sscoyote,

Funny you should ask because it’s a question that I’ve been wanting to hear some opinions on too. I recently switched to shooting 3 under (after about 35 years of split finger shooting) and find that my pinky finger seems to have a mind of it’s own and doesn’t want to be left out! During the first couple of months of getting used to the new style, it never was an issue but recently I’ve had to consciously resist the temptation to let the pinky finger join in. It had almost reached the point of being a problem when finally, I just gave in and now draw with all four fingers. By the time I reach anchor, the pinky finger isn’t doing much more than resting on the string. In fact, that’s true throughout the entire shooting sequence but even though it’s not really doing much, the pinky is touching the string the whole time. It seems to have helped me, mainly because it’s one less thing to worry about during the shot sequence. Anyone else ever shoot 4 fingers or hear of this? Is it a “bad” habit? Thanks,

Ron

On the face of it I would have to say “Don’t do it!” because the less we have going on with our hand’s engagement with the string the better. With that being said though, the thing to do would be to try and objectively assess if it is adversely affecting accuracy, or it is just a wash, no difference, or what. If it isn’t affecting how the string leaves the fingers, it is possible there may even be an improvement, due to the pinky placement no longer messing with your mind.
So sscoyote, I would reccomend actually to try and get through having your hand heal. Even with throwing your pinky in there you’re stressing an injury, and is there really a need to totally alter what you’re doing for a temporary condition? That’s generally not good.
And sharpster, I can only stress that you be objective. It is possible that it could be all good, but realistically odds are against it.

Thanks Bender,
I agree that the less finger/string contact the beter and to be honest it’s only been a couple of days now since I gave in and quit “arguing” with the pinky :lol:.

I’ve noticed over a period of weeks that there’s a lot more to switching to shooting 3 under after almost 40 years of split finger than I had anticipated. There’s both physical and mental aspects that need to be reprogrammed in my brain. When I first switched it was making sure that all 3 fingers bore near equal string pressure. I beat the heck out of my middle finger for a couple weeks before figuring that one out, but it was a brief phase that seems to have passed. After posting this AM, I shot for a while and paid a bit closer attention. My very first shot was a dead bullseye at 23 yrds and I immediately noticed that I hadn’t used my pinky at all during that first shot. Then I shot for 45 minutes or so switching back/forth with 3 fingers and 4. It really didn’t seem to make a difference one way or the other as far as arrow flight or accuracy goes. Keep in mind that by the time I reach anchor, the pinky isn’t doing anything more than resting on the side of the string. My problem is (has always been) dropping the bow arm on release. Hopefully, this pinky thing is just another phase that will pass too. Heading out for another practice now. I’ll pay close attention again and report back. Anyone else have any experience with this? Thanks,

Ron

Got it!!!

Just finished another 100 shot or so practice and noticed something… Like sscoyote, I’m subconciously using the pinky to take some of the pressure off the sore middle finger. I”m now sure of this because I didn’t need or use the pinky at all till about 60 shots into the session… when my middle finger started getting sore again. So it apears that it is just a crutch and I still need to focus on the pressure I’m putting on the string with each individual finger. Just another aspect of switching from split finger to 3 under that I need to work through. Once I figured out why I was doing it, it was easy to just stop using the pinky alltogether which forced me to focus on the finger tip pressure and bingo! Problem solved. Thanks guys, sometimes just talking about stuff with like minded people makes you think about and notice things it might otherwise have taken weeks to figure out.

Ron