Shooting Form Question

[SteveMcD]

#4148

How many here shoot using a dead release vs a pull through release? Which do you choose? And why?

I am finding a dead release to be much more accurate. But, that’s just seems to be be what is working for me.

[Raymond Coffman]

#27403

Steve McD
Up close [ under 15yds] or Moving Tgts I pull thru —
15 + to 25yds [ My Max Range hunting – but practice further ]
I hold then release.
I tend to be more accurate/precise hits with hold { dead}/release–
I am afraid I have become an amalgam of techniques I have picked up over the years! Purity of form is not my strong suit– but I continue to work on it —
Scout

[Clay Hayes]

#27484

stone dead! I never could get the pull through thing down. The most important thing for me is a steady anchor and eye over the arrow.:wink:

[Raymond Coffman]

#27503

Mr Hayes-
The Pull thru works well — it takes a lot of “time on target”
But imho falls apart quickly at the longer Ranges – unless you shoot —A LOT —
But the Beauty of the Bow — is you can shoot it in your Back Yard! Perseverance and Patience and never ending practice is the discipline of the Trad Bow — and The reason we have been bewitched and entranced by it ! —
Scout

[SteveMcD]

#28016

Interesting responses. I know that in MOB I, Ron LaClair ad explained how the dead release worked well for him (obviously). I was taught Push-pull meaning pull through, but I found like Clay that the dead release seems to work exceptionally well.

[Ed Ashby]

#28074

Dead release, hands down. I’m a bowhunter, not a target archer. If every shot I NEED to take could be taken from a ‘target stance’ I think the pull-through release would be fine. However, you will rarely get a hunting shot that allows you to strike that picture-perfect target stance. When you’re shooting from a wide verity of shooting positions and degrees of bow cant I find the dead release to be far superior.

Ed

[Bruce Smithhammer]

#28093

Dead. For the same reasons the cited above.

[Troy Breeding]

#28123

I’ve talked to several top IBO shooters about this. One will tell you one thing then another says just the oppsite.

Rod Jenkins lives and breaths with the pull thru method while Levee Briant says hold steady. However both will tell you that you still have to come to full draw and anchor.

When I ask about the push-pull method both claimed it will work as long as you hit anchor. Otherwise it has a bad habit of leading to snap shooting.

Rod will tell you that the pull thru is simply continueing to pull after hitting your anchor thus allowing you to slip the string from the fingers rather than having the string pluck away from your fingers.

Levee says hit your anchor and then slowly release your grip on the string while holding solid with release hand and bow hand.

Can’t argue with either since both win tournaments and kill deer each season.

I say which ever style works for you, then use it. I find that the pull thru has a better effect for me. Guess that comes from shooting with Rod for several years.

Troy

[SteveMcD]

#28230

Thanks all. And Troy, yes I agree. I have gone back and forth on this over the years. Two different schools of thought I guess. But, I would agree the dead release seems to work best for hunting situations.

[Jason Wesbrock]

#28244

Several years ago I bought one of those how-to shoot VHS tapes (yeah, it was THAT long ago). The instructor talked about the virtues of a proper dead release; said the string hand shouldn’t move from anchor. But when he tried to demonstrate it, he couldn’t keep his hand from coming back slightly on the shot. He’d drop the string, then jam his hand foreward into anchor quickly. I thought it was funny.

As for me, if the act of going from 57# to 0# on my string hand makes it want to come back, I let it happen. I don’t see any reason to fight physics by inducing a controlled collapse. I think some people are of the opinion that a dynamic release means you should look like you’re swatting flies two feet behind your head. Not true. It’s about what direction your hand moves immediately upon release, not the distance of that movement.

[SteveMcD]

#28286

Thanks, Jason…. yes. For me on Pull Through, I do touch my anchor point and then continue to pull until the thumb of my drawing hand is touching my shoulder. On dead release, I found the same thing, the drawing hand (at least mine) will move back an each or so upon release but is still touching the side of my face by my ear. And I like it better than the pull through method. Seems to be more consistent and allows the bow arm to remain in place better.

[Troy Breeding]

#28324

Jason and Steve,

I think we are all in agreement on this. As long as the hand doesn’t move forward on release the world ain’t gonna explode.

I don’t pull thru like Rod does with my hand ending up on my shoulder, but it does move back to about my ear. Rod said I was pulling thru with this form, while Levee said I had a solid hold. Kinda made me laugh the first time the three of us shot together.

I say, who cares as long as I don’t collapse (sp).

Troy

[Raymond Coffman]

#28328

SteveMcD –
Thats interesting [ helps me evaluate my own technique]–
On pull thru I end up like you Steve– drawing hand by my shoulder. However when I “Dead Release” my hand stays right by the corner of my mouth [ I just relax the fingers ]. When I am consistant with this release, I get my best accuracy.
Scout

[Raymond Coffman]

#28466

PS —
The Reason I do Not like the Push/pull release for longer Ranges and especially static tgts: is I find [ for me personally] a tendancy to not lock my bow arm — ie push past to the left [ I am right handed] if I am tracking something – no problem, I push to{follow} it. At the shorter ranges I do not seem to have this problem — most likely it doesn’t really show up on tgt.
Scout

[SteveMcD]

#29645

Well as they say, difficult to teach an old dog new tricks. The tweaking and switching to trying a dead release, worked initially but progressive became more eratic. Tooo close to hunting season to be tweaking anyway. What I have noticed when practicing at the range, if I don’t even think about it, I am still pulling through my anchor, but I am working on a more relaxed pull through.

[bruc]

#31549

Bounty Hunter had a thread a couple of weeks ago “ A couple of cool pictures” I think? Anyway there are two pictures of Bounty Hunter And his daughter each releasing an arrow. Both releases are about as “letter perfect” as you can get ❗
The other thing is both bow arms have not moved. Maybe this helps create the perfect release. The pictures show them releasing the arrow, and the arrow, after it has cleared the bow.

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