Release tips

[fatzboys]

moebow
my folloiw through isnt as solid as yours seems to be.i heard you say if everything starts right then the follow through is a given. im shooting way better now as a result of your vidoes.i want that solid release you have. when i just relax my fingers it seems everything relaxes encluding bow arm.any drills you no of ,or ticks to ending  with that nice solid follow through?thanks.......kyle

[moebow]

Kyle,  That follow through is a direct result of using a Form Master.  Learning to "resist the strap," as I tell my students,  strengthens (increases tension) in your back at the moment of release.  Shoot for a while with the form master, take it of and shoot while consciously "resisting the strap."  Do not shoot at a target here, just use the butt to catch arrows.

Relaxing the fingers while increasing back tension takes a little practice but will pay off in a good follow through.  It also settles down the bow arm.

Glad to see the kind comments from all you folks and happy that many of you see some value in the videos.

Arne

[maineac]

Great videos.  I will show it to my kids in my after school club.  Always helps to hear from someone else.  The wrist and elbow roll to engage the back is a great way to explain it.  I will incorporate it.

[fatzboys]

thanks moebow .i will be buying a form master. I have to give one a try.

[Green]

Moebows videos are extremely helpful to see where you want to be.  Fatzboys.....on the first page of the shooters forum is a thread to make your own formaster out of items you've got at the house.

[jjcoe]

Great video.  My release cleaned up significantly by keeping the relaxed wrist.  Now I have to practice that while I work on about a dozen other things I'm doing wrong!    Thanks

[BBWV]

moebow..I've watch your vidoes and have to say it has help me with my Forum and help my shooting
So THANKS for all your info

[fatzboys]

hey moebow
built me a form master instead of buying one  as suggested by "Green" and messed with it a little Let me ask you ,looking at the vidio again to night it looks like you have a slight push foreward with your bow hand on release. Is this a result of back tension or am i seeing something that not there and your just trying to not move bow arm at all. i got to tell you last night with the help of the moon light i started pushing more than i normally do with bow hand while at the same time trying just to relax fingers in draw hand. i was grouping well but it was all most like blind bale . i couldnt see where the arrows were going until i wall up to get them. Is this the start of a bad habit? should i try and just hold it still or push foreward on release. i want in the future to think about none of this and for things just to happen. Just look at a small spot draw,hold ,shoot,follow through ect. IM always looking for an advantage or better way of getting to this place ill call sanity. Because i think m going CRAZY....but it sure is fun.......kyle

[moebow]

Kyle,  Sharp eyes  
This, I always find difficult to explain in the written word but I'll try.

Once you start to get the feel of the drawing motion with the form master, you will find that pressing your bow shoulder toward the target during the expansion step (the part from anchor to follow through) will aid in stability and the actual release.  This bow shoulder press will help in reducing unwanted movement of the bow hand at the shot.

It is important to note that I am saying "PRESS", not push.  Do not push the bow by straightening your bow wrist or elbow. Think of it as pressing your bow shoulder towards the target.

This is a function of using your back muscles  but perhaps in a slightly different way than is commonly explained.  When you release using your rhomboid muscles on your drawing side the shoulder blade will snap in toward your spine.  Pressing the bow shoulder toward the target will pull (slightly) your bow side shoulder blade away from the spine and toward the target.  This is just the opposite of the old thought of "squeezing your shoulder blades together."  This was a fairly lazy man's way of trying to explain back tension. But it causes a collision of shoulder blades,muscles and spine and really limits range of motion and limits that follow through motion that you see in the video.

Although I shot like this for a long time, I really credit my understanding of this to Rod Jenkins (shooter8 on this forum).  As I say in responses to many of my videos, if you think about what you do and why you do it you will be better able to determine what really works for you and your style.  If you don't think about things (form) and just mush along doing what you have always done, you may get good but the odds are that you will stagnate at a level of shooting that you aren't happy with.

I will suggest this though.  Most shooters WILL get to the point that you are striving for: "Just look at a small spot draw,hold ,shoot,follow through ect." faster by learning good form in a controlled environment and then applying it to their specific archery interests than by just going out and "flinging arrows."

[fatzboys]

gotcha!.....thanks again....back to the front!

[targets3D]

Great video MoeBow. The bow really seems to want to jump out of your hand!

My question is on the rotational draw. Can you elaborate on that a bit. I feel there is no way to do that except by turning the wrist to the left and almost temporarily turning the bow to 11 o'clock and then turning the bow back to face the target.

[moebow]

Targets,  If done correctly, the bow will start out pointing slightly to the left ( for a right hander) as you come to anchor and rotate the elbow around the spine, the bow will move slightly to the right (in your hand, not by moving the wrist and requires a relaxed grip and forearm) lining up with the target.  Keep your bow hand on target all the time.  The bow's alignment will come from the draw not by you specifically turning it.  If you re-watch the video I did called shooting a hill bow using the BEST system, I think you will be able to see that.

At the start of the draw, your string arm and elbow are out away from the body much farther than most Trad shooters normally do but it will really get you into the back muscles.

Yes!  If you have relaxed EVERYTHING not needed for the shot, the bow "comes alive."  It is then allowed to react as it needs too, not how you think it should or force it to.

Hope I've answered your question.  If not, ask again.

[JWA]

Thank you for the helpful tips on drawing the bow with the relaxed wrist. The video was very helpful to me. Your commentary was very clear and easy to understand.

[seven crows]

best advise I was ever given..... BEATH

[zigman]

thanks

[zigman]

thanks

[fmscan]

Moebow, Thank you for the help.... I have been VERY frustrated with my shooting for years and really think the main problem is my release. Your instruction will give me something to work on tomorrow, relaxed wrist, move elbow around and just let fingers relax. Im 64 and running out of time, I need to get this right!!!

[moebow]

fmscan,  I too am 64 and relate strongly to your time thoughts!  If you have trouble with this or want more info, feel free to contact me.  Try not to start with too heavy a bow.  Good luck and have fun.

[fmscan]

Moebow, (Arne) I apreciate your offer to contact you, however since others may be having the same issue it may be good to stay with conversation on the forum. Yesterday I spent a lot of time trying to get the release and felt if happen a few times out of 50 shots... when if happens it does feel good. I shot a 45# Leon Stewart hybrid and LOVE it, weight is not an issue, I spend a lot of time in the gym and I'm in good shape. I am a LEFTY. I have shot for yrs just using my arms and just started to work on using back tension (I've learned tons on this site in the last several months - wish I had found it yrs ago)
I know that I am too stiff in the hand and wrist..I've heard that guys say to just let the string release itself but I seem to get everything right and then its like pulling a trigger, release my fingers. My arrow go off target based on how bad the release is... I am frustrated and have to walk away at times. Mainly I cant seem to RELAX my fingers... I pull off. I know that letting the fingers just relax should be easy, but so far I have struggled. Will watch your video again today and work on it. When I see your smooth gentle release and follow thur, I understand and it looks wonderful. Just curious,when you shoot at a deer or elk do you stiffen up? THANK YOU for your service to our great sport. Frank Mosey (been called Moe yrs ago)

[moebow]

When I posted the "release tips" video, I had a couple clips showing a way to practice that "relaxing the fingers" release.  I ended up not including them -- probably should have.  I'll look and see if they are still on my computer and post them if they are. It may be a day or two.

In the meantime, try this as a practice.  Take your strung bow and hook your fingers on the string.  Now, pull the string back about an inch or two (NO FARTHER!).  At this point you can practice relaxing the fingers and letting the string slip away. (DO NOT WORRY,  THIS IS NOT A DRY FIRE if the string is only pulled an inch or two).  If done by relaxing the fingers you will feel the string push your fingers out of the way and you will hear a pleasant twang and your hand will tend not to move.  The fingers just "flop" out and back without hand movement. Be sure the string is in the first joints of your fingers.  If the string is out on the pads you will have too much tension in your hand.

If you are trying to open your fingers to get off the string that twang will be more of a dull thud if there is any sound at all.  You CANNOT open your fingers fast enough to clear the string!  The string has to do it.

If you can practice this to get the feel of it, you are half way there.  The other half is learning the feel of the full shot.  That is keeping your back pulling at full draw and letting your fingers relax.  This takes patience and practice to get the "choreography" right.  DO NOT TRY TO HIT A TARGET when you are practicing this.  Just use the target butt to catch the arrows.  Shoot at 5 or 6 feet.  If you can, doing this with your eyes closed will help you isolate and concentrate on the muscle groups involved.

As far as hunting or any "real" shooting, I don't think that I get stiff but have to admit that I try REALLY hard not to thing about form or technique.  You have to practice this until it is automatic.  Then when you are really trying to hit something you have to trust your form and let it happen.  This is easier said than done and is the skill that really separates the great shooters from the rest of us.  It all can be learned but many of us don't have or take the time to get it grooved in.

I understand your frustration.  I always tell my students to separate archery into two parts.  First part is practicing your from and technique.  In this part DO NOT TRY TO HIT A TARGET!!!!!!!  Just use the bales to catch arrows -- you do not care where they hit!!!  We all have a built in tendency to want to hit something but this is truly counterproductive!!  Trying to hit the bull's eye gets in the way of learning your form. The second part is hitting something and trusting your learned form.

I also tell my students that if they will trust what I'm teaching them, and if they will shoot for two months without a target then I'll have them hitting the X ring in three months.  If they insist on shooting at a target, they MAY (or maybe not) be hitting the X ring in a year.  You will definitely lower your frustration level by shooting blank bale while working on a form item.  The frustration occurs when you are trying to do too many things at once.