Does Anyone Shoot Split Finger and Drop the Top Finger?

[Diamond Paul]

Anybody out there draw split-finger and drop the top finger at full draw?  Just wondering what the advantages would be?  Would it cause you to need 3-under tillering on your bows?  Just asking cause I realized today that my top finger is just floating at full draw, not holding the string at all.  Would this help me to shoot shorter bow lengths, because of less pinch?  Thanks in advance, Paul.

[Roeman]

Hi Dimond Paul
I'v shot like that for as long as I can remember(28 years+).
I don't even use to top finger when drawing,it just sits there paralel to the shaft.
I shoot long bow 60#@28" but started with a short 58" recurve and can remember having problems with arrow pinch.    
last year I shot a 60",66#@28" recurve but that was a bit to heavy for me.
I'v had several custom bow and always mentioned it to the bowyers, none of them said it would be a problem and tillered the bow to the standard split finger tiller.

Roeman

[wtpops]

If you are going to give it a try, try drawing 3 under and droping the ring fingerthe index and middle have more staying power, unless this would mess up your anchor.

[pseman]

I do very similar to that. I don't totally drop the top finger, but there is very little pressure on it at full draw. I started doing this while shooting a very short bow that had alot of finger pinch and liked it enough to shoot that way with all bows. It seemed to give me a smoother release and eliminated pressure on the arrow from my index finger.

[whitebuffalo]

I draw and let it off as I come to full draw,,J

[Jeff Strubberg]

I shoot shorter recurves this way.  Started after reading a piece on an olympic shooter (Tim Strickland?) that shot a two-finger under draw.

[Dave Worden]

I have a 54" recurve and started shooting this way to eliminate finger pinch.  My first finger just lightly touches the arrow at full draw (in some tournaments that is a requirement to shoot in the "trad" division).  I don't pull with first finger at all.  Just like my thumb and little finger, it just goes along for the ride.  I also shoot my 68" longbow the same way.  Don't know anything about the tillering part of the question.

[Diamond Paul]

Seems like it would help with pinch; just wondered if anyone knew for sure.  I found today that the less pressure I use on that finger, the cleaner my arrows shot.  I do start with it in pulling position, but by the time I get back, it's not doing a thing but resting there.  I used to actively take my top finger off when I shot compounds with fingers, drawing with all three and then taking the top finger off and putting it behind the string.  Maybe that's where it came from.  Wierd.

[SOS]

I don't drop it completely, but seem to focus the anchor and string weight on my middle finger.

[Scott G]

I do what wtpops said; shoot 3 under but drop the lower (ring) finger.  If you are going to shoot with 2 fingers under I think the index and middle finger have more strength than the middle and index. It also seems like the index finger would be in the way if not on the string.