Wed 7 Feb 2007
There’s no question what comprises the number one form flaw amongst bowhunters today; it’s jerking the trigger. This is a natural tendency – a nervous proclivity – that many bowhunters foster. They want the arrow gone as soon after they reach full draw as possible. At the first opportunity they smoke the trigger – stare in aghast at the result and reach for another shaft from their quiver, all the while hoping the next shot will somehow be better. Unfortunately, the disappointment continues because this bad habit is not one that is easily broken.
Jerking the trigger would be just fine if the left side of your body didn’t know what your right side was doing. But, that’s not the way it works. The left side reacts to the impulse of the mental command to release, rather than to the release itself. The arrow is still on the string when the left hand snaps shut on the grip or when the left wrist flicks in an effort to “help” the arrow to hit the target.
Jerking the trigger creates a problem that tends to be magnified by high stress situations such as a shoot-off or the arrival of a big buck. What you need is a release method that is immune to pressure – one that performs just as well when everything is on the line as it does when you’re relaxing on the backyard range.
UNDERSTANDING PROPER RELEASE TECHNIQUE
Let me start with a story about my Dad’s first bull elk. The milestone took place last September. Leading up to the hunt Dad spent quite a bit of time practicing his shooting. Though he’s been shooting a bow nearly his entire life he’s not a serious archer and when he started to encounter accuracy problems he asked for help. His groups were wider than he wanted, but even more discouraging, he had the occasional wicked flyer that sometimes missed the target completely. The first thing I noticed was the same thing I see with the vast majority of archers I watch: he was punching the trigger as he tried to time the shot.
The first thing we did was change the way Dad thought about the release. Rather than trying to time the shot to coincide with the exact moment the pin crossed the spot, I asked Dad not to worry about where the pin was – let it float - and focus entirely on one simple act: squeezing the trigger. After the need to time the shot dissolved away, my Dad caught on quickly and was soon making great progress. His group size at 30 yards was cut in half, but most importantly he completely eliminated the fliers. I am proud to report that Dad shot a very nice bull later in the month with a perfect 40-yard shot!
The whole concept of letting the pin float seems illogical, but it works. The less you worry about your pin, the better you will shoot. Taken a step further, it doesn’t seem to matter that the pin is off the intended spot when the release occurs. Somehow the arrow finds its way where you want it. I don’t fully understand this phenomenon – I don’t think anyone does - but apparently we all have a built-in centering mechanism. All the time we are aiming we are trying to keep the pin near the target. As it moves away slightly we naturally try to move it back. The pin tends to be either very close to the spot or drifting toward it most of the time.
On the other hand, when you try to command the release to coincide with the moment the pin hits the spot it is usually moving away from that spot at the instant the actual release takes place. This results in significantly wider groups.
THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A SURPRISE RELEASE
Here’s an example. I strive to let the pin float and shoot by surprise when hunting and when competing, but the results are most easily measured at indoor spot-face tournaments. When I’m shooting at a Vegas Super X target my aiming point is actually on the spot only about 60% of the time when the bow fires, yet my scores reflect that the number of arrows that actually hit the X is much higher! Comprehending the importance of this fact is the key to becoming a better archer.
I truly believe that for short periods of time it is possible to shoot very well when commanding the trigger. However, I’ve never yet met an archer who can keep this up for more than a few weeks or months without a significant breakdown in shooting form.
HOW TO MAKE THE CHANGE
The best way to stop commanding the shot is to use a back tension release. (There are several back tension releases on the market made by Stanislawski, Truball and Carter, I personally use the Carter Revenger.) These devices don’t have a highly mobile trigger and are typically fired by rotating your hand as you pull through the shot. You should never know when it’s going to let loose. If you begin to gain a feel for the release point of the model you are using it is time to change the setting.
After using a back tension release for most (or all) of your off-season practice, your nerves will be reprogrammed sufficiently that you can go back to a hunting style release as the season approaches. Of course, you need to continue to focus on squeezing the trigger to create a surprise release with it, as well.
The most important part of the shot is not the location of the pin but the slow trigger squeeze and the ensuing surprise release. When your left side doesn’t know when the bow is going to fire, it becomes a lot better partner in helping you to shoot accurately.