time for a clicker?

[Murray]

Actually, it's BOTH

[addo]

Well the answer to my question is get a coach and get a clicker.OK so be it.My resistence has been broken.Thanks to all who posted

I'm moving to the Worthing area in a couple of months or so,so i'll stay as i am until i settle in down there.Does anyone know of any good clubs and/or coaches in the area?I'll still be shooting at my present club so would want a sort of shoot any evening type thing.

Also,i'm dying to buy a set of a/c/e arrows.Would it be wise to wait until i get a coach before getting them?Because i have very poor form,i'm guessing that everything will change once they get to grips with me.

[Murray]

I wouldn't invest in ACEs until you're form and draw weight is reasonably settled, unless of course you need them to get the distances you wish to shoot, in which case perhaps budget for more than one set this year.

[Snarkhunter]

Originally Posted by chemistry

I believe this to be incorrect.

See various other clicker threads to see why in detail, but in summary:

Clicker = signal to release, NOT a draw check

Surely it's a signal to release because you have reached the correct draw length? If it were simply a case of indicating time to release I'm sure there are other (better?) ways.

[chemistry]

Snarkhunter,

There have been many threads on this one. In essence, a clicker is properly used to cause a 'surprise' release, thereby allowing the shot execution to be more at the subconscious level, reducing the risk of over aiming, gold shyness, conscious efforts to 'aim/execute' messing up the shot, etc. It clicks, you let go.

So, whilst it does, as a side-effect, produce a more consistent draw length, this isn't it's main purpose. With proper technique (beter than mine, regrettably) draw length should be consistent anyway.

Putting it another way, top archers do have very consistent draw lengths, so have no need for a draw length check. But they still all (well, the vast majority) use clickers because the subconscious 'surprise' release they produce is more effective than the alternative of 'deciding' when to let go.

ASW1973, Marcus26 and others have written reams on this in the past on this forum. Also lots in the archery literature.

It's not a draw length check.

chemistry

[Murray]

Originally Posted by chemistry

It's not a draw length check.

I disagree.

You say "top archers do have very consistent draw lengths". What evidence do you have to support this?

No in fact, lets not get into a discussion about clickers... lets agree to differ

[moo-mop]

Originally Posted by Murray

What evidence do you have to support this?

Watch videos of the top archers shooting and you can see where they tend to stop the draw (more or less) and then you may have the answer to your question. Oh... only those that don't look at the clicker, of course, which is pretty obvious if they're not wearing sunglasses.

[chemistry]

Murray,

Wise words; nobody needs another clicker debate. I'm no top archer either, so all this is just IMHO.

What I was trying to do was ensure that all the arguements were laid out; Snarkhunter had said (in good faith, I'm sure) definitively that it was a draw check. I disagree. Everyone can now decide for themselves.

For the records, I'm no slave to the advice of the likes of ASW1973, Marcus26, etc. either, but my experience has been that when I follow the advice of them and others like them, generally my shooting improves. Others may find otherwise.

As for evidence, I went through the 'what's a clicker for' debate myself and as part of that watched a LOT of you tube footage. In particular I was trying to see whether people looked at the clicker during the last part of the draw or not. My conclusion was that some do and some don't, but regardless, the top folks do seem to draw to within a couple of mm of the same spot each time - so I argue that those that don't look at the clicker must achieve this by 'form' alone (IMHO...).

I personally do have a quick glance at the clicker as I approach full draw (as per Total Archery). I also use it as a 'surprise' release (to the extent that I can now barely shoot without it). As a consequence, it also acts as a draw check, but that is purely incidental for me.

Anyway, in the spirit of the forum, I've said my piece and it's up to all of us to choose which info to use and which to discard. I'll use the clicker my way, everyone else can use theirs however they want (or not at all) and we'll all shoot happy.

chemistry