Silver Thumb Ring
Q: Some people have asked me if I had any thumb rings made from materials other
than horn or pool balls. I have one up on eBay, made of silver, in case
anyone is interested. You can find it at:
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=58752663
A:I don't have great artistic talent, so I get most of my thumb rings from
Koreans who know what they're doing. The exception being, I have made some
from pools balls (I had a short article in Instinctive Archer a year or two
ago on how to do it). Most Korean thumb rings are made from horn, of which
I have many.
Sorry about that; when you use something for so long, you forget there are
billions of people who don't know what you're talking about.
Thumb rings are ancient releases used by many Near/Far Eastern cultures.
They came in many shapes and materials; horn being the most common in Korea,
both then and now (jade, bone, metals, etc. being others). The typical
Korean shape is like a teardrop.
The main object is to protect the thumb from the string. It is a very
smooth release, as you only have one surface for the string to leave, as
opposed to three in a three-fingered draw. You can also have a longer draw,
as you won't get finger pinch at long draws. I will, briefly, outline the
steps, as I have them in a brochure I give people (the brochure has pics,
which help).
Looking at a Korean style thumb ring from the side the thumb is inserted in.
To begin with, the thumb is put through the thumb ring from the rounded side
at a ninety degree angle to the thumb.
The ring is positioned just in back of the thumb's knuckle.
The ring is turned ninety degrees, so that the ring protects the pad of the
thumb.
The string is positioned where the ring and thumb meet.
The index finger wraps around the thumb, like you are going to flip a coin.
The arrow will rest and be nocked just above the thumb and next to the index
finger.
With your feet at a 2 o'clock (right-handed) position, nock your arrow and
sight your target.
Raise your bow and prepare to "push the mountain and pull the tiger's tail."
Draw the string straight back and anchor when the back of the tip of the
arrow touches your bow-hand thumb. The bow should be slightly canted toward
the arrow side.
Release smoothly. A fraction of a second after release, let the lower limb
of the bow dip in toward your