Sore chin

[acehero]

Hi

I had some coaching advice at the weekend, helping me to improve my form a bit. Got the bow arm and hand sorted nicely now, but one of the things i was told to change was my anchor and reference. I used to bring the string to the centre of my chin, and now I'm trying to get it to touch the tip of my nose. To get it to do so means drawing the string further to the right of my chin and this leaves me with a lot of rub from the string when i loose. Obviously this isnt going to be any good so I need to get that chin out of the way somehow.

Tilting the head either forward so my nose meets the string sooner or to the side so give me "chin clearance" seems totally wrong and likely to give me a bad neck.

Turning my head further to the left (so the string would now lightly touch the right of the nose) gets my chin out of the way but ruins my string picture. Turning it a little to the right keeps the string picture and my chin doesnt get in the way - the string is effectively on the front of the chin, which is pointing more to the right (hope that makes sense).

Any other tips to help get my chin out of the way? My centre serving on the string is Diamondback which could be smoother, but I doubt any other would be much better and anyway, I'm more concerned with the string being deflected off my chin and making the shot inconsistent. And i dont have a Desperate Dan chin, honest!

[Jerry Tee]

What tab do you use.

[geoffretired]

Originally Posted by acehero

Turning it a little to the right keeps the string picture and my chin doesnt get in the way - the string is effectively on the front of the chin, which is pointing more to the right (hope that makes sense).

I would have said the above was a good thing to try. Have you shot that way and found it to work?

[Bald Eagle]

All well and good these coaching days, but remember the advice is not set in stone!. Try it, if it works, use it, if it doesn't, leave it! You were shooting well last time I saw you, why change?

[King Custard]

If I understand correctly - the soreness is caused by the string at release - not by the pressure of the string drawn on to the chin?
So either ( as you suspect) the string/chin reference point really is too far round your chin- or the string coming off your release fingers at too steep an angle....maybe you could lessen this with a relaxed hand - ie: the only knuckles with a bend would be the joints of the finger tips.

[acehero]

Jerry - I'm using a Soma tab at the moment with all the platforms and bits taken off. I dont get on well with platforms.

Geoff - I meant to add to that bit that although I get less chin-scrape (quite like that term, think it should be added to the dictionary) by turning my head a little more to the right I feel like I'm looking out of the very inside corner of my right eye. A little wierd at the moment. This method may actually work with a little tweaking and practice to get used to it.

BE - Youre right, I totally agree that not every piece of advice works for all archers and we're all different. I'm going to give this a good go and try to get it working. Its added some good consistency into my shooting (though this will in part be down to the improved bow hand/arm too) and if I can perfect the position I feel it will bring me back to last years form and then some. We'll see anyway.

I've been trying it out this afternoon and its been tricky finding positions where the string can reach my nose without having to be down the side of the chin too. Theres a couple thats managed but its hard getting both contacts right consistently.

[geoffretired]

Acehero, Looking out of the corner of your eye might be ok so long as it isn't too extreme.
You are right to try these different ideas but on something like this, which is your posture,in a way, you need to be convinced that what you choose is correct. I am not saying your coach has given wrong advice, there is no way of telling that. When you were asked to change, was the string just touching your chin and not the nose? Was the change recommended because you were not drawing the string back far enough?

[Furface]

While the first priority is "do what works in a comfortable and repeatable way", I have one observation about being unable to touch the string on one's nose and chin. Quite often, to look at a point in the distance, you find people tilting their head back from the neck, which has the result of taking the nose away from the string. Many archers can actually touch both if this is pointed out. Draw to touch nose and chin, then raise the bow to the aim keeping the touch going. Basically a type of unit aim, I suppose.

[Jerry Tee]

I would put the platform back on if I were you. It will provide a solid reference. Make sure that you are not drawing too high and tilting your head back to compensate and then trying to push your jaw down to get the nose on the string.

[Hidden Hippo]

As has been said many times to me whilst shooting compound, everyone's face is a different shape. I know that I can't really get the string touching my nose unless I really lean into it, and then I get too much face contact. The way I see it, as long sa you have a solid, repeatable anchor somewhere on your face there isn't really a problem.