Has anyone heard of bending your legs

griffin73 · September 30, 2012, 09:10:00 PM

I have a few friends that say to not forget to bend your legs a bit before you shoot at a deer out of a treestand or you will shoot over it, and this is only while in treestand. Has anyone ever heard of this?

The Hawk · September 30, 2012, 09:15:00 PM

I do know you gotta hold your tongue just right!

ChuckC · September 30, 2012, 09:33:00 PM

Only if you have gas.

I have taught folks to bend at the waist, so you keep your draw length the same.
ChuckC

rastaman · September 30, 2012, 09:39:00 PM

I usually shoot sitting down...bend at the waist if you have to bend.

buckeye_hunter · September 30, 2012, 10:38:00 PM

I believe Asbell talks about bending his front leg when shooting from an elevated position? You might want to double check me on that one though.

Friend · October 01, 2012, 08:08:00 AM

Bending at the waist is a given when shooting from either a rising or falling elevation.

Don't let the deer be your first target in making a shot from a tree stand.
Our quarry deserves far...far better preparation.

gregg dudley · October 01, 2012, 08:21:00 AM

Bend at the waist to maintain the same shoulder, arm, eye alignment that you have when shooting at ground level.

Jim Wright · October 01, 2012, 09:40:00 AM

It is more likely they meant bend your front knee when shooting out of a treestand (and your back knee if shooting uphill). Bending from the waist puts muscle tension into play that is not there when you are shooting erect and makes it very easy to short draw.

Matt Fowler · October 01, 2012, 09:44:00 AM

I find that bending the front knee allows me to maintain better upper body alignment rather than just bending at the waist.

KSdan · October 01, 2012, 10:08:00 AM

Always flex my legs when I shoot- level or elevation. Never worry about waist etc. out of a tree (thinking too much). Like shooting a basketball- instinctive for me is fluid, not static.

awbowman · October 01, 2012, 10:09:00 AM

I also find that bending a knee (and bend the waist, kind of lean into the shot a little) on a close shot helps me keep the arrow down.

Jeff Strubberg · October 01, 2012, 10:20:00 AM

The idea is to bend at the waist rather than pointing your arms down. If you stay upright and adjust with your arms, your draw length changes.

Terry Green · October 01, 2012, 10:32:00 AM

No, not your legs, but have heard if bending your front knee. You bend at the waist and you can bend your front knee...and if you can't draw to full draw while bent at the waist, you are WAY over bowed or don't have a clue how to properly draw a bow. Bending the knee will also work IF you can get the angle, and it was Ferguson that I believe stated that in a book....that's the 1st place I ever heard that.

Don't mean to be argumentative but bending at the waist has nothing to do with your alignment or draw length IF you know how to draw a bow correctly. Bending at the waist has nothing to do with the act of drawing a bow to proper alignment, nor does it make you short draw. I show this in detail in The BowHunters of TradGang.com DVD.

You can shoot from ALL SORTS of positions with proper alignment and good form and a consistent draw length.

JamesKerr · October 01, 2012, 12:46:00 PM

QuoteOriginally posted by Terry Green:
No, not your legs, but have heard if bending your front knee. You bend at the waist and you can bend your front knee...and if you can't draw to full draw while bent at the waist, you are WAY over bowed or don't have a clue how to properly draw a bow. Bending the knee will also work IF you can get the angle, and it was Ferguson that I believe stated that in a book....that's the 1st place I ever heard that.

Don't mean to be argumentative but bending at the waist has nothing to do with your alignment or draw length IF you know how to draw a bow correctly. Bending at the waist has nothing to do with the act of drawing a bow to proper alignment, nor does it make you short draw. I show this in detail in The BowHunters of TradGang.com DVD.

You can shoot from ALL SORTS of positions with proper alignment and good form and a consistent draw length.

Exactly!

Sirius Black · October 01, 2012, 07:12:00 PM

Yes, I think Byron talks about it in "Become the Arrow". I'll have to read it again myself.

October 01, 2012, 07:28:00 PM

I have been practicing a lot out of my backyard tree stand this week and I find that just standing and only bending at the waist feels out of balance compared to stepping into the shot and allowing the lead leg to bend a bit, just as I would if I were shooting down hill.

Terry Green · October 01, 2012, 07:53:00 PM

Pavan...if you have 'just now started' it might feel different cause you aren't use to it....like doing anything new for the 1st time. I've been doing it so long I don't even have to think about it, it just happens, bend at the waist to mantain the magic T...whether in a tree or on the ground shooting down or shooting up in a tree.

Here's a pic of my 10 year old (who's now 12) that's got it down...although not at full draw yet when I took the pic...she's on the way to proper alignment...Her back leg is on higher ground...and she had no coaching from me on this shot....she's trying for a squirrel in a tree.

October 01, 2012, 09:19:00 PM

aparrently i do this, didnt really relize it till i seen these pictures.

i guess i just lean into the shot more than most.
i have a harder time shooting up into trees,(bad back).

D · October 01, 2012, 09:51:00 PM

I was reading an article that Asbell wrote in TBM and was talking about how he shot from a stand and it had pictures of him bending his front leg. I always carry a judo with me and I almost always take a practice shot right before I come down. Since I read that article I tried his way of dont it and it felt really good a and I didn't hit high either. It all comes down to what feels the best to you.

awbowman · October 01, 2012, 09:53:00 PM

You got it D. Some of the best golfers have incredibly poor fundamentals, but it works for them