow. Also, your foot position is a factor. If you use a very open stance, and do not twist at the hips, you will have difficulty getting the draw arm elbow all the way back.

To test this, set your feet very open. Put your forward foot way to the left (right hand shooter) of your back foot. Now draw the arrow, and notice where your draw arm elbow is. It will likely be pointing away from your body. That makes the natural response of the release such that the draw hand wants to move off the side, and not straight back. Now do the same thing and use a very closed stance, ie the feet are in line with each other. You should be able to actually "feel" the elbow rotate directly behind the back, and engage the back muscles. When done right, the natural response to letting go will be for the release hand to go straight back.

Another issue is the hand, and forearm. When at full draw try to relax the forearm and hand. Imagine your fingers as a hook, and the hand and arm as a rope that merely connects the elbow to the fingers. This will also help with the release, or at least it does me.

In order to do all this, you may find you have to move your anchor point. Actually, the anchor point should be chosen with this alignment in mind, so I read.

All this hugely helped me. Then of course there are questions about how deep to hook the string, and what kind of finger protection works best for you (glove, tab, thick, thin, etc.).

Hope this helps.


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## steve morley (Dec 24, 2005)

zestycj7 said:


> Don't move either of your hands until you hear the arrow hit the target.
> If I keep my release hand glued to my face and my bow arm still I can get every arrow right down the pipe.
> Give it a try.
> Don.


I'm my opinion this method is very hard to repeat, even more so when uder pressure shooting situations, I would say it's fine for 20y 3D shooting but on a Field range 50+ yards you will see a lot of arrows either dropping low or poor grouping which confirms to me that this method has its flaws.

Easiest way to explain is *do NOT focus on the release* but on the aiming and back tension feel, when everything feels good you just stop holding the string, the back tension (and aim) needs to continue for 1-2 secs after release, this continued back tension after the release is the key to consistency and accuracy. 

The best way to learn is with a 30# trainer bow, if you can group with this weight then you should have good enough form to do the same with higher weight.


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