Ring Finger

[David Coulter]

#4182

Hi Folks,

I’m sure I’m just stirring up an old pot here, but… the ring finger tip on my string hand is getting rubbed wrong on release. I’m shooting for about 5 years now and while I’ve seen this briefly here and there it getting too regular. I’m temped to get a heavier glove, but I’m convinced it’s a release thing that just needs to be corrected. I try to shoot a pretty deep hook, string in the first joint, not on the tips, but I have to admit, it varies somewhat, although I don’t shoot off the tips. Sometimes I keep my fingers curled more than other times.

I’m right handed and shoot split fingers. 46# longbow.

thanks! dwc

[Doc Nock]

#27856

I wont say who here, but someone helped me last year and pointed out that THEY (not me) can drag their ring finger and change the tune of their arrows noticeably:shock::!:!

I don’t think I EVER had that much awareness of finger tension on my release hand! But it impressed me.

Given that I trust what this person tells me, I’m sure if you DO drag your ring finger for whatever reasons have developed over the past year(s), it may be also affecting your shooting.

I try to pay attention just as I’m “loading” my string tension as to which fingers are more engaged and I TRY to put most of my pressure on my middle finger.

I would guess if it’s something more recent, then you just need to go back to the bale and work thru it and figure out what A) you’re doing now and B) how to stop it.

As arthritis has caught up and played havoc, I find that when things just “ache or hurt” I tend to “adjust” and make part of my form screwy… have to back up and figure out what I’m doing and why, then start over correcting it again!

[David Coulter]

#27906

Thanks, Doc. Whoever that person is, I’ll welcome his or her opinion. One thing other than a tender finger is sometimes I get more noise, but it does not seem to affect the accuracy by much. Maybe if my groups were tighter I would see a difference! Thanks, dwc

[Doc Nock]

#27927

Shot you a PM rather than tie up bandwidth!

[1shot]

#27944

Whew… It’s just a shooting problem, I thought from the thread title, you were looking for advice on a wedding ring…

Sorry I’m no help with either…

[David Coulter]

#27956

Yep, I’m lucky… found the right girl. The ring finger on my left hand is just fine. thanks, d

[Stephen Graf]

#28357

For me, when the ring finger is getting too much tension, it is usually because my elbow is creeping up.

I’d say to take notice of your arm/arrow alignment and see if your elbow isn’t high. Working on back tension can help with this…

Just a guess. Hope it helps.

[Doc Nock]

#28358

You guys!:P:lol:

[mhay]

#28386

I actually have a callouse on my ring finger and I use a thick glove . I do have a glove with thin stalls that I can use with same results both on the finger and target .

Been working overtime trying to adhere to about everything Fred teaches in INSTINCTIVE II . Also read the recent article on the deep hook , but it doesn’t seem to work for me , but then too , I actually hold the string split finger yet only use the bottom two . Discovered this two years back in attempt to get the GOOD INLINE FORM from bowhand to string arm elbow . As I increase tension on the string the majority of the pressure is on my middle finger . By doing this I am able to keep the string arm elbow down and can easily FEEL the tension in my back .

Now don’t get me wrong , I think Fred is spot on with what he teaches . I just happen to be a little quirky in my own form and style .

I don’t mind the callouse ,,,,it’s the PLUCKING of the string on release than aggravates me . But , when I do things correct at release time ALL things are good .

[Bruce Smithhammer]

#28446

Steve’s advice is spot on, and it sounds like you’re already paying attention to that. See if you can get someone to take a few pics of you at full draw. Even though I fully believed that I was keeping my elbow flat at full draw, the pics made it clear that I wasn’t, and I needed to work on it more. Beyond that, I think that seeing what your form actually looks like occasionally is a good thing.

As far as ‘plucking’ goes, I can only offer what solves the plucking issue for me – a second anchor point upon release. As the string leaves my fingers, my hand moves straight back, never leaving contact with my cheek, until I hit my ear lobe. I see some exaggerated releases with the release hand flying all the way back to the shoulder, and whatnot, and 1) I don’t think there is really any need for the release hand to move that far backward, 2) in my opinion, it can increase the likelihood of the release hand straying from the same plane that the string is on, therefor causing some ‘plucking’ effect.

Jeff Kavanagh does a good job of explaining it in this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYf6JSYb0gU

Also, I know its largely a personal preference thing, but I find that I get a noticeably smoother release with a tab than I do with a glove.

[Ralph]

#28450

When I did this to my ring finger a few years back I thought my shooting was put off for a bit. Seems when I went ahead and tried shooting, once the tears dried up, I found that my ring finger is not used much. Didn’t bother me at all.

I’m now trying to shoot three under and this morning just for grins, I tucked my ring finger and shot two under and I was surprised at how well that worked.

I was just out back experimenting and figured out if one cocks his wrist downward some, the third finger comes into play more. So maybe straightening out your wrist some when drawing bow??? 😕 I too have a happy ring finger on my left hand!!!!!:D:D

[mhay]

#28564

THAT’S IT!!! All I need to do is go out to the garage and lay my ring finger on the anvil and give it a good whack with a 32 oz. ball peen hammer . Thanks for the tip.

[Ralph]

#28706

That would really smart but not be. :lol::lol:

[David Coulter]

#28978

That’s one good looking finger. Makes me tingle all over. I thank you guys for your input on this. Seems like the high elbow is the general consensus. Funny thing is that lately I’ve been thinking my elbow was too low. I tried to be conscious about it this afternoon. I shot about three dozen arrows from my elevated practice stand and was winging them right in there with some really tight groups and no real discomfort in the ring finger. It is a bit tender, but it was before.

Thanks again. Much appreciated, dwc

[David Coulter]

#29831

I watched Jeff Kavanaugh’s video last night and realized I’ve seen others of his. He does a real nice job of explaining what he’s trying to get across with a pleasant temperament. Thanks for putting that up. best, dwc

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