I learned one little trick from Howard Hill early on, when I picked up a bad habit of plucking the string upon release. I worked on it and worked on it and out of nowhere it would happen again, when I was trying to shoot at a target. Didn't ever occur with me when I was hunting, but target shooting that little devil would come out of nowhere. He told me what to do as it had happened to him once upon a time. He said,"Jerry practice without a target on the backstop or hay bale." "Come to full draw and keep thinking to yourself release bottom finger first, bottom finger first". "Then turn loose of the string with your bottom finger first and the other two will automaticaly follow". I practiced this way until it became second nature and the devil has stayed away. He instructed me that when drawing a bow with three fingers, each finger has a purpose. The top two are on the string for the only purpose of holding the arrow in place against the nocking point, and the bottom finger should be used as your trigger finger for releasing the string. He said that if you were not going to use it for that purpose then why use it at all. Jerry Hill.................
Wonderfull tip. I have the problem somtimes of plucking the string as I release. I will try this. It makes perfect sence. Thanks,,Out Door Dan
Thanks for the tip Jerry. I will have to work on that one.
George
I have never heard that. Thanks for sharing.
to Dan and George, Thanks for your comment. I'm only trying to share my experience of shooting the longbow all my life and pass along what I have learned from H.Hill, hoping that it may help my fellow archers enjoy the sport just a little better.
Jerry....what timing...thank you..... im right handed...when i miss ...i typically miss right....and its typically due to a pluck...bottom finger first..we'll try it.
Thanks for your post, Jerry. I don't think that I have been plucking, but I'm gonna try it anyway.
I never thought about the bottom finger like that. I will have to try it out tomorrow. Keep them coming.
Jerry if ya like post the shooting tips in the Shooting Forum. More folks will find them there.
Just a tip. HEHEHE
Thanks,
Joshua
Makes sense because the middle and ring fingers share tendons.
It's worth a try.
I'm gonna try that. Thats one of my demons, thanks!
Very interesting!
I'll give it a try, thanks.
Haven't had that devil for awhile,but you never know when it will appear. Good tip.
Interesting concept, I thought the problem was because people thought of release and this thinking of releasing fingers was the root of the problem.
I dont think Release I just focus on aim and expansion, the release just a reaction to expansion process, when I think "Release" it's just not a very good shot. I was also taught by a top Korean Coach not to release with fingers but to learn to relax Flexor muscles in the Forearm, this makes the release very fast and always smooth.
The human brain solves problems in many different ways, everybody has their own way to deal with a problem. :)
In 1986 my friend loaned me Howard's Biography and it inspired me so much I purchased a Bow that same week, just wish I started Archer earlier and had the chance to see Howard shoot.
Good tip thanks ..... and one more phrase for my shooting mantra:
'Up high, in tight, down low ......shoot...No, aim...or not ... then GO !!!!!!" ')
Good tip, I'll try it.
It is interesting.
Personally, I will stay away from contemplating the release though.
And there was me thinking that string plucking was a product of incorrect linear back-tension, which causes the drawing hand to fly away from the face, instead of coming backwards.
Wowsers! Tried that out just a few minutes ago. I'll practice this every time now until I don't even know I'm doing it.
Thank you Jerry!
Yeah Rob....most folks I see that pluck the string are either 'telling themselves' to release, or are not properly aligned. The best way to eliminate string pluck that I have found is to get properly aligned, having all your energy going directly toward and away from the target. Your release hand has nowhere to go but rearward if your energy is directed properly....and you will also eliminate a lot of windage problems.
There's a clip of Howard shooting a tossed rock on his forum. If you freeze it at full draw, you will see that he had proper alignment down pat.
Thank you Mr. Hill...wisdom is power.
As John Shultz described it in Hitting em like Howard Hill and how I shoot, both hands should do nothing. The string hand only takes a slight movement backward. It should not fly backward or away from the face. That is the Hill method as taught by John.
Now, I shot a compound with a back tension release for three years in tournaments. Your string hand DID move backwards quiet a bit. Really messed me up when I went back to a longbow. Had to relearn all over again.
I don't have a problem with string plucking but tried what Jerry said and it works great. I simply point my fingers at the target.
Joshua
If you release with the index first it could change the effect of the tiller by putting more stress on the lower limb during release, more like a three under release. by thinking ring finger the standard 1/8" above level nocking point works out more often as well.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experiences of your great huncle.
Whump Sez: Hello Jerry--I rode a HD super glide down to your shop in 1979 and had you build my first Longbow--we named it after the Choctaw Indian chief "Iuka" that P&Y buck in the picture fell before it several years back--your shooting lesson the day I picked up the bow stuck, as my bottom finger is the only one with a calious on it. I am glad you are doing well and welcome to the Trad Gang. Hunt safe.
Great tip Jerry!
I don't pluck if my back tension and alignment is correct, but I had a big struggle with shelf contact as part of what I was doing with my fingers after some form changes. I got that fixed only to find I now shoot with a real relaxed ring finger and most of the weight on my middle finger. The ring finger has been dragging in the way and dropping down to get a little scrub by the serving along the bottom of the finger tip. I think because it holds little weight so doesn't blow open when the hand releases and the string goes. All was well until it started cracking last week after a lot of heavy shooting. I started to try and employ it a little more and keep it up tighter to the middle finer with more hook, but it was still sore after shooting, although better than it was.
Yesterday after reading your post I shot a few arrows before and after work. At first I was pulling the trigger and that was throwing me off, but it did get the finger out of the way. Then I went to squeezing the trigger, and it got a lot better.
I shot more today with the idea of relaxing just that finger. Wow what a difference. I get a great release, and because I key the relaxing of the hand with that finger, it gets clear of the string. I shot 100 arrows today without the band aid I was using and no harm done. Such a simple little change and it really help me out a lot. I still relax the whole hand, but for some reason relaxing the fingers with most of the string weight was not getting the ring finger to relax as well as the other. Now it feels like a micro chain reaction of all the finger going limp as soon as the ring finger relaxes.
Thanks Jerry,
You only been here a few days and already helping us with some shooting tips from our favorite hero's of the past...It is so nice that we all can share this site with so many people that we only get to meet in books or magazines...On TradGang You get to Ask Questions and get a response from the Hero's of today...Thanks Jerry, Ron, Barry,Gene and Mike just to name a few!
Im with Terry & Rob on the proper alignment & back tension thing.
Howard hill used proper back tension and alignment, just a different release than pull through. Now you will argue that in some of his videos that his hand flys back away from his face. That comes from shooting an 80 pound bow. Also he was that good. He could what ever he wanted. Even then its not hand touches shoulder stuff.
I know, I used a back tension release when I shot competition with a compound bow. Your hand will go to the shoulder, its correct follow through. The man kept it simple. All I know is I watch him and do my best to mimic the Greatest. If it worked for him why not me, and it has so far. ;)
By the way its what I use with my Hill style longbow. I have tried this form with recurves, R/D longbows and it works great. To each his on I guess!
Joshua
Have to give that a try, never have heard of doing that before.
I had been watching my alignment for a couple of months as Terry mentioned and it helped the plucking problem immensly. I used an old golf driving range trick and put an aiming arrow on the ground so I could stand with my feet parallel to the line of flight to the target and developed a better sense of aligment of feet, body, shoulders and drawing arm.
This little trick may be the icing on the cake.
Makes all the difference in my shooting. Thanks a lot.
I'll be giving this a try. thanks