Using your back

[Rik]

Okay, I'm going to open a can of worms here.

What do you mean, when you talk about "using your back" or "back tension"?

I've heard umpteen ways of talking about it over the years, ranging from the ludicrously simplistic ("think about trying to crush a matchbox between your shoulderblades") to the hideously technical. I believe that any (all?) of the explanations I've heard are open to misinterpretation.

So I guess there are two points which I'd like discussed:
1. What do you do?
2. How do you describe it?

Originally Posted by Rik

Okay, I'm going to open a can of worms here.

What do you mean, when you talk about "using your back" or "back tension"?

I've heard umpteen ways of talking about it over the years, ranging from the ludicrously simplistic ("think about trying to crush a matchbox between your shoulderblades") to the hideously technical. I believe that any (all?) of the explanations I've heard are open to misinterpretation.

So I guess there are two points which I'd like discussed:
1. What do you do?
2. How do you describe it?

Good one,

I shoot a back tension release aid. I know I can trick it if I want, but when I shoot it with back tension, it's much more consistent. I know recurve technique is different and I feel more difficult to feel your back.

I simply come up to full draw with a very relaxed forearm, trying to avoid tension in any part of my draw arm. At anchor, I settle, aim and follow through with my back. All I have to do is keep adding pressure to by bow hand and squeeze with my back, and bingo! it goes off. It's taken a who year of shooting to get this right. And yes I do use my back muscle because I have been spotted by my coach who can feel it. I can feel it too. It's just practice. I have only just sorted the technique recently. But it really helps to remove tension, and the whole shot sequece is less demanding and just "easier" the back muscles are very strong and underused. I find the best way to get the back muscles doing the job is to relax the forearm. A wrist release aid is great for this, I don't use one, but great to get used to the "feel". I feel the Foremaster training aid will be of great value to recurve archers as you have to use your back to use it.
A lot of people give up too soon on back tension, probably due to the difficulty in finding it. The effort is well worth it in the end.

I could add more but it's one of thoses difficult things to describe

[Wrexham Exile]

this is what im having a lot of difficulty with at the moment. i cant seem to feel anything on my back or hwo it should feel.
quite annoying and tricky to solve

[TJ Mason]

I think about it in an indirect way

• keep the drawing elbow high so it's at or above the level of the arrow
• bring the drawing elbow round until it feels like it's in line with the shoulders (it isn't of course, but that's how it feels)
• you should then sense the back muscles tensing on both the drawing side and the bow side.

I don't think the direct technical explanations about scapula movements are helpful to most archers.

[geoffretired]

Nice one Rik,
It's a can of worms but well worth opening. As you say, explanations vary from jargon, that is learnt by Chinese whispers, to medical science.
I have no time for the former, it tells the student nothing.
The scientific explanation has its place but perhaps most students would rather hear it in a way that relates to their shooting.
( my expalnation sounds long and tedious here because it is in text form; it is much quicker when given live)
My explanation, starts with a demonstration of the position of the arms at full draw, in relation to the rest of the upper body and each other. I mention the fact that it is a strong position and if necessary say why.
Next I explain that the back muscles are the ones that get the arms to that position and that they are strong enough for the job. (Mime a draw and explain as it develops.)
Then I demonstrate a draw where the elbow stays out of line. To get the hand close to the face requires a bend of the elbow.(mime) Most people recognise biceps so I use the word and then explain that I will need to use them if the elbow stays out of line. "They are a weak link in the chain so you will fatigue more quickly or shoot a lighter bow. You can feel when they are working and if your arms ache in the biceps area it is for that reason."
The next stage is to put the two positions against each other and compare benefits and highlight the ways in which they can be recognised/ differentiated.( miming both alternately helps)
When the listeners are happy that they can see two different postures, I say ," This is shooting off the back, and the other is shooting off the arms."
Giving names to something you can see is one way we learn to talk and understand the world around us. I let them see what is there to look at first. Give the two names, afterwards.
If they are interested in knowing more, or need to be given more, I go on in more detail about about maintaining back tension until the arrow is well on its way.(In some situations they have had enough by then so I save that for another time. Depends on the audience and the situation.

[joetapley]

On the whole I prefer the Rick McKinny approach. The problem is not that you should be using the back muscles (this itself is largely irelevant the bow doesn't know or care if you're using "back tension" or not). Rather you need to minimise tension in the bow hand and the draw hand and minimise tension in the drawing arm. (Lee's bicycle chain). Alignment etc. then automatically follow. So initially forget the back and just relax the arms/wrist/fingers.

The only complication arises with how go through the clicker. Which ever side of the push - pull pendulum you prefer control of the shoulder assemblies then does come into the frame.

Low poundage bow, bungee or theraband is the way to get feel and control of expansion. I also use a loop of string between bow string and elbow ( the poor man's formaster).

May be worth mentioning the RM trick. Raise the draw arm horizontal level with and line with the shoulders. Bend the elbow (horizontally) to maximum. Rotate the draw arm to bring the draw fingers to the chin (elbow comes out). Then rotate the draw arm by scapula movement (not biceps!) to bring the draw elbow in line with the shoulders while keeping the fingers contacting the chin.

[provins]

When ever I teach somebody once they're in the shooting position I get them to push their elbow back.
Once they get away from the idea of using their bicep to pull, using the back muscles comes automaticaly.
I find getting them to do this without a bow and using my hand for resistance ie push my hand with your elbow does the trick.
Hope my take on it may be useful.

[Macbow]

At full draw I can sometimes take up to 5 seconds to find my gap, settle into the shot and release. Shooting a 50# AFB as long as my drawing arm and the back of the hand are relaxed during this process I know I'm using back tension.

[Marcus26]

Back tension s a bad term because you don't want back tension, you want scapula movement.
The term 'crushing a matchbow between the shoulder blades' is poor because that's not the direction you want the scapulas to move.
The front scapula should stay pretty still and low.
The rear scapula should slide in below the front scapula.
All movement and should be done using the lower traps to continue moving that scapula down and in towards the spine.
It should not be tense, it's a relaxed free movement.
The forewarms should be as relaxed as possible and on release drop to zero tension.
Note that letting go of the string does not do this, it creates tension, the fingers should relax, not open.

Compound is no different. One thing I do is make sure I can move all my fingers around my release aid and keep the back holding the weight not my arms. When I am shooting well their is no weight held anywhere but my lower traps.

[Murray]

A lot of people talk about a very "active process", personally when I come to full draw, I "feel" the transfer of weight onto my back muscles as I move into line, I then maintain the feeling there during the expansion of the shot. IMO if you're properly in line, it's amost impossible NOT to use your back muscles.

In terms of the active movement (which I can never feel) the best way I've found to demonstrate it, is to bring your hand up as if to full draw, then drop the wrist so that your fingers are touching the collar bone, then move the elbow back behind you (and for me, slightly down) keeping your fingers on the same place - this is the best way I can feel the movement I'm looking for, but I can't do it with a 38# bow in my hands as it's much less active than that (or I'd be pulling about 1" to get throught the clicker ).


Does all that make sense?? Probably not