Please explain

[stonewall]

Ok get this. I finally got to shoot with one of the best shooters in my area yesterday afternoon . First thing he smoked me and I'm a decent shot. Whats got me puzzled is his release, there is no pull through , he anchors on the side of his face and when he releases his hand come straight out off his jaw and the release sounds like a banjo string being plucked. I was picking him about it and I asked how did he release and he said he just lat the string go when it felt right.  shaking my head and puzzled

[fnshtr]

[fnshtr]

Originally posted by fnshtr:
Don't know that you are describing the same thing, but... Rick Welch's release COULD be describe in a similar way. What happens in his case (imo) is that he has an innate ability to TOTALLY, and immediately, relax his fingers, wrist AND forearm at release. So much so that the string "flips" his hand out and away from his anchor point.

It LOOKS as if he is plucking the string... but he IS NOT.

I've tried my best to emulate that technique without any success. I think it's a "gift".

       

I have no idea why the release would make the sound you describe though. Just my thoughts.

[McDave]

I think fnshtr is basically right, but I'll expand on one or two points.  Probably your friend was using the dead, or static release.  Rick Welch also uses and teaches this release.  It works for some people, and not others.  Rick definitely has a gift, but it is teachable, at least to the extent of one's own gifts and willingness to practice and learn.

I would disagree with one thing fnshtr said, about Rick relaxing his fingers, wrist, and forearm at release.  I'm pretty sure Rick's wrist and forearm are as relaxed as he can get them during his hold, and the only thing he does on release is to relax his fingers and let the string push them aside.  I would agree with fnshtr that Rick's hand flip is probably due to the degree of relaxation in his hands and fingers when the string pushes them aside.  At one point during my last class with Rick, when I was in a particularly good groove, Rick commented that I was relaxing my hand like he did, so it flopped down on release.  I can't do that all the time.

In a dead release, unlike a pull-through release, there is no increase in back tension at full draw.  Once full draw is reached, the back muscles are locked off, like you would lock your muscles off to hold yourself at the top of a pull-up.  The secret is to maintain the back muscles locked while at the same time relaxing the finger muscles to release the shot.  This is probably the most difficult thing about a dead release to learn, just like the most difficult thing about a pull-through release to learn is to steadily increase back tension through release, without losing any back tension when the fingers are relaxed.  Any decrease in back tension, under either method, will result in creep or collapse, depending on how much back tension is lost.  I've read commentaries by experts saying that everyone creeps to some degree, so the goal is to minimize, rather than eliminate it.

[stonewall]

Thanks McDave, I understand what your saying. I've been pulling through my shots with the compound since I was a kid. I just went to a long bow about a year ago but I use about the same pull through. I tried the set release and at this time it's not for me. It will be deer season here in a little over 2 months.

[fnshtr]

Thanks Dave. I agree totally with what you said. I typed quicker than I could think. A bit scary! ☺️

[reddogge]

Probably the release is good enough to do the job and he has been using it for a long time. He probably also has a great system for aiming. Combine the two and he is a deadly shooter.