What it takes to execute a good shot if you're big.

[Bowlim]

OK FD, I was looking in on the "I'm getting a new longbow tomorow" thread, and in the second last picture your arm/shoulder looks in. It seems really obvious but then it isn't a good angle for that kind of viewing. My own feeling is the biceps is facing the string, and your shoulder is locked in. Whereas a bent elbow and the upper arm guard/biceps should be facing the sky a little more. Or the elbow more towards ground, rather than pointing to your left. Pointing the elbow down a bit feels unnatural to me, but it is hard to put the shoulder in when you do.

Here is a sequence with the biceps covered but if you look at the elbow area you can see it is pointing to maybe 8 oclock. While yours is right back to the barn.

http://www.arcierimonica.org/Foto_Migli ... ke_seq.jpg

Biceps almost to the sky, fact it's a compound doesn't mater At least she is wearing the right stuff to see her muscles:

http://www.arcierimonica.org/Foto_Migli ... racino.jpg

[scgunter440]

Duct tape some beer bottle caps over the nipples for armor. It doesn't matter what brand of beer you pick, they all make equally good nipple armor.

[jipp]

hey now.. im one of them Ethiopian sticks.. meanies... pout. laughs.


maybe i should wear a chest protector to make my self feel like i fit in with you big salt barrels.

chris.

[Jake]

I have NO idea what you guys are talking about???

[Feral Donkey]

OK FD, I was looking in on the "I'm getting a new longbow tomorow" thread, and in the second last picture your arm/shoulder looks in. It seems really obvious but then it isn't a good angle for that kind of viewing. My own feeling is the biceps is facing the string, and your shoulder is locked in. Whereas a bent elbow and the upper arm guard/biceps should be facing the sky a little more. Or the elbow more towards ground, rather than pointing to your left. Pointing the elbow down a bit feels unnatural to me, but it is hard to put the shoulder in when you do.

Here is a sequence with the biceps covered but if you look at the elbow area you can see it is pointing to maybe 8 oclock. While yours is right back to the barn.

http://www.arcierimonica.org/Foto_Migli ... ke_seq.jpg

Biceps almost to the sky, fact it's a compound doesn't mater At least she is wearing the right stuff to see her muscles:

http://www.arcierimonica.org/Foto_Migli ... racino.jpg

I'll take that for a try. Thanks for the pointer.

[LBR]

Buncha' runts.......

I don't know squat about Olympic form, but I do know that a lot of the better 3-D shooters ain't exactly scrawny....Rick Welch has lost a lot of weight, but he could still shoot when he was fat; Rod Jenkins ain't built like a supermodel; Bill Leslie has lost a lot of weight, but he's still "full figured"; Scott Carpenter is one of the better shooters and he's ain't tiny; a good friend of mine by the name of Randy Clark (you haven't heard of him, but you will if he keeps at it--he's advanced faster than anyone I've ever seen) is as big as I am and is an outstanding archer...........I ain't one of the better shooters but at 6'2" or 6'3" (depending which leg I stand on) and at a high of 365 lbs (less than that now, but not a lot less--was down to 298 before I gave up my snuff) I can shoot decent and not need a man bra (chest measures approx. 56").

Point being, I agree--everyone is different, and there's different ways of achieving the same goal.

Chad

[LimbLubber]

Nothin' worse than a big guy getting his titty ripped off by the bowstring. As a former offensive lineman with a 54" chest and 42" waist, I speak from experience..

I'm built about the same as you. Ex-college football player, big chest, 6'3" only I'm at around 245lb now. Really long draw and I'm shooting a traditional recurve. I'm not catching my chest, I'm catching the crease of my armpit, where my shoulder meets my chest...kinda the side of my titty.

How in the hell do you do that?

A guy on the range told me I wasn't aligned straight on my release so I really focused on it. I didn't hit it again for my last 20 shots but I want to shoot again today and that area looks like someone hit me with a mallet.

First post btw guys...outside of the pirate directoy. Nice to know theres other big guys that shoot!

[VoodooSteve]

You just have to realize your limitations and shoot around them, Can't forget about Tiffany and her fine form when it comes to this subject:

[ahshoot]

I often see the advice given(another forum) to point your bow shoulder at the target. Whats confusing about that advice is how's the string gonna clear your body? They must be short drawing and canting the bow a bunch. not to be losing delicate body parts

I was struggling with this at the beginning of the summer. I was trying to get the power triangle people talk about by too consciously rotating my shoulders toward the target. A few times I actually ripped my arm guard off and cut my arm with the string. I started video taping myself and saw I was overdoing the idea of the power triangle. If I just focus on pushing the bow arm toward the target, then my bow arm aligns with my two shoulders. Eventually, I'll start toying with rotating my bow arm elbow out more to get more clearance. It also helped to start gripping the bow so that the pressure is at the base of my thumb and drawing so the plane of the bow and string are at an angle away from my bow arm.

seth

[AROMAKR]

Isn't it amazing what happens when you finally learn you were doing it incorrectly!!!
I try to explain when I teach someone too shoot a bow that shooting targets is completely different than hunting with a bow. Its like the difference of a rifleman shooting offhand and a shotgunner shooting clays or trap. The rifleman is upright and rigid and sideways to the target where as the shotgunner is loose and fluid and more facing the target. Watch a good trap or clays shooter and try to emulate him instead of the Oly. shooter. Yes open your stance and shorten your draw, I'm amazed when I see guy's under 6' tall that tell me they have a 31" draw and need a 32" arrow, if they would just open the stance with a little bend in the bow arm, they would probably draw 28" or under, and have a much easier time tuning their setup.
Bob