Moment of Release

[Trab]

I know some of you TradGang veterans aren't crazy about novices like myself asking preK style questions   .......I have seen some of the comments......... I don't mean to lower the level of the sight or anything, but I have limited resources to learn the basics from, so I must ask my questions. I have definitely noticed there are MANY out there more than willing to help........so I ask my questions despite............My apologies to the advanced guys out there....I respect you guys big time.....but a guys gotta do what a guys gotta do,,,,,,,,,,,Having said that....           .........

How long do you guys hold when you are in full draw on a longbow and in anchor position ?    I have just begun practicing and was under the impressiin having watched films, that it is an instant release once the back hand on the draw reaches the anchor position..(just under my right eye for me)......the problem I am initially having is that my accuracy seems to be much better if I pause about 2 seconds before releasing.....I want to do things the right way from the start, so I don't develop lousy habits at the get-go     ......Any help MUCH APPRECIATED...

TRAB

[broketooth]

i dont know about anyone else but.... when im shooting and i draw back the moment i come to my full draw is when i release. the trick is to not pluck the string . 2 reasons for this. 1st is it makes for a loud release. 2nd is it effects your accuracy .. dramatically i might add.causes you to jerk the bow, nomatter how slight.if you miss by an inch or a foot it is still a miss. this could mean the difference in a clean harvested animalor a animal that is wounded for days or weeks at a time.you want a clean release which is acheived through practice practice practice. they say that practice makes perfect. i say perfect practice makes perfect .good luck to you on clean releases

[DJTJR]

Trab, there is no set formula use what you are more comfortable with.  Some of the pure instictive shooters release upon contact with their anchor oethers hold a few seconds.  those who shoot with an aiming system Gap or Point of aim tend (but not always) to hold a bit longer 2 to 4 seconds but again nothing is set in stone do what you feel comfortable with and where you see the best results.  in time you will develop a feel and will be able to release a lot faster if this is what you desire.
Also in my humbel opinion dont be afraid to ask anything here, at one point in time everyone on this site was starting out could have used the great rescources here to speed the learning process.  I know it has helped me a lot.
best,
Don

[WESTBROOK]

Trab,   nothing at all wrong with holding for 2 seconds. There is no "correct" length of time to hold anchor, just stay there till all feels right and then release. In time you will probably begin shooting faster with good results, it will become something you dont have to think about, just a habit.

Good luck

Eric

[bentpole]

I release as soon as I hit FULL anchor. I hit the corner of my mouth with my pointer finger.Someone just starting out can put a clothes pin on the end of their arrow. Practice drawing back to full anchor. .You'll know when you hit the clothes pin against the front of your riser.. I had a Bud over yesterday shooting for a while. I have come to a decision that the release is the most important part of Tradional Shooting. He was having problems. I told him to visualize flicking a fly off your cake    :eek:    or flicking a BOOGER off your finger        LOL! OR you can let the string slide off your fingers and touch your ear to become consistant.      You have to practice Mark. Sooner or later everything will work together and you'll become consistant.

[wingnut]

Your doing fine and if you are much more accurate holding. . well then hold.  I have a quick release after maybe a second.  That's what feels right to me.  Rusty holds for probably 4 seconds at draw and Jason is in between when he shooting well.

So if you are a "slow twitch" muscle guy, then a hold is good.  If you are "fast twitch" then you will have a quick release.

Mike

[Chris Wilson]

"How long do you guys hold when you are in full draw on a longbow and in anchor position ?"

2-3 seconds.

[Charlie Lamb]

Trab...I'm one of the old guys and if anyone gives you crap about asking ANY trad archery question, just let me know.
Having said that, this probably needs to be discussed on the "Shooters Forum".

I'll let it sit here for a while so some of those impatient dudes get the point.

The bottom line for your question is control. Do whatever you need to do to have it.

It's a common fallacy among new instinctive archers to think they have to shoot "touch and go" because so and so does it that way.

The fact of the matter is that most of the "good" quick shooters that you'll see started out with a much more deliberate pace.

Once all the basics are firmly ingrained the pace just seems to speed up naturally.

I, for one, tend to practice a very deliberate style, but shoot more quickly in hunting situations... two completely different things that shouldn't be mixed.
There is a time to practice good form and a time to just let the shot happen.

[waiting4fall]

[Widowbender]

Trab...Don't be afraid to ask questions here. Anyone who isn't willing to help ain't too "ADVANCED" in my book...
I tried the "touch and go" method when I started out and I struggled to improve until I sloowwwwed everything down.

David

[elknut1]

Between 1-2 seconds after anchor on a longbow here! I'm not looking to change either!! (grin)

  ElkNut1

[Jason R. Wesbrock]

I agree with Charlie.

I've shot instinctive, gap, and point-of-aim. No matter how I'm shooting, I always like to pause at full draw, most of the time for a few seconds. I also like to vary the length of time I hold at full draw because it gives me more flexibility in the hunting woods.

In the end, go with however you personally shoot best.

[Smallwood]

nothing wrong with holding at full draw for a couple of seconds. just don't let your mind start wandering and second guessing    . keep focus on your target until the release happens.

[Ybuck]

For myself, a few second pause lets me dial in on target, and then pull through my shot better.
Do whats most comfortable to you.  

[George D. Stout]

What Mr. Lamb said!  I personally hold for about two or three seconds to allow the brain and body to synchronize with one another.  You will see a lot of different styles, but you will see more bad shooters not holding at all.  There's no time-limit on accuracy.

[Pat B]

I release when my hand hits my anchor point. That is not necessarily the right or wrong way to do it. When I find myself short drawing or my accuracy drops I will hold at full draw for a second or two before releasing. This gives me time to correct any of the fundamentals I may be skipping in my draw. Also, I shoot selfbows or wood backed bows and a longer hold is detrimental to these bow. With glass bows, this is not a problem.
   IMO, the longer you hold at full draw, the more strain you are putting on your muscles and the more apt you are to loose consistency. However, there is a guy that I see at lots of the shoots I go to. He holds at full draw, with an Olympic style draw for up to a minute before releasing. The guy can drive nails with his shots but it hurts me just to watch him.    Which ever method works best you is the method you should use.

[elkbreath]

MY release is almost instant too.  BUT there is a brief moment at full drew before release.

When I first came over to the greener side of the fence, i was leaving alot of shots through a compound behind.  IMO I was really good with a compound (all humility aside).  I'd draw, hold, find my sights, breathe, shoot.  Arrows were always next to each other.  

As soon as I started shooting trad, I'd draw and let her rip.  It was like I just shot for the enjoyment of shooting, not hitting a spot, just the target.  arrow after arrow, draw and shoot draw and shoot.  

As soon as I noticed this, that I wasn't staring down a spot, I wasn't take care arrow to arrow to hit that spot, I realized I had to change something.

NOw, when I get to full draw there is a split second where I get a sight picture of the arrow and the spot, and then the arrows gone.  MY groups shrank a ton.  Just MY experience, I have to be mindful of arrow to arrow actually trying to hit something with good form and release, though the whole process really takes very little time.  Without I could shoot 100 arrows and never even think about anything, just flinging arrows.

[NorthernCaliforniaHunter]

I tend to hold a few seconds too. It seems I do this little circular dance around the target with my bow arm. My release hand just seems to know when it all lines up and lets go at that critical moment. I found the key to my shooting best is to let the movement happen (that is how I off-should shoot a rifle too). Too much work to try to stop the movement (especially if it's your target that's moving) so it's much easier to relax and trust that your release fingers will just do what they do when your brain senses that the moment is right.

[Buckeye Trad Hunter]

I hold for 2-3 seconds myself but in my oppinion whatever makes you more accurate is YOUR correct way to shoot.  After all the object is to hit the target not shoot like the next guy.  

[Killdeer]

Lot of good answers here. If I were a better shot, I would add one, too.