Punching the trigger

[Ghunt]

Im new to archery and still cant figure out what "punching the trigger" means. Can someone explain so I know if i'm doing it or not.

[kentrek]

Are consciously telling your finger "now !" Or is it a surprise when your bow goes off ?? The first is the beginning of the end so to speak and leads to what I'd call the worst addiction in archery....target panic

[j_h_nimrod]

It means that when you are shooting with a release and your sight is on target you quickly hit the release and dont slowly squeeze through release. You "punch" the trigger as opposed to squeeze the trigger. The same thing is called "jerking" the trigger when shooting a firearm.

[Ghunt]

Thanks so much for the replies! Next time im out shooting ill have to see if im doing those things.

[follow maggie]

Just like shooting a rifle. You want a steady squeeze until the arrow is released.

[trophyhunt]

Lost an arrow yesterday because I pulled the trigger! You'll know if your punching or pulling your trigger.  I'm mostly a rifle Hunter and sometimes shooting my bow I'm expecting a kick, I need to shoot more sticks!

[Jellymon]

If I find myself starting to want to jerk the trigger I'll do this....
Draw and aim at the spot I want to hit for about 5-10 seconds, depending on how good of "shooting shape" you're in, then let down without firing. I do this 3 to 5 times for every shot I actually release. It actually helps a LOT and after a while it makes you much more comfortable having your pin float over the spot.

[theleo]

One thing that helps me is to use a release with a lite trigger. Instead of pulling the trigger I just relax my finger from being in a straight position. As it relaxes it puts more pressure on the trigger till it goes off. It's not something that works if you have heavy gloves on but it does pretty good for me when I use a index finger release.

[pianoman9701]

When my little archery buddy starts "punching", I'll have him blind bale shoot for 3 or 4 ends/sets. I put a target bale in front of him at about 5 yards. I have him draw and close his eyes. He then concentrates only on a smooth trigger pull by pulling the string back through the release. When his release evens out, he goes back to regular shooting. We do this about once a month. If you shoot at a pro-shop, ask one of them to watch you while you blind bale and they can offer tips on improving your release.

[BlackRiverTaxidermy]

Took a day class from Joel Turner (elk calling champion) who is also a precision shooter with both archery and firearms (firearms instructor for SWAT). I thought I was a fairly good marksman with a bow until I went and heard his proven theories and techniques. Essentially, and to not make this post long, your body runs off a natural, uncontrollable brain-ran reaction (sub-conscious) that even when you are calm and slowly squeezing a trigger from a gun or bow your muscles move very slightly just before firing in a 'brace for impact' reaction...this is the 'jerking the trigger reaction that a lot of people are talking about. He proved this to us in the class by having us hold a bow in the shooting position with no arrow. When your brain tells you there's no chance for impact your stance and target pin-to-target hold is ROCK solid with very little movement because your brain is telling you theres no chance for firing. He then had us hold the position with arrow knocked and told us to ready to shoot...what was interesting is there was always drift and you found yourself constantly moving the pin back to the target in small movements, normal target movements.
To curve this you use your muscles to shoot/squeeze, thus taking away the part of the 'brace for impact' reaction when you sub-consciously tell your hand to 'shoot' or 'pull the trigger'. The steps are to go to full draw and set your anchor point, then set your finger on the trigger but DO NOT pull the trigger with your finger, instead slowly flex yours back while aiming. Your trigger needs to be set VERY lightly and part of the day class was setting releases to accommodate this. When you slowly flex muscles, your finger will actually pull the release and let the arrow fly, however you brain has NO idea when this is going to happen and the 'brace for impact' reaction is not inadvertently sent to the brain and last minute movement occurs. The hardest part of this is learning to NOT MOVE your finger and just use it as a fixture over the trigger and let your flex reaction do the work.
This is hard to describe, but it works!! He described the brain/reaction process so much better and has loads of scientific proof and in-field examples he shows you to prove it when you take his class. He actually videos you when you shoot and it proves that just about EVERYONE has last second movements that hinder precision marksmanship. I've completely changed my way of shooting and I know I am a much better shooter because of it. You should really check Joel Turner's methods out, his classes are called 'Iron Mind' and hes a hell of a nice guy and very accomplished hunter, and if your lucky he will show you some impressive elk calling techniques. HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommended.

[Ghunt]

Thanks everyone for the awesome replies. I am very informed now about "punching the trigger" now

[MR5x5]

You should not have asked.  Now you know enough to become infected!