3 under help

[M60gunner]

I know there's a bunch of info here on shooting three under BUT anyone that shoots this style recommend to me a book that's available I can read? I have looked at some YouTube vidoes but the info doesn't get into my brain like when I read a book. This would be for shooting targets and 3D's mostly.

[McDave]

I have read a lot on archery form, and really don't know of much out there in the way of books that have much space devoted to 3 under.  For example, Shooting the Stickbow, by Anthony Camera, which is a book I refer to often to answer my own questions, has 1/2 page out of 422 pages of text that discusses 3 under.  Total Archery, Inside the Archer, by Kisik Lee, probably the most technical book I have read on archery form, has no text specifically devoted to 3 under.

If you find one that has more, please let me know.

In the mean time, those of us who shoot 3 under would be happy to discuss it with you, if there is any way we can help.

[M60gunner]

Thank you for your offer. Does one have to shoot gaps with 3 under as an example? Thanks agian

[nhbuck1]

you can shoot anyway 3 under gap, instinctive, split, it really depends on your style, for gap your gaps will be alot smaller then split due to arrow being closer to the eye

[McDave]

Many 3 under shooters use gap to aim.  However, Rick Welch, one of the best shooters out there, is an instinctive aimer who shoots 3 under.

Fred Asbell has stated that 3 under is not as well suited to instinctive shooting as split fingers.  I suppose if you maintain the same hand position on your face, the arrow would be closer to your eye shooting 3 under and would be hard to ignore.  However, if you keep the arrow position constant instead, like the cock feather touching your nose, your gaps will be identical to split, and you can shoot either gap or instinctive as you wish.  For example, my point on shooting 3 under is 45-50 yards, depending on the bow I'm shooting, which is similar to point on for split finger shooters.

[nhbuck1]

do you anchor with middle or index dave? whats your setup

[McDave]

I have two anchors: cock feather touching the tip of my nose and thumb knuckle touching the bottom of my earlobe.  These are the anchors Rick Welch recommends for 3 under.  I do not use my fingertips as a part of my anchor.  Anchors are very personal; each person's face is different.  The important thing is to first learn what full draw is, and then look for anchors at that position.  The nice thing about cock feather to nose is that the position where you mount the feathers on your arrow shaft can be adjusted to suit your particular facial structure and full draw posture.

[M60gunner]

McDave, is this part of Rick's video? So if I understand about cock feather I could adjust to suit my head being bent over, more looking down the arrow vs. at the point of the arrow?

[McDave]

The main thing about feather to nose is to glue the feather in such a position that you are at full draw, however you define that, before the feather will touch your nose.  For me, that is 2" from the back of the quill to the valley of the nock.  Other people might have greater or lesser distance.

The feather to nose is quite versatile.  For example, in Joel Turner's method, it is used as a trigger, so that the arrow is fired the moment the feather touches the nose.  In Rick Welch's method, it is used as an anchor, so the feather is in contact with the nose as long as the shooter is holding at full draw.  I'm sure it could be used as you describe, which sounds similar to pointing a shotgun: you see the bead at the end of the barrel, but you are sighting down the whole length of the barrel.

It's been a long time since I watched Rick's video, but it would surprise me if it wasn't in there, since it is a basic part of his style of shooting.

[M60gunner]

Going to try 3under at range tomorrow. With a heat advisory it may be best to stay off ranges. I have a brand new BW three under tab and one of those fancy AAE tabs to use.

[DJ Hardy]

McDave my split finger distance is a good bit longer than my three under if I use the same anchor.

[McDave]

Originally posted by DJ Hardy:
McDave my split finger distance is a good bit longer than my three under if I use the same anchor.

That's true, if you use the same anchor, your split finger point on will be longer than your 3 under point on, because the arrow is closer to your eye when you shoot 3 under with the same anchor.

However, if you move your anchor rather than move the arrow, so the arrow remains in the same place rather than the anchor remaining in the same place, then your point on will be the
same 3 under or split.

My point is that there is nothing inherent in 3 under that dictates a shorter point on.

[M60gunner]

Well I must confess I did not get to work on my 3 under experience. Just to hot to concentrate on anything but wiping sweat away and drinking water. I did get to shoot a Hoyt Satori riser with Hex 7.5 limbs made for his 17" riser. I used my 500 grain arrows from his 35# bow and I now know what all the hype is about. Figuring out way to mortgage the house to get the same setup.