The Release

The Release is crucial because it is the last part in the shooting process where you can influence the trajectory of the arrow --- for better or for worse. This tutorial will help you identify and develop a good, expanding release.
Contents:
00:00 Intro
01:35 Three kinds of release: abrupt, collapsing, expanding
06:30 Follow through
10:08 Training tips:
10:15 - Classic Chinese saying
11:02 - 120% effort
11:57 - Tactile aim (static/mobile, quick/slow)
13:18 - Good expansion for any hand/ring/poundage
14:56 - Multi- vs. Mono- vs. Zero-tasking
15:48 - One smooth process
17:39 - Defeating “panic”
More tutorials: thewayofarchery.com/tutorials....
Additional info: thewayofarchery.com

[@texian91]

I have watched this a few times. I am convinced that this expansion is also an integral part of the methodology behind“khatra” I am researching in the Arab/Turkic tradition. It isn’t just arrow physics, it’s release mechanics. Thanks very much for this

[@texian91]

Update- this explanation gave me a bit of a breakthrough. Didn’t even notice my ring drag at distance targets- better release allows my khatra attempts to be way way more subtle and cut my groups almost in half. Thank you Justin. Totally gonna buy your book and some Chinese kit now :)

[@TheWayofArchery]

Hearing that the video was this useful make me very happy. This makes the effort worth it.

[@Susikohmelo]

Thank you for helping pioneer the future archery community! Surface information about archery is easily available on youtube, but truly informative videos like these for intermediate archers are much more uncommon than they should be.

[@brydonyao3913]

Now this is a seriously high quality channel

[@guilhermevieira4353]

Applying your lesson, I realised that I have been collapsing for almost a decade. Trying to expand when I already stopped and lost momentum is no good. Now I need to get bigger arrows, 32'" long. I feel like I was a caged beast unable to release my full power until now. Really amazing, thank you so much for posting content like this!

[@colinrobertson7580]

I went back to look at my videos and realized I'm collapsing at my release. Thank you!

[@Balaclavaballistics]

This was immensely useful. Thank you

[@wheelbarrowfriend2035]

Thank you.

[@Balaclavaballistics]

You are truly masterful sir, and you have been greatly influential in my archery. I think it is amazing how you are ambidextrous with even heavy bows despite your size. It is the mark of a highly skilled archer. Thank you for this video.

[@Eiketsu89]

Amazing how Justin can skillfully demonstrate all forms of release, especially the subtle faulty ones without exaggerating! Truly a master!

[@Intranetusa]

Great instructions. I'm glad you're back to making videos after a year long hiatus.

[@miguelveratraditionalarche9374]

Thank you very much.

[@gizmonomono]

Fancy meeting you here 😁 This is so helpful for my early release. I'll be applying this into my practice for sure!

[@miguelveratraditionalarche9374]

@@gizmonomono I still have problems with my release. I'm always watching and listening to learn😀 I know same You 😃👍

[@vladhanev5957]

Good one. This is what they talk about with “前推泰山后握虎尾”.

[@ArminHirmer]

great!

[@adamsewell7969]

Great advice, as usual.

[@nomadicartsarchery268]

Very well presented! Thank you!

[@robwerth]

Excellent vid, thanks!

[@bear24908]

Hooray ! New essential deep knowledge to absorb ! :))

[@zaghardtakal7338]

Thank you! This is helpful.

[@AbdulRahmanBajrai]

You are so Inspirational!

[@yorkgibson]

What an excellent tutorial. Fantastic. Thank you

[@francoismakaire8323]

Awesome tutorial, i've been looking for something like this for a while. Thank you.

[@Daylon91]

One thing that I still remember hearing from Gary Chynne is that you must be stronger than your bow. Even though I dont shoot western style that applies to all forms of archery. A collapsing release happens to me if I get tired. Accuracy decreases and anger rises but pulling a bow is working you out

[@garymickus6412]

daylon, I shoot Olympic recurve and strength (being stronger than your bow) is very important. Maybe this is one of the reasons world class archers are shooting 300-400 arrows a day. I’m a recreational shooter and limit myself to 100 arrows but strive to expand thru the release.

[@theruleofthumb2171]

very well explained, thank you for sharing!

[@royiyue]

Thank you for taking the time to make such a detailed and informative video!

[@naasbotack]

Thank you, Master! I’ll practice more.

[@rolfbaumann7585]

Thank you for teaching! Now i know what to Work on next.

[@cliffbrown4217]

Thank you for helping me understand. you are truly great.

[@zamoutague199]

This is incredibly well described and laid out. Thank you for this video

[@ianalouis4212]

Much appreciated you share your knowledge and experiences with us. I love the videos.

[@EnriqueLUrcia]

Your are great teacher. Thank you for making a new video!

[@ironforge039]

Love your work Justin, you inform and demonstrate very well. Thank you big time.

[@lesw.7691]

Thank you Justin for the explanation on a correct release, it is exactly what I needed.

[@douglassourbeer5636]

Hello Justin: Great video, so many good ideas. Thanks for sharing.

[@marihyypolainen9436]

You're very good at thoroughly explaining the process. Thank you so much!

[@MrRobtardo]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge. A really well presented video . It’s helping me so much ! Awesome stuff 🙏👍

[@derrickstableford8152]

Whilst not aimed at compound bows, this vid is good for back tension releases as well. The breakdown of the axis of release is a great visual. Thank you.

[@CosmicDuck494]

Very helpful indeed! I read your book a while ago, and these live demonstrations and explanations are a great supplement!

[@bigernbladesmith]

Very helpful. I have been really struggling with my release.

[@SpamMusubi308]

Very insightful this gives me a lot to focus on thanks for posting ATB 😁

[@cylai5249]

Thank you!

[@Dream_Weapon]

Welcome back, mannn.

[@imronaziz_101]

definitely useful instructional videos in traditional archery technique I've ever seen

[@andrewlazier5132]

Thank you for your channel! I am not an Asiatic archer but I would love to be someday. I am a mediterranean shooter and all of these points translate perfectly. I always learn from your channel and I appreciate it greatly!

[@talmidshooter6797]

Thank you for this. Respect from Serbia.

[@marcocammozzo7553]

Your book is going to be available in a few days on amazon here in Italy! Have to buy it soon

[@gizmonomono]

This is an awesome video. Very informative. Reminds me of Zen in the art of archery. IT shoots! 😁

[@airecomprimido7666]

Awesome video been shooting since 5 in Argentina and when leaving in Japan ❤️

[@matthewjayjack8143]

I've noticed when I think too much about the shot, or when I pause/hold, I have issues. When I draw to anchor and release in one smooth motion, my shots are much more accurate and the arrows impact straighter. Not always straight, but more often. I still have an issue keeping things in line if I don't have a physical draw hand anchor. Anyway, I assume I'm getting a more expansive release without thinking that way. I'll have to see if I can get a stand or something for my phone to record some video, now I know more what to look for. Thanks!

[@msrvfx]

Excellent demonstration and also gives information for identifying how long your arrows should be, to allow for the expanding release. Thank you!

[@John_Lund]

Finally a new video! Thanks man I'm watching and following you, please show more about ancient archery and penetration test? Thanks, we all love your videos very helpful for other to learn

[@DogsaladSalad]

love this. thanks

[@kgcote]

Thanks for sharing this info Justin! It's interesting to see traditional archery with such technically detailed analysis. Great job!

[@JunTheGroomer1]

So insightful!!! I didn't realize that I was collapsing. I was holding my back tension, but not continuously expanding. Thank you so much! I feel like my shots will improve immensely once I practice the expanding release 👍🙌👊🏹🎯💯

[@yuriklaver4639]

High quality with regard to a seemingly simple subject

[@suchoklatesatenczyk8473]

Thank you! I find your videos extremely informative, even though I practice Mediterranean draw and arrow on the left side. Regarding the draw, the same principles apply to all forms of archery, I think. Although I tend to use a slight abbreviation of the technique, where I stop for a second when in full draw, aim and then additionaly expand and release.

[@zoranpavlovic9540]

Awesome!

[@backyard.craftsman]

This is the way!

[@FlyShootTravelSleepRepeat]

very very very good explained and illustrated, Thank you much ! i’m comming from high level shooting getting into bow shooting and i developed very much what you describe so nicely her Rg Bernd

[@zachariatekawaare4761]

An absolute ripper of a video. Excellent demonstration and explanation. Kia mihi (Maori for thank you)

[@MinhTran-sl7kc]

Wonderful, i apply the expand release and it makes my release better and no more target panic. Thank you Justin. Can you do a video about target picture in the future if possible? It would be nice to study your target picture.

[@ryguy9591]

Justin, I just bought your book 😎

[@joeyxu5023]

宝藏博主！关注了！

[@troychuckran6604]

I go to that range @ :40! Super cool

[@sjohnson4882]

Thanks.

[@incorporeal3793]

I think we are all going to be checking our form videos. 😬 👍

[@squamiger7720]

This is extremely helpful. Do you think you would ever make a video on how you aim with thumb draw? I've tried Armin Hirmer's method of "pointing" at the target, and I've also just tried to adapt gap shooting methods from recurve/longbow archery. But I haven't found a lot of recommendations besides people just saying it's "instinctual"

[@Rajhamsa]

Most comprehensive video on the release i have seen. Not just in asian archery. Any chance we can get a slow mo of your arrow clearing the bow? Getting clean arrow flight with the thumb draw is still a mystery to me. I am sure you get many questions about the infamous "khatra"- it must be annoying lol

[@j.j.kuiper22]

thanks so much for your video's! im starting to shoot thumbring but i was wondering about using a proper anchor point when drawing behind my head. could u make a video about this? i think a lot of people will get help with it

[@jujeification]

I can only agree to all what was said by the others. Awesome Videos, with great Information. Is there any way to support you and your work? Are you planing to make a Video about Thumb Rings? Like what kinds there are, how they are uses, how they are mesured? That would be awesome, i am still a little bit unsure what fits my needs.

[@trexypoo5360]

We need a “The stance”

[@williamberne]

Finally you are back! Where have you been for the whole last year?!

[@TheWayofArchery]

Haha. Raising a kid. Fun but takes a lot of time!

[@williamberne]

@@TheWayofArchery Congratulation! Me too, my kid is just one and half years old. Like a friend said, sweet burden😂

[@regiusregius5079]

Cześć, noto spoko i fajnie : ) Pozdrawiam

[@codywilber6885]

Are there any anchor techniques that account for the bow string catching a long beard?

[@Jerome-mh4vl]

Why do people in the olympic let the bow spin after release? if it's because of difference in style of archery, would you please point me to sources to learn more about them? also, just bought your book a few days ago, can't wait to read it!

[@rodneywilliams1337]

Hey you know Marcus Bossett you were in San Diego I took the photos 📷 years ago. Nice have a nice one👌.

[@TheWayofArchery]

Yes, I know Marcus. Sadly, he passed away not long ago.

[@TheWayofArchery]

And thank you for the photos from the Asian Archery Exchange 2013. Fond memories.

[@agamagreen]

Thank you for the excellent video! I‘ll improve my release, when I can re-start practicing. I will need to start with an easy bow anyway and strength shouldn’t be an issue ☺️ Can the expanding release be combined with ‚bow hand release‘ or is this a separate technique? Or: the archer does expanding or bow release, but don’t mix it?

[@TheWayofArchery]

You're welcome. I mention under the "Good expansion for any hand/ring/poundage" subsection that expansion helps regardless what you do with the bow hand. I personally like to keep the bow hand steady & relaxed. But some choose to do something more "active". Either way, you want to make sure you're avoiding collapse or abruptness.

[@agamagreen]

@@TheWayofArchery Thank you so much for your feedback! I missed the info, while watching 😇 Sorry!

[@TheWayofArchery]

Hi IN RI, please check our tutorial here: sites.google.com/view/beyond-strength/home

[@ahmadzuhairi]

What did you use for the string nocks? It looks clean and effective.

[@TheWayofArchery]

It's actually just sport tape like material. More specifically it's a white masonry finger guard tape. Very easy to apply. www.amazon.com/14-193-180-Foot-4-Inch-Finger-Guard/dp/B0007V98GY/

[@ahmadzuhairi]

@@TheWayofArchery brilliant thank you.

[@TodoRadegast]

Interesting! I realise your left thumb almost covers the arrow. Don’t you scratch it? Could you make more about a correct kathra and how to perform it in a constant way? To me it seems to be the Holy Grail of Asian archery....

[@lyndacrotty875]

Hi, when i try expanding i noticed an increase in accuracy and precision, but my arrows don’t stick as straight to the target. When i hold really still before releasing, my arrows fly very straight toward the target. Can you tell me how to expand and make the arrows fly really straight as well? Thank you. Edit: i think i solved this problem by using a heavier arrows. Now i can expand and hit straight. Thank you Justin

[@TheWayofArchery]

Excellent. Glad to hear you solved the issue! I suspect with a clean expanding release, you're actually providing the arrow more kinetic energy (when compared to holding prior to release).

[@batuurdor]

Hello Justin, a question about your bow hand. Your thumb of the bow hand holds the arrow like on 11:52. Can it help to get the arrow flight more stabil ? according to your experiances ?

[@TheWayofArchery]

It's not really "holding". I'd characterize it as the arrow resting on top of the thumb (or atop the shallow channel formed between the handle and the bow hand thumb). The main thing is to find a bow hand grip that is simple to execute again and again and is stable. This configuration happens to work for me.

[@batuurdor]

@@TheWayofArchery Thanks for your reply. Yes, thats actually what I mean. Sorry for my poor english. I am shoting a fiberglass Manchubow, that is customized to my maximal drawlength. Draw weight is 40 lbs but the bow itself is heavy and I have tried different arrow weights and spines. I could not get a very good trajectory on the gaozhen., until I noticed that, in your latest videos your arrow rests inside the thumb, but not just on top of it like in the Turkish archery. The same can also be found in the picture Peiping Archery by Kress posted by Fe Doro. It makes a very big difference for me. With that I can get a good control of the arrow. And through a clean follow through, i can make my arrow fly with minimized oscillation. I haven't tried any laminated Manchubow, but I think, with a much better controllable lightweight bow like yours, life can be much easier.

[@muhizzy3440]

Please Answer...!? if I want to make Expandng Release.. I have to make my Shot ready from the beginning, before my Draw Length is over... is that correct.?? 🤔

[@dovahkiin2]

my hand doesnt move a bit while releasing

[@maritaka5320]

Кто нибудь добавьте русские субтитры!)очень надо) Please add russian subtitles.

[@suunraze]

When I use thumb draw at the gaozhen, my arrows enter nock-right. When I draw with my fingers the same arrow, same draw length, same side of the bow, my arrows enter the target straight. Is it a problem with my release?

[@TheWayofArchery]

Could be release. Could be equipment (arrow/bow mismatch). I find thumb draw requires slightly stiffer arrows. But of course you'd have to rule out whether release technique is a factor.

[@Rajhamsa]

@@mortenjacobsen5673 isnt it cuz thumb draw produces less oscillation of the string, therefore not causing the arrow to bend as much and making it act like a stronger spined arrow

[@lyndacrotty875]

what is the length of your arrow and where can i buy them?

[@TheWayofArchery]

The arrows in the video are Gold Tip Traditional (carbon) arrows. My arrow is 28.875" from nock groove to back of arrowhead. But I draw it to 28.25"-from-back of handle. I leave a bit of margin so the side of my thumbnail can touch the back of the arrowhead.

[@yongchannel6212]

How about the use of " katra " ?. When releasing arrows, it looks like you are using a little side "katra"

[@TheWayofArchery]

What I do with the bow hand is a natural reaction and is not an active movement. 稍撇 (shao pie). That said, the message of this video is to pay attention to release hand (irrespective of what we choose to do with the bow hand).

[@MinhTran-sl7kc]

after shooting for a while does your bow become asymmetrical? When I first buy my bow the bow is symmetrical when you stand the bow on its belly, the string does not slope up or down. After shooting for a while one limb is higher than the other and the string goes in a slope.

[@TheWayofArchery]

If the tiller (difference between top-limb brace height vs. bottom-limb brace height) changes over time, then there could be some damage with the bow. Nocking the arrow too high on the string could cause this imbalance. But it could also be a underlying flaw with the bow itself and nothing to do with the user.

[@MinhTran-sl7kc]

@@TheWayofArchery thanks, i am trying different experiments to see whether the problem is from me or from the bow itself. My form is really good though thanks to your book and videos because i can now shoot 70 and sometimes 80 pounds bow with no shoulder pain in just around 1 year and a half with good accuracy

[@kpewliu4348]

Is this GaoYing ancient archery technique? Sounds basically like modern recurve technique. I'm curious.

[@TheWayofArchery]

You can learn more about it here: www.thewayofarchery.com

[@ScottWConvid19]

The fact that this guy is Asian, gives him an advantage of perceived credibility, as ppl unconsciously associate him as a descendant of the Mongolians...🤣 Solid information man, thanks. I'm sharing this with my sons, as you explain it way better than I have

[@TheWayofArchery]

Haha. I will be sure to take advantage of that perception. However, to be more accurate: my Chinese ancestors kicked out the Mongolian (Yuan) conquerers to usher in the Ming dynasty. Of course that was centuries ago. Much love to all cultures.

[@ScottWConvid19]

@@TheWayofArchery man, you're even more badass than one would think 😳⛩㊙️㊗️🐉🈹️🎯🎯🎯 😂 great content. Thanks

[@andypearce1122]

A little help Justin if you can I've shot Korean bows most of my life, in my younger years when I didn't know any better I shot three finger, in my twenties I started thumb release and worked my way through higher poundages, now in my late fifties I've dropped back to 35lb @28, I generally shoot a 34-35 inch draw, my biggest problem thumb rings I suffer now with severe arthritis my thumb joint is locked at a very slight angle the calcium deposits around the joint vary but the joint can be two thirds to double the size at its worst, I have tried leather but have to watch as there is pain in the joint at all times and breaking bits of calcium around the joint can cause more severe pain and more swelling, do you have any ideas do you know anyone with a similar o problem who has found a type of thumb ring to deal with it, or is it time to buy a crossbow, cheers Justin keep up with the informative explanations, I wish your videos had been around when I was younger. 👍

[@TheWayofArchery]

Hi Andy, Practicing should be comfortable and fun, so if you find you're in pain practicing something, then you'll want to stop as soon as possible. Other ideas: * Practicing to pull with the other hand. * Finding a ring that allows you to pull the string without requiring flexion of your thumb. Some steeper lipped ring designs might accomplish thing. The Korean sugakji might allow for you to practice this way as well.

[@andypearce1122]

Thanks Justin I think I will see if I can shoot with my other hand, if not it's back to three finger..

[@user-kh4ns2ly6y]

구글에서 일하는 인재구나

[@bangagus6929]

Sayangnya tidak tersedia translate ke bahasa indonesia 😥

[@Dhimas_Rajavy]

Kang. Cek channel KZbin Gao Ying Indonesia Official. Disitu sudah ada terjemahannya.