String Fingers dragging on release?

[Trumpkin the Dwarf]

I shoot with a deep hook, a grip sear, and haven't switched tabs or anything, but the pads of my finger tips are suddenly getting chewed up. Anyone got a diagnosis? I don't think I'm collapsing at the shot, as I've filmed myself shooting specifically to look at that. It's like my fingers aren't getting thrown clear by the string when my grip sear pops.

[Trumpkin the Dwarf]

*I actually DID change tabs after the initial problem to a new one that was thicker. I was hoping it would resolve this issue, but it didn't fix it.

[McDave]

This is more of an opportunity than a problem at this point.  How many errors do we make in shooting where we have no idea what the error is; the arrow just misses the target?  This time, you know every time you make the error, because your fingertips sting, and every time you don't, because they don't sting.

The error is not relaxing your fingers when you release the arrow.  This is different from creeping, although both can happen together.

If you are conscious of your release, it is much more likely to happen than if you aren't.  A grip sear is supposed to act as a non-anticipatory psycho-trigger, but you are probably anticipating it anyway.  Don't think about the release and just let it go off by itself.

Rod Jenkins likes the bucket drill, where you hold a bucket full of water at your side with your usual string grip, and learn to let go of it without spilling any water, which will happen if you relax your fingers, but not if you consciously try to open them.

[McDave]

I tend to have this same problem when I shoot pistols, but not when I shoot rifles.  When I shoot a rifle, I squeeze and don't anticipate the rifle going off.  I managed to shoot high expert in boot camp, and was considered (briefly I think) for the Marine rifle team.  When I shoot a pistol, many shots hit low because I don't seem to have the same knack of squeezing without anticipating the shot, and so involuntarily flinch.

[Jock Whisky]

If I'm teaching newbies to shoot I tell them to relax not just their fingers but everything from their fingers to their elbow. It seems to be easier than trying to relax just the fingers. Works for me. Maybe for you. Let us know how you make out.

[Trumpkin the Dwarf]

Thanks McDave and Jock Whiskey for your thoughts. Here's my conundrum. If I think about relaxing my forearm, I'm thinking about the release, and I pluck, creep, collapse, double clutch, and generally make a mess of it.

When I just go shoot, it doesn't feel like my release is anticipatory. I am mostly (I do have bad shots, but mostly) focused on my grip sear, not my release. And I shoot very well doing this. It's just that my fingers are slow in getting out of the way. The pain seems to build up over time, and after a round of 3D I realize my fingers hurt like heck, and I don't know when they started stinging.

[McDave]

It's just that my fingers are slow in getting out of the way.

The only thing I can think of is that your fingers are not supposed to get out of the way, so it shouldn't matter if they are slow or fast in doing it.  They should just relax and let the string push them out of the way.  It could be that somewhere in your mind is the idea that your fingers need some help; they don't need any help, they just need for you to relax them.

I doubt if “getting your fingers out of the way” is a conscious thought you're having.  It's probably more like the problem I have when shooting a pistol that I don't have when I’m shooting a rifle.  I try to do things the same way, but they turn out different.  I don't shoot a pistol enough to worry about it, but if I had the same problem you do when shooting a bow, I would try to become more aware of what is happening with my fingers at the moment of release, and identify any unintentional inputs I might be making when releasing the arrow.

I know you don't want to “think about relaxing your forearm” but there is a difference between cognitively telling your forearm to relax, and expanding your awareness to the point that you can feel all the inputs your body is making to any part of the shot process.  Being aware of what your body is doing is never wrong; consciously controlling what your body is doing may be wrong in some cases, such as trying to consciously release the shot.

[Trumpkin the Dwarf]

Thanks for going into more detail McDave. I will certainly try to work on that relaxing of the string fingers, but have had no success with it this afternoon.

[moebow]

IF you are thinking about relaxing the fingers OR thinking about the clicker, you are thinking about the wrong thing!!!!  When at full draw, your conscious "thinking" needs to be on finishing the shot. The fingers of the release hand OR the clicker is placing your thoughts at the wrong place. 

Forget the string hand, conclude the shot!!  That's with the shoulder or string arm elbow -- FORGET THE HAND!!!

Arne

[Trumpkin the Dwarf]

Forget the string hand, conclude the shot!!  That's with the shoulder or string arm elbow -- FORGET THE HAND!!!

Arne

Hey Arne, when this issue arose I wasn't thinking about my string hand, or release, at all. I'm shooting with a grip sear at the moment, but the focus is on the movement to conclude the shot, just as if I were shooting with a clicker. I'm trying to diagnose why my fingers are torn up when I've been ignoring them for ages.

It's been a long time since I thought about the release hand, and I thought a deep hook, good back tension, and expansion was all it took to get a good release.