I just started a winter 3D league for the first time and have been trying hard to get my scores up. The lady who runs the proshop had me come in and evaluate my shooting form. Right off the bat she said that I’ve got a pretty serious case of “punching” my release vs. gently squeezing the release. The release I use is a Cobra Pro Caliper. After “diagnosing” my problem, she did a couple of different things.
1) Asked me to focus on squeezing slow vs. arrow placement
2) Had me anchor my bow and she actually pulled my release
3) Had me get three ft. from the target, close my eyes and just focus real hard on the release.
4) Practice with focus on squeezing slow

I’ve been shooting for over 16 years and like many of you have had no real training. I have 16 plus years of habit I’m trying to break. I’m interested if you have any ideas for me. Anything from a better release to mind focusing tricks. Thanks for your help.

The lady at the shop got it right.
I " blind bale" at the begining of all my practice session so I can feel the release go off.

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The proper way to shoot any release is with back tension.That is squezzing the back muscles together to draw your arm back and triggr the release.There are even back tension releases without triggers.The natural motion of the arm and hand sets of the release.Most hunters get by with trying to squeeze the trigger with their finger.If you are goung to be really competitive at tournament shooting you need to work on shooting with back tension.There is a video called straight talk from the pros.One of the pro guys who shoots a finger trigger release explains how he does it.Also make sure your draw length is not too long.Alot of hunters,especially guys shooting loops tend to anchor to far back to really use back tension.If you are overextended it' s hard to develop the proper form.

Good luck
CB

This thread has lots of good advice.....

http://forum.hunting.net/asppg/tm.as...mode=1&smode=1

better to punch the release than the nose.i I mostly just keep squezzing my release tell it goes off works for me.

Ansel,
If you want to get ' Really' good at any sort of archery competition you need to avoid squeezing the trigger with your finger.......If you can anticipate the release you are already on the road to bad habits.
" Cajunbowhntr" hit on th eproper way to fire a release and that' s with back tension.......this is a little more difficult to learn and force yourself to do over and over again with an index trigger release but it can be done.
You need to seperate the acts of aiming and releasing the arrow.......apply pressure to the trigger (The trigger should also sit in the groove of your first knuckle so that you can apply pressure straight backward...do not use the tip of your finger) and then start pulling with your back muscles the rest of the way. You' ll know that you did it right when the bow going off scares the bejeepers out of you, and the arrow just magically finds its mark.
You' ll need to embrace the surprise of the release and not fight it.
You let the pin float around the center, and concentrate on pulling THRU the shot with your back muscles. Its sort of a combination of the concious and the subconcious working together........you need to let the back of your mind trust that floating pin and concentrate on the mechanics of a good shot.

After a few rounds the shot going off will be less and less of a shock to your nerves and you will start to become comfortable with it.
You can do your blind bale shooting, but try to forget squeeeeezing the trigger with your finger....let the back muslces do the job.
The best thing I ever did to increase my accuracy on targets was to scrap the regular old index trigger release and switch to a thumb trigger " T" handle style. This style is much harder to punch (although you can), and is IMO much easier to fire with proper back tension.....

Funny this came up I just finished reading an article in Peterson' s bowhunting tonight on rel. aids, and punching that trigger, and target panic. Articles too long to write, so I' d suggest you pickup the March issue.

Thanks for your help. I never realized there was so much to proper form. I will work on this and I am confident by next fall I will be better than I am today ( and I' m not that bad today).
I did pick up on the thread going on in the bowhunting forum after I posted this thread. Lot' s of great advice going around.
Thanks again.

I use the True Fire X-Caliper release in Relax to Fire Method. My trigger release is set very light and I must hold the trigger to draw. Once anchored at full draw I just start thingking about releasing and it goes off.

The only problem I had was getting used to fingering the trigger before shooting. As a rifle and handgun shooter and being military trained, this is contrary to the learning process that began 54 years ago (when I was 10 years old with my first shotgun).