Chosen thumb ring locks taken from the

book The Art Of Shooting A Short Reflexed

Bow With A Thumb Ring

ADAM SWOBODA
www.thumbringarchery.org

Copyright Adam Swoboda
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In all of the locks that follow, you must not lay the index finger
centrally on the thumb nail without any contact with the body of the
thumb. This results in transferring pressure from the thumb ring directly
to the fingernail and subjects it to injury. While the index finger always
partially lies on the thumb nail, which is inevitable, most of the stress
should be transferred to the body of the thumb. This can be at the base of
the fingernail, or also the tip of the thumb.
The proper placement of the index finger is one of the more important
skills that must be mastered when learning to shoot with a thumb ring, and
it is a real art. A common error among beginners is the cramped bending of
the index finger on the thumb as this is a natural was to prevent the clench
from coming undone. The index finger should lie relaxed on the thumb
(at least just before releasing the bowstring). The strength of the lock
comes from clenching the other fingers and applying pressure with the
thumb ring lip, and not from wrapping the index finger around the thumb.
There are, however, locks in which the index finger plays a significant role
in transferring the power from the drawn bowstring (see locks 72, 79)
In all of the locks the thumb ring lip should be pressed tightly to the
middle finger. The only exception is in the variant of lock 72, in which
the thumb ring does not rest on the middle finger.
After the thumb ring has been placed on the bowstring (in locks in
which the lip rests on the middle finger) it is good to deepen the clench
with a sliding motion from this finger over the surface of the ring lip
surface. This movement is performed toward the inside of the hand.
Lock 69 square
This is considered to be the strongest and best of all the locks for target
shooting. Despite this being a very strong clench, it also makes it easy to
loose the bowstring. Its strength comes from the fully bent little, ring, and
middle fingers. These fingers are practically clenched into a fist (see
photographs 1a and 1b).

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Lock 69 oblique
This lock was an integral part of
the overall technique. It is
comprised of a forward facing
stance, an oblique grasp of the
bow that lengthens the draw, and
an aim that is taken from the
internal side of the bow.
The oblique 69 is a less certain
lock than the square 69



because the bowstring lies at a fairly large angle in relation to the edge of
the thumb ring on which it rests. This does permit, however, the
bowstring to descend faster (see photograph 2). When I write that this
clench is less certain, I am referring to an uncontrolled shot. This lock is
adapted for short fingers since the index finger is on the inside of the
bowstring.
Photograph 1a - Lock69 square, view
from the side.
Photograph 1b - Lock69 square,
view from the front.

Photograph 2 - Lock69 oblique, view
from the front.

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Lock 63
This lock is in second place
after lock 69 (see photograph
3). This clench is weaker than
lock 69, but it is more accurate
and quicker to release the
bowstring.
Personally, because of the
powerful bow that I use, I use
lock 69, however, for less
powerful bows I recommend


lock 63 in light of the advantages described earlier.
Lock 72
Similar to lock 73, this one is much weaker because the middle finger
does not support the index finger, as it does in lock 73 (see photograph






4a). This means that this clench is appropriate for less powerful bows.
This clench is stronger in the version in which the thumb ring is
Photograph 3 - Lock63

Photograph 4a Lock72 without the
thumb ring supported on the middle
finger.

Photograph 4b Lock72 with thumb
ring supported on the middle finger.

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Copyright Adam Swoboda

supported by and presses into the middle finger (see photograph 4b).
In both versions, the stronger bending of the middle finger makes it
easier to press the little and ring fingers to their bases.

Lock 22
This lock is similar to lock 23 but
it is substantially weaker because
of the lack of support for the
thumb ring lip (see photograph
5). In terms of strength, this lock
is comparable to lock 72 in the
version without the support of the
middle finger (see photograph
4a). It is suitable for shooting
weak bows. It is also the lock that

is used to hold the bow and arrows simultaneously.

Lock 79
The release of the bowstring in
this lock is faster than that in
lock 69 and it works well with
the Turkish type of thumb ring
(see photograph 6).
Photograph 5 Lock22

Photograph 6 Lock79

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Copyright Adam Swoboda





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