perceived draw weight

[Alan Flashing]

Bede , Thanx much for this breakdown of ring types. The only rings that I have used are the ones that I have made myself and have been winging it a bit.
From your suggestion I used bronze for what I consider my best to date and they have a long lip.
Do you have a preference in the type that you use?
Alan

[ginni]

Bede, I think the korean sugakji should be added to your diagram.

Thanks

[Alan Flashing]

Bede , would it be possible for you to post some corresponding photos to your ring list ?
Alan

[Bede]

My current favourite ring is a short lipped copper one about a millimetre thick. The dimak (lip) is about the length of the flexed tip of my thumb so that it just touches my middle finger with a tight clench.

Ginni, I didn't include the male Korean thumb ring because I see it more like a modern arrow release than a thumb ring in the old style. There are some African release aids that operate like the male ring and I think they should be grouped together. I feel that, otherwise, the Koreans do not get full credit for the innovation that the male ring represents.

Stephen Selby's book, Chinese Archery, has a diagram of how the Manchu cylindrical ring is used. Once you master the technique, you can draw very strong bows this way. Part of the practice I have been doing is to draw a light bow with a Chinese ring and concentrate on the feeling of the string as I shoot. Then I go back to a heavy bow and try the same thing. This is helpful if you use a thin string on the light bow so you can feel its position on the ring. The other thing you concentrate on is how to rotate the hand to bring the side of the fore finger gently against the arrow to stop the nock from slipping out of position. The Chinese nocks just fit the string and do not grip it like a Turkish arrow does. The cylindrical rings usually leave the thumb slightly numb when using a heavy bow and the result is that you cannot feel with the same sensitivity as with a light bow so you have to perfect your technique first.

My computer is back to normal so I will put together a diagram and some pictures.

[Csikos Balint]

I'm using a leather ring now instead of the plastic one I used for years before. I chose the leather ring because I found the plastic one awkward on horseback. It made difficult to handle anything else than the string and moved out of the right position. Now the leather ring worked fine with my old bow (43#@30") but with my new bow (45#@28") I can't find the comfortable position. My arrows keep fishtailing and the joint of my thumb hurts. I wonder what am I doing wrong?
Bede! You wrote that the leather tabs are there to protect the pad of the thumb. Does it mean that I shoud place the string on the pad of the thumb instead of placing it deeper towards the base of the thumb like I used to with my hard ring?
I'm thinking of making a metal ring that is strong enough with a thinner wall. That may solve my problem. But the leater ring is sooo easy

[Bede]

With a leather ring, the lip is to protect the pad of the thumb from the string sliding over it. The string still sits near the distal joint of the thumb. The trick is to strongly flex the thumb and push it hard against the middle section of the middle finger. This prevents the pad of the thumb "flowing" with the pressure of the string and causes it to move out of the way more efficiently. Sometimes leather tabs whose lips are too long and thin slap the pad of the thumb as the arrow leaves the bow. I guess that this happens a few milliseconds after the the string has left the surface of the tab.

I would advise a leather tab that was thicker at the base near where the thumb goes through the loop and not too long in the tip if using a fully flexed thumb. If you use a partially flexed thumb, make sure the lip is big enough to cover that part of the pad of the thumb that touches the middle section of the middle finger.