Shooting with a Tab?

[Wannabe1]

I've read the posts as to why people like tabs over gloves but, can anyone tell me if there is any special or unique way of shooting with a tab? I just ordered the Ultra Lite Elite Cavalier Tab from 3Rivers Archery to see if I could improve my release when shooting. Any thoughts appreciated.

[Coop]

I switched to the same exact tab this summer. I was having issues plucking the string with my old glove. I can't say I have consciously changed my release, but it is much smoother with the tab. I shoot a dead hand release and no more plucking now, very smooth.

[Wannabe1]

Thanks Mike. I also shoot a dead hand release and was finding that I jerk my hand upon release and it's causing my arrows to fly not so smooth. Read about the Cavalier releases and thought I would give one a try. I tried a standard release a few years ago but, couldn't quite get the hand of it.

With the tab are you just relaxing your fingers and letting the string slip from the tab or is there a technique?

[dragonheart]

Here is what I have learned over the years.  #1 I shoot better with a tab.  You want to think of your fingers as a hook.  Keep your wrist straight, and hook the sting all the way where the plate on the tab is.  That is right all the way in with the edge of the plate touching the string.  Curl your fingers back towards you, keeping your hand straight.  When you draw the bow, push your drawing elbow back.  Aviod pulling the bow.  Push the elbow, fingers are hooked, and continue to push the elbow back only slowing the draw at you anchor and continuing to transition the energy tension to your back muscles, specifically the deltoids.  Refuse to hold.  Do not release!!  Refuse to hold the string as you continue to push the elbow around and increase back tension.  I shoot with a homemade super archery mitt, and with a wrist strap.  The strap is short enough to feel the tension.  If your tense you forearm and try to arm muscle shoot a bow, you will have left and right issues.

Basics:
Fingers well curled and hooked
wrist straight
push the elbow around (visualize that you are pushing your elbow when practicing form)
slow the draw at anchor and transition tension remaining to the back muscles.
refuse to hold

Practice this close to the bale and do not try to aim until you have the mechanics down.  It taks 30 days to change a habit.

Hope this helps.  PM and I can try to get ya some photos if not clear.

Jeff Schulz

[zmeister]

Great advice Jeff!  Thanks!!

[Wannabe1]

Yes, thanks a bunch Jeff! I wouldn't mind some photos just to have it in my mind. PM on the way.

[ChuckC]

I have fairly large hands,  but I find that a smaller tab (medium) works the best.  I guess less contact.   I like shooting with a glove. . .   a lot. . .  but I have to face facts    a tab works best for me.
ChuckC

[sweet old bill]

I use the kant pinch tab and when I buy a new one I use it full size for about a month. Then I check it out and you can see were the string is going on the tab. I then cut it down and get rid of some of the extra material. I just find I get a better release, I pull back, lock in to the side of my face and then release. I do as some of the other have said use a deep hook when drawing. seems to fit me the best for shooting

[Jon Stewart]

Been using  the old Saunders plastic tabs for years.  Can't find them any more but they always have worked good for me.

[robtattoo]

I've tried & tried & tried to switch from a glove to a tab, but every single one I try; a) slaps me in the face & b) causes me to shoot about 12" left at 20yds.

I've tried cuttng down the tabs so that there's nothing hanging past my fingertips when I'm on the string but to no avail. I now have around 11 or 12 different tabs in many different configurations & every single one causes the shooting left thing.

Can anyone give me a clue as to what's going on, because I've now resignedmyself to having to use a glove forevermore.

[joevan125]

What Dragonheart said.  

[xtrema312]

Originally posted by robtattoo:
I've tried & tried & tried to switch from a glove to a tab, but every single one I try; a) slaps me in the face & b) causes me to shoot about 12" left at 20yds.

I've tried cuttng down the tabs so that there's nothing hanging past my fingertips when I'm on the string but to no avail. I now have around 11 or 12 different tabs in many different configurations & every single one causes the shooting left thing.

Can anyone give me a clue as to what's going on, because I've now resignedmyself to having to use a glove forevermore.

I have had that with most of the tabs I have tried so far.  It must be me.  The only one that works consistently well for me is the BW supper leather tab.  I don't know why, maybe it is the split fingers or the real flexible nature of the layers they use.  It could be a combination of those.  All I know is I shot straight with them and left with all the others on most shots.  Maybe I just have not shot them enough to break them in or something.  The Bateman cordovan tab is close to working, but I really have to pop those fingers open for a straight shot and often it will fly right off my fingers.

[Wannabe1]

Just relaxing the fingers doesn't give you a smooth release?

I was hoping the tab I ordered would be in so that I could try it out this weekend but, it hasn't made it yet. I will give a full report as soon as I can use it.

[dragonheart]

Originally posted by robtattoo:
I've tried & tried & tried to switch from a glove to a tab, but every single one I try; a) slaps me in the face & b) causes me to shoot about 12" left at 20yds.

I've tried cuttng down the tabs so that there's nothing hanging past my fingertips when I'm on the string but to no avail. I now have around 11 or 12 different tabs in many different configurations & every single one causes the shooting left thing.

Can anyone give me a clue as to what's going on, because I've now resignedmyself to having to use a glove forevermore.

Rob,

This is what I think happens with the left syndrome going to a tab.  I have had exactly what you described.  First off, I am in no way saying that shooting a glove is inaccurate.  I really do not think it matters glove or tab the issue is the technique.  

Glove and tabs do require different arrow spine, just has been my experince.  Typically lighter spine with tab, cause I think you get a cleaner release if shooting proper technique.        

Okay onto my hypothesis.  Many people that I have observed shooting twist there fingers on the string.  These archers will complain of sore ring fingers (third)if they shoot alot.  I believe people are naturally prone to want to turn their hand away from the face at full draw.

This twisiting of the string, and if you stand in front of a full length mirror and look at your self at full draw with an arrow on the string and at full draw, you can see how much you twist the string at full draw.

With a glove you can get away with this, to some extent.  I do not think this twisting of the string promotes the most accurate form for archery.  

The more relaxed top finger is able to get out of the way, in essence many people, shoot with only the bottom fingers and the top is "along for the ride" (split finger relaese of course).  These folks have sore 3rd fingers and can shoot reasonably well.  I am just a sticler, and my worst critic, that I want to shoot the inheiratly most accurate technique.

Now for the tab.  First off most tabs are too narrow in the slot where the arrow nock goes.  Most tabs are also not split far enough back towards the web to allow for a deep hook that is needed to shoot heavy huting bows with back tension.  I shoot an tab similiar to a SAM TAB, but made to my specs.  I will try to get a picture up this weekend.  

You do not have the give like you do with a glove.  A tab has a stiff backing.  A tab due to its design will force you to shoot with better technique, just by its design.  If you do not you shoot left miss the bale, and return to shooting a glove. LOL, sorry my attempt at humor.

A tab is unforgiving of this twisiting action that we do to the bow string.  If you do not put enough top finger curled around, and shoot a relaxed top finger, the tab is stiff.  What happens is the tab puts down pressure on the arrow, due to the twisting away from the face at full draw, and in essence created an up and down paradox along with the side to side.  

The solution to this, if you woud even want to change to a tab, is with the top finger.  When you "hook up" on the bow string, put more top finger into the the curl around the string.  Think about having all 3 fingers curled around the bowstring and equa distance.  Point the tips of your finger, curled back toward you. this really promotes a sense of control of the shot as a side note.
 
The middle finger will be curled more, but the tendency is to relax the top finger too much.  Curl that top finger around.

Do this then do our visual check in the full length mirror.  If you curl all of your fingers around the string, you will see less twist in the bowstring at full draw.  The straighter the bow string is at full draw the better.  A straight bow string promotes, less paradox in the arrow, efficency in energy to the arrow, and increased accracy IMHO.  There is always going to be some twist.  

Watch some of the slow mo of Hill on this site.  Yes, he shoots a glove and does it well.  Look at how much of his fingers are curled in equal distance, and his top finger is in and curled around.  Watch how he "hooks up" especially.  He draws with his wrist very straight and very much with back tension, fingers are only a hook and his back muscles are engaged throughout the first third and from then on in the draw cycle.  the man was truely a master of the art of archery.

Give it a whirl brother of the bow,

With hope for positive change,

Jeff Schulz

[Wannabe1]

Ok, I got my Cavalier Elite tab in yesterday and went and shot with it today. Now, my groupings were not the greatest but, I can say I feel my release was a little smoother. I will need to do some more shooting to break it in a little and tighten up my groups but, so far so good and I think I might be onto a change. It definitely takes some getting used too! Will report more later.

[s_mcflurry]

Sometimes it helps to think of your ring finger as your "trigger".  If you don't put thought into it and just wiggle your ring finger you'll notice that your middle finger wiggles along with it.

Ideally, you want to think "relax the fingers" or "stop holding" as opposed to a forceful and conscious opening of the fingers.  However, this is hard for some to achieve.  The alternative, then, would be to think "release my ring finger" and the rest should follow naturally.

[dragonheart]

Here is a picture of the tab I made and use.  It is similiar to a SAM.  I like to keep the wrist strap tight and focus on the pressure being in the wrist and drawing with the wrist straight and the fingers being only a hook.  I can feel the pressure of the string on my wrist when my hand is in the right posiition.  The bead is used to pull tight against the wrist and get the right pressure on the wrist.  The front facing is cordavan from an EW bateman tab, and screws from a Saunders tab, and made the finger stalls out of thin leather.  Cord is from a call lankyard, bead I had.  made from part so to speak.  Currently, experimenting with a leather strap that looks similiar to a release aid strap.  I believe that the more tension you can get out of the arm and into the back muscles, the more accurate the shot.  This is one area that a wheelie shooting brothers have utilized with the wrist release strap.  I am using this same principle with a tab.  

 

 

With hope for positive change,

Jeff Schulz

[Wannabe1]

Jeff, nice work. Looks to be well broken in. I was hoping to get out and do some more shooting with mine today but, wife intervened and killed that idea!   :rolleyes:  I think once it is broken in, my groupings will tighten up more. I rather enjoyed shooting with it on Saturday.

[dragonheart]

I love cordavan.  it is the best stuff for a tab.  other leathers just do not compare.  I like the cavalier tab, but I shoot with a high anchor and the corner eats my cheek.  If that is not an issue for you, give it a whirl.  You might also try a SAM.  If you pull the strap tight like I talked about it will train you to pull with a straight wrist.  Tensing/bending my wrist has been an issue with me for a long time.  Jim Ploen told me about the bad habit years ago, it has caused me problems.  The strap has really helped to retrain.

[Wannabe1]

My anchor is right at the corner of my mouth and shooting with the Cavalier didn't seem to rub me in any way. Now that I am making a switch away from the glove, I was thinking of wearing a small arm bracer to keep my wrist straight. Before, the glove fastening around the wrist made me aware of keeping it straight.