Static Release

[Ujio]

Hey guys!  Today I tried a static release out of desperation and it seemed to really help my shooting.  I had never heard of it until I saw Ron LeClair and Jay Kidwell on Masters of the Bare Bow videos.  Has anyone else use this successfully?  What are the keys to doing it right?

[Northwest_Bowhunter]

I tried it, as I picked it up from John Schulz Hittin 'em like Howard Hill.  The big thing you have to keep in mind is to not really let it be "static", you have to keep pulling so you don't start to creep forward.  When I started with this it was very forced, once I started letting my release be slightly dynamic (my string hand slides back to my ear along my face) I started having good consistancy in my shots.

Watch any video of Howard Hill and you will see, even though he claims it's static, his hand travels back on release, though sometimes just a bit.  He has constant back pressure pulling on his string.

[TSP]

Videos demonstrating how to shoot are just that...an entertaining way to see how someone else shoots.  But be careful about trying to copy something too exactly, because what works for one may not work well at all for another.  Even with experts, if you watch enough video clips of a person shooting you'll see that seldom do they shoot the same exact way every single shot.  Sometimes you might even see a 'you MUST do this every time' video training moment, only to later see the shooter not practicing their own advice during actual shooting.  Yet, they can still be consistent.

Shooting form demands to be followed...but it really is much more basic and simple than some might lead you to believe.  On the other hand, shooting style (as Terry calls it) is you're own.  You build it through trial and error, to fit your own needs and preferences.  Style (like how you draw and release, for example) can vary quite a bit, even between shots.  Form does not.  The devil for most of us is figuring out where one ends and the other begins.

With regard to a 'good release' it doesn't matter whether it's static or dynamic as long as in the end the string leaves your fingers cleanly and the arrow hits the spot.  Whichever of the two gets you to your best results is your best way.  The real question is, WHY does one or the other work better for you?  

Looking at cause/effect (being inquisitive about why one approach feels/works better) may help your shooting alot more than simply copying a coached method just because someone said to do so in a video.  Also, considering the format under which you do most of your shooting (say, target line comfortable repetition at paper dots,  vs. 16' up a tree with a hard angle shot on a cold fall morning at a real live animal) might be another factor worth considering when building your style.  Just some food for thought.        

[Gregg S]

I've tried to develope a dynamic release over the past few years. Watching some of the videos you can see how it would improve your shooting. I just am not as consistant when I do it. It's probably because I have never mastered it in the first place, but, I gave up on it. FOR ME, I do better by drawing back until my back muscles are engaged and then take my time and just keep aiming until everything looks aligned right and at some point the arrow just goes. My anchor does not trigger my release, as a matter of fact I don't even start to aim until after everything else is where it needs to be. At that point if I try to pull through the shot I just pull off of the spot. My hand may actually go back a hair, I don't know. I do know that I don't collapse or pull my hand away from my face upon release. Do what works for you.

[NBK]

Originally posted by TSP:
Videos demonstrating how to shoot are just that...an entertaining way to see how someone else shoots.  But be careful about trying to copy something too exactly, because what works for one may not work well at all for another.  Even with experts, if you watch enough video clips of a person shooting you'll see that seldom do they shoot the same exact way every single shot.  Sometimes you might even see a 'you MUST do this every time' video training moment, only to later see the shooter not practicing their own advice during actual shooting.  Yet, they can still be consistent.

Shooting form demands to be followed...but it really is much more basic and simple than some might lead you to believe.  On the other hand, shooting style (as Terry calls it) is you're own.  You build it through trial and error, to fit your own needs and preferences.  Style (like how you draw and release, for example) can vary quite a bit, even between shots.  Form does not.  The devil for most of us is figuring out where one ends and the other begins.

With regard to a 'good release' it doesn't matter whether it's static or dynamic as long as in the end the string leaves your fingers cleanly and the arrow hits the spot.  Whichever of the two gets you to your best results is your best way.  The real question is, WHY does one or the other work better for you?  

Looking at cause/effect (being inquisitive about why one approach feels/works better) may help your shooting alot more than simply copying a coached method just because someone said to do so in a video.  Also, considering the format under which you do most of your shooting (say, target line comfortable repetition at paper dots,  vs. 16' up a tree with a hard angle shot on a cold fall morning at a real live animal) might be another factor worth considering when building your style.  Just some food for thought.            

Good post.

[buckeye_hunter]

I personally shoot 100% better with a static release that stays tight to my face.

[Bowwild]

Just like the baseball player who keeps swinging the bat after the ball is struck, so should the archer exhibit a "swing" or follow through.

If the draw and bow hand sides are both active throughout the shot then follow-through can't help but instantly bring the draw hand along the cheek (If anchored at the mouth) to a point where the draw hand thump ends up near or on the shoulder.  This is the result of "back motion".

At the same time the bow arm will instantly move towards the target and drop to the side and down. Trying to hold the bow motionless throughout the shot like so many of us where taught (they told us to keep the bow arm up until the arrow strikes the target) leads to all kinds of problems.

[reddogge]

One thing which will expose whether you have a good release, static or not, is to step back a ways and shoot some targets. My point on is about 45 yards so I step back to there, place the arrow on the deer target's back and let fly. I have a dynamic release and if I don't do that release the arrows all drop low. A good aggressive release insures they hit the target each time.

[markliep]

Static release helped me when my bow grip was inconsistent - once I got my wrist stabilized I found the static release was dropping arrow arcs & pulling them right - kind of compensating for the left torque from the poor bow grip - now with a good follow through I find the impact point is more consistent with my aim - another form variable slowly coming to heel