When I ran a search of the archives before posting my thread on shirking, the first few comments I saw were all mine! LOL I started to wonder if maybe I’m the only one who remembers or uses his term… And who should pop up?

I’m tagging this thread with DireWolfSpeaks

No, not gonna use a hashtag.

QUOTING JIM

AzBear, I have made and bought the best gloves ever done over past years..Even the HH glove with the nylon interior reinforced finger stalls..:) Without exception, they all grooved up after moderate use..or worse, with temp fluctuations between 90F days at 0800 hrs hunting cottontails on the Gila River bottoms in early June to 20F temps hunting elk at Moqui Lookout up on the rim, they never fit right all the time...:)Too loose or too tight..

Maurice Thompson ( Witchery of Archery etc) wrote about the 'shirking first'..his description of a malady he had expereinced as target archer where the first finger didn't carry it's proper load in the drawing of the shaft and badly effected the loose.

MOST archers I have encountered have a 'shirking third' finger..

One that tends to Not be hooked as strongly or deeply for the drawing and drags off the string. This can be corrected with some simple strengthening exercises of the fingers and hand..AND more importantly, training the radius and ulna and associated tendons-muscles to allow the hand to be placed squarely on the string for the draw & loosing of the arrow..RATHER than obliquely..

If I haven't said it before, I have used the DEEP HOOK finger placement on the string for over 45 years now..It makes a world of difference in consistency and strength for the drawing hand and fingers.. Unfortunately, trying to get proficient with the deep hook with a glove and finger stalls simply doesn't work.Jim

QUOTING JIM

The 'deep hook' method of placeing the fingers of drawing hand has to do with several things. First, the string is positioned in the first joint of the drawing hand fingers.

That's the 'deep part' as opposed to shooting of the pads of one's fingers..

More important is that the finger tips are crooked back so the finger tips are pointing toward the drawing arm elbow..

That is the 'HOOK' part...

I was shown this method by Olympic coach Al Henderson and Dave Keaggy years ago..

ALL the fingers need to get into the act..

No 'shirking first( Will Thompson) and no lagging-dragging third finger..

You have problems with grip? Get a golf ball and squeeze it a hundred times several times a day..or just pick up a 40# bucket of sand for a few hours..:)Hand on the bucket handle..

Remember that the thumb and little finger DO NOTHING...Out of the way and relaxed..

God forbid..but imagine you lost your hand in and accident and had a prosthetic hand..

The drawing hand is the attachment point for the work of the draw that runs straight down the back of the hand and thru drawing arm..like a hook..

The deep hook is definately NOT in the near palm joints of the drawing hand..Jim

QJ

Funny, over 100 years ago archers like Will Thompson described maladies as they affected the archer's loose and one of them he called the: " shirking first"

Meaning the archer failed to use his index finger properly tensioned and working, and balanced with the other two for a uniform and crisp consistent..loose...Which will help the archer in sending the arrow inerrantly to the mark chosen.....:) Jim

Ford on the other hand liked a finger tip hold.

I posted this 100% to bring Jim’s thoughts and wisdom back up without resurrecting a lot of old threads.

I’m not sure how many more threads like this I’m likely to start, but for all of them, I’d prefer to just let Jim have the floor.

Jim and I conversed alot, especially after he became ill and mostly on a different forum. I consider him a friend that I never got to personally meet. He was his own man for sure and very opinionated and we also discussed that....one hardhead to another. I grew to love him like a brother but you know how brothers get along from time to time. He was sure passionate about archery and archery history as well. I miss that guy.

Good work, Matt.

Not so sure I agree with that 'third shirking finger', but you'll always shoot better with a tab, once you get in the habit. And after all everything is a habit or at least it should be.

Bowmania

Good stuff, Jim is missed.

As long as I can remember I've shot with the deep hook. It seemed natural fo me even before I knew what it was called.

He was a very generous man. He gift me a couple of yew staves years ago.

He was one of a kind.

I miss Jim.

Jawge`

Didn't really know Jim but I did enjoy the articles he wrote in the Longbow Digest and I had him retiller a bow for me once. I enjoyed talking to him on the phone. I think a tab is more accurate also but I'll give up a little accuracy for the convenience of a glove. I shoot the very heavy Bateman with inserts and I don't even know if it's possible to have your fingertips pointing back at you with the glove being so stiff but it works fine for me. I do have the ring finger shirking and probably should work on that.

Loved his posts. Didn’t know the man, personally, but I learned a lot from him. He was a treasure and is sorely missed.

Loved his posts. Didn’t know the man, personally, but I learned a lot from him. He was a treasure and is sorely missed.

I enjoyed Jim’s threads. He certainly had acquired a lot of knowledge. He liked making & shooting a heavier bow.

LOL, my last name is Shirk which usually meant work by the clan. But is one of the worst last name to have if going to the middle east, in Islam it is offensive to Allah for example it would be like anti-Christ, google it. My son's CO USMC told him to cover a letter to his last name when he went into the invasion of Iraq so if he got capture his head would get cut off. Remember having a discussion with Jim about this and if he knew my brother that was a MAV-SOG also in Nam, miss his threads.

Correct, MCV-SOG, proof reading is a must at my age.

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