Thumb ring ?s

[LinemanARK]

I have been watching videos on this and if I could clean up my release man that would be great. If any of you have done this or are still using a thumb release please share with us thanks Mike

[Pat B]

Are you talking about a mechanical release or a thumb ring?

[LinemanARK]

thumb ring

[kevsuperg]

Don't you have to use the opposite hand bow for a thumb ring?? Use a left hand bow to shoot right handed.

[LinemanARK]

I don't think so watched an ol boy shoot a recurve just like normal but with his thumb and it shot went off very cleanly I thought, just added a tied on nock point under arrow that way his thumb would be away from the arrow on the draw about 3/8 of an inch or so

[Sota]

I've played with a thumb draw for mounted archery, it takes time and is difficult to get used to seeing around the limbs with your left eye, I've only ever seen it done with the arrow on the opposite side of the bow, Its fun and challenging to play with but I still prefer split.

[Pat B]

A thumb ring is used to shoot the arrow off the opposite side of the bow than a Mediterranean style draw. I guess you could use it on the left side but your sighting will have to change.
 Think about it...with a Mediterranean style draw your fingers open to the left(for right handed) so the arrow is on the left side of the bow. With a thumb ring the thumb opens to the right so the arrow goes on the right side of the bow.

[YosemiteSam]

I've played around with a thumb ring.  The release is about as clean as it gets without a mechanical.   The one I got doesn't fit very well so I won't shoot my hunting bows with it.  The heaviest I've shot is a 35# selfbow.

You can shoot either side of the bow with whatever hand you want.  It's very adaptable.  If shooting right handed with a right-hand bow, you need to do a bit of a fixed crawl down a 1/2" or something small or the arrow comes off the shelf.  It's best to do an opposite hand setup (right-handed off a left-handed bow).  An ambidextrous bow gives you a lot of options.  

One of these days, I want to try out one of the Asian-style short recurves.  I can see them being very useful in the field for an experienced person.

It's an entirely different style of shooting, though.  Anchors are different. sight picture is different.  Draw length is different (will affect arrow spine).  It almost has to be a dedicated setup.  It's way easier and cheaper to just clean up your release the old fashioned way (practice) than to try to learn a whole new style.  If you just want to clean up your release, get a super light girly-weight bow and work on it there.  But if you're looking to learn a new style, there's plenty of fun to be had with thumb release shooting.

Joel Turner has a video or two about his choice and technique for shooting a thumb release.  he uses a wide, floating anchor on one setup -- something I can't really figure out.  Worth a look, though.