My perception is that the BEST method is presented in such a complicated way that it looks much more difficult than it must really be.
Thats a pretty fair summary to be honest. As with all things it can be broken down into smaller and smaller chunks.
Ascham had the 5 points of shooting as Stand, Nock, Draw, Aim and Loose. I dont think we do anything much different now.
What BEST does is tell you HOW to do these things. So we are all told to raise the bow arm and keep the shoulder low. But no one tells us how.
We get told to draw so that we end up with the weight "on yer back". But what does that feel like and how do we know we have done it?
BEST gives you a very detailed description of
a way of achieving these things. It is designed to give you a shooting method that, once you have learned it, will give you the confidence to shoot exactly the same way every time. Even (and especially when) under pressure. You know that even when standing on the line with one arrow to go at an Olympic final that if you follow the sequence you will end up with a great shot. The whole shot sequence is a trust giver in times of panic.
What KSL actually says is that (in very simplistic terms) the "hold" stage is the point we need to get to. However you get there is fine. However BEST gets you there in the most efficient and easily repeatable manner.
Sure there are things(such as the bow hand thumb position and the draw side thumb/little finger placement) that seem to be adding unnecessary complication to the shot but these are there for a reason. So lets take the draw side thumb/little finger placement and hooking. You can do this exactly as the books etc describe but if the bow side hand/arm is not in the correct position before you raise your bow arm the draw side finger placement doesnt work as it should.
Seems odd that incorrect bow arm alignment before you raise the arm will not allow the draw side hand to work effectively right through the raise and all the way to load/anchor transfer. But thats the way this thing works. You
can use the hooking thing on its own by all means. And you may even get a better release because of it. What you wont get is the most efficient and easily repeatable release.
Learning how the shot sequence is put together and what it should look and feel like is the easy bit. We did the whole thing in about half a day.
Learning how to shoot this method takes a great deal longer.
Learning how to teach it takes an awful lot longer than that. (Something I am still working on.)
Keep reading the books. Look at all of the shot sequence described. Read every word over and over again and there will still probably be bits that you will miss.
JamesT(and anyone else that thinks I am having a go) Before you read the next bit please note that I am not in any way shape or form implying that your shooting technique is wrong or incorrect.
What I am saying is this. If I were to assume you have decided to shoot BEST and have read all the books and watched all the videos I will hazard a guess that, despite having never seen you shoot and knowing nothing about you that your pre raise bow arm position is not as BEST needs it to be. Although you might think you have followed the book to the letter this start position is not implicitly stated and is often overlooked. It is in the book (both of them) its just not easy to see or find. Without this correct position you will struggle to get the arm raised in a manner that allows the shoulder to be in the correct position at the next stage. And it will affect your ability to get in or behind line. And this stops you using the correct muscles throughout the L/A/T and into the holding phase.
Once you have this start position correct everything else seems to flow. And if its not then everything else will seem like a struggle. Its not that the start position is the most crucial - its just an example to show how everything is linked together.
Sorry if this is confusing anyone. Its certainly starting to confuse me!!. Will go away now.
Andy