Many newer archers wonder if they should be using a release aid for shooting, but the answer can be different for each archer. If you’re new to archery, it makes a lot of sense to start shooting the right way from the start – so that you develop good shooting habits.
Whether or not you’ll want to use a release aid will depend not only on the type of bow you shoot, but also your shooting style as well. We’ll cover all of your options below to get you shooting the right way for your individual style.
Recurve Bows and Release Aids
Most recurve archers don’t use release aids when shooting for a variety of reasons – but there are still recurve archers that do use releases. If you do end up using a release when you shoot your recurve, you’ll want to change up what arrows you shoot and have your bow tuned accordingly.
One reason that many recurve archers don’t use releases is that recurve archery is a bit like traditional archery, in the sense that most archers throughout the years used their fingers to shoot.
However, before compound bows were even invented, there was a period of time in which many recurve archers used to use releases. This sort of faded out as recurve archers learned better methods of shooting with the fingers, making the old releases somewhat obsolete for most recurve archers.
Release aids can even make it harder to shoot a recurve bow for some archers. Many recurve shooters shoot instinctive archery – which is sort of the complete opposite of how a release works.
You’ll want to keep in mind if you shoot target, field or 3D archery – using a release aid will put you in a different class. You would have to shoot against archers shooting compound bows with sights, stabilizers, and other gear. This isn’t what you want to have to compete against in tournaments.
Another reason that most recurve archers don’t use releases is because of the constant draw weight of a recurve bow. When you pull back a compound bow to a certain point, the cams or wheels will hold most of the draw weight of the bow for the archers.
This means that when the bow is pulled back to full draw, the archer is only holding a small fraction of the weight. For example: A a compound bow could be a 100 pound bow, but once it’s back at full draw – the archer only has to hold back a weight of 10 pounds (instead of the full 100 pounds).
You have to keep this in mind when choosing a release if you do plan on using one. This could be the difference between broken releases or worse: accidental arrow releasing.
WARNING: You need to always keep in mind that releases that aren’t intended for shooting heavier draw weights could cause an unintended release. That means the arrow being shot accidentally.
Never aim any bow at another person, not even for a second. Safety is always priority number one in archery!
If you were to draw back a recurve bow with a release aid, that little release aid has to hold back the full weight of your bow – not just a small fraction of it. So if you do use a release aid, you need to be sure that it can support the heavier draw weight for a longer period of time.
Another thing to keep in mind is that there aren’t any peep sights on recurve bows. When you draw back a recurve bow, you’ll pull the bowstring to an anchor point on the face to aim. Most recurve archers will use either their chin, cheek or the side of their mouth as anchor points. Many recurve archers aim by looking down the arrow itself, a method known as gap shooting, or use other methods of aiming and shooting that don’t work well with release aids.
Besides, quality release aids can be expensive and easy to lose or accidentally break.
Also, release aids release the bowstring a lot faster and harder then your fingers do – which could cause unnecessary wear and tear on your bow. Using a release could do damage to the limbs of your bow – so be sure that you watch out for this if you try using a release with a recurve bow.
The reason for this is that no matter how fast you try to release the bowstring with your fingers, it still takes more time for your fingers to get out of the way of the bowstring.
Those few milliseconds make a big difference. Release aids will release the string far faster than using your fingers. Recurve bows were simply not designed to deal with the shock from such a fast release.
Another problem with release aids is that the speed and feel of the entire shot sequence would be different, which would make it harder to get consistently accurate groups when you’re shooting. It takes a lot more time to load and set up each arrow using a release aid then it does without one.
Shooting Gloves and Tabs
Instead of shooting with a release aid, you could use a shooting glove or tab, as many recurve archers do. They’re a good idea for recurve archers who shoot with their fingers – as they’ll let you shoot for longer periods of time without hurting your bowstring hand.
While you can use a release aid with a recurve bow, it’s probably a better idea to learn to shoot with your fingers. You can still try using a release if you want to, but you should keep in mind the above points if you do.
Compound Bows and Release Aids
Modern compound bows are designed with release aids in mind. Most compound archers today use release aids, but there are still some compound archers that shoot compounds with their fingers.
One reason release aids work well with compound bows is that they prevent target panic in a lot of archers. In case you didn’t know, target panic is when an archer can’t seem to keep the pins of their bow sight on the target without moving, fidgeting and shaking.
It can be difficult for some archers to get over their target panic, but releases make it easier for archers to rid themselves of target panic. By trying out several different types of release aids, compound archers can find the type that allow them to steadily hold the bow back without shaking.
Another reason for the popularity of release aids among compound archers is that it takes less practice time to get consistent accuracy. Most archers who shoot with their fingers have to spend more time practicing their shot to keep shooting accurately.
Releases make shooting much easier, so compound archers don’t need to practice as much to keep their arrows grouping well.
Compound Archers: If you do want to shoot with your fingers…
For those compound archers out there who do want to shoot with their fingers, the tips below should get you off to a good start.
This may seem obvious, but using a compound bow that was designed to be shot with the fingers would be a good idea. There are a lot of archers that don’t even know that there are compound bows manufacturer especially for archers who want to shoot with their fingers.
If you’re shooting a standard compound bow with your fingers, you should look for a bow that measures 40 inches or more from wheel to wheel – as you don’t want to pinch your fingers when you shoot it.
There are lots of bow made in the eighties that are made to be shot using the fingers – these were made before release aids became popular. Just because these bows are older, it doesn’t mean that they’re not good bows.
These bows have wheels instead of the modern cams found on most compound bows, which makes drawing them back and shooting them far easier than the modern compound bows that are designed to be used with release aids.
There are plenty of archers who search for these bows as “vintage” bows. As long as they have been well maintained over the years, many of these bows still shoot fine. These days, you can find some great deals on these bows for not much money.
These bows can also be found by searching for “finger bows” on sites like Ebay and Craigslist.
As mentioned above, when shooting modern compound bows with your fingers, you really need to be careful not to pinch them. Most cams these days aren’t designed with finger shooters in mind.
If you’re looking for some bows that are ideal for finger shooting, here’s a list of a few that you should be able to track down pretty easily:
Hoyt Medalist
Hoyt Vantage Limited
Hoyt Tribute
Hoyt Vantage Limited
The Barnsdale Classic
Martin Shadowcat
Martin Scepter V
So most compound archers will want to use a release aid if they’re planning on shooting a modern recurve bow. If you do want to shoot a compound bow with your fingers, you should either buy a newer bow that’s designed for it or shoot a vintage bow that’s designed for shooting with your fingers.
Longbow / Traditional Bows and Release Aids
If you’re a longbow or traditional bow archer who’s interested in shooting your bow with a release aid – you’re a rare breed. Most traditional archers are drawn to the sport because they’re interested in getting back to the classic, historical ways of archery.
That directly contradicts our present day style release aids, as they’re a fairly modern invention which is the opposite of traditional archery. However, some traditional archers may want to try shooting with a release aid. If that’s you, the following should get you going in the right direction.
As far as hunting goes, it may not be legal to shoot a traditional bow with a release aid. Check your local regulations if that’s something that you’re thinking of doing. As mentioned above, if you plan on shooting in any organized tournaments or competitions, you probably won’t want to use releases.
Releases will often put you in a class where you’ll have to shoot your longbow against more powerful, modern bows. There would be almost no point of having to shoot a tournament like that.
Most releases are made to hold an arrow back at only ten to fifteen pounds for any amount of time. As I explained above, when you draw back a recurve bow or a longbow, you have to hold the full draw weight of the bow.
Again: You have to keep this in mind when choosing a release if you do plan on using one. This could be the difference between broken releases or worse: accidental arrow releasing.
Always keep safety first in archery. No exceptions, just do it.
Another reason that most traditional / longbow archers won’t want to use a release aid is because of the archer’s paradox. Using a release aid changes up the archer’s paradox in a way that will result in vertical bending of the arrow – which tends to cause big time arrow flight issues.
When you release an arrow with your fingers, the archer’s paradox causes the arrow to bend left and right as the arrow leaves the bow. When you shoot using a release aid, the arrow bends up and down as it leaves the bow.
In order to compensate for this, you would have to shoot arrows that would be set up more for use with a compound bow. Ask your local archery shop to help you out with this if you decide to use a release aid.
Ancient Release Aids
You could also look into the ancient release aids that were used hundreds of years ago. There are all different shapes, styles and sizes of these, but to start with look into thumb ring releases. There were some ancient archers that pretty much conquered their known world using these. Seriously, look it up.
Another one is a strip of leather a few inches long that is secured to the archer’s wrist. You simply wrap the leather around the bowstring instead of holding it with your fingers. You just let go of the leather strip to release the arrow.
So most longbow and traditional archers won’t want to use a modern release aid. If you do, you’ll have to look into safety issues before buying a release and you’ll need to change up what arrows you shoot to compensate for archer’s paradox.
If you want to use a release aid with a longbow or other traditional bow, your best bet is to use one of the many ancient releases that were used throughout history, like the two mentioned above.
Good luck in your search, and get out there and get shooting!