Okay guys, I have been meaning to get a video of myself shooting up for a long time.  Please evaluate and give me your
most honest opinions.


 

I have some more I can put up, but this should be a start.  

As always fellas, thanks a ton in advance.

Jake

Jake,

You have most of the basics. A couple suggestions I would make.

Watch your string arm elbow as you draw.  See how it moves in a generally up direction?  The only way you can do that is to draw with your biceps and top shoulder muscles.  That is keeping the bow weight high across the base of your neck and not down in the back muscles (trapezius and rhomboids -- down between the lower shoulder blades and spine).  That is doing a couple things to your shot.

First, it makes your release inconsistent.  Watch your string hand -- it moves differently every shot.

Second, it puts your string elbow really low compared to the draw force line.  This, too, makes the string hand movement at release inconsistent.

In this one video, I cannot see your string arm alignment to the arrow for left/right alignment, but I suspect the elbow is outside the arrow line.

For an EXPERIMENT, try this.  Before you start the draw, lift the bow hand and string hand higher.  Keep the arrow level but lift it to about nose to eye height.  Now when you draw, allow both hands, together, to LOWER so the string elbow is moving DOWN (not up).  Let your string hand to come to a point an inch or so just BELOW your anchor references the just lift the string hand to anchor.

Try this a few times.  I think you will  find the back muscles, a slightly higher string arm elbow. and less tension in the string arm from shoulder to your finger hook on the string.

Arne

Thanks a lot, Arne!!  I'll give your suggestions a shot and report back

Jake

Arne, I feel like I am getting into my back pretty well.  Is this possible without doing what you are saying, getting my string hand elbow up?? I will try to get a top angle video up in the next couple days.  Not trying to be argumentative, just trying to understand better what you are coaching.  

Thanks again,

Jake

Good question Jake, and a rear view and slightly over head will help.  It appears to me that your "back" is across the top of your shoulders at the base of your neck.  Kind of a common result of drawing "up" with that string elbow.  Again, What I suggested is just an "experiment" for you to try a few times, to see if you feel the "back" tension lower in the back.

Arne

Working on Arne's tips and working on a top view vid.  In the meantime I'll bump this for anyone else willing to offer advice.

Thanks guys,

Jake

Well, this isn't an ideal video.  The quality isn't great, but I hope it'll give at least another angle for critiquing.



I'll keep trying for better videos yet some more.

Jake

Jake,

The video doesn't come up for me.

Arne

Try this one Arne, it's coming up for me.  Don't have any explanation why it's not working on your end.

Jake

I get:

"We're sorry,  Video has been renamed or removed by owner."  Is it listed as "private"??

Arne

Let's try this.  Changed the privacy settings.  Hope this works, I apologize for the confusion.

Jake

Same result Jake.

I can get it up on my I-Pad, wil try on my computer later.

I tried this one from my work computer, lets give this one more go.  Once again, I apologize for the bother.  The preview works from my office desktop, I was posting from an iPad last night, I am hoping this is viewable.

Jake

Jake,  Finally found your two videos.  Looks like you are shooting pretty well!  I still THINK your back tension is a little higher than ideal BUT I will admit I'm "splitting hairs" a little.

And after seeing the rear view in the second video, I'm not sure I'd recommend any change. Other than to suggest trying the "experiment" I mentioned above.

Arne

I sure do appreciate it, Arne.  Thanks for bearing with me through the technical struggles.  I have been playing around with your "experiment" a good bit, mostly on the bale.  I will continue to implement your teachings.  The last shot on the second video I didn't rotate the string hand elbow as much as the others, I noticed that on the first viewing.  Once again inappreciate you taking the time to help.  

Jake

QuoteFor an EXPERIMENT, try this. Before you start the draw, lift the bow hand and string hand higher. Keep the arrow level but lift it to about nose to eye height. Now when you draw, allow both hands, together, to LOWER so the string elbow is moving DOWN (not up). Let your string hand to come to a point an inch or so just BELOW your anchor references the just lift the string hand to anchor.

Try this a few times. I think you will find the back muscles, a slightly higher string arm elbow. and less tension in the string arm from shoulder to your finger hook on the string.

Arne,

I wasn't able to get Jake's second video either, but I am interested in your comment above.  If I understand your comment, you're saying that by starting your draw with everything held a little higher, then lowering it into your anchor, you should end up with a higher string elbow position than you would if you raised the bow during the draw, as you would in the swing draw?  Is this a correct interpretation of what you said?

Not quite Dave but thanks for giving me a "check" on what I said.

IF you start higher, as described, then the draw moves both hands and the string elbow in a downward direction.  This loads the back lower down than a "rising" draw motion does.

Draw to a point just BELOW your anchor THEN a small lift of the string hand and elbow to your anchor references will keep the lower back set AND set the string elbow a little higher than most can get with the rising draw motion. I'm suggesting setting the back muscles first then hitting anchor for alignment.

That "little higher" is not much but will generally set the string forearm on the draw force line which in turn will smooth out the release motion/follow through.  (Make it more consistent)

Hope that is clearer, so much is easy to show and do in person and hard (for me) to type out. :>))

Arne