Thank you, Wolfie! Thank you! I've only been shooting traditional for a couple of months after several years of compound shooting. You, Jeff Kavanagh, and a couple of others are the only coaches I have. I understand the importance of form, especially anchor and release. The first time I drew my recurve, I found that my middle finger, not my forefiinger, went to the corner of my mouth. It just felt right, and still does. You're the first person who's told me that that's perfectly fine. I've been trying for weeks to get the "correct" anchor point, when I had it from the first draw. I owe you big time.
I've really been enjoying your videos, i just began rediscovering archery for the first time since i was much younger and just wanted to say thank you for all the solid information. So thanks and please keep up the good work.
Hey man. I like your videos; you get to the point without a lot of uhhs and umms and pauses when you speak, and your advice is practical and has helped me significantly. Thanks! p.s. Would you ever consider posting something on bow tuning with attention to noise and finding that perfect brace height?
Really spectacular woodland as a backdrop to the videos! Sometimes find myself drifting off into it during the presentation and have to backtrack for the point.
First, thanks for sharing your experience with archery. I have a few questions regarding anchor point, shoulders and feet. I like to tilt my bow slightly, so I lean forward a bit. 1. Where is your thumb, when you press, against your face? I'm thinking that your technique of pressing the hand against the face may help me keep my elbow up. I often notice my thumb points upwards when I draw back and this also means my hand feels a bit awkward, which in turn may cause problems with my elbow and making me compress. 2. How deep do you grip the strings with your fingers? It looks like your third finger grips more towards the tip, but it's hard to see. 3. You turn your head slightly towards the arrow and look out of the corner of your eyes when releasing. Is this because you tilt your bow slightly? 4. I feel it's more natural to tilt my bow and lean forward slightly, but does that change anything in regards to my feet/shoulders? I've seen some videos where archers stand slightly turned so their feet and shoulders aren't on a straight line to the target. It's a bit hard to see how your shoulders/feet are positioned in relation to your target.
Cool stuff Wolfie, Really interesting watching your anchor from different angles. Came just at the right time, thanks for posting! Having done a lot of pausing during your shots I noticed that you have the majority of the pressure through your index and middle finger and the ring finger seemed to be just resting on the string. I have always tried to maintain consistent pressure over the three fingers. Is this to my detriment? Maybe I should ease up on that ring finger a touch. Your thoughts?
Hey Wolfie. First of all, thanks for your very, very informative videos. They are a great help to me, as I've got literally no one here to teach me. Archery just isn't a thing on the island where I live. Anyway, I've noticed that with my 68" bow, the 28" draw length at which it is rated is, for me, a little further back than where my middle finger touches the corner of my mouth. Now, it feels great to be able to squeeze every pound of draw weight out of my bow, but I'm guessing it makes my anchor point less precise. I just have this point below my cheek bone that i touch the tip of my thumb to. Would you suggest sacrificing a pound or two of draw weight for a "mouth anchor", or do you think that, with practice, my "cheekbone anchor" can be just as good, even though it's not as precisely defined a location? Cheers from a fellow Wolfie ;)
with the feather touching your nose, do you actually fletch the arrows always the same ? same size of feather at the same position ? because by that description the size of the feathers and their position relative to the nock will affect your draw length and head position, which in turn should affect your accuracy ....
I'm a right handed shooter. Sometimes I have a problem with my arrow moving away from the side plate as a I draw the bow, if I don't notice this and shoot I have a very wild shot. Is my problem the way I address the string with my fingers? Or the way I draw the bow. I use the swing draw method. Thanks for your comment,
This is an old comment, so you've probably already figured it out by now, but i'll leave my thoughts for someone else to see. :) The arrow falling of the shelf is usually a problem with the fingers on your draw hand. Usually too much pressure on the arrow nock when you're drawing the bow, and drawing more with your hand than your elbow, causing you to clenching the fingers, thus throwing the arrow of to the left. Unless you have an extremely violent swing of the bow when you draw, that should not be a problem. If I'm wrong, or you have anything else to add, feel free to chime in! :D
Hi Wolfie, do you put the same amount of pressure on each finger? If not, how is the pressure distributed between your fingers (roughly)? On the Net, one finds comments like this: " Concerning traction force 70% of the pressure has to be on the middle finger, 20 % on the forefinger and 10 % on the ring finger". Would you agree with this or do you have a different view/ experience on this matter? Also, some coaches recommend having a strong hook on the middle finger only (which is consistent with an inequal distribution of forces, as described above) while letting the string rest on the fat of the other two fingers. The aim is to limit the amount of contact between the string and the fingers and thereby ensure an easier/ smoother release (in theory at least). What do you recommend?
I enjoy your vids Wolfie, however as a spectacle wearer myself, I paid attention to how you are seeing through your lenses at full draw. It appears that (like me) your right eye is trying to see out of the gap between your nose and forehead, through the centre frame, which I find is distracting and useless. So, does that mean that you are actually left eye dominant?
See, here is a question for you. I recently just got my first traditional bow, and I have noticed I have a tendency to anchor in such a way that my string touches the side of my nose which places my eye on the instep of the string riser side of the arrow. Is this an anchor point that should be corrected, or do I just stick with it because it's just what my body automatically defaults to as far as 'natural' and easy to reproduce each time?
Hi, I'm about to start traditional archery having been doing Olympic style recurve for over a year and I've noticed that most trad archers have quite a high anchor. I'm trying to move to a high anchor for trad archery, but when I anchor this high the string is is off to one side relative to the bow. Is this just the norm or am I messing it up and will it affect my shot? Also is there much of a benefit to this over my 'under the chin' anchor for recurve? Sorry for the bombardment, any help from all is appreciated.
yes.. the string is generally off to one side.. with Instinctive Archery it's about taking the time to let your brain and body learn to work together to take care of accuracy.. rather than any form of sighting/targeting... it takes time.. but it's very rewarding..:)
Wolfe, I see that you look around the string with your right eye, as I do..how normal is this, versus those who still sight through the string as they look at their target
Wolfie, do you have advice on how best to Not torque my little recurve during practice let down? Best hold or grip (I know not to strangle the thing haha) but I am a beginner so anything you can add would be appreciated. Your videos on focus and posture have been very helpful.
Your hand should be at roughly a 45 degrees angle to the bow, further just relax your bow arm, hand, and let your bone structure take the load. Make sure not to push forward with your bow arm, that can cause kinds of issues. Hope you find any of this useful
It did. My arm isn't comfortable fully extended, elbow complains, but I did learn not to push forward and have improved quite a bit since I posted my question.
Thank you, Wolfie! Thank you!
I've only been shooting traditional for a couple of months after several years of compound shooting. You, Jeff Kavanagh, and a couple of others are the only coaches I have. I understand the importance of form, especially anchor and release. The first time I drew my recurve, I found that my middle finger, not my forefiinger, went to the corner of my mouth. It just felt right, and still does. You're the first person who's told me that that's perfectly fine.
I've been trying for weeks to get the "correct" anchor point, when I had it from the first draw. I owe you big time.
Thanks for this tutorial. Most instructive. After 40 yrs of shooting, I constantly work on my anchor.Be persistent and consistent !
Mister Wolfie I have studied your teaching and that has helped me like no other, thank you.
I've really been enjoying your videos, i just began rediscovering archery for the first time since i was much younger and just wanted to say thank you for all the solid information. So thanks and please keep up the good work.
never found a better tutor
Hi, Wolfie: I'm following your techniques and I'm improving very fast!!! Thank you dor your very useful videos!!!
Thanks for the vids mate. I'm a sight archer moving towards instinctive archery. The help is appreciated.
Outstanding video. Thanks for posting!
thank you, was shooting to the left,so much better now you,ve explained it in simple to the point way, happy lady.
Thanks for your advice, Wolfie. This really helps me improve my accuracy.
Thank you, (I've watched this about a dozen times, still learning)!
Hey man. I like your videos; you get to the point without a lot of uhhs and umms and pauses when you speak, and your advice is practical and has helped me significantly. Thanks! p.s. Would you ever consider posting something on bow tuning with attention to noise and finding that perfect brace height?
9 years ago... sound principles still exist.
Really spectacular woodland as a backdrop to the videos! Sometimes find myself drifting off into it during the presentation and have to backtrack for the point.
First, thanks for sharing your experience with archery.
I have a few questions regarding anchor point, shoulders and feet. I like to tilt my bow slightly, so I lean forward a bit.
1. Where is your thumb, when you press, against your face? I'm thinking that your technique of pressing the hand against the face may help me keep my elbow up. I often notice my thumb points upwards when I draw back and this also means my hand feels a bit awkward, which in turn may cause problems with my elbow and making me compress.
2. How deep do you grip the strings with your fingers? It looks like your third finger grips more towards the tip, but it's hard to see.
3. You turn your head slightly towards the arrow and look out of the corner of your eyes when releasing. Is this because you tilt your bow slightly?
4. I feel it's more natural to tilt my bow and lean forward slightly, but does that change anything in regards to my feet/shoulders? I've seen some videos where archers stand slightly turned so their feet and shoulders aren't on a straight line to the target. It's a bit hard to see how your shoulders/feet are positioned in relation to your target.
I use both a local shop and order spined and weighed shafts direct from Bearpaw.
Thanks Wolfie, very useful video.
Thx for your help Wolfie!
Thanks for the help Wolfie
another informative piece on the anchor
Good informative vid thanks for sharing 🏹
Thanks for this.
Thank you Wolfie !
Cool stuff Wolfie, Really interesting watching your anchor from different angles. Came just at the right time, thanks for posting!
Having done a lot of pausing during your shots I noticed that you have the majority of the pressure through your index and middle finger and the ring finger seemed to be just resting on the string.
I have always tried to maintain consistent pressure over the three fingers. Is this to my detriment?
Maybe I should ease up on that ring finger a touch.
Your thoughts?
Hey Wolfie. First of all, thanks for your very, very informative videos. They are a great help to me, as I've got literally no one here to teach me. Archery just isn't a thing on the island where I live.
Anyway, I've noticed that with my 68" bow, the 28" draw length at which it is rated is, for me, a little further back than where my middle finger touches the corner of my mouth. Now, it feels great to be able to squeeze every pound of draw weight out of my bow, but I'm guessing it makes my anchor point less precise. I just have this point below my cheek bone that i touch the tip of my thumb to. Would you suggest sacrificing a pound or two of draw weight for a "mouth anchor", or do you think that, with practice, my "cheekbone anchor" can be just as good, even though it's not as precisely defined a location?
Cheers from a fellow Wolfie ;)
with the feather touching your nose, do you actually fletch the arrows always the same ? same size of feather at the same position ? because by that description the size of the feathers and their position relative to the nock will affect your draw length and head position, which in turn should affect your accuracy ....
Lubos Soltes normal fletchings:)
Great stuff
Good vid, very helpful! Cheers!
I'm a right handed shooter. Sometimes I have a problem with my arrow moving away from the side plate as a I draw the bow, if I don't notice this and shoot I have a very wild shot. Is my problem the way I address the string with my fingers? Or the way I draw the bow. I use the swing draw method. Thanks for your comment,
This is an old comment, so you've probably already figured it out by now, but i'll leave my thoughts for someone else to see. :)
The arrow falling of the shelf is usually a problem with the fingers on your draw hand. Usually too much pressure on the arrow nock when you're drawing the bow, and drawing more with your hand than your elbow, causing you to clenching the fingers, thus throwing the arrow of to the left.
Unless you have an extremely violent swing of the bow when you draw, that should not be a problem.
If I'm wrong, or you have anything else to add, feel free to chime in! :D
Good stuff. Do you order your arrows online or do you have a local shop? I'm having a tough time getting a hold of good arrows around here.
Great vid - thanks!
Hi Wolfie, do you put the same amount of pressure on each finger? If not, how is the pressure distributed between your fingers (roughly)? On the Net, one finds comments like this: " Concerning traction force 70% of the pressure has to be on the middle finger, 20 % on the forefinger and 10 % on the ring finger". Would you agree with this or do you have a different view/ experience on this matter?
Also, some coaches recommend having a strong hook on the middle finger only (which is consistent with an inequal distribution of forces, as described above) while letting the string rest on the fat of the other two fingers. The aim is to limit the amount of contact between the string and the fingers and thereby ensure an easier/ smoother release (in theory at least). What do you recommend?
I enjoy your vids Wolfie, however as a spectacle wearer myself, I paid attention to how you are seeing through your lenses at full draw. It appears that (like me) your right eye is trying to see out of the gap between your nose and forehead, through the centre frame, which I find is distracting and useless. So, does that mean that you are actually left eye dominant?
See, here is a question for you. I recently just got my first traditional bow, and I have noticed I have a tendency to anchor in such a way that my string touches the side of my nose which places my eye on the instep of the string riser side of the arrow. Is this an anchor point that should be corrected, or do I just stick with it because it's just what my body automatically defaults to as far as 'natural' and easy to reproduce each time?
Hi,
I'm about to start traditional archery having been doing Olympic style recurve for over a year and I've noticed that most trad archers have quite a high anchor. I'm trying to move to a high anchor for trad archery, but when I anchor this high the string is is off to one side relative to the bow.
Is this just the norm or am I messing it up and will it affect my shot?
Also is there much of a benefit to this over my 'under the chin' anchor for recurve?
Sorry for the bombardment, any help from all is appreciated.
yes.. the string is generally off to one side.. with Instinctive Archery it's about taking the time to let your brain and body learn to work together to take care of accuracy.. rather than any form of sighting/targeting... it takes time.. but it's very rewarding..:)
OK, if it suits you, it suits me :) thanks for the quick reply! Really like the channel by the way
Fletching on nose is a great help.
Neither my fletchings nor my nose is big enough for that to work for me hahah
As far as the multi-point. I am not very consistent in my shots could I use a kisser-button on the string as a training aid for the anchor point?
Thank you.
Wolfe, I see that you look around the string with your right eye, as I do..how normal is this, versus those who still sight through the string as they look at their target
Wolfie, do you have advice on how best to Not torque my little recurve during practice let down? Best hold or grip (I know not to strangle the thing haha) but I am a beginner so anything you can add would be appreciated. Your videos on focus and posture have been very helpful.
Your hand should be at roughly a 45 degrees angle to the bow, further just relax your bow arm, hand, and let your bone structure take the load. Make sure not to push forward with your bow arm, that can cause kinds of issues. Hope you find any of this useful
It did. My arm isn't comfortable fully extended, elbow complains, but I did learn not to push forward and have improved quite a bit since I posted my question.
Have you seen the other videos?
I did think that lately my string was touching my nose, maybe it is the cock feather. Thanks for the vid.
What forum do you use? classifieds are a bit weak on the one I'm using...
the problem is not the anchor. the problem is the arm that's holding the bow. it's all over the place like a damn jousting stick.
Have you ever tried three fingers under?
Unless it's a Budweiser! ;)
What is your poundage? And type of recurve
I fear for my nose now