Anchor Point Pain

[BCR1985]

Hi guys,

I have been playing with my anchor point and draw style in an attempt to find my sweet spot. However, what I've been noticing is that upon release the string is striking my lip or cheek with some authority. This has invariably screwed up my shooting and now my subconscious has me flinching at the release; making matters worse. My anchor used to be arrow nock at eye level while cupping the back of my ear between thumb and index finger. I've also tried anchoring at the corner of the mouth, but don't feel as accurate or consistent. Any suggestions? What have y'all heard about Rick Welch's school?

[Orion]

That is quite far back on your face for an anchor.  Moving it forward some might help. What had you done before?  

Regardless, turning your head more toward the target will probably eliminate the string contact with the side of your face.

[moebow]

I agree with Orion.  That is a LOOONG way back.  The bow string should not travel along "skin real estate."  It should leave straight out from skin towards the target.  Keep the string in front of the eye.

Many try to draw to some artificial "anchor" reference and make their body conform to that.  A better technique is to draw the bow with the body THEN find your anchor references.  Anchor is a result of the draw and not a target of the draw.

Arne

PS.  See my avatar picture.  You can see the string in front of the eye and face so on release, the string doesn't hit anything -- just goes away from "skin."

[McDave]

I assume your reference to Rick Welch's school means what does he recommend for an anchor?  Rick would agree with Arne's last post, in that he would have you first learn to come to full draw without worrying about an anchor.  You may need some help with this, if you're not quite sure what full draw means.  Terry's form clock illustrates this very well, but seeing it and feeling it in your own body are two different things.

Once you can draw to full draw and hold, Rick would have someone put a mark on your arrow shaft opposite your nose.  That would mark the location of the back of the cock feather.  Once you mounted your feathers in that position, you would draw until the back of the cock feather touched your nose.  As you shoot, you will become more comfortable with this anchor, and may decide that it should be a little more forward or backward, so it is a good idea not to fletch too many arrows until it settles in.

Then you would find an alternate anchor somewhere on your face, so you have two anchors.  Rick recommends your thumb knuckle against your ear lobe for the second anchor, but everyone's face is different, and his second anchor might or might not work for you.  But you should be able to find something on your face or jaw to touch with your thumb knuckle as a second anchor.

[BCR1985]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the info. My main rationale for setting my anchor so far back was that I never had to worry about targey panic and short draw knowing I would be cupping that ear with each shot before release. Secondly, I watched several different shooting variations with a three under setup wherein the shooter drew the arrow to where the knock and shaft were essentially at eye level so that looking down the shaft was optimal. This worked for me for a while, but when I switched bows and went with a 60'' predator 46#@28'', I've been having some real problems. I'm also still concerned about short draw. The reason I had asked about Welch's school was that I was interested in having a pro critique and hopefully correct my form once and for all.

[McDave]

I've never heard anyone who went to Rick's school who didn't feel like they got their money's worth out of it.  I've been twice.  Some of the things Rick teaches are contrary to main-stream thinking about what constitutes good archery form.  But his many personal successes and many devoted students testifiy that his methods work for him and many others.  There are no doubt other people who do better with standard archery form. I spent the years between the two classes trying to reconcile the two, which I finally decided was a mistake: it's better to just pick one or the other.  In my case, I've decided I do better shooting Rick's way, and so I'll probably stick with that from now on.