Why is the string trying to rip my lips off? I can't my bowand anchor my nose to the nock and I'm shooting with a fixed crawl
Nock to the nose probably. If the string goes behind your lips, it's gonna hurt. Bring your head around so it is facing the target. Also, bring the string to anchor, not anchor to the string.
If you're trying to let loose of the string rather than relaxing your fingers and letting the string push them out of the way, the string can roll off your fingers into your face, because you can't let loose of the string fast enough to avoid it.
2x what Fletcher said.
Deep hook with string. Square off to target especially the face, followed thru with back tension
Sounds hard to do, even anchoring at the corner of the mouth , it takes a pretty good pucker to get them in the way. Aiming with the wrong eye?
Like you, I've been battling the same thing. What I have found is that if I bury my string hand tightly into my face, I usually whack my lip or sometimes my nose. Conversely, If I come to anchor and make a conscious effort to touch my bow hand finger to my anchor with a lot less pressure, I get un unobstructed, pain free, loose of the arrow.
Maybe you are turning your face into the string instead of bringing the string to your face.
QuoteOriginally posted by Sam McMichael:
Maybe you are turning your face into the string instead of bringing the string to your face.
x2 I find myself taking the skin off my nose if I don't keep my face properly aligned.
I didn't think I had any string impact on my face until I saw a slow-motion video of myself. With the Mediterranean grip/release, it's almost unavoidable since the string leaves the fingers angling toward your face (and introducing some paradox). Watching some expert archers, I see the same thing. If it's painful, then it's probably too much. Eastern grip/release (thumb) puts the string angling away from the face. I can put the arrow shaft right on my cheek at full draw and I won't feel a thing upon release since the string leaves the face rather than coming in toward it.
Back in the day, when I was hitting my nose, I realized that I was unconsciously using a too-closed stance, and actually pivoting away from the target to an extent. I had gotten so used to stressing a "perfect" prepositioned stance, that I had let it go too far.
I have completely relaxed my stance since then, and opened it up. The way I retrained myself to start by just facing the target straight on, then turn my feet, but not so much that I have to reposition, or "turn" my head back toward target. It seems contradictory, but often your feet will still be properly positioned - if not just slightly open - and gravity won't be pulling your face into the path of the string. Secondary anchors also help - fletching to nose, for instance.
Now you know why Demmer sports a "nose-bra".....what's a little flesh wound in order to stand on the championship podium? Although I don't know that a "lip-bra" would work. You might have to put a big piece over the whole mouth and that would prevent talking trash to your competition, lol.
Quit trying to kiss the darn thing---
Split finger for me and know problem, however with fixed crawl then I rip the end of my nose off.