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To click or not to click...that is the question.

1K views 26 replies 19 participants last post by  baller 
#1 ·
OK, I'm back to square one trying to address my target panic issues.

Since someone made off with my Tur-Ball Sweet Spot Pro down at Ft. Benning, I've picked up my Tru-Ball HT to work on my string bow practices.

Now comes the question, the clicker is set and I'm a bit concerned that it may not be a great idea if I'm trying to re-build some kind of repetative shot sequence. But I do find that click to be some kind of step in my shot process.

Add to that I question whether or not to set the release cold or hot....bearing in mind what my goal is here, to build a new, repeatable shot process.

Comes the question, to click or not to click, that is the question...with all due respect to Billy Shakespare.

All responses and comments welcomed and appreciated.
 
#2 ·
The click can mess with you a bit at first, however I now find in comforting. The trick is to use the click to let you know that everything is good prior to actual aiming. Once I hear the click I start my float or may even let down if it just doesn't feel right. Simply I draw while inhaling, get my hinge on my jaw, set shoulders maintaining pressure (this all takes 2-3 seconds) at this point my release will click if everything is aligned. Now I exhale and squeeze. Not trying to tell you how to fire the release just how I use the click to let me know I'm ready to go. Some wait for the click when floating the pin. I feel that can make you lose focus with the click being a distraction. My whole process is 5-7 seconds .
 
#3 ·
Oh and as far as hot or cold. Set it so you can get set before it clicks. You need to play with it a bit. I set very cold at first and with repeated drawing adjust it hotter as I go until I get the click in that sweet spot were after I'm set slight pressure from my ring finger causes the click and I can than fire. I got most of this from Padgett and slightly modified for my particular way of shooting. Also changes with release Nd D-loop.
 
#4 ·
I have two TRU Ball HTs, one without the click and one with sear turned to have the click. Both set just about the same. Still kind of new to them, but on target, aiming and a bit of ring finger pressure gets the click and aiming the arrow is gone. Probably doesn't help, but that's where I'm at.
I have the large HTs. They are a bit thick and the hook up point makes draw length bordering on too long. Hate to "wreck" one draw length to have draw length correct for a different release.
 

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#6 ·
I can go either way. I like a click if I'm shooting hilly terrain where my form may not be the best shooting up and down hills and the click gives me a more repeatable starting point. With no click the release gets real fast on steep downhills and goes straight to the torture setting on steep uphills.
 
#7 ·
I use a click and I want it to click as I'm anchoring in, I use it to let me know where I'm at in the shot, sometimes on the 3D range I get out of shape and it will click too soon while I'm drawing the bow or too late after I anchor, if this happens I let down and start over. I used an .006 clicker for years but I started noticing that I was starting and stopping my execution with it, it was fast and this caused me to be too apprehensive with my shot sequence. I have since switched to a slower click (.010), this allows me to aim comfortably and move through my sequence without worrying about the shot going off prematurely. I set my hinges to click when I anchor I don't change my hand position or apply different finger pressure to get to the click, I feel that if my hinge clicks when I anchor then I have done things consistently up to that point.
 
#21 ·
I use a click and I want it to click as I'm anchoring in, I use it to let me know where I'm at in the shot, sometimes on the 3D range I get out of shape and it will click too soon while I'm drawing the bow or too late after I anchor, if this happens I let down and start over. I used an .006 clicker for years but I started noticing that I was starting and stopping my execution with it, it was fast and this caused me to be too apprehensive with my shot sequence. I have since switched to a slower click (.010), this allows me to aim comfortably and move through my sequence without worrying about the shot going off prematurely. I set my hinges to click when I anchor I don't change my hand position or apply different finger pressure to get to the click, I feel that if my hinge clicks when I anchor then I have done things consistently up to that point.
Thanks for all the responses.

Think I'll stick with the click for the time being....draw, anchor, move to click, AIM and let 'er go.
I suggest that you try loujo's process for the click. It's a simultaneous action, basically automatic, as you get to anchor, or full draw position.
I do it the same way with the same .010 (on a Stan) and it's just a natural occurrence once you run a hinge a few thousand times.

If you make a conscious step out of it, you could run into issues later. It will be evident when your sight picture moves or jerks as you manually move to "click." BTDT.
This in and of itself could exacerbate your tp.

It's easily practiced with a string bow or a Morin trainer. I use both to keep tuned up.

In the end, a hinge in and of itself will not cure tp but it is a tool that can help you out.
It's the commitment and dedication to reprogram your subconscious that gets you over the hump.
 
#9 ·
Getting to the click is a interesting subject, if you are using a really deep click to me the most desirable method is to do nothing with your fingers at all and as you come to anchor as you are drawing the bow the hinge just clicks on its own as you settle in. The scott longhorns are a hinge that this method works awesome for because they are a click that is basically a ditch cut into the moon and you fall into the ditch and then have to pull out of the ditch. With this kind of click if you rotate with your fingers it can seem like a huge effort to get the shot to go off but if you come to anchor and it just clicks on its own this kind of click is pretty normal feeling.

If you are shooting a click that once you get clicked it only takes a very small amount of effort and the hinge fires then to me getting to click as you come to anchor is no good. Also just manually rotating the fingers to get to the click causes a issue, when using a hinge with a fast click setting and also rotating the fingers to get to the click you end up having to freeze your fingers when the hinge clicks and to me this causes major issues when competing. You start to rotate the fingers and you feel the click and instantly you freeze the fingers and then start aiming and then you have to start the fingers up again to get going and this is when a variety of really bad things start to happen.

With a shallow or fast click the best option to getting to the click I have found is yielding, You may not choose to fire the hinge with the yielding but you totally can if you want. But to get to the click you simply allow the hand and fingers to stretch and settle into the shot with balanced fingers and the hinge will click and this is a awesome starting point to your shot.

I personally am bringing my pin over to the 12 ring as I begin yielding to get to the click and as the pin is finding the 12 ring the hinge will click and I can transition right on over to the method that I am firing and the arrow is gone a few seconds later. There is no frozen finger problem and no major pressure changes happening just smooth execution.
 
#10 ·
When shooting with a click make sure that you stop and take the time to think about the time after the click that it takes for the hinge to fire. So many times our brain things "CLICK FIRE". Our brain thinks that once the click happens the hinge is going to fire right now, this is what causes the target panic and also the freezing up of the fingers which makes firing the hinge a tough thing.

But once you realize that coming to click has nothing to do with the hinge firing and that there are about 3 seconds of nice smooth execution left to fire the hinge then your fingers can stay relaxed and not freeze up. This makes the transition from getting to click to execution of the shot so much better.
 
#11 ·
I won't shoot without a clicker. It's a must have for me, for both spots and 3D. Like someone mentioned above it's a great reminder to let you know that you need to be ready and focus on your release/aim. It's a helpful tool IMO.
 
#12 ·
You don't want to take advice from me but...

I use the HBX and I'm working on what I'll call a tension release (pulling straight back through the fire) and I've been using the click to put my hand in the same orientation each time. So, I begin by relaxing my thumb/index allowing the release to rotate to the click, then pull through increasing the tension on all the fingers equally.

Probably not the best method, but it has been coming along for me.
 
#13 ·
I found my target panic worse without the click. With the click, I know when to start exhaling and really concentrating on the pin and pulling through. Without it, I kept tensing up expecting it to go off any time. Now, with some practice, it probably wouldn't make a difference, but the click is part of my set up now.
 
#14 ·
If it doesn't click I won't shoot it if it's a hinge. I even got my hands on a prototype moon that has a huge ditch.

Shooting a click allows me to relax and shoot with less tension. I hit the click as I settle into my anchor....then it's just focusing on aiming.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#23 ·
My long time coach/mentor told me the click isn't for everyone, It can mask your progress of shooting a hinge/subconscious shooting. His thoughts on the click are this, if you are trying to shoot subconsciously​ and you add the click into your shot sequence are you shooting subconsciously​? The ultimate goal in defeating shot anticipation aka TP is to not know when the shot will break on you.
 
#24 ·
I shot a hinge without a click for 8 or 9 years now. This year I was having some real erratic timing so I decided to give the click a try. I had tried a click 15 or so years ago but found that if I had to rotate or pull to the click that I would freeze up when it clicked. This time I was smarter about it and set up the release to click as I was settling into my anchor. This worked much better for me. THere are some days that I shoot the release without the click and some days that I shoot the release with the click.
 
#25 ·
one of the better archery coaches Bernie Pellerite wrote an article this month in a magazine called Archery its a NFAA and a IFAA publication. Bernie posted some very positive things about a hinge with a click, and to be honest I always shot just a little better with a hinge with a click too, and after reading what Bernie wrote I am going back to a hinge with a click.good luck to you,Pete53
 
#27 ·
I perefer a click. I use a relatively cold release mostly because of the natural shape of my hand and I want my hand to be positioned with no tension in it at anchor just as it would be at rest. I use the click as my starting point for my shot, basically draw and anchor, and since I have my release dialed in to my hand shape once I relax my hand to that tension free point, the click usually goes off...I then will begin actively aiming and executing my shot. The click is just another step, but since it does not happen when I'm actively engaging my shot it does not bother my aiming process.
 
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