My longbow form

[Ostrorogi]

Let me first say hello to all, im new here.Forum is huge!!! Anyway im from Slovenia. Bowhunting is not allowed in our country but, there is many of us who wish oposite...But its allowed on some private ranches.
Anyway i would like to share my old form video. Its on Mins longbow 45#. Shoot distance is from 20 to 30 meters.

 Longbow form

[cvarcher]

Ostrorogi, welcome to our forum! Your looking pretty good. 3 things that I see that will help you: First- get your feet position perpendicular to the target-90 degrees. You are at a slight angle and that will alter your draw length. So stay perpendicular to the target just like your bow holding shoulder 90 degrees to the target. Second, your dropping the bow arm upon release.To work this out do not use a bullseye target. Just stand in front of an empty bale of hay or out in a field and shoot at nothing in particular.This way you can concentrate totally to your holding the bow position. Third - try alittle harder in keeping your anchor hand on the face upon release.As for no bowhunting! Tell the "King" this is not England in the 12 century where poaching the deer ends in a hanging.You are all free and those deer belong to the people of Slovenia! Tell them Robin told you so!

[philil]

Looking good!
Maybe what cvarcher mentioned concerning your anchor hand.

I know what it's like with no bowhunting bro!
I hope this is gonna change though!

Welcome to the Gang  

[Ostrorogi]

Thanks. About droping left hand. I think that its only looking like this because i dont hold my bow... after release i grab it fast... But maybe your right.

I filmed myself today with custom Mins recurve 50# on 28". My draw is 29" so i get more #.I thing its aroud 53#. Anyway... here is the movie, distance 15 meters.
 Recurve shoots

[cvarcher]

OK, Now your standing correct to the target in the recurve video.But your anchor hand is really flying off the face.I also see something else which I will mention but leave up to you. If you are just target shooting then the way you draw is ok. You are holding the bow up and then drawing back.But if you really want to hunt for game it would be better to start your draw when the bow is down at your side and in one smooth motion draw while looking at the spot you want to hit.One more thing.. I know with the recurve you have a center cutout shelf so holding the boiw vertical may not be an issue but with a longbow you may want to cant the bow so you dont split your view in two with the upper bows limb. Again Im a hunter so this is all good style for that . If you stay target then your ok. Have you considered a back quiver to make it easier to draw an arrow out and load it?  ps- I reccommend you rent the movie Robin Hood (old version with Errol Flynn) .

[Ostrorogi]

Thanks for reply cvarcher. You see a lot of things.
I just release my muscules in anchor hand. ,i dont know how to release it diferently. Must hand stay at spot?
I have side quvier, but normaly i dont use it at home. I just pickup my arrows from empty umbrella bucket  :D  .

[cvarcher]

Yes anchor hand should stay at the same spot every time.It may take a long time to get this part right so dont give up after a week.Some get it pretty fast. It all depends on you and the weight of the bow. Thats why its so important NOT to over bow yourself. 45lbs is a very nice weight by the way. As for a back quiver its the fastest way to get an arrow out and on the bow string than any other method -period. Since I hunt thats what I use. (Besides- Robin Hood used it too-)
I would like to reccommend you get the video- Hitting em like Howard Hill.It is excellent at teaching the hunting insinctive style of the worlds greatest archer.

[SHOOTO8S]

Originally posted by cvarcher:
Yes anchor hand should stay at the same spot every time.

With all due respect...I couldn't disagree more! In fact of the film clips I've viewed, Howard Hill's anchor hand did not stay at the same spot and had a bit of rearward movement, indicating proper back tension, which is one of the reasons HH was an excellant archer.

While Robin Hood did in fact use a back quiver,and I have not personally saw the need for an edge in speed(which is debatable) in reloading the bow ( prefer to and make a good shot the first arrow),its hard to argue the fact, that using a back quiver creates lots more movment when getting another arrow on the string, which in most areas of the country, pressured game will not tolerate. IMHO recommending one quiver type for ever situation, is akin to saying a recurve is best for every hunter...or a longbow is best for everyone.

[Terry Green]

Howard Hill\\'s dynamic release

[Terry Green]

Howard\\'s dynamic release again

[Terry Green]

And again......

[Terry Green]

I think your form and alignment look pretty good.  Hard to tell from the clips.  Your follow through is good, but not sure why your bow arm is dropping.

Can you get a dead broadside video with you shooting at a target shoulder level?

[SHOOTO8S]

Terrys right...its kinda hard to be sure from these two clips....but I suspect the release hand moving to the right vs straight back is due to trying to release the arrow instead simply stopping holding the string...you may wanna try(close target)steady increasing back tension and simply relaxing the back of your hand to effect release, while maintaing back tension untill the arrow is well away from the bow(conclusion) From what I see in the vid's, I think your grabbing at the bow,???? and this may be the cause of the bowarm dropping at release.

Make more vid clips!!!!!!

[Terry Green]

I missed the 2nd video...but just watched it.

I think Rod is correct in that you are 'telling yourself' to release, instead of just letting it happen when your brain says 'you're on target'.

Don't switch your focus TO your release, just keep focusing on the target and let it happen.  Just like letting go of a glass of sweet tea when you set it on the table...don't even think about it.

[cvarcher]

On the Video Hitting em like Howard Hill John points out the absolute rules that Howard taught him. He emphatically states the hand should stay on the face and upon release with both hands do nothing.Of course it take back tension to get you there in the first place and if the tension grows weak you end up with a creep in the release but to tell people to keep pulling thru the release gives people the impression to pluck back . I have a video of Howard demonstrating exactly those both mistakes as he does them, the creep forward, the pulling back past and finally the keeping the anchor exactly at the spot release. Thats how I do it and it works ! Watch John Shultz -he does it that way too. As for a back quiver.of course its personal choice. I could have mentioned all the great qualities why I think he should use it,but I figured if he gets the video he will find out for himself.Howard used it over any of the other contraptions for hunting  so I know its the best way.

[Terry Green]

I think the clips of Howard speak for themselves, and also speak more of Howard than someone else.

[Terry Green]

HH again...with a DYNAMIC release...

[cvarcher]

Terry, Im looking at this last video clip of Howard shooting at the stump in the Arizona desert. His anchor is rock solid and the bow pulling arm is hardly moving back at all!! His hand never moved off the face.Just a little slight back motion upon release which is from the holding back of the tension and releasing it. Ostrorogi hand is pulling way off the face.Thats what I mean.

[Terry Green]

No, I don't think so....you were describing and recomending a STATIC release Like HHs, and that is not evident in any of the clips of Howard.  You said both hands do nothing, and the hand should not move off the face....and you were describing Hill.  The clips prove otherwise.  

HH did not have a fly away release for sure, but it sure wasn't static in any form or fashion.

At this point I'm sure you are not watching the same clips, or you are just pretending to see see something that's not there.

[cvarcher]

Terry, However you want to call it the hands upon release should stay exactly there.Thats what I did say and thats what John Shultz says in the video. I am sure youve seen that video.Tell me John doesnt say that .When you view video clips of Howard almost every shot is slightly and I say slightly differant on his release. No one can be a machine doing that motion perfect everytime.But his main stay of shots that anchor hand stays right there with a slight back motion from the release of tension. Yes, there is movement so its not static if thats what you mean but he tries to keep it as static as he can,and thats what I mean.