Bad habit or not ????
 

About six years ago I started shooting with three fingers under my arrow. I went to a traditional archery show a few years back and saw G Fred Asbel. He said this was a bad habit and stressed the bottom limb of the bow. Well I haven't been able to switch back. Any ideas would be appreciated.

RE: Bad habit or not ????
 

Yup, you could get a custom bow made with the correct tiller if that is a concern to you.

RE: Bad habit or not ????
 

Ricky Welch is one of the best shooters in the world, and he shoots 3-under. I know several excellent shots that shoot 3-under. If it works for you, don't worry about what G. Fred or anyone else says--when one "expert" says "this is the way you have to do it", you can usually find another that will say just the opposite. I tend to listen more to the ones that say "this is what works for me" rather than "this is the way you should do it, period".

Good luck,

Chad

RE: Bad habit or not ????
 

Thank you, it improved my accuracy and consistency so much I don't think I could shoot 'normal' any more.

RE: Bad habit or not ????
 

In his book, "Become the Arrow," Byron Ferguson actually reccomends that beginners in traditional archery use three fingers under. "Ferguson teaches three-fingers-under to people just learning to shoot barebow. This style makes aiming down the arrow easiest and gest good results right away, which makes the new archer happy and makes the coach think he's smart" (Glenn Helgeland & Byron Ferguson, p. viii, 1994).

I've heard talk of the "tiller" issue before, but to be honest with you, I can't find any mention of having a special tiller for this type of hold in Ferguson's book, or any other book on archery that I own. If anybody can point out where this is a scientific problem, I would like to see it; I've considered shooting three under at times myself.

If your bow isn't broken and you hit the target, my thoughts are this: who the heck cares what anybody else thinks.

RE: Bad habit or not ????
 

I don't know if it is all that great of an issue. However, I do personally know that bowers will ask the style of shooting that you do and take that into consideration into final tiller adjustements.

RE: Bad habit or not ????
 

The tiller is slightly different for 3-under and split--I think the difference is generally around 1/8". Shooting 3-under does put a little more pressure on the bottom limb, but the difference isn't generally enough to affect on the way the bow shoots. One bowyer I know had a pro shooter do some testing--he shot the same bow tillered for split, 3-under, and even with a negative tiller (tillered upside-down for 3-under--I guess you could say it was tillered for 3-over). They found no difference in accuracy. The main, and pretty much only, difference they found was the bow can be a little louder if it's tillered for split and shot 3-under, and vice-versa. This doesn't always happen--it can vary depending on the bow, the shooter, etc.

G. Fred's example is misleading, I think. In his video he has a super light-weight bow and "proves" how out of balance shooting 3-under makes the bow. The example he gives is exaggerated and extreme, and in my opinion not accurate--if it was anywhere near as bad as he makes it look, nobody would be able to hit the broad side of a barn shooting 3-under. He also neglected to mention that bowyers can and do adjust the tiller for 3-under to remedy the problem he highlighted.

You can get a lot of good information from experienced shooters, but keep in mind that we are all human, all liable to be wrong at one time or another (regardless of experience), and what works best for one shooter may not be best for another.

Chad

RE: Bad habit or not ????
 

Thanks Chad, I appreciate the info.

RE: Bad habit or not ????
 

I can't add anymore than others who have replied about tiller and so forth, but I can tell you that switching from split fingers to 3 under made a big difference in my acuracy, and I don't know if I could switch back either. Don't know if I would want to, My shooting improved alot. I'm actually going to shoot a new bow tomorrow AM that is being built for me, before the bowyer puts the finishing touches on it. I'm hoping I will not have to make any changes drawing the string or anchor point. My own experience is that I have not been able to adapt perfectly to any one persons technique, but have learned from many different folks who happen to be pretty good shots both on the target range and in the field hunting.

Jim

RE: Bad habit or not ????
 

O.K I think I'll stay with my form. Thank you for the input you been helpful.