I am only wanting to know what you are shooting(split of 3 under). If you would like, you can explain why you do, if you swapped, why? Or anything else.
Right now I am shooting split finger because my bow does not shoot well with 3 under. I do belive that 3 under is generally more accurate for hunters and barebow shooters at common hunting ranges.
I use both, used to string walk, and am used to the differnt perspective. Also have along draw and use 3 under if shooting a bow shorter than 62", Works for me. :)
I use split finger for all my bows and all the time. I have tried 3 under a few times and never could get used to it. I just shoot better split fingered.
I can't get used to three under and I get a better flight with split finger. I use split fingers but a high anchor. Mike Fedora got me shooting like this and it seems to do best for me.
Been shooting for Trad 30 years split I never saw anyone shoot 3 three under until the mid 90's and I went the the Mississippi State shoot and lot of folks were I like split feel I have more control of the arrow for awkward hunting shots. Lotta good three under shooters out there though. Most of our shoots back then didn't allow 3 under to prevent string walking.
I shoot split and have for close to 20 years,it just feels more natural to me.Back years ago 3D shooting,shooting split finger was one of the rules for traditional longbow.Probably has changed since then as there are more classes these days.I feel I can control the arrow better.Nothing against 3 under,it just looks and feels odd to me.I'm just so used to split and see no reason to change and I shoot better split.
I think both styles have advantages but the 3 under style makes a bow consistently louder.
the advantage of 3 under with a high anchor makes the gap much smaller to point on at short yardage.
Your point on shooting split finger with a low anchor will be 40-50 yards vs 3 under high anchor at 25-30 yards..... just an example. Milage may vary...
i prefer split finger because it feels more natural and i like to feel that arrow snuggling up to the string nock. you can adjust your gap with high or low anchor points..... i suppose "Face walking" is frowned on in competition too, but i see no reason it should be..... i say what ever works for you is the best.
Great post Kirk! I agree but like you say to each his own.
Started split fingered and never heard of 3 under till the internet.
I have always used split finger. I tried 3 under a few times, but just don't care for it.
Tried 3 under.
Having that nock up by my eye scared the heck outta me...
I've always shot split finger and never saw a good reason to change.
Have shot both... but 3 under works best for me.
I shot split, but after my rotator cuff/bicep surgery and recovery, it seemed like it was easier to draw a couple extra pounds with my fingers together, in the 3 under position. I don't know if it was real or in my head, but it just seemed easier to get that last 2" of draw with 3 under. It may be in my head or it may be my particular circumstance of my injury and recovery. Either way, I'm 3 under now.
I shoot split BUT I teach new archers 3 under(wife and son)
I am the opposite of most. I shoot 3 under and can't shoot split for some reason.
Started split. Very comfortable, very natural. Made it tough to be as accurate as I wanted though.
Made myself stick with three and I'm glad I did. My accuracy went way up and my success in the woods did too. It's not hard to tune out noise when shooting three under, and all of the top IBO shooters shoot three under. It makes sense to get the arrow close to your eye so you can just point and shoot.
Shooting 3U just doesn't feel natural or traditional to me. Iv' tried it with my recurve, but reminds me of shooting a compound and seems dangerous without being able to feel what the arrow nock is doing. Just me, have nothing against it! I shoot Hill style bows, so for me split is the only way.
Started shooting traditional bows about 10 years ago. Started using split and changed to 3 under when I started coaching NASP and teaching gap shooting.
Be interesting to poll the top shooters in our sport and see which method they use.
3 under since 1990. I get a so much cleaner more consistant release 3 under than I ever could split finger. Arrow nock at corner of mouth and shoot instintive...........
3 under and tab here, when I shot split it was actually 2 under as the index finger was off the string with a glove.
I shoot split. Always have. This picture shows how I tend to draw my bow. Note how much "emphasis" is on the middle finger, right under the nock. He seemed a reasonably good shot so I draw with plenty of "emphasis" on my middle finger.
homebru
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QuoteOriginally posted by Sam McMichael:
I have always used split finger. I tried 3 under a few times, but just don't care for it.
Me too.
The first time I was exposed to three under was in the mid 60's. It was called "gun barreling", and used frequently by tree hunters. We tried it a few times, along with using bow sights, but always ended up reverting back to split finger- instinctive shooting which is what I have used for over 45 years.
I shoot 3U and have since I started shooting 24 years ago. It's what I know.
I shoot split too sometimes just for the heck of it and I'm not bad split. , it just feels awkward so I stick with. 3U
Split for me. Shot 3 under for a few years with good success, but like split because of the noise difference.
I shoot split finger and two under
DDave
QuoteOriginally posted by muth:
Be interesting to poll the top shooters in our sport and see which method they use.
When it comes to the top shooters/bowhunters in IBO, they all shoot 3 under, regardless of whether they shoot gap or instinctive. There's a youtube video of Dave Wallace, one of the former IBO Longbow champions and this past year's runner up, shooting in slow mow. I got a chance to shoot while he was warming up- he's the real deal, fluid and smooth and deadly accurate with a Hill style bow of his own make and wooden arrows.
with short bows (50-54") i shoot three under,better as it eliminates finger pinch,fo my long bows,66" and up i shoot split.
Interesting information Kegan. I have been watching some of the old films of Howard Hill and Fred Bear on youtube, that along with just purchasing a Northern Mist longbow, got me thinking about trying split again.
Watching Hill videos was one of the reasons I was so hesitant to switch, but I'm glad I did, makes shooting fifty yards or less a lot easier. Art Young shot three under though, and he had no issues shooting out to 100 yards or more with his heavy selfbows and wooden arrows. It's definately traditional, though :)
Switched to 3 under a couple months back. Helps me hold at anchor longer...just feels stronger to me. Also seems like I can get away shooting a shorter bow (no squeezing the nock when finger pimch sets in)
I started shooting longbow 3 yrs ago so am still new I shoot Lh but am rh so had that challenge due to dominent eye. I started split but always struggled w high low misses. Couldn't get used to that foot n a half gap. Since switching to 3 under i have moved way up in the shooting ranks and am solidly mediocre. I find that this style of shooting is putting my arrows closer to where I look w/o worrying about gap. I can now concentrate on my form which took a back seat to trying to figure out aiming when I was shooting split. I have friends who are great shots w split but to me it feels like hip shooting. We are all built and wired differently and should do whatever give us most enjoyment. Great thread!
3 under for 2 years, shot good, was about to give up trad, switched to split know I shoot great, plus my longbow is 10x quieter split and increased my effective range by 10 yards.
split for me, more natural.
Split since a kid , then 3 under as the best I knew used it. Now I know why.
Had problems with at first , until I learned it isn't the 3 under that is the problem.
Started 3 under and shot good until I got my bow properly tuned then had to switch to split. Luckily it was an easy transition.
Split. Since 1965
Started out split fingered, but tried out three under last summer. It took a little getting used to, but now I like it much better than split. I'm more accurate as well.
More accurate 3 under, at hunting ranges, which is all I really care about anyway.
Three under since the 70's after breaking my forth digit. Split finger does not feel right to me and I struggle shooting that way. My nickname in middle school was apache john for the way I shot.
OK---this thread moved me to try split again Friday night---what I immediately noticed other than my arrows being high--which I expected was that they were grouping much better and perfectly in line left to right than when I shoot 3 under. I have been shooting non-stop over the weekend (starting to over do it) and focusing on ignoring the arrow and bearing down on a spot on the target. Up close (15yds and under) I am making progress and am starting to relearn further shots---30 is quite a distance for me. My gap with split is about 10 inches higher (18 total) than my gap with 3 under at 20 yds, but I think practice and many arrows will make worrying about gap a thing of the past---right?
never cared for split.....3 under was MUCH more comfortable for me..!!! Split always pinched my right inside of my right index finger. Found 3 under to be very comfortable and very accurate. Can easily have a new bow tillered for 3 under as well......love it.
QuoteOriginally posted by KeganM:
Started split. Very comfortable, very natural. Made it tough to be as accurate as I wanted though.
Made myself stick with three and I'm glad I did. My accuracy went way up and my success in the woods did too. It's not hard to tune out noise when shooting three under, and all of the top IBO shooters shoot three under. It makes sense to get the arrow close to your eye so you can just point and shoot.
After my big archery tournament in may I will try out 3 under for a month to see how I like it.
My question is,
If my BW is tuned for split, will it still work well with 3 under?
I shoot split finger. Tried 3 under a couple of years ago but just wasn't consistent enough, so I went back to split.
I shoot split fingers...I like the idea of using my fingers securely keeping the arrow properly nock to the bowstring.
I've yet to come across a bow that I couldn't tune well for three under. You will need two nocking points though. I had issues with noise until I used a second one under the nock too.
Like I said, all the top barebow shooters all shoot three under, not one of them shoots split.
I shoot split because that is the way I learned a loooong time ago. I have tried 3-under and just can't get the hang of it.
Bisch
QuoteOriginally posted by KeganM:
I've yet to come across a bow that I couldn't tune well for three under. You will need two nocking points though. I had issues with noise until I used a second one under the nock too.
Like I said, all the top barebow shooters all shoot three under, not one of them shoots split.
Kegan, I have noticed that no one that is in the top shoots split. What would be the best starting point for trying out 3 under as far as nock point in comparison to split?
Shot split for a long time tried three under a few years back now split feels real goofy now. I can't say I shoot better with one or the other and my bows are still quiet with ether way. I only have one nocking point.
QuoteOriginally posted by Thumper Dunker:
Shot split for a long time tried three under a few years back now split feels real goofy now. I can't say I shoot better with one or the other and my bows are still quiet with ether way. I only have one nocking point.
All the yotes in California despise the fact that you have fingers! :scared: :scared: :scared:
Bisch
Shot split now I shoot 2 under that ring finger gives me fits on the release but 2 under I get a great release every time
Shoot split but at full draw have very little pressure on top finger, just seems to give me a crisper release. Never be a top target or 3d shooter but in the hunting woods I seem to do alright.
I shoot better 3 under. Switch from split fingers.
I just started 3 under this last year and it works better for me. I thought it would be awkward until I tried it.
QuoteOriginally posted by DanielB89:
Kegan, I have noticed that no one that is in the top shoots split. What would be the best starting point for trying out 3 under as far as nock point in comparison to split?
I normally start around 3/8" or so, and adjust depending on bareshaft flight. I just eyeball it.
There was an interesting post by Larry Yein last year about split vs. three under. He shoots split for competition, so never bothered with three under (part of the rules for longbow) but he said that trying three under gave him a boost in accuracy and control once he got the rhythm. Steve Morely has had similiar results trying three under. Both are IFAA champs, so they stick with split to keep shooting in the longbow class. As far IBO where there aren't rules requiring split though, you don't see any split finger shooters.
I like my sight picture better with 3 under.
What Would Robin Hood Do? I'm thinking split. I heard of three-under decades ago, but by then was too set in my (teenaged) ways to switch.