to use a clicker or not?

[fountain]

i have got a clicker i ordered a few weeks ago.  i also bought the tim welck shooting video.  he said the release should be surprise.  the clicker will do just opposite.  i am still having trouble getting a good release, i think.  i am wanting to make myself learn to hold, aim and subconsiesouly release like you are supposed to.  i feel like i am shooting too quick.  the clicker will make me hold longer--for good or bad--and aim longer while reaching a consistent anchor every time.  now about the release part.  how do i make myself release subconsciously????  i have only used the clicker a day or two until i watched tim's video and then went back to trying to make myself shoot like i want.

[mcgroundstalker]

I am not the best shot East of the Mississippi but IMHO you have half the battle won by stating you "want to shoot how you want to". If a clicker gets you confused right now, then hold off using it for now.

Some of us use "trajectory feedback". What I mean is as you come to anchor or reach anchor you keep the Push/Pull action and imagine your arrow fly to and hit your target... Your release will come naturally after your  (mental practice shot).

Get a copy of J. Kidwells book. It worked for me. A clicker works for some people. Just takes time to work it out.

... mike ...

[BigRonHuntAlot]

I have seen a few shoot Extremely well with a clicker, but I have also seen the same from those that do not use one.  I think it can work wonders either way as most of it is in your head as to when to release. Some use a clicker to tell them when to drop the string after they have the spot picked out and others don't need to be told...  Atleast that is my experience.  Try it out both ways for a few weeks and decide for yourself.

[A.S.]

I've used a clicker for over 16 years now. What it does for me is it helps me concentrate just that extra bit when I'm at full draw.  It's nothing magic, you still have to put in lots of practice.

Some people see me shooting well and say, "yeah but you use a clicker". They don't seem to realize how much time I spend practicing....literally every day! I just love to shoot, and feel I can always get better.

A clicker can be a great training tool, but only if you want to use it and put for the effort. Some guys are dead set against having something stuck on their bows.

[BigRonHuntAlot]

Glad you posted Allen, You were one of the guys I was referring too. A great shot too!  

[A.S.]

Thanks Ron. I keep saying I'll shoot without a clicker sooner or later, but I think i'm too set in my ways now. I've been doing it for so long, it just feels "right".

[Jason R. Wesbrock]

I haven't seen the video you're refering to, but I'm a little confused by this statement:

 

Originally posted by fountain:
he said the release should be surprise.  the clicker will do just opposite.  

That's exaclty what a clicker, when shot properly, will accomplish. You don't think about your release. You push that part of your shot sequence into your subconscious and retrain your brain to make your hand stop holding the string as soon as you hear the click (or feel the thump).

Trust me, if you've ever watched a guy dry fire a bow because he was playing around without an arrow nocked and accidentally made the clicker go off, you'd know how much of a surprise the release becomes.  

[Blackhawk]

Mike said..."A clicker works for some people. Just takes time to work it out."

At least it did for me.  A couple years ago I was so frustrated with my target panic that archery was not fun. A friend recommended a clicker and I gave it a try, but quit using it too soon.  

My problem quickly returned, so I tried the clicker again and used one for two years.  Within the  past few months, I have moved away from the clicker and feel that I am back in control of my shot.

[fountain]

from what i have seen in others, the clicker was their indication that they were at full draw and time to shoot.  that is an indicator to me.  
i can shoot a compound all day and be surprised every time i shoot, but they have tools that can make you that way.  i had one of them and that is why i can do what i can with a compound.  i just wish the release was as easy to master with a longbow

[Jason R. Wesbrock]

Fountain,

I think I now understand what you're saying. I've heard of people using clickers two different ways: as a draw check, or as a release trigger.

If you draw until you hear the click, then settle in and shoot, the clicker will have no benefit to your release. But if you draw, anchor, aim, and then push/pull through the clicker, letting it trigger your subconscious to release, it's a different ballgame. Your release now becomes a surprise. Of course, you still have the bonus of a consistent draw length when you use it to trigger your release.

[A.S.]

Jason is right on. I draw, anchor, aim, then just increase back tension until the click happens. Release is immediate when the cliker goes off.

[mark land]

I use my clickers for a draw check and to force me to anchor in and not release early, I do not necessarily focus on the clicker going off to trigger my release but rather feel it picking up and know I am at my draw length and anchor before shooting, this gets me in proper form and position for making the shot and just concentrate on my aiming point and release when it is right.  Has definitely helped me with my panic problems of short drawing and snap shooting, now to just make the deer more cooperative and I will be set!  Mark

[Kingwouldbe]

Ready, Firer, aim...... oops had target panic......

A clicker does several things, #1 you never short draw if you work the clicker every time, short drawing your bow a 1/2" and your arrow will drop 3-6" @ 30 yards, at 50 yards it will drop a foot or more.

To me this is the most important part of shooting a bow, how can you be consistent in your shooting if you over draw your bow on one shot, then you short draw on the next.

The best shots no matter what there shooting style is, have developed a consistent shooting form, shot after shot.

 

[A.S.]

King, you are right on!!!

[wtpops]

I used one for about 6 months, did not use it to know when to release but i had a wondering draw just like Kingwouldbe was talking about. I shoot with out it as a rule, the click bugs me and messes with my head but when i feel my anchor starting to move around i through it on for a week or two and practice every day with it and it will get me right back to a solid anchor

[Old York]

Fountain give yourself more time to get used to your clicker, you'll do fine. It takes a while to get it into your subconscious.

BTW, are you using what they call a "deep hook" on your fingers? Just wondering.

[Bonebuster]

The very THOUGHT of drawing my bow, while waiting for something to "click" makes me sweat.

[tradtusker]

i was one that does not like the idea of something else on my bow so avoided a clicker for a while but caught myself short drawing more often when i really need to make a good shot. particularly short range shots.
then finally i gave one a try i set my so that it clicks when i have proper alignment then i focus on the spot then release.

 bit of felt stuck on the under side makes it silent when im hunting, you can just feel a small bump when it clicks.