Thumb ring styles/shapes.
Recently I made a bow for the son of a friend. He never really liked shooting with a three finger mediteranian release and naturally wanted to put the arrow on his bow hands thumb as for a thumb draw. So I made him a leather thumb ring and straight away he was hitting the target with authority!
Seeing as he stuck with shooting with a thumb draw I made him a horn thumb ring out of cape buffalo horn.
My problem is that I shoot with a mediteranian release and have done for years, if I try to shoot with a thumb draw it feels very alien to me and I have to 'aim' about 3 foot to the right (i'm left handed) of the target....therefore I haven't shot much at all with a thumb ring and am lacking in the knowledge of exactly how it should fit him. I obviously don't want to be responsible for damaging his thumb! He will go and shoot hundreds of arrows at a time so I want to make sure if is perfect for him.
So can anybody point me in the direction of some good literature on the subject of how a thumb ring should fit and also information on the correct way to use them to shoot?
I am also interested in learning for myself.
Seeing as he stuck with shooting with a thumb draw I made him a horn thumb ring out of cape buffalo horn.
My problem is that I shoot with a mediteranian release and have done for years, if I try to shoot with a thumb draw it feels very alien to me and I have to 'aim' about 3 foot to the right (i'm left handed) of the target....therefore I haven't shot much at all with a thumb ring and am lacking in the knowledge of exactly how it should fit him. I obviously don't want to be responsible for damaging his thumb! He will go and shoot hundreds of arrows at a time so I want to make sure if is perfect for him.
So can anybody point me in the direction of some good literature on the subject of how a thumb ring should fit and also information on the correct way to use them to shoot?
I am also interested in learning for myself.
I am making a few rings in different shapes at the moment, too. Basically I do it just like it is written here:
https://translate.google.de/translate?s ... edit-text=
I hope the machinetranslation is understandable.
Using horn, I use a thickness arround 3mm to get enough stability. So make your rings a little thicker than the aluminum sample shown there, and you are good. And I add 2mm to the measured width and depth of the thumbjoint.
https://translate.google.de/translate?s ... edit-text=
I hope the machinetranslation is understandable.
Using horn, I use a thickness arround 3mm to get enough stability. So make your rings a little thicker than the aluminum sample shown there, and you are good. And I add 2mm to the measured width and depth of the thumbjoint.
Thumb ring fit is very important, but if you do not lock the thumb against the closed middle finger, even a well fitted thumb ring will eventually cause callousing and discomfort. However after forty years of thumb shooting, I still have no permanent damage to my thumb and that includes two years bare-thumbed with a fifty pound bow, more years with a 2 mm thick leather thumb guard and several more years with bad technique. I did get blisters that bled in the early days, but there was no underlying damage to the thumb or its tendons.
That said, with a proper thumb lock there is no impression on the thumb at all except for temporary redness. By a proper thumb lock I mean where you close the middle ring and little fingers up tight into the palm and press the thumb tip tightly on the side of the middle section of the middle finger. The index finger lightly rests on the thumb nail acting as a trigger to release the thumb. It also gently holds the arrow against the side of the bow.
Your problem aiming is common to everyone who changes the side of the bow the arrow rests on. I have recently been teaching someone to shoot with a ring and he took about an hour to get it right. I noticed the other day that he could change back to three fingers and rapidly reacquire his aiming ability with that style. I conclude from that that metal flexibility and persistence are all that are needed so don't give up yourself.
That said, with a proper thumb lock there is no impression on the thumb at all except for temporary redness. By a proper thumb lock I mean where you close the middle ring and little fingers up tight into the palm and press the thumb tip tightly on the side of the middle section of the middle finger. The index finger lightly rests on the thumb nail acting as a trigger to release the thumb. It also gently holds the arrow against the side of the bow.
Your problem aiming is common to everyone who changes the side of the bow the arrow rests on. I have recently been teaching someone to shoot with a ring and he took about an hour to get it right. I noticed the other day that he could change back to three fingers and rapidly reacquire his aiming ability with that style. I conclude from that that metal flexibility and persistence are all that are needed so don't give up yourself.
Thank you for the replies.
That website seems to have some good information but unfortunately google translates it into something that is barely intelligible!
Bede - thanks for pointing out that the tip of thumb needs to be up against the middle finger. I will tell him about this as I didn't know this was important.
He has been getting blisters on the side of his thumb and I couldn't work out why. Maybe it's worth making another ring for him as it may just be the fit.
That website seems to have some good information but unfortunately google translates it into something that is barely intelligible!
Bede - thanks for pointing out that the tip of thumb needs to be up against the middle finger. I will tell him about this as I didn't know this was important.
He has been getting blisters on the side of his thumb and I couldn't work out why. Maybe it's worth making another ring for him as it may just be the fit.
Which side of the thumb? that will give an idea of how he is holding his hand.
If you held your hands palms together infront of you it's the part that touches the other thumb....I hope that makes sense!
I'm starting to think it's because i've made the sides of the ring parallel, whereas if you look at the part of the knuckle that the ring sits up against it is more of a wedge shape/tapered. I think it's maybe just too small of a contact area between the ring and the knuckle?
I'm starting to think it's because i've made the sides of the ring parallel, whereas if you look at the part of the knuckle that the ring sits up against it is more of a wedge shape/tapered. I think it's maybe just too small of a contact area between the ring and the knuckle?
Generally speaking the major contact should be between the inside of the lip and the pad of the thumb. That is why the lip is so broad. If there is pressure on the knuckle from either side or the back, it means the string is trying to drag the ring up over the knuckle. This usually happens when the string is hooked under the edge of the ring and the thumb and ring are not firmly pressed against the middle finger.
There is an technique using the unsupported thumb held in check only by the index finger. It is a weak and slow grip compared to the regular style, but it works with bows up to about 70 lbs. If this is the method being used, you can wrap the back part of the ring in soft cloth (a thin strip wound around it works) to prevent chafing.
It is easier though to develop the stronger form of the thumb lock by tightly clenching the little, ring and middle fingers and then pushing the tip of the thumb (and ring) firmly against the side of the middle section of the middle finger. The index finger then lightly covers the thumb nail.
There is an technique using the unsupported thumb held in check only by the index finger. It is a weak and slow grip compared to the regular style, but it works with bows up to about 70 lbs. If this is the method being used, you can wrap the back part of the ring in soft cloth (a thin strip wound around it works) to prevent chafing.
It is easier though to develop the stronger form of the thumb lock by tightly clenching the little, ring and middle fingers and then pushing the tip of the thumb (and ring) firmly against the side of the middle section of the middle finger. The index finger then lightly covers the thumb nail.
Some years ago, when my technuiqe was worse, I injured my thumb for 6 mounths. It was really cold outside and my thumb went numb posing for a magazine with the bow. Since then I can feel a discomfort when not using a ring.Bede wrote:
Thumb ring fit is very important, but if you do not lock the thumb against the closed middle finger, even a well fitted thumb ring will eventually cause callousing and discomfort. However after forty years of thumb shooting, I still have no permanent damage to my thumb and that includes two years bare-thumbed with a fifty pound bow, more years with a 2 mm thick leather thumb guard and several more years with bad technique. I did get blisters that bled in the early days, but there was no underlying damage to the thumb or its tendons.
That said, with a proper thumb lock there is no impression on the thumb at all except for temporary redness. By a proper thumb lock I mean where you close the middle ring and little fingers up tight into the palm and press the thumb tip tightly on the side of the middle section of the middle finger. The index finger lightly rests on the thumb nail acting as a trigger to release the thumb. It also gently holds the arrow against the side of the bow.
I can't say if I would be fine shooting bare thumb if not for the injury, but I'm also not sure all people can make it without ring. Is the anatomy of all thumbs the same inside? Can it be some people like me maby have tendons and nerves in a bad place for this? Thoughts?
Also, as a ring maker, I would say the shape of the ring depends on what you will use it for.