7-4. About Tension (Hariai)~How to release a grip (Torikake) naturaly~

Physical consideration of KYUDO -Japanese archery

7-4. About Tension (張り合い/Hariai)~How to release a grip (取り懸け/Torikake) naturaly~

<Tension (張り合い/Hariai)>Continued

Should the thumb of the right hand be bent towards the nail?

The joint at the base of the thumb (the third joint) is located near the wrist. When the bow's force is applied to the base of the left thumb, if the bow and the left hand do not form a cross shape, this third joint will bend under the force of the bow, resulting in a flat (べたおし/Beta-oshi), uncontrolled push.

Since you cannot control the bow's position with a flat grip, wrap the leather around the base of your thumb, from the joint at the base of your thumb to the tip, and bend your thumb so that your thumbnail points upwards, so that you can press the bow straight down.

Some people say that it's fine as long as the center of your palm forms a cross shape, but the force from the bones creates a downward rotation moment, causing the bow to tilt forward when released. Therefore, physically, it makes more sense to place the thumb bone in a cross shape (at a right angle) and use your little finger to maintain the bow's position.

For people like me, whose arms bend upwards at the elbow, it's necessary to bend the wrist quite a bit, like the shape of a bird's head, to create the cross shape between the hand and the bow. However, once the cross angle is achieved, the skeletal structure supports the bow's force, making it easier to apply pushing power. You can experience this firsthand by trying to draw the bow using only the corner of the hand, without touching the grip with your little finger.

I was also taught to bend my right thumb inside the hat and then flick it away.

However, simply bending the thumb from the third joint upwards and trying to flick it up results in an open hand release, so it seems a little different.

To achieve a light and crisp release, the three fingers gripping the string should be as parallel as possible and positioned thinly. This reduces mechanical locking, but also prevents any negative impact on the string's path as it passes through the three fingers. (It's a very simple principle: a rocket launched from a crooked pad can't fly straight.)

Then, in order for your middle finger to pass over your thumb (flick), apply force with your middle finger in a direction that pushes the pad of your thumb forward.

Furthermore, if you counteract the force of your middle finger by using your thumb to resist, your thumb will bend towards the nail.

In other words, rather than bending it, I think the correct expression is that it "curves" in a way that balances the force of the middle finger. Doing so eliminates the wobble of the thumb during a natural release.

Make the shapes of your left and right hands and compare them.

Although the shapes are different, you'll notice that the action of pressing the pad of your thumb with your middle finger and bending your thumb backward while tightening your little finger is almost the same in both your left and right hands. This is the important point.

I believe the secret you must not reveal to your opponent is not your left hand, which is immediately obvious, but rather the way you grip with your right hand hidden inside the glove, and how you use the force to release that grip.

We're also taught to push and release with our left hand. While this is a common misconception, anyone can see that it's literally impossible. I interpret this as referring to the action of the right hand as well, since the actions of the left and right hands are almost identical.

However, even in this internet age, there are still people who, like me about 35 years ago, are struggling to improve because they cannot obtain effective information.

I've decided to share the specific information I've gathered so far, hoping it will be helpful to those of you who are struggling. (Although, the information I received 35 years ago was completely incomprehensible to me at the time...)

During a full draw, the force used to lock the thumb in place by pressing down with the middle finger to prevent accidental discharge is changed to a forward pushing motion with the pad of the middle finger, which flicks the cap off with the middle finger (the middle finger detaches while the thumb remains in place).

Furthermore, by trying to maintain the curved shape of the thumb in the right hand, the bones from the thumb to the elbow of the right hand become like a straight rod.

By twisting from the elbow down around this axis, you can achieve a smooth, stable movement of the right thumb when releasing a glove. (Do not twist at the wrist, as this will cause instability in the thumb, which is centered around the wrist.)

You've been talking about the right hand so much, but what about the left hand?

You might be worried about this. However, there's no need to worry.

You shouldn't underestimate the human sense of balance that allows us to maintain an upright position while walking on two legs. In a full draw (会/Kai) position, with both arms balanced around the waist like a seesaw, force is naturally applied to the pushing hand as a counteracting force to prevent the force from becoming concentrated on the right side, thus maintaining balance.

However, it is important to keep the backs of your knees extended so that you can properly support the work of your upper body. This is what is meant by drawing the bow with your lower body. Here too, the mechanism for maintaining balance between the upper and lower body is at work.

The release is an instantaneous event. It's impossible for a person to control the movement itself at the moment of release. You can only control the movement up until the release, so instead of practicing the release, the quickest way to improve is to practice making good use of the tension during the draw.

The tension at full draw (会/Kai) is what helps ensure that the arrow is released straight without any unnecessary force being applied elsewhere. So, if your arrows are scattering, first check if you're not applying enough tension.

It is important that the starting point of tension is the elbow.

If the tension is in the elbow, the shoulder becomes the center of the link during release, so the hand moves almost straight back. If the tension is in the fingertips, the elbow becomes the center of the link, and the hand moves in an arc, causing the nock to shift during release and the arrow to miss.

Tension is not about straining; it's about unwavering force and its direction.

The tension in the right hand that is pressing is similar.

By using the elbow, which acts as the middle support of the right hand, as the starting point of the force, the linkage length from the shoulder is halved, thus reducing the deviation in the direction of the straight push.

Your right hand is always visible to you.

If your aim is off or you're doing something wrong, you'll know it yourself.

You can't see your right hand.

However, it is undeniably your right hand that physically releases the arrow. Ultimately, it is your right hand that controls the direction of the arrow as it flies.

Like me, you tend not to pay much attention to things you can't see, and the constant emphasis on "push, push" in instruction makes it even harder to see.

Since I can see and manage my left hand myself, I'm focusing on my right hand, which I tend to neglect. That's because it's the most important thing when it comes to accuracy.

This refers to hitting the target when pulling with your hands or arms.

Because the release is inconsistent, the arrows will land in random places.

This is a hit when you're pulling with your elbow.

Because the arrow is released along its axis, the arrow's trajectory remains stable.

Since it's easier to draw the bow with your hand or arm, you'll quickly fall into that easier technique if you don't pay attention. If your arrows start to land inconsistently, the first thing you should check is whether you're drawing the bow with your elbow.

The factor most strongly correlated with accuracy is whether you are pulling with your right elbow, centered on your shoulder.

This is evident in photograph (4), which shows a top-down view of the full draw (会/Kai), proving that this results in a physically stable release with minimal wobble.

Since resuming Kyudo (Japanese archery), I've accumulated about 20,000 practice shots, resulting in 13,000 hits. This analysis, so to speak, is the result of big data analysis by my own mind. Generally, this is called mere human intuition, but... it's an answer that an AI, lacking the ability to feel, couldn't arrive at yet.

The fact that it can achieve such a perfectly accurate prediction as shown in the photo suggests that it is highly likely to be correct.

How can I fix releasing the strings too early (早気/Hayake)?

I'm often asked this question.

If you understand that the tension during the full draw (会/kai), as explained so far, is essential for the release, then it should be easy to see that releasing too early means prematurely abandoning the completion of a crucial shot and preventing you from achieving a proper shot.

Releasing the string too early is due to a misconception that the Half draw (大三/Daisan) is the start of the draw and the full draw (会/Kai) is the finish. Unless you change this way of thinking, nothing you do will ever fix it. After all, movements are controlled by commands from the brain.

Keep in mind that a draw is the run-up to the starting line, a full draw is the starting line, and the follow-through is the finish line.

You can start by simply holding the bow for at least three seconds (to ingrain the concept of a full draw into your body). It's important to grasp the sense of timing for a full draw and the instinct to not release the bow reflexively. After that, you can learn to maintain tension within the full draw. This will also help to ingrain the above concept into your mind through movement.

This is how I cured a club member's premature release when I was a student.

Whether you can correct premature release depends on whether you can change your mindset and realize that you're using the wrong technique. I can confidently say that if you can't change your mindset, you won't be able to fix it.

Next time, we'll be discussing "Uniting the Expansions of the Body (伸び会い/Nobiai)" . We look forward to your next visit as you become more familiar with "hitting the target (的中/Tekichu)".