Read time: 3 minutes
Hi All,
Welcome to this week’s quick tips email.
Today I’ll be covering finger sling length, a common ‘pre-draw’ mistake and why you shouldn’t think about bringing the string to your face.
If you haven’t watched it already, be sure to also check out the recent YouTube video I published: An San: 5 Lessons From A Triple Olympic Gold Medallist.
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🛠️ Equipment tip
When it comes to your finger sling, getting the right length is crucial.
If your finger sling is too long, you’ll feel like you can’t control the bow as you release, and this will make you subconsciously avoid directing to the target properly as you release.
If it’s too short, you’ll end up twisting your bow on release and won’t be able to achieve a smooth follow through with a good bow roll.
So what’s a good length?
When your hand is fully in the grip, you want around 1.5-2cm of ‘slack’ on your finger sling.
You can see a good example of this in the pictures below. Although it might look closer to the riser, if you were to pull on the sling you can clearly see there’s enough material to give that slack.
🏹 Technique tip
The set position is one of the most important points in your shot, because it can either set you up for success, or create unnecessary problems for you in your shot.
One of the most common mistakes here is putting too much tension on the string before raising your bow. Some people call this a ‘pre-draw’.
You might wonder why I rarely mention the ‘pre-draw’ or don’t normally call it that. The reason is because it’s extremely unhelpful to your shot.
I would strongly encourage you to remove any concept or thought of the ‘pre-draw’ from your shot.
Instead, think of setting your grip and hook in the correct position, and use just enough tension on the string to set them securely and consistently.
You don’t want more tension than this because it wastes energy and makes it harder to get good alignment. You can watch the An San YouTube video I linked above for more detail on this.
💪 Training tip
One of the first things you were probably taught when you started archery was to ‘place the string on your nose and face’.
This is a very quick, and natural way to teach beginners about the anchor point.
However, once you progress past being a beginner you must avoid thinking about your draw like this.
I talk about this in great detail in my Advanced Recurve Archery Technique course, but trying to place the string on your face like this prevents you reaching full draw properly.
Instead, you should feel like you’re leading the draw from your elbow, and you are bringing your draw hand to your neck.
The difference this creates in your shot is MASSIVE. I encourage you to try out this cue and see how much better your full draw position is.
That’s it for today, have a great weekend!
Happy shooting,
Ashe