Trad Gang
Main Boards => The Shooters FORM Board => Topic started by: molongbowman on November 01, 2012, 07:58:00 PM
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Why is back tension so hard to get for some and not for others? I have been shooting a long time and can not seem to get it. Can someone explain it. Thanks, Steve
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Maybe it's a muscle we don't use very much, or maybe when we do use it we're focused more on some other muscle.
Anyway, if you stand with your back flat against a wall, and raise your string elbow up so it's level with your shoulder, so that your upper arm is touching the wall and your forearm is perpendicular to the wall, and then press your elbow back against the wall, you're using the same back muscles you want to use in drawing the bow.
The other half of the problem is relaxing your hand and forearm. I think that if your string hand and forearm is really relaxed, it is hard to pull with anything other than your back muscles.
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I just watched a video on the form master and I thought back tension came from the bow side. I do know I pull with my arms instead of my back and am trying to fix that. McDave thanks for the response. I grew up in Fremont, Ca. Steve
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Have you looked at the form clock thread?
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Terry , new here am not sure what that is. I will look some more. I did go to utube and watch mowbow on back tension and others. Very good teacher. Will study them some more. Been shooting a long time and want to clean up my form. Thanks,Steve
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CLICK HERE (http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=6;t=003278)
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Thanks,Terry. I looked it over makes sense to me.
Steve
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Here's how I always try to explain it: relax you drawing hand so the fingers just have enough tension to hold the string. I find it helpful to practice with bow vertical; seems easier to develop back tension this way. Bring bow arm up; imagine now that there is a string attached to the tip of your elbow (drawing arm) and string is attached to bow string also. Visualize drawing the bow by using back muscles to push your elbow back, and the bow is drawn back only by the string that runs from your elbow to the bow string. Don't incorporate bicep, shoulder, or hand/finger tension to draw the bow, only think of drawing it with the elbow and the imaginary string that runs from elbow to bow string. At full draw, think of pushing the elbow straight back away from the target as your fingers relax; the string will explode from your hand and the bow will "fire" itself. If you do this right, your bow will recoil straight at the target and your string hand will recoil straight back and into your shoulder. This is, in truth, what the Formmaster training aid teaches you to do, but it uses an actual string that runs from your elbow to the bow string.
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Also, dont forget about the bow arm side. It must be pushing to resist the collapse. BILL
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In 47 years of shooting bows , correct back tension has been hard for me , mostly non exsistant, and that is why i have struggled. I just never learned it, I learned to pluck based on timing. It works a little so its hard for me to change. But I am getting better slowly.