Addressing the String

    This is just a couple of small tips that may help someone along the way with shooting their longbow in the Hill style.

    I watched John Schulz do these things and checked with videos of Hill and he seemed to do them as well... It's the method of holding the string along with the arrow nock as one draws and releases. Schulz teaches in his video about controlling the arrow by the nock... And he shows how to nock the arrow above the nocking point and control the arrow during that process, but he doesn't say what he shows next. He keeps his thumb on the arrow nock. Essentially feeling and keeping the arrow nock completely seated on the string. Then as he begins the draw and releases the index finger control of the arrow on the bow hand, his thumb of the string hand comes off the nock.

     This system is to control the arrow during the entire process of nocking it  and drawing the bow.  There are times in the excitement of shooting that the arrow can be pulled off the string by not releasing the bow hand index finger. Or perhaps the arrow nock becomes unseated at the beginning or some point during the draw...and the result is an arrow falling off the string and a dry fire.  I had this happen to me as I drew my bow and released on a beautiful  pronghorn buck at 15 yards. The arrow fell to the ground at my feet, shocking me and the buck.

    Then I met John, studied his techniques, noticed the thumb action and incorporated it into my shooting subconscious.  Once a person gets used to the thumb feel of the nock ears protruding beyond the string with a properly seated arrow nock, he'll never dry fire a bow again unless perchance he has a broken arrow nock.  As the draw starts and the string hand comes back, the last subconscious thing I do is make sure the arrow is fully seated and it happens without thought, because I paid attention during the thousands of shots getting the proper feel of my thumb holding the nock in place as I begin my draw. 

   Work at it and you'll have complete control of the arrow from any shot... As Schulz says.

   The other tip is the angle of the string fingers in relation to the back of the hand and the string. If you draw the string with the fingers at about 90° bend at the second finger joint, and keep the first joint relatively straight, and keep the back of the hand relaxed,  the string hand and fingers will feel like a hook of sorts.  If you feel the tips of your fingers bending / curling around the string, which definitely happens if you use a soft glove or a tab, your release won't be quite as crisp. A crisp release leads to a faster arrow from your bow.

     

These photos show pretty well what I'm saying. The back of Hill's hand is flat, the fingers at 90° bend at the second joint but his finger tips don't really curl back.  Schulz shot the same way.  The ends of the fingers are almost straight through the first joint as they hold the string. Your conscious thought during the practice of such is the feeling of tension on the second joint of each finger as the string is held in the first joint. There isn't a feel of tension in the first joints. 

    I hope that makes sense, as it's easier to show how than to say how to do it, and it's easier to feel if you're using a stiff insert glove style because it doesn't allow the finger tips to curl back as much. And  when practiced and ingrained into your shooting memory,  these techniques will help you to, 

    Shoot Straight.