Bought a thumb ring, can't even hit the target now??

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As the title says really, I am shooting the Korean horse bow, my ultimate aim being to do this from horse back. So most people in competition use the thumb draw with the arrow to the right of the bow.

so I tried this, and even with quite a bit of practice I literally can't get it to work at all. Can't even get it to reach the target, never mind aim it! And it REALLY hurts my girlie thumb lol!

Any tips lovely people? I just felt my accuracy was improving with the standard med draw and now I've gone back further than step one!
 

ThomVis

Active member
Do you put the arrow on the other side of the handle with the thumb release compared to the mediterranean draw?
With med draw the string jumps left (right handed archer), with the thumb draw it jumps right (still right handed archer). So the arrow must have "space" to move to, so you put the arrow on the side of the riser where the string jumps to when you release.
 

Berny

Active member
Perhaps some more info. would help identify the issues:
- What weight of bow?
- What type of ring? - a picture would be nice.
- How are you using the ring? - describe: fit of ring, relationship of string to ring & thumb i.e. where placed
& release technique used .... Rotate thumb or relax/unbend thumb?

Try a lightweight bow ( I practice with 22# jelly recurve or 32# but have horse bows in 45#-55#).
I haven't tried a proper a ring, but have made my own leather rings - more like a thumb tab.

My accuracy is rubbish compared to med loose, but I'm sure practice will improve it.
 
Thanks guys, yes I have got the arrow to the right of the bow, opposite to a finger draw. My bow is 35lb, although I'm not sure I'm pulling it to all of that :). I have a horn thumb ring and it is a pretty snug fit, but I think it might still be a bit loose. I rest the string on my thumb, against the back edge of the ring, as advised by the many YouTube videos, for the Korean thumb draw. I then lock it with my index finger and release by letting go.

I'm finding it too painful against my thumb, so I'm thinking a leather tab or just taping might help, just wondering if everyone else finds this so hard at first, or if I'm missing something lol?
 

ChakaZulu

New member
Take a small piece of leather and insert it between thumb and ring so that the string rests on the leather patch.
 

ChakaZulu

New member
The trick is to use a triangle of leather. That way you can pull it through slightly more or less according to how big your thumb is on a given day.
 

rob+24

New member
i've been shooting the same kaya traditional korean bow as you for over a year now, with a thumb ring. my bow is 55# @ 31" which i can only do by using a thumb ring. It only hurts when i don't get my index finger out the way quick enough.I tried a bought thumb ring off ebay,rubish. my thumb rings are the type that extend to cover half of the pad of my thumb with a small groove at the joint where the string rests, this is very comfortable. your thumb ring i think is the type that you rest the string against the back edge of the ring touching your thumb, with mine the string rests on the ring giving great protection. mine i made to fit me. they are oval, narrower side to side.you put it on sideways and twist 90deg locking behind the knuckle.the colder your thumb the looser the fit, use a tapered strip of leather under the ring for protection + varying the fit.my most comfortable ring is bufalow horn with a leather lining.i also have a silver one made from a ring with 2/3 of the bowl of a tea spoon soldered at 45 deg to its edge, this sits on the pad of my thumb works great, very bling.hope this helps. the ring fit and comfort is vital for good shooting.dont give up, the thumb release is far superior to the medteranian release with your type of bow
 

rob+24

New member
How are you progressing with the thumbring? I'm now using my thumbring with a 71# @31" turkish style bow and it doesn't hurt at all. when you realise that the turks used 150# + bows and considered 70# bows only fit for women or boys, i've a little way to go yet.
 

i32547

New member
I am not using a ring, just thumb.

- - - Updated - - -

Ah, I assume that must have been directed to the OP
 

N.Vodden

New member
Ironman
It's been a little while since I shot my Korean bow, but I didnt get on with a horn/solid thumb ring at all. It felt too much like the string was about to 'ping' off it, so I ended up using a leather one.

A friend and I tried various styles, and one of the ones he made but didnt get on with fit me perfectly and became my go-to thumb ring. Really comfy and nice to shoot with, the string beds into it and feels great and the release is super smooth.

2 pics of it here to give you an idea of how its made. Made from ox leather iirc, with a smooth comfort pad inside of goat suede.

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c92/Igneas/Archery/Improvedring1.jpg
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c92/Igneas/Archery/Improvedring2.jpg

Korean Archery is great isnt it :) http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c92/Igneas/Archery/TraditionalArcher3.jpg
 

i32547

New member
May I ask, what is the purpose of a thumb ring? Are there any benefits beside pain prevention/reduction?

I haven't really tried one, but prefer to shoot using just the thumb as to strengthen the thumb itself.

Similarly, when I would shoot with fingers, I do not use a glove/tab, as to strengthen my fingers themselves.

Thanks

Isa
 

Berny

Active member
It's been a little while since I shot my Korean bow, but I didnt get on with a horn/solid thumb ring at all. It felt too much like the string was about to 'ping' off it, so I ended up using a leather one.

A friend and I tried various styles, and one of the ones he made but didnt get on with fit me perfectly and became my go-to thumb ring. Really comfy and nice to shoot with, the string beds into it and feels great and the release is super smooth.

2 pics of it here to give you an idea of how its made. Made from ox leather iirc, with a smooth comfort pad inside of goat suede.

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c92/Igneas/Archery/Improvedring1.jpg
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c92/Igneas/Archery/Improvedring2.jpg

Korean Archery is great isnt it :) http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c92/Igneas/Archery/TraditionalArcher3.jpg
Your leather rings look like mine
but i assume like me you position the string in the crease of your thumb joint (as with with finger hook)
which works fine
....but I understand this isn't how the hard bone/horn/plastic rings are used, as the string typically sits behind the rear edge,
or in the rear notch/groove/lip of the ring
& the string could be pulled used a straight thumb (as with a Japanese yugake)
 

Berny

Active member
May I ask, what is the purpose of a thumb ring? Are there any benefits beside pain prevention/reduction?

I haven't really tried one, but prefer to shoot using just the thumb as to strengthen the thumb itself.

Similarly, when I would shoot with fingers, I do not use a glove/tab, as to strengthen my fingers themselves.

Thanks

Isa
Agree with sentiments of toughening up fingers/thumb, but if you either shoot a lot of arrows in a session
or use a heavy bow you may want the protection.

As per my other reply though, the ring is actually used as the "hooking" device (bit like a primitive release aid i suppose)
& not the crease of the thumb joint nor pad of the thumb
& should (is intended to) allow for a cleaner release.

I believe for example, using the Japanese yugake, the release is effected by rotating/twisting the thumb/hand to disengage the
the lip off the string.
 

i32547

New member
Thank you Berny. I understand. Primarily for protection, but also can assist towards a cleaner release if used correctly.

I think for now, I will stick to just my thumb/fingers. I do not want protection, and I will find it too fiddley to be able to use it well enough to assist towards a cleaner release.

Thanks
 

Archer Dave

New member
Sorry to be posting so long after your posts, but I'm new to this interchange. For what it's worth, and maybe not a whole lot, here are some comments about thumb rings and the Kaya (correct pronunciation Gaya as the Korean spelling is 가야 and the ㄱ letter is pronounced as a "g". It's only a "k" when at the end of a word: 국궁, Gook Goong, the name for traditional Korean archery.) I hope the Korean words I've written haven't come out as gibberish.
I looked at an American internet retailer who sells the Gaya bow and thumb rings and am commenting on what is available there. First the thumb ring. There are two types of Korean thumb rings. The one being sold by this retailer is the ahm gawk chi. It's the one that is a blade that covers the last pad of the thumb. In first using it, it feels quite restrictive as there isn't a lot of room between arrow, string, thumb ring/thumb and index finger. With the arrow nocked, the thumb ring and thumb are placed below the arrow's nock. The ring should not be in contact with the bottom of the nock, but rather the upper edge of the ring should be about five to six millimetres below the nock. One would think that the ring would slide up the string on drawing, but the ring is anchored in place by pressing the side of the index finger at the first joint/knuckle against the nock. This happens when the index finger is brought forward and wrapped down, around the thumb's nail. A very slight lift or rotation of the hand upward adds a bit more pressure against the nock. This does the mentioned anchoring and it also holds the arrow in the "V" rest formed by the side of the limb and the gripping hand's thumb, even with the bow slightly canted. All this is a rather tight fit.
In looking at the string provided with the Gaya Bow, it is one of two styles of "carbon-bow" strings used with this bow. (There is also the horn-bow style string that can be used.) The difference in the two styles is the serving on the loops. The one pictured is the one where there is serving on the contact points with the nock and the nock pads. The other has the loops completely served. The latter lasts a lot longer, but is more temperamental when stringing the bow.
Korean archers use a second serving on the centre serving. They use a length of string material, often taken from an old string and a part that hasn't frayed or gone fuzzy. Knowing where this is placed, consider this: Koreans nock the arrow about 1 1/2 diameters of the arrow above the point where the arrow would be at a right-angle (90 degrees) to string. Knowing the nocking point, the second serving starts about 5 mm above it and finishes maybe a centimetre below. Why the second serving? It eliminates wear to the main serving, but maybe more importantly, it focuses the archer closer to where the arrow is nocked.
My apologies for being so long winded, or confusing in the detail given. Take it all for what it is. It might be useful or then again, irrelevant. Anyway, enjoy the Korean bow for all it's worth. I personally don't like the Gaya bow, but my wife does; she has three. All the best and many hits.
 
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