Thoughts and philosophy around shooting a hinge

[Wilderlife]

Hi all,
I thought I'd try my hand at making a video that goes over some thoughts/perspectives/opinions I have regarding hinge shooting. I'm fairly new to the archery game in some ways but I've been developing a lot of confidence with my hinge shooting lately and hope some people who may be struggling or looking for different information may find this useful.

I've got another video yet to publish, and another one I need to shoot/make, as I'm continually working on things in this space and always finding improvements and better ways of doing things.

Open to any constructive criticism you may wish to share, or any other message of feedback or appreciation. I'm trying to be the best I can, just like all of you.

Cheers.

 

[Point Man]

I thought you made a good video and gave me thoughts on shooting a hinge . I'd like to try one out at some point. However, I was just a little disappointed in watching your video as I didn't see any Kangaroos hopping around.

 

[Wilderlife]

Thanks for the kind words, mate!

I have another one ready to publish, but for the third one I'll make sure I put some kangaroo footage in there just for you.

 

[Wilderlife]

Here's the second video I made about this, mainly focusing on pulling into the backwall and how it might help with shot execution.

 

[Point Man]

Very good video. I seem to be going through all the same processes as you while I look for which technique works for me using the hinge. I have tried three different techniques and consistency seems to be my hang-up. Of course I am coming from shooting an index release most of my life since I started archery in the late 70's. I work with the hinge for a bit during my session and before I wear myself out, I change over to my thumb release. With the thumbs, I have my thumb wrapped around the trigger and use back tension to trigger it. For some reason, when using my hinge, I have better results when I just relax my my hand and the index and thumb then I do with just using back tension. At my age,76, I tire easy and my muscles are weak and sore and my shoulders and neck feels it. I just keep trying as hard as I can. Just a few weeks ago, I tried the hinge ( Scott Longhorn Micro Pro) and a B3 Resistance. I liked trying them both but ended up going with the Hinge. The resistance gave me the creeps, even on the shot trainer because I knew it would be more of a chance punching myself in the nose. I have already experienced punching myself three time while learning the thumb. Split lips and loose tooth didn't do much for my confidence. Dang, I only have 6 teeth left as it is.
Keep up the good work on your videos. They are very helpful. I like the looks of that coat by the way. It really looks quite cozy and warm.

 

[Wilderlife]

Thanks for the kind words, mate.

Resistance releases are lots of fun for me to shoot but I haven't hunted with one yet. I will one day soon I feel.

Yes, this new Born Primitive Outdoor puffy jacket is very comfortable, but it's hard to shoot in. I might need an arm guard to keep it out of the way.

 

[Wilderlife]

Hi all,
Here's another one I did within the last week. It covers a bit more about hinges with dual sears.

 

[Point Man]

Another awesome video from you about the hinge. Thank you. 80 meters? Wow. I would be looking for all my arrows in the woods. I get nervous beyond 30 yards. I'm giving my sore arthritic hand a few days to heal and then I hope to get back on my hinge.

 

[Point Man]

Trying to learn the hinge has raised questions in my mind. Which way is better for triggering the shot, rolling the hand or pull through with back tension? It seems to me that back tension would aid more in giving the surprise release everybody preaches. I'm thinking that rolling the hand is the same as commanding the shot with either the thumb release or the wrist release. Having a surprise shot is why the hinge is recommended for learning how to achieve the surprise shot. See my point? By rolling the hand, one can choose the speed in which to rotate the release after the click.

 

[Point Man]

You give such a good presentation with your videos pertaining to the hinge,I wish more people would join this topic and give their thoughts and knowledge of using a hinge. I certainly would like to learn how to master it.

 

[Wilderlife]

Thanks for the kind words, mate. I don't necessarily need or want a heap of attention but if people get something out of the videos, that's cool.

I see lots of people talking about firing hinges in a variety of ways so I guess whichever way suits the individual is what is best. Having said that, I definitely used to be able to punch a hinge by rolling my fingers quickly on my B3 Infinity Pro as the distance from click to fire was very short. I moved away from that habit and ended up using much more of an entire pulling motion, whereas now with the Scott hinges I'm rolling my fingers again but doing it slowly.

 

[Point Man]

Actually,I am finding that it is easier and better for me to just roll my release because of my bad back. With the use of to much back pressure and follow through, my back and shoulder muscles get very sore and lasts for quite a few days. I am slowly releasing the pressure on my index and second finger while at the same time , adding pressure with my ring finger. That seems to be working pretty good for me at the moment. I am using the Scott Longhorn Pro Micro.

 

[Wilderlife]

Yeh, maybe a combination works the best.
My hinges go much faster when I pull using back tension I've found, so if I go that way more in the future I may have to slow them down.
At the end of the day I'm shooting well so I'm not hugely concerned but I am always doing my best to shoot as accurately as possible.