Form for the disable/deformed?

[halfseminole]

So I'm trying to shoot properly after making my first board bow.  I shoot with a thumb ring after catastrophic damage to my right hand, so there's that.  But my elbows cannot extend fully, my left shoulder is three inches lower than my right and my left thumb is adducted.  

 

You can see the "spurs" on my left elbow that prevent it from extending fully.  The funny placement of my left thumb is down to the issues as well.  I feel like I have to "lock" my grip down on this bow to keep it from rolling in my hand.

If necessary, I'll get my wife to take a picture of me without the bow so you can see the full extent of the deformities/injuries that are impeding on my form.  

I love shooting.  Not a little.  A lot.  and I don't feel like letting my handicaps get in my way.  A thumb ring made a gigantic amount of difference, and I know better made arrows than the rivercane beaters would help me with the control on the string end.  I'm slowly trying to make that a reality, but my form is what I want to understand.  When I pull my right arm there, it feels natural-I can pull a good two inches further back and it feels better, actually. I think it has to do with the way the muscles are arranged for me (with a connective tissue disorder, nothing is put together "right") but if changing will get me more accurate (I think I'm not doing too bad for masking tape fletching and untuned shafts, I hit the target 75% of the time on my first real times out since I was a kid.)

But you guys do this far more than me.  And I know you do.  I want to get better.  I reject the idea that my handicap makes that impossible, now I just have to figure out how to do it.  So be brutal, I need to know what to change to progress.

[moebow]

Edward,

With what you say, you are looking pretty good!  I do have a couple of suggestions but without being there to actually observe your freedom of movement, please take them as just that -- suggestions and questions.

Can you let the right wrist relax so that it straightens out?  See how large an angle you have comparing the back of your hand to your arm?  If that wrist can relax and straighten, you will get a better position and more comfort in that arm.

Second, does your right arm/shoulder allow you to draw less?  If you can, letting the string come to right in front of your glasses would give you better alignment, that would place the arrow nock under your eye rather than beside it as it is now.  Try placing the band on the thumb ring in the corner of your mouth.

On your bow hand, can you bend the wrist the same way your string wrist is bent?  If so I think maybe we can help with help a little with that too.

There is no reason you cannot become deadly with your bow and style of shooting.  It will take some work but since you love what you are doing that is 90% of the challenge right there.  Let's work on this for a bit and see what we can do.

Arne