Gadgets! You might be wondering: what the heck are those things?
When we picture an archer, we might imagine them drawing back a traditional, wooden bow. They might wearing an armguard, and they're pulling the bowstring with their fingers, right?
Well, with most modern compound bows, grabbing the string with your fingers is simply not an effective choice. While there are some shooters who pull very large compound bows with their fingers, most compounds today are too compact for that. The distance between the top and bottom of the string is so small that, once you pull it all the way back, the string forms a tight "V".
Your fingers get smushed in that "V": it's nearly impossible to release the string cleanly - that is, without imparting a lot of side-to-side wobble.
So when shooting these bows, most archers use a mechanical release. Some examples of trigger releases pictured here. One has jaws, one has one hook, one is triggered with the thumb instead of a finger.
(A lot of target shooters prefer a back-tension release, which is a topic for another time, but this trigger-style release is much easier to get the hang of.)
One thing to remember is, just like the trigger on a firearm, this is very sensitive. It will take a fair bit of muscle to pull the bowstring back -maybe 20, 30, 40 pounds of force , maybe up to 60 or 70 - but this trigger only takes a few ounces of pressure.
So if our finger is on the trigger while we're drawing the bow, sooner or later it will release earlier than you planned! You could punch yourself in the mouth with your release! And you might not have perfect control of where that arrow flies. A key habit for these releases: tuck you finger behind the trigger until you've drawn back and are ready to shoot.
The question: does using a trigger release in archery seem like "cheating" to you?
Jacob McEachern
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Gadgets! You might be wondering: what the heck are those things?
When we picture an archer, we might imagine them drawing back a traditional, wooden bow. They might wearing an armguard, and they're pulling the bowstring with their fingers, right?
Well, with most modern compound bows, grabbing the string with your fingers is simply not an effective choice. While there are some shooters who pull very large compound bows with their fingers, most compounds today are too compact for that. The distance between the top and bottom of the string is so small that, once you pull it all the way back, the string forms a tight "V".
Your fingers get smushed in that "V": it's nearly impossible to release the string cleanly - that is, without imparting a lot of side-to-side wobble.
So when shooting these bows, most archers use a mechanical release. Some examples of trigger releases pictured here. One has jaws, one has one hook, one is triggered with the thumb instead of a finger.
(A lot of target shooters prefer a back-tension release, which is a topic for another time, but this trigger-style release is much easier to get the hang of.)
One thing to remember is, just like the trigger on a firearm, this is very sensitive. It will take a fair bit of muscle to pull the bowstring back -maybe 20, 30, 40 pounds of force , maybe up to 60 or 70 - but this trigger only takes a few ounces of pressure.
So if our finger is on the trigger while we're drawing the bow, sooner or later it will release earlier than you planned! You could punch yourself in the mouth with your release! And you might not have perfect control of where that arrow flies. A key habit for these releases: tuck you finger behind the trigger until you've drawn back and are ready to shoot.
The question: does using a trigger release in archery seem like "cheating" to you?