Why surprise release?

Besides identifying the correct draw-lenght our lines of fire have given us another important input, this time concerning methods of opening the mechanical releases. 

Many of our shooters in fact, also capable of excellent performance, had in fact taken up the road known as "conscious release". We all know very well how this strategy can, immediately, but even in the long term and without prior notice, bring athletes to a range of enforcement issues that starting from sporadic "advances" can reach up to culminate in a typical "disease "that we recognize as Target Panic. We also know that, in large part, the origins of these executive anomalies take home, in fact, on the bad grounded project that involves the conscious and simultaneous management of release and aim.      A dualism that we certainly recognize as untenable given that our mind, at a conscious level, can only handle a single action. Intuitively then, the wisest programs thinkable for the regulation of such a plan is that the subconscious mind, once properly trained, will take charge of the issue and / or aim.

Considering also, compoundly speaking, the aim, in the sense of the word, has undoubtedly a role within the performance context, consciously taking care of its performance leaving to unconscious managing the process of release sounded like the option logical and, presumably, paying. The principle universally recognized then says that surprise release is far more compatible for our purposes because, by its very nature, protects the athletes from that imperceptible but pervasive tendency to a decrease of tension in the muscle groups involved in the shooting that engages exactly the moment when the conscious order of release takes shape in your mind. In addition, we can be very intuitively deduce that if we were engaged to perform a specific and conscious executive order (hit the trigger), we certainly could not claim to be simultaneously focused on the real aims. We can therefore say that learning the Surprise Release, or better, its application strategies, could be introductory for a neophyte and for the evolved athlete could help to rise his still latent potential. To date, moreover, surprise release seems to be the most effective cure and safe to escape from the specter of Target Panic.

Release Strategy

It should be immediately clarified that, potentially, the strategies that led to the Surprise release  can be applied to any type of mechanical release. With or without a trigger, in fact, the programs of indirect action, because that is what we are basically speaking, find easy application. Of course each device will draw slightly different solutions, however, the basic principles remain unchanged. Some assumptions in the selection and setting of the release aids must be followed.

Specifically holdable releases for example, we know that a precise positioning of the hand within the body of it can certainly make a difference. Will be essential in early the identification of a device compatible with the morphology of our ends. In other words our release aid must not force the hand to assume unnatural attitudes. Once again, will be also important handle the release in the most appropriate way with the same precision and care that would be required for a recurve shooter at taking the string. The guidelines that could drive a good approach to the mechanical release are relatively simple and certainly don't speak about a fingertips holding (tensions led to the hand, wrist and forearm) but not too much inside neither (all remain inextricably locked in a position not modifiable by any dynamic intervention ).

Would be opportune, moreover, that all the fingers involved in holding the release would bind the same phalanxes avoiding to assume the classical set-up "to open" toward the index finger of the outer phalanx. An ideal image of correct release holding should be that when reached the anchor point the tips of the first phalanges of the fingers involved in the action must be directed toward the target and not to our face (held too much with the tips) or towards the ground (held too inside).  All this is deemed to be applicable to every type of handle release then it is activated by a trigger, or predisposed to the effects of a torsional action, or even simply sensitive to increasing load. In our view, in fact, in all these cases, the reliability of the grip is discriminating for the release timing beyond and above the action which will then be put in place to arrive at the shot. Also wrist releases usually operated by the index finger or middle finger, should be properly handled with ease to meet the demands of a surprise release.              A crucial element in these cases will be the body hosting the trigger's lenght and, of course, the strap's position with trim of the remaining fingers of the involved hand that because a real release will come as a surprise, should be relaxed and not clenched in a fist. The finger on the trigger will also be able to offer a certain preloading that later it will become an indirect shot. A precharge to be implemented, however, even in the use of handle releases. Regarding the fingers directly engaged to act on the trigger the single directive is now unchanged: Avoid the fingertips (and this, for reasons inherent sensitivity and leverage.)

Coming to releases without trigger we have to reaffirm the importance of taking the body of the release aid in a reliable and accurate way not only for positioning but also for intensity (pressure).

As everyone well knows, establishing an unambiguous technical movement in a sporty context it's a main thing for any discipline diffusion and evolution.

At the same time achieving this kind of project it's not devoid of troubles. A so much important process often needs quite long assimilation times. Despite that, most of the persons involved in the work can't renounce acting this way.

specifically, even our federation, times ago, wanted to encourage, motivate the Italian compound movement leading to create new attention towards the speciality and at the same time consolidate existing talents. For doing this, the only way was to look at those winning and consolidated technical schools.

Suggest a technical model places us in front of decisions to take, positions to keep and, most important, makes us responsible for fans, trainers, coaches, etc. Definitely not a simple job.

Once these essential requirements were clear, we started from a short analysis aimed to give a more accurate sporty identity to the Italian Compound Archer that resulted to be:

a) a non professional athlete

b) his own coach

c) based on a recurve model

From those points we understood that we should have isolated some guide-lines able to avoid the common errors to our archers with these features.

We have, in this seat, to identify the main technical/executive abnormalities clearly noticed in our archery fields; we can therefore say that we are going to identify the right draw length and the surprise release development, two arguments I'm sure everyone here has debated on before.

Draw Lenght in Compound Bow

After observing archers on archery fields we've noticed thad over length is the most common technical anomaly in our compound athletes. This thing it could be found in any performance level (low / medium/ high) obviously in threshold and with different effects.

The first step we undertook is to isolate a basic method able to protect new and old compound archer from over-lenght pitfalls. A state in which, as we all know, even the postural choices recognized as more accurate are inhibited, to the detriment of the future evolution of the shooter.         

Recall that, since the basic educational level, any trainer is called to train athletes properly structured who thanks to appropriate inputs can then freely choose their archery future even that recreational, rather than Forming archers remaining active for a long time I believe it is one of the most important keys to understanding even purely the numerical evolution of practitioners.

After careful considerations we have therefore considered a basic tool, already widely in use in the United States by the NFAA didactic patterns, that pertain to the early detection of the draw-length. Where for preventive we mean a simple anthropometric measurement can also be applied to novice shooters.

This instrument, although combined with others, can remain an indication only even at higher technical and performance levels. Of course the "Spam Test" has no presumption of a millimeter identification of the extension, but just as certainly (at least in 95 - 97% of cases), is able to avoid dangerous situations of over-length.