Hey folks, new bow should be here in the next couple of weeks- figure this is a good time to re-evaluate.
I didn't shoot as much this past year as I traditionally have, and due to that my confidence with my bow really wasn't at the level that I had been used to in the past.
I'm going to remedy that this year, and the first step is to start with proper form. I'd always shot a wrist strap release & got fairly decent @ timed punching the trigger & I just didn't feel super comfortable.
I've got a hinge on order & plan to use that all winter- wondering if there's a resource that you liked that gives good instruction on how to properly shoot a hinge?
Unfortunately the local bow shop is garbage & I won't give them .01 cent of my money so I'm on my own.
I dealt with target panic pretty bad last year and switched to a hinge all summer. I just watched several different YouTube videos on it and eventually got the hang of it. I was using the UV Hinge.
Tried to hunt with a button release then, but never could get comfortable with it. Tried out the wrist strap again, and knock on wood, no target panic so far. I’ll still pick up the hinge for target practice every so often to keep me in check though.
I’m doing the same thing. I have a Scott longhorn hinge coming. I’ve shot plenty with a thumb release so not worried about learning the back tension part. Just worried about punching myself in the face.
The longhorn appears to be fool proof for going off early.
I think once you learn the hint you’ll be amazed at how accurate you can be. You may even want to hunt with a thumb button. Best of luck and I’ll pry be following this thread to help pic up some tips
Just draw back with your pulling pressure on the thumb peg and index finger. Hit your anchor and take the thump off, ease up on the index while pulling and increasing pressure on the third (and fourth finger if your using a four finger) and it goes off. Letting down the first few times is more scary than pulling it back.
Too scary for me, i think i got way more jumpy trying to not panic getting it back, and wanting it to go off than it helped me (not to mention letting down!) Thumb button was a good compromise for me personally. Can’t imagine going back to a wrist rocket, but also wouldn’t be too excited about a hinge either… I have a tension release I go to every now and then to try to keep myself honest with the thumb button though.
Joel Turner (Shot IQ) got me on the right path. He lays out a process for shooting involving 3 or 4 steps. Once you do that each and every shot the release becomes repeatable. A hinge would not work for me when hunting. Too much going on when it’s shooting time.
Although a hinge takes a while to learn, it’s well worth the time. Increased accuracy, extremely difficult to punch and slows you down enough during pressure situations to help keep you in the moment. John Dudley has a very good video on how to use a hinge. One thing for certain with all those hand held releases, learn to draw away from your face. :)
A hinge is a great release if your willing to put the time in I started shooting one exclusively 9 years ago and it changed my game in a good way In all that time I can’t speak of much negative never punched myself in the face, 1 Dakota buck I drew on in high wind I had to let down on cuz I couldn’t settle on him and watched him bound off prob wasn’t a bad thing considering a drive by punch in that situation wouldn’t have likely yielded a great result either , it’s been undoubtedly the best choice I ever made as a bow hunter / archer
I heard Levi say that (assuming you’re shooting it properly) hinges are not well suited to modern compounds that have very solid back walls. Back when the walls were more ‘mushy’, pulling thru that would result in the angle change required to release. If the wall doesn’t give, then you’re just manipulating the release with your hand, which is a ‘command’ release - not really the process for which the hinge was intended.
Best indoor round I ever shot was as I was learning to shoot a hinge. All 10’s except for the one that went into the light fixture. :)
I agree with what your saying Trevor but what Levi was referring to was shooting a hinge with back tension, which he does not do or advocate for because it’s not repeatable depending on how hard you pull each time gives you left and right inconsistencies, Levi shoots a fairly static shot relaxing his index more so, not that he don’t pull hard against the stops but, pulling only is not the form of execution, with a good solid back wall on todays compounds, depending on how you shoot your hinge you will feel very little if any rotation depending on how hot you set it up which aids in accuracy IMO because you can keep your shot timing faster and consistent
I didn’t think Levi shot a hinge, but apparently he does. Might be a good winter project - crack out the old fluorescent killer and learn how to use it differently.
One thing I’ve never mastered is being able to repeat poi with my two handhelds. My thumb and resistance releases are the exact same body, but my R consistently groups an inch or two right of the T. I’ve always figured it was something I’m doing different with my anchor. Do you think it’s just a result of me pulling harder with R than T?
That would be my first guess a right handed shooter will impact to the right when pulling hard on the stops compared to your thumb, depending on how you activate your thumb
Paige Pearce is another good follow for shooting a hinge or learning archery in general. She just recently changed from activating her hinge with a push/pull, relax the hand style to a conscious rotation similar to how Bodie Turner did when he shot a hinge.
Paige is the female version of Levi Morgan. Outstanding archer!
She is also an avid bowhunter and staunch conservative.
