TNDeerGuy
Well-Known Member
Before I go further, I am a noob at hinge shooting--this is the first time I'm really committed to it. I have tried it twice before years ago, but was never even 50% committed to it, nor did I fully trust it and I believe both reasons worked against each other and fed each other and was the reason behind my failure. What I am going to share is from my personal experience and from what I've learned from many people I've talked to. Hopefully others with more experience shooting a hinge will chime in.
What helped me more than anything was shooting a "trainer" for 6 months before I ever even hooked into a bow. It helped me get used to the feel and operation of the hinge and what I could and couldn't do during the shot process and I still play with it all the time--it helps a ton from my experience. A picture of my trainer is attached. I chose a piece of rope because with the style of bow I shoot a rope simulates the feel of the backwall I'm used to. If I was shooting a bow that had a soft backwall, I would use a bungee cord to give you that spongy feel.
Once I decided to go live with it in mid-Dec, I did all of my shooting at 3yds in front of a bag. Even though I used a trainer, it was different on a bow--not dramatically different, but still different. I stayed at 3yds for a week or so and then moved back to 10yds. I really wasn't focused as much on aiming as I was executing a clean shot. A few weeks ago, I moved back to 20yds and further as I was confident in my ability. I still am focusing more on shot execution than hitting a quarter at 30yds but I'm confident enough to be competitive and at least have fun.
As far as execution, for me I anchor between the space in between my 1st and 2nd knuckles into my jawbone and hold the release at 45° angle and I shoot a 3-finger release because I'm worried about my pinky getting into it if I shoot a 4-finger. I don't believe there is a difference between the two, other than just personal preference. Now comes the tricky and highly debateable part--pulling, relaxing or rotating to execute the shot. I've spoken and recieved advice from people that do each of them and some that do a combination of both. It seems that people that have a little give in their backwall have an easier time pulling, while people that have solid backwalls incorporate a little relaxing in order to execute the shot and then you have the rotaters. I have tried all three and found my shots a cleanest when I relax and pull slightly(70% relaxing/30% pulling if I had to guess). When I rotate to execute the shot, I found that there is tension in my shot and it's not that clean. There are several World Champions that have publicly admitted that they command-fire their hinges by rotation. My recommendation is to find a method that is comfortable for you, as there are obvious multiple ways to shoot them.
Use a click or not use a click? Set it hot or set it cold? Personal preference on both in my opinion. I chose to use a click at first at a safety measure, but it is now part of my shot routine: I draw, come to anchor and then it clicks right after my anchor is set and I start aiming--it's a fast click but it will be understood after this next part is explained because they are connected. When I was practicing for that 6 month period, it was set pretty hot. I did this to get used to pulling correctly and not having to force the shot by rotating the release. Having it set on the hot side, also made it easier to relax and make the shot go off. The colder it is, the further the hinge has to rotate to fire. When I first went live with it, I moved it to the cold side--I had to rotate the release manually because I couldn't relax enough or pull hard enough to make it fire. I gradually adjusted it hotter as time went on and I gained confidence in it. It is now set really hot, hence the click occuring as soon as I get to anchor, as mentioned earlier. With it set hot like it is, it takes very little movement/rotation to get the shot off and I can easily relax/pull into the shot. The only thing is if you get it too hot, hand movement during the draw cycle can send an oops arrow downrange, so a balance has to be met.
I can already tell a difference in my shooting from making the switch because I can hold on the target better, there isn't as much tension in my form/shots and my major misses/shanks are fewer and far between. The main thing I will recommend, from my admitted inexperience to it, is try to become very familiar with it before you go live with it and once you make the switch, put every other release up and commit to it 100%. It is going to be a slow learning process but I know in the end, ill be better for it.
I hope some others chime in with what you do, have done and what has helped, or not, so we can all help each other.
What helped me more than anything was shooting a "trainer" for 6 months before I ever even hooked into a bow. It helped me get used to the feel and operation of the hinge and what I could and couldn't do during the shot process and I still play with it all the time--it helps a ton from my experience. A picture of my trainer is attached. I chose a piece of rope because with the style of bow I shoot a rope simulates the feel of the backwall I'm used to. If I was shooting a bow that had a soft backwall, I would use a bungee cord to give you that spongy feel.
Once I decided to go live with it in mid-Dec, I did all of my shooting at 3yds in front of a bag. Even though I used a trainer, it was different on a bow--not dramatically different, but still different. I stayed at 3yds for a week or so and then moved back to 10yds. I really wasn't focused as much on aiming as I was executing a clean shot. A few weeks ago, I moved back to 20yds and further as I was confident in my ability. I still am focusing more on shot execution than hitting a quarter at 30yds but I'm confident enough to be competitive and at least have fun.
As far as execution, for me I anchor between the space in between my 1st and 2nd knuckles into my jawbone and hold the release at 45° angle and I shoot a 3-finger release because I'm worried about my pinky getting into it if I shoot a 4-finger. I don't believe there is a difference between the two, other than just personal preference. Now comes the tricky and highly debateable part--pulling, relaxing or rotating to execute the shot. I've spoken and recieved advice from people that do each of them and some that do a combination of both. It seems that people that have a little give in their backwall have an easier time pulling, while people that have solid backwalls incorporate a little relaxing in order to execute the shot and then you have the rotaters. I have tried all three and found my shots a cleanest when I relax and pull slightly(70% relaxing/30% pulling if I had to guess). When I rotate to execute the shot, I found that there is tension in my shot and it's not that clean. There are several World Champions that have publicly admitted that they command-fire their hinges by rotation. My recommendation is to find a method that is comfortable for you, as there are obvious multiple ways to shoot them.
Use a click or not use a click? Set it hot or set it cold? Personal preference on both in my opinion. I chose to use a click at first at a safety measure, but it is now part of my shot routine: I draw, come to anchor and then it clicks right after my anchor is set and I start aiming--it's a fast click but it will be understood after this next part is explained because they are connected. When I was practicing for that 6 month period, it was set pretty hot. I did this to get used to pulling correctly and not having to force the shot by rotating the release. Having it set on the hot side, also made it easier to relax and make the shot go off. The colder it is, the further the hinge has to rotate to fire. When I first went live with it, I moved it to the cold side--I had to rotate the release manually because I couldn't relax enough or pull hard enough to make it fire. I gradually adjusted it hotter as time went on and I gained confidence in it. It is now set really hot, hence the click occuring as soon as I get to anchor, as mentioned earlier. With it set hot like it is, it takes very little movement/rotation to get the shot off and I can easily relax/pull into the shot. The only thing is if you get it too hot, hand movement during the draw cycle can send an oops arrow downrange, so a balance has to be met.
I can already tell a difference in my shooting from making the switch because I can hold on the target better, there isn't as much tension in my form/shots and my major misses/shanks are fewer and far between. The main thing I will recommend, from my admitted inexperience to it, is try to become very familiar with it before you go live with it and once you make the switch, put every other release up and commit to it 100%. It is going to be a slow learning process but I know in the end, ill be better for it.
I hope some others chime in with what you do, have done and what has helped, or not, so we can all help each other.
