Originally Posted by
PoorHunter99
Anyone have some insight/tips on using back pressure (squeezing your shoulderblades back w/finger onthe trigger??) instead of just using your trigger finger? I've heard/read that it will help to reduce errant shots and increase your target focus. Is this a good form to adopt? Or is this just another thing to screw w/my mind while shooting?
In my opinion, its critical. Hard to master but once you have it down, it will help you so much. Biggest problem I see is a lot of people have way too high draw length. Its hard to get back tension or follow thru. Correct draw length will help you pull thru the shot. If you hand is still beside your face after the shot, you didn't use back tension.
And I wouldn't exactly say (squeezing your shoulderblades back), but more putting all the wieght of the bow on your back, and your trigger forearm is just like a cable, or just a dead claw with the trigger holding the bow parellel with the arrow, no flexing of the muscles at all in the forearm.
I mostly learned difference between squeezing your back to gether and actual back tension from traditional shooting with fingers. And moved it over to compounds. You don't want to exactly sqeeze your back muscles together.
An easy way to feel back tension is to take a traditional bow and draw it behind your back. Those are the muscles you want holding it.
I know I gripped my trigger for decades. Bad habits formed. And when I actually started using back tension, I can tell its working. My back was sore.
A good way to learn it is to use a back tension release. (not while hunting). It will show you how it feels.