Remember when you discovered back tension?

[skychief]

After years of shooting, I have only recently truly discovered the back tension technique.  My accuracy has improved drastically and the group's are coming easier than I ever thought possible!

Did it take any of you a while to really "get" getting your back into your shots?

2 or 3 years ago I was shooting so horribly, I almost gave up trad shooting. I knew it was all in my form and I knew that I was not drawing with my back muscles the way I was supposed to.

I saw a post on Trad Gang about a Rod Jenkins clinic in Fort Worth and decided to givie it a try. I knew Rod was big on teaching back tension. I went to the clinic just wanting to learn back tension.......but I got even more. I never knew anything about shot sequence and Rod was big on that too.

I now shoot better than I ever thought I could and am in love with trad archery again. I am sooooooooooooooooooooo glad I went to that class.

Bisch

[VictoryHunter]

Took me quite a while too. I don't know how I ever shot with out that bit of knowledge. It's funny I was just explaining this to my wife about two hours ago. She is just learning to shoot and is picking it up quick!

[Brock]

still trying to get it right for myself...getting better.  Masters of the Bow vol 4 has helped the most...just need to put more than a few days into it before stopping.  

[LongStick64]

It is amazing when you learn that by aligning your shoulders how easy it is to actually get in the right position for engaging your back and limit the stress on your shoulders.

[Gator1]

Long stick can you describe the shoulder alignment?

[LongStick64]

Gator1,
My belief has been that if you want to engage your back muscles, the closer they are aligned to the direction you are pointing your bow in, the greater the ability to pull your shoulder blades/rhomboids together. As a result you are in a stronger position and with greater leverage to fight collapsing the draw. If you draw a line from one shoulder to the other and the line is pointing to great degree away from the line pointing from the front shoulder to your bow hand. You are probably holding the weight of the bow with more stress on the shoulders.