Hill Style Bows and shooting 3 under

[Tradcat]

Just wondering how many of you Hill Bow junkies shoot 3 under? I want to shoot split finger by following John Schulz teaching in hitting em like Howard Hill, but get much better releases and results shooting 3 under ? Kinda feel like I’m eating a Big Mac in the Burger King lobby! Am I a heretic or just over thinking it ?

[soap creek]

To each his own.  I say shoot however works best for you. I have seen others shoot ASL's 3 under.  Its something I never thought I would see, but what ever you like. Everyone's different. Thank the Lord for that. It would be a boring place if we were all just alike. Lol

[Sam McMichael]

Yep! What soap creek said.

[Tradcat]

I feel like I get better arrow flight and my misses are more forgiving. We ALL need more forgiveness!

[Ulysseys]

I shoot my Hill 3 under, I tried split for a while but was more accurate 3 under so I went back to it. I don’t see why it would be a big deal, I shoot a Hill because I like the bow, how it feels, and how quiet it is for hunting, not because I’m trying to emulate Howard Hill in any way so I’m not sure where that puts me in the ranks of Hill shooters.

[trad_bowhunter1965]

From what I have read 3 under has been around as long as split finger has and I shoot all my bows 3 under its what works for me.

[Yooper-traveler]

I thing you answered your own question.  Don’t worry about what others think of your style.  You shoot better 3 under, so keep at it.  BTW, I also shoot all my Hills 3 under. 

[Tradcat]

Thanks for the comments guys.

[Silent footed]

I have shot hill three under for quite a while. The only problem I have with three under is when swing drawing quickly or drawing on moving targets, sometimes the arrow will be thrown off the shelf. I do not have this problem with split however and this recently caused me to switch to split finger hold because of my hopes of getting into aerial archery again.

[frank bullitt]

"3 under" also was called the Apache style back when I started.
Hitting the mark is more fun!!!

[Sam McMichael]

I read somewhere that 3 under has been referred to as an Apache grip, because they commonly used it. If that's true, then it is safe to say that it has been around a long time and is effective. Unfortunately, it doesn't work for me.

[Petrichor]

While I dont have a Hill bow I have watched the hitting them like howard video several times and shoot three under. Love the video and I have tried several things from it and use them. One thing i have found is that howard was super tall and thin. I am short and stocky. What I'm alluding to is that my body is different and I cannot do some of the stuff they suggest in the video. There is no single receipe for good shooting.  I cannot get a comfortable anchor split. Have tried several times. There is nothing wrong with 3 under and if it ain't broke dont fix it.  I would hazard a bet 3 under has been around longer than split but man I would love to know what that first archer shot. All this to say shoot the bows you like the way you like. Shoot and be happy.

[kennym]

"I would hazard a bet 3 under has been around longer than split but man I would love to know what that first archer shot."

I'm bettin 4 somewhere, ever watch a kid try his first bow?   

[Petrichor]

"I would hazard a bet 3 under has been around longer than split but man I would love to know what that first archer shot."

I'm bettin 4 somewhere, ever watch a kid try his first bow?   

You mean like this??

[hvyhitter]

its worked for me for 30 yrs..............YMMV

[Missouri Bowman]

I had a middle finger injury and the strain on that finger couldn’t take the force of shooting split. I tried three under and moved mynock lower. I found the string is easier to pull that way, no more strain on that finger and I’m more accurate. Works on all my Hill bows

[Flingblade]

heretic

[Tradcat]

Thanks flingblade

[Flingblade]

I have three Hill bows tradcat and although I shoot split finger they all have clickers.  That may be crossing the line from heresy to flat out blasphemy but hey, it works for me.  I tried three under for about four years and although I took game it just never felt right.  When I went back to split it didn't take any time at all for my mind to adjust and my arrows to be hitting the mark again.  Hill bows are light, maneuverable and can be shot accurately in out of position shots more so than any other type of bow in my opinion.  One of the things I missed when shooting three under was the reverse cant shot.  I like the pictures and videos of Hill shooting at something behind him by looking over his left shoulder, leaning back, swinging his bow around with a reverse cant and hitting the mark.  A fun shot to try but with three under I couldn't pinch the nock and hold the arrow against the riser.  There are a lot of great archers that shoot three under so I'm not knocking that at all but for me it didn't work and really didn't seem to fit the Hill bow.  I tried a bow quiver on my Hill's too and although I use them on my recurves they didn't seem right on a Hill bow.  I shoot my Hills bare and split; oh, except for the clicker.   

[Tradcat]

I appreciate your thoughts and suggestions flingblade. I shot my HH Cheetah today, split finger, and shot awesome working only on my release. I started holding back my pinky finger with my thumb and was getting excellent results. I’m going to stick with it for a while and see how it goes. More to come later