What starts the release action?

[geoffretired]

I am trying to get my head round some posts on a thread about clickers.
Before I can make more sense of what has been written, I would like to find out what others think about their release.(finger shooters and release aid users)
What is it that happens during the shot sequence to actually start the release action?
I think I'm right that it will be a signal from the brain to the relevant muscle. But that is only part of it. What triggers that signal? Is it, for example, the view of the sight in the place you call the right one? Is it the sound of the clicker? Is it something else? Your inputs would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[joetapley]

Difficult question. In my case it's not the sound. Can't hear it consciously and for a long time I used a clicker that didn't 'click'. Very little sound ever in the rain. I suspect it's just a case of expand (however you do it) and release. The delay between the brain and the digi muscles presumably allows for the small movement.

[MikeD]

My coach has been stressing how important it is that the release, loose is a 'surprise' and not a concious act.

For recurve, the click signals relaxation of the draw arm and fingers causing the loose. The clicker is set about 1mm beyond anchor length. In my case I push through that last 1mm, others might pull or expand. The commit to the shot occurs before the push and the click.

For compound (which I've just started), the release is bowel movingly suprising. I am to aim and increase back tension until the release triggers. I must not make any attempt to trigger the release conciously. I don't fully understand how this works, but it does.

Originally Posted by MikeD

I must not make any attempt to trigger the release conciously. I don't fully understand how this works, but it does.

I used to feel this was the case until recently. I can perform a back tension relase with wonderful ease with my Carter Just B Cuz release aid, but, and it's a BIG but..not in the wind. I have decided a suprise shot in the wind is a wast of time. I simply aim and punch in the wind and can even do this without a wind. the same way I would shoot a rifle. How I can go from target panic to a consious punch and get away with it beats me? But it works very well for me.

[geoffretired]

Thanks for the early replies. I am grateful to you. It is very interesting how different the responses are already.
MikeD has a sound of the clicker to trigger the release with his recurve.
MikeD has no trigger/stimulus with his compound!!!(When it does go, it's a surprise to him.)
Rich has no stimulus when the shot goes on its own;but when he "punches" in the wind, is that driven by what is seen i.e. sight picture or something else?
Could I be a pest and ask for more details, Rich?
It sounds like Joe pulls/expands through the clicker but does not react to the click. Do you perhaps wait a little until things look/feel "right"?
I wonder what we would do if someone took our clickers away????( don't answer that; unless you feel unable to contain it any longer)

Originally Posted by geoffretired

Rich has no stimulus when the shot goes on its own;but when he "punches" in the wind, is that driven by what is seen i.e. sight picture or something else?
Could I be a pest and ask for more details, Rich?

NO probs, simply a matter of the sight ring being centred arround the gold. If it's centred and still I make a consious effort to press the trigger. If it's dead windy I go for the "drive by" approach, as the ring passed the gold, punch and off it goes. All consious releases. I know, amazes me too. I always thought a compound could be shot just like a rifle.

I feel the main difference is confidence in the shot, hence no panic.

[Murray]

I can't shoot without a clicker. Period. It does my head in - my mind just wants to let the arrow go, and as a result it gets tougher and tougher to get to full draw. WITH a clicker, however, no problem.

When I'm shooting well, the feel/sound/both of the clicker is a subconcious trigger to finish the shot. (note I didn't say let the string go!) If I let the string go as the clicker drops, the click-to-loose time is very very quick and the result leaves a lot to be desired. If I finish the shot correctly (for me), the click-to-loose time is extended a little, but the whole process is much more relaxed - it's impossible to conciously force this - if I simply extend the hold time conciously, the result is bad. If I'm not relaxed and committed to the shot, I flinch on the clicker and the result is... well, unpredictable.

It's a feeling that's painfully hard to put into words... but the key points of a good shot are: Setup good, at full draw, in line, string/sight/target picture good ,clicker drops, shot is finished in a relaxed but focussed manner... no drama, no crisis, feels good. I ALWAYS know a good shot when I feel it, it's that obvious from every other shot.

[MikeD]

Originally Posted by geoffretired

MikeD has a sound of the clicker to trigger the release with his recurve.
MikeD has no trigger/stimulus with his compound!!!(When it does go, it's a surprise to him.)

I probably wasn't clear with the recurve, it is a suprise too. It is probably more than the sound of the click, there will be the vibration too. Probably better to say that the clicker falling triggers an unconcious relaxation, which in effect causes the loose. All the time I'm aiming/pushing to my spot, whether that is the centre of the gold or some other point if I am aiming off.

Now if only I could do that every time...

[TJ Mason]

Recurve: sound of the clicker, or the vibration through the bow if things are noisy. I use a Cavalier magnetic clicker smacking onto the riser's clicker plate, so there's plenty of sound and vibration.

Other bow types -- tricky to answer. Things start to get a bit mystical. I just settle into full draw, aim, then let go when it feels right. It's not really a conscious decision, even when shooting compound with a thumb-trigger release.

[Dave]

I reach full draw, concentrating the site ring on the gold. Then start to push with my bow arm and contract my back muscles. I very rarely remember hearing the 'click' or relaxing my fingers. It always comes as a bit of a surprise.

On the other hand, there are those shots where it feels like someone has added an extra inch to my arrow; it just won't pull through the clicker. When that happens, and the arrow eventually does come through, the clicker sounds like a cannon going off! Those shots are nearly always white/black and I really should come down, but... when I've put that much effort into getting the damn arrow through the clicker I really don't want to