New release technique

28 April 2007

I have recently been experimenting with release techniques, not so much for myself as I am happy with the Scott wrist release but Ruthy sometimes slips into the full blown punch mode. I was trying to determine a way to physically prevent a punch on the trigger.
From previous experience the squeeze the hand and pull back technique seemed to produce too many inconsistencies , you could mix little squeeze with a lot of pull back or a lot of squeeze with little pull back, leaving a lot of variation in between. Getting 80% pressure on a trigger for a puncher doesn't happen it just goes BANG, gone, so loading the trigger doesn't work either.

I tried the Carter evolution 2.5 and than ticked a few but not all, boxes. Depending how you set the shot up, you could be pulling for ever or going as soon as the safety was released. True it was always a surprise but like that jumper at Christmas, not all surprises are good ones. In the end my drawing technique, downhill shots and a "true back tension" just didn't gel.
Of course I visited AT and there were a number of people who were struggling with the Evo2.5 (and an equal amount of people prepared to hunt you down and eat your eyeballs for suggesting the EVO didn't work). One person came up with a solution which was promptly shot down for cheating and not using true back tension. The premise was, that you drew back, relaxed the 2nd and 3rd finger, which allowed the release to rotate around the index finger. When pressure was reapplied to the 2 upper fingers, the release would go. I had already sold my EVO and the info was filed in a dusty corner of my brain.

I got to thinking that the same technique could be applied to a thumb release, obviously the trigger was an additional element. I formulated that a sequence along the lines of, draw, locate thumb around release at minimal pressure, relax 2nd and 3rd finger let release and thumb rotate (thumb taking up the slack, so to speak) again with no pressue on the trigger, aim , pull back with elbow, which causes fingers 2 and 3 to re-engage, which automatically places increased pressure on the thumb and away the shot goes.

I have now had chance to try this technique and I can report that it certainly provides no opprtunity to stab and also gives a controlled surprise release, contradictory? yes, but realistically, if everybody had a real surprise release every time, we would be thrown off the line for swearing. My interpretation is that the surprise comes in an envelope, you ARE expecting the shot to go off, you just don't know when. With this technique you aren't pulling and praying for it to go as you are pefectly centred on the 10 ring but neither are you rushing across the face of the target getting ready to press the go button.

Now there are numerous people who are going to say "that's how I've always shot a release"
Well no bu&&er taught me that way I wished they had because I thinkI have finally found a system that works for me The thing is I like my wrist release
_________________
MERLIN ARCHERY CLUB

GETTING RATTIER BY THE MINUTE

Ratfighter's Blog