Bow Setup Mistakes + Best 2026 Releases Reviewed

After struggling at Total Archery Challenge, Zakk went home and tore his bow completely apart. Turns out — a half-inch wrong draw length, a bow six pounds out of spec, a collapsing front shoulder, and inconsistent grip were all piling up at the same time. In this episode, he breaks down every change he made to the bow and his shot process, why he went back to a hinge release for training, and how blank bailing and intentional reps have made a bigger difference than anything else. 

Zakk also breaks down the best new 2026 releases on the market right now: the Stan SX4 and Lynx hinge, the B3 Flow and Flow X, and the new UltraView UV Button 2 and UV Hinge 3 — including what makes each one different, why internals matter more than price, and how to run a two-release system for hunting vs. off-season. 

If you've been chasing your tail trying to figure out why your shooting is inconsistent, this one's for you. Sometimes it's the bow, sometimes it's you — most of the time it's both. 

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Transcript

Welcome And Shop Hookup

Zakk Plocica 0:00

I completely tore my bow apart. I made some changes, some subtle changes, all that have had a positive impact on my shooting. So today I wanted to break down exactly the changes that I made on my bow, how I'm training differently. Yes, training with my bow differently. And then I wanted to discuss releases, in particular, some of the new 2026 releases that have come out, and how some of these releases have aided in the progression of my shooting over these last few weeks. So that's what we are covering today on the archery project. Thanks for joining me today, guys. My name is Zach Placea. I'm your host. Some of you guys know I have a company called Extreme Outfitters, one of the fastest growing archery shops and suppliers in the country. So if you need anything archery-related releases, we're talking about today, arrows, custom arrow builds, whatever it is, we got it, we carry it, we can ship it to you, we get it to you wherever you are. So hit the website, extremeoutfitters.com, use the code ArcheryProject and save you money on all of your archery needs.

Total Archery Challenge Lessons

Zakk Plocica 0:53

Now, some of you guys know I struggled a little bit um a few weeks ago at Total Archery Challenge, and I've been really thinking hard about it and really have dissected all of the issues that I was having, right? That it just was, it had really eaten at me. So there's a bunch of changes that I made, and none of them were really major. They were subtle changes that have had a massive impact in what I would say the progression of my shooting over these last few weeks, because I feel like it has just really um improved pretty dramatically. I made a mistake when I set my bow up. And this was just due to being in a rush, just overlooking things. And what had happened originally is new bow, Mach 35. I set the draw length a half inch long. So I'm a 28 and a half inch draw length. I set it at 29 inches, just not paying attention to my letters. I selected the wrong letter for my draw length. So I made it a half inch long. Not a big deal on flat ground, at least not for me. There's nothing major or noticeable shooting it on flat ground when it's a little bit long for me. I feel like I can still expand through my shot. Well, in total archery challenge, those massive uphill shots, it made it so the bow just felt too long and I couldn't expand through my shot, open up. I would fall out of my peep sight. I just couldn't hit what I was aiming at. I just couldn't hold on target. It was just very inconsistent. Not to mention that I didn't recheck the bow prior to going. I didn't put it back through paper. It's a new bow. I really should have. These are just rookie mistakes, being in a rush that I just shouldn't have made, but I did. And I wanted to share them with you guys because we're all human and we all make mistakes. And that's what I did. So on top of the bow being a half inch long because the draw length was set wrong, the bow is also out of spec. It had lost about six pounds from 80 pounds down to about 74, 75 pounds. So it was also a little bit out of spec. So the draw length was even when I put it on the drawboard, about a quarter inch long. So I was at like 29 and a quarter, which is roughly three quarters of an inch longer than what I actually shoot. So I was just overstretched with this bow. A bad combination, easily preventable by paying attention to your equipment, especially a new bow, because as we know, new bows, they settle, especially your stock strings. They typically stretch a little bit, you lose a little bit of poundage. The works, right? It's just, it's normal. Um, but I should have gone back through and pre- and re-inspected the bow to make sure everything was as it needed to be. And I didn't, like I said, I was just in a rush. I hadn't been shooting as much as I should have, just neglect, no excuse, just poor planning and just not doing what I needed to do. It happens. Life gets busy, right? But I came back and it that wasn't the only issue within the shooting um problems that I was having. So I came back, I set the draw length correctly, I put the bow back in spec, and instantly the bow did feel a little bit better, but it was there were still some things, some some issues I was working through.

Let-Off And Holding Weight Changes

Zakk Plocica 3:56

And I talked to a bunch of different people, and one of the other, one of the changes that I made was the let off, right? I went to uh a lower let off. So typically I shoot 85%. No big deal, never really overthought it. But talking to some of the target guys, I wanted to like, what do I need to do to become a better shooter? Like, what are some things that I can change within the bow? Not me personally yet in my shot process, but within the bow, so it's set up and helps hold the bow, hold a little bit better. So let off was a big thing, holding weight. So I played with the holding weight. I went from 85 to 80 to 75 percent. And I felt like as I progressed, you know, from 85 to 80 to 75%, that as that holding weight increased, the bow just held a little bit better. Right. So I got to 75% and I felt like that was really a good spot to be, roughly. So I'm somewhere around 14 pounds of holding weight currently, is what I think I'm at. And the bow just seems to be a little bit more stable for me on target. So that was massive, right? Those were within the bow. From there, everything else bowed feels pretty good. So, but there were some other things that were kind of picked apart that I looked at and I picked apart, looking back at video and then talking to other people who notice it as well. It's it's easy, like I we understand the shot process, right? Like these are the steps in order to shoot the bow. But when you're not intentional with the actual steps, it's easy to miss them or not um enact them fully, if that's the best way to say it. I'm not sure. So one of the other things I that was noticed was my grip.

Grip And Front Shoulder Fixes

Zakk Plocica 5:34

It was just a little bit off. And we know with archery, consistency and repeatability are key in order to be accurate consistently, right? If you're not doing it the same way every single time, there will be inconsistencies that are going to cause you to have inconsistent groups. That was another one of my problems. My grip was off slightly. I know where I need to be in my grip, but I didn't feel it. And looking back at videos and images of it, I could see that my bow just was a little bit further from that meaty part of my thumb than it needed to be, and it was inconsistent within there. So I went back and I watched some videos and I made sure to bring that grip a little bit closer to the meaty part of my thumb so that it's not kind of floating in the middle between these two halves, right? So that there's no torque, that it's just very consistent, very repeatable, and it's the same way every single time. So I've been much more intentional with the placement of my grip on the bow. I feel like that one thing right there has made a massive difference in my shooting, right? So the grip. That was a massive part in working at working on shooting better. The next thing was my front shoulder. We know the front shoulder needs to be down and out, but again, when you're not intentional and you're not fully in what you're doing or paying attention to exactly what you're doing, um you start to slip, you start to make mistakes. And that was another thing was my front shoulder was not down and out and set, right, prior to drawing the bow. I list talked to George Riles, and that was the other thing is setting the the front shoulder prior to drawing the bow and putting the target or the pin where it needs to be prior to drawing the bow. And that's made a different big difference because now I feel like I'm fully, my posture's good, my shoulder set. So whenever I'm pulling through my shot, my shoulder's not slowly collapsing because that's what it was. It was just subtle enough to where there was an inconsistency in the execution of my shot because as I would start to pull through my shot, my front shoulder would collapse a little bit, making the release not go off consistently consistently. Now, what I changed was make sure that I push my shoulder down and out, flared it out and set it so it's almost like it's a wall. It can't, it can't continue to creep. It's down and out, it's away, my shoulders are down, are down and settled. So now, whenever I get through and I'm pulling through that shot, it's solid. I'm able to push against the bow and then pull against the bow, and the break is more consistent. Those things right there have been made a massive difference in the consistency of my shooting, right? More so than I think anything. And the biggest takeaway from me with everything that I've learned going back and watching video and and and seeing these different pictures is there was I just was not intentional with what I was doing. And you I think that's a massive part, especially whenever we talk about the training side of things or just the casual shooting. Whenever you're not intentional with what you're doing, you start to develop bad habits and they're not as obvious as you think, right? It's very easy to miss things, especially whenever you shoot a lot. And it just feels, it feels fine. But when you go back and dissect it on video or you have someone else look at it, they can say, okay, here are your problems. And then whenever you're intentional about fixing them, you're able to, I think, enforce those good habits so that it's almost subconscious and you know, second nature. You don't have to think through it forever. Um, but that's where I am at currently, just being very intentional in my shooting and my process. Like I'm talking very, very intentional with each aspect of what I'm doing from how I grip the bow first, grip the bow with it set on my leg, um, so that my grip is perfect, setting my front shoulder, drawing the bow back, coming to anchor, acquiring my peep, settling my pin, and executing my shot. Everything is very, very intentional and it's made

Intentional Reps And Blank Bale

Zakk Plocica 9:45

a massive difference. The other thing that's made a massive difference while being intentional is the repetition side. I'm shooting more now than I've ever shot, ever. And it's one thing just to practice and just to shoot a lot, but if you're not practicing like intentionally, it's gonna be the word of the day, I guess. Um you'll just you'll you get reps in, but they're not quality reps, right? So you didn't really move the new needle in a positive way. So I think for what I've done is I've go through and every single rep is very slow and consistent. And I think through every single aspect of it right now. And if there is something that's off, I immediately stop what I'm doing and try to figure out what it is. That's my what I'm doing right now because I want to be a better shooter. I want to improve my shooting. So I'm I'm a lot more focused on everything that I'm doing, and I'm doing a lot more of it. And one of the things that I have really implemented in is I went to uh blank bailing, right? So just working through the actual process, right? Getting in there, setting everything up, and feeling how the shot should break every single time without the having to aim at this point. So I'm still shooting, but I'm spending a lot of time blank bailing and just looking for perfection out of what I'm doing. Is it there yet? No, but I'm it's something I'm working towards now. Aside from just the drilling and the volume of shooting that I'm doing that has increased, increased while you know doing it as per perfectly as I can, focusing on one as each of the different aspects and then putting them all together.

Switching To A Hinge Release

Zakk Plocica 11:29

I've also changed my release. So I've shot a thumb button. I pretty much I usually go to a hinge in the offseason. I really haven't this year. I've really just shot a thumb button the entire time. And not that it's bad, but I just you just can't feel like it's easy to punch the trigger on it. It is. Um, and it's I can execute a shot on command with it, but I'm not as you know focused on going through and pulling through the shot at the same way. So I've gone to a hinge, and uh, you know, that's kind of what I wanted to talk about today, is the biggest thing I think, aside from getting the bow setting up and then working through the shot process, is going back to a hinge for me to really take and improve my shooting because there's nothing to force this thing to go off, right? You've got to pull through that shot. This thing they go off by rotation, right? So you really can't fake the funk with it. I guess you could, you could rip through it if you want to, but as far as like being consistent goes, you're gonna struggle if you're doing that. You've really got to have everything dialed in. And going to a hand chest, I feel like has made a massive difference in my execution side of things, right? Pulling through the shot, making sure that, and not just having the shot go off, but having the shot go off the same way every single time. Because I have a bad habit of dropping my rear hand for whatever reason. Um, and a little bit has to do with mobility issues, whatever, excuses. But I've been working to make sure I'm doing less of that. And it's been a struggle for me to get through that. So going to the hinge, I feel like I'm able to come into anchor, keep that elbow nice and high while keeping pressure on the front of that bow, kind of pushing and keeping this elbow high and pulling through my shot with the hinge has been much better while having the shot break straight back versus me come out pulling almost plucking and dropping my hand. So the hinge has made a big difference. The other thing is with shooting the hinge, it allows me to shoot the release as it's intended to be shot, right? I talked to Pete from Stan, I talked to George Riles, I talked, and I listened to Cooper and all these other people. And one of the things that I noticed that I was doing with shooting just a handheld release is all the muscles in my forearms or hand were a little bit tense. And with shooting a hinge release, we know that we want this, all the muscles in the hand and the forearm to relax. So with the hinge release, I'm able to do that. I feel like a little bit better. I'm able to apply consistent pressure on my fingers on the release because that's important with shooting a hinge, making sure there's equal pressure, not too much pressure on your ring finger, which makes the release harder to go off, or too much pressure on your um excuse me, too much pressure on your pointer finger, which makes the release hard to go off, and then too much pressure on the ring finger where the release just goes off really fast. It's equal pressure across all fingers. That's why I'm shooting three fingers. I can't shoot four, I just feel like it's too hard. And two, I just don't have enough confidence in. But three seems to be a happy medium for me, three-finger release. I'm able to put equal pressure across all fingers and expand through my shot, let the muscles in my hand and forearm kind of relax and open up, and then the shot breaks. So that has made a huge difference. And it's been difficult for me to train, but shooting blank bailing has made it that much easier by able by being able to focus on that, by not having to worry about okay, I got a target at 50 yards. Am I aiming correctly? Is my pen steady? I'm able to come in on a blank bail, a couple yards away, get into anchor, and just work through that shot. And it's made a huge difference. And it's taken me some time to kind of figure out and setting up a release. I've never been somebody that's spent a lot of time setting up a release. I'm usually the guy like from the factory, it's close. I'll change out a thumb barrel. Maybe I'll take it to a three-finger. Um, you know, nothing crazy. But I've really spent a lot of time behind the release that I'm I'm shooting. And currently I'm shooting a Stan Lynx. I really like it. It's a little bit, I think it came out last year. I did not like this release in aluminum, but I got it in brass and I'm a huge fan of it. And it comes with a thumb peg, it comes with three, four finger, different barrel sizes, all these things. And um I have gone through and kind of stripped it down to the bare bones so that I'm not over-muscling this thing, over-gripping this thing. It's very, very simplistic. I like the full finger encapsulation on it, it just fits my hand very well. Um, and I'm a big fan of stand releases as it is. And, you know, no, typically I shoot a stand on X thumb button clicker. I, for whatever reason, really like the Onyx, or excuse me, the Lynx. It's a very similar design to my Onyx, but it's just got that full finger encapsulation. It feels slightly different. Um, the neck feels just a slight bit shorter, maybe. And it it honestly, it feels great in my hand. So I'm a big fan of it. I've stripped it down, I've got rid of everything on it except for that third finger. And I've really had to spend time with adjusting the travel on this thing to find what feel really feels good. And I'm I know this is gonna change over time as I continue to progress as my shooting journey and my shooting capability. But right now, um, I feel like I've gotten a sweet spot. The adjustment on this thing is fantastic. Um the click the fire speed is is is perfect on this. I like the hook design. Just this just feels really good and very repeatable as far as in my hand and able to anchor. And we know with a release, it's critical. Finding a good release, I think, is an investment and it's worth investing in a good one. And the best way to figure out which ones really work best are to be able to go and test them. That's why going to a local shop is so great. So you can test all these different releases. But those are what I've been working on, and that's what I my biggest takeaway is being intentional with what I'm doing and fully involved in it, focus on what I'm doing, not distracted, and um making sure that you know, I'm taking my time with it and not just putting in rep after rep after rep when it's not good quality reps, because that's what has happened to me. I've developed some, you know, they're subtle things, but they're they're things that are amplified, especially as the distance is greater that I'm shooting. I'll notice that my groups open up or, you know, I just I'm just really struggle. And being intentional has made a massive difference in these last three, four weeks at this point. Um, and like I said, the repetitions that I'm putting in is much greater, but my training is more focused, and I'm calling it training like I would in the gym, but I'm more focused in what I'm doing and taking my time with it. So that has made a massive difference. Those are the adjustments that I made on my bow. That is what I'm looking at as far as releases.

Stan SX4 And Release Must-Haves

Zakk Plocica 18:28

But I wanted to talk more about releases with all the different releases that have come out this year, and there's been some really good ones, right? Um, since we're already on it, stand the SX4 that came out, the thumb button is very, very similar to the Lynx. Very similar design. And uh obviously it's done very, very well. They came and they went. They're there, it's been a really great release and uh incredibly popular. And I was never really a fan of that full finger encapsulation, but the more I shoot it, I I kind of like it. Um, Stan, I think does a fantastic job when we talk about just the durability, not the durability, excuse me, the quality of the internals within the release are critical. Stan does a really good job of using high-end, just machined very well, very precise internals so that your click is consistent, it doesn't slip. I mean, just the way they're designed uh is is great. You know, some releases, whenever you get to the click, like especially if you're shooting a thumb button thumb clicker like the Onyx or uh a hinge with a click, you get to the click and it's almost like jarring because it's like so rigid. You don't have that with Stan. It's very fine, it's machined extremely well. You've got a ton of adjustment within it. And the SX4 too is um fantastic, not only in the design, but what it comes with. So I don't have one here in front of me because we sold out them instantly, but Stan is does a good job of giving you a lot of customization within their releases, right? So when you buy a Stan release, you get the box that has your different thumb barrels, your different thumb posts, so you can change the angle, the can't. All of that comes included. All of your accessories, you don't have to buy them separate. So I think that's one of the things I really enjoy about stand because you can play with these different things without having to continue to go buy and try these new things. Um, it's all included. Again, the the ergonomics on the stand releases are just fantastic. The SX4, I'm hoping to get some more in. They come in aluminum, they come in brass. I the more I shoot, the more I start to appreciate a heavier release. The brass just feels better. It feels like a higher quality release for one to me, and I don't know why, but maybe it's just the material and the weight that comes behind it. But the brass just feels better in my hand, and it feels it's probably a mental thing, but it feels like my shot is a little bit better with a brass release. And maybe it's because my hands moves a little bit more than some people's does, you know, at full draw and at anchor, and that weight just helps settle a little bit. I don't really know exactly what it is, but I do like the brass option. But they have the brass, they have the aluminum, so that you can go through and really pick the one that you want. You got full adjustability in that thing as far as like finger position, travel tension, barrel position. I mean, everything. So Stan does a good job with it. And then on top of that, the cool thing about Stan is their trainer locks. Um, so you can use it as a training tool whenever you're not shooting your bow. You can lock it down and use it. So it's kind of cool. Um, the only thing that's kind of odd with it that's I think it's just different, is the way it attaches to your D loop because your hook, you actually have to take and push your hook closed around your D loop, right? It doesn't have that little retention to where it slips right over and just hangs. You've got to push it closed, which is fine. You can still leave it hanging there, but it's definitely a little bit more um, you have to really pay attention to what you're doing to get it around your D loop and locked in. So not bad, but it is different. You definitely got to pay attention to what you're doing. Doing. Tons of buzz around that release, and I think it's done exceptionally well. And um yeah, it's just been it's obviously very, very popular. I'm waiting to get the brass ones in so we can have um play with them a little bit more. And the cool thing about it is you they they are size, so you got to buy size specific. Uh so you need to know what size you typically shoot. I usually use a medium, I run a smaller release uh than probably what most people do for whatever reason. I can't shoot my releases with gloves on, which I don't typically hunt with gloves on, anyways, so not a big deal, but I like my releases a little bit smaller. That's just me. I just think it's very personal. You need to figure out um what works for you. So SX4 Onyx stand, the links. If you haven't shot the links, like I said, this is what I'm using personally as the hinge and the onx thumb button. I really, really like it in the brass, particularly. Like I said, all the different finger adjustments that you get, great release. From there, B3 released some pretty interesting

B3 Flow And Flow X Breakdown

Zakk Plocica 22:58

releases this year. They have the flow and the flow X. So the Flow is the back tension option, right? The hinge. I personally think it's a pretty cool design. I've messed with them quite a bit here, and they are one size. This is kind of unique, but you can adjust the size of the release within the actual finger grooves of the release itself. So depending on the size of your index finger, you can move this in or out, and then you can run this thing from a two or excuse me, a three or four-finger option, right? This little piece on the end, you can pivot out, and you can have it as a four-finger release, or you can rotate it up and then close it off, and then you've got a three-finger release. They've also got this little finger separator in here, so you can run it depending on the size of your fingers. You can move it left or right, or you can remove it fully. So there's a lot of adjustment within this release itself. It's pretty cool. They again they have these in an aluminum and a brass as well. Again, the brass just feels better to me, but it's a very small, thin profile release. I um I've shot it and I I really enjoy it. The you can adjust the travel in it, you can adjust the speed of the click in it. So there's a lot of adjustment in it uh that you can that you can really play with. So, again, it's another really great option. Uh, and it comes with like all your different attachment pieces. Again, that's the nice thing about it is like your different thumb barrels, your finger attachments, the sizing, it's all there. Again, one size. So you can make a lot of adjustments without having to buy anything additional to it. And I think the internals on these are they're solid too. I like the click on these as well because it's not, like I said, overly rigid. Like where you get into it and they click and it like shakes your whole body. This is another really great option. They have this in a thumb button as well. So if you want to pair it, you can do that. You've got the flow, and then you've got the flow X. So the flow is the hinge. The Flow X is the thumb button version. Virtually the same design, it's just activated by a thumb button. Again, you get your different barrel um sizes that you can change out. One size, you can change the finger grooves, three-finger, four finger, the finger beds itself, and they're seracoded. They've got a really good feel to them and they've got a good look. Um, a lot of adjustment within it within them as well. And um, again, they all have, and when we talk about releases, a good release has really good internals. Like you can't skimp on that. That's why spending money on a good release, a good release will last you forever. Spending money on a good release, you know you're gonna get good internals that aren't gonna wear out because Colby made a video on the UV henge three with the internals that we're gonna get or um that are in there, which we'll get to the ultraview stuff here in just a minute, because I think Ultra View did a fantastic job as well. The internals are critical, especially for any of them that have a hook. If it doesn't have that hardened steel in it, and you shoot that release a lot and that starts to wear down the actual ledge of the click, your click becomes inconsistent because the metal's not hardened. So you need to invest in a quality release. And that's why there's these are all premium releases I'm talking about. High-end, high-quality releases that you can count on that are going to last you. That's the thing about a release is when you buy these cheaper ones, it's not bad. If it's in your budget, it's in your budget. But if you can afford the higher-end ones, it's worth it because you can make all your adjustments to these releases and you can really set them up and configure them how you want. And then you don't have to worry about them wearing out the internals, at least, right? Things coming loose, heads rotating on you, um, sears, clicks, all that, where it just starts to wear out and the release is no longer consistent, that becomes bad and makes shooting very difficult. So B3 Flow, the hinge, and the B3 Flow X, the thumb button, both great options. Um lots of adjustment within them. So the big thing this year, I think, as far as like kind of talk for releases, is the new Ultra View stuff.

UltraView Button 2 And Hinge 3

Zakk Plocica 27:05

So Ultra View is again a premium brand, and I was never really a fan of the UV button or um their hinge originally. Just I just it just wasn't for me. I'm not saying it was bad, it just I just didn't really care for them particularly. Mainly because the necks on them were just a little bit too long. And anytime like I have a 28 and a half inch draw length, like the the if the neck is long, I lose a little bit of draw length, which I don't want to sacrifice, right? I want to maintain my draw length. I don't want to have to adjust the bow because the release feels a little bit long or shift my anchor because of the release. And that was kind of the big drawbacks. I think for a lot of people with the ultra-view releases, you know, the UV button and then the UV hinge too. Well, earlier this year, they interviewed or they interviewed, they introduced the UV button too. Like this release, I think, is um they did a very, very good job with this. They shorten the neck by 20%, so it's about a quarter inch shorter. So it doesn't impact your um draw length negatively, if you you know, depending on who you are, right? So you don't have to change your anchor and rod. It's very consistent, it feels really, really good. It's available in a brass and in a aluminum as well as all the releases, and there's a lot of adjustability and um configurations that you can do with these. So if you guys didn't know, Ultra View brought everything in-house as far as releases are go, and they're all made in the United States now. So these are very difficult to get right now, but there's a high demand for them, and for a good reason. They just feel really, really good. I'm honestly very impressed with the overall look and feel of the new releases from Ultra View. Now, again, there's a lot of adjustment. You can configure these things for two-finger, three-finger, or four-finger, and change out the thumb barrels, all of these different things. But the only drawback is they're all separate. So you have to buy those accessory pieces separate. They are not included. When you get the release, you get just the release with the stock components on it. Um, but there is a ton of adjustment within these releases, and I think Ultra View did a very good job with the design and the ergonomics of them. Like the releases just feel, I think, better than they ever have. Uh, and they're very clean looking, very crisp. They're using high-end internals. You know, talk to Colby. Colby's a target guy, so he appreciates a high-end quality release. And I think they've done a really good job of creating that and just building a superior product. Um, you can adjust the travel in these things, um everything, like micro adjust, depend on depending on how much travel you want into this. Uh, like I said, they've just done a really, really good job. And the looks of them are great, and the design of them, I think, are what are even better. So they came out with the UV button two, incredibly popular, and then they came out with the UV Hinge 3. This is their first third iteration product that they've ever come out with, and it is the Hinge 3. So the UV button 2 and the Hinge 3 pair perfectly together. So if you're somebody that runs a two-release system, the UV button 2 for hunting and then the UV Hinge 3 for the offseason is a great way to do that. If you're a stand shooter, the Onyx thumb button and the on X Hinge series pair perfectly to each other. B3, the B3 Flow X thumb button, and B3 Flow pair perfectly together. So the two release system, I think, is fantastic for anybody that's shooting like seriously, right? Go to that thumb button in the all during the hunting season when you have more control over it, right? You're able to, you know, if you need to hammer that trigger, you can. You just have a little bit more control shooting a thumb button in during hunting season than you do a hinge, right? So all of these companies offer that two release system, which I'm a big fan of. So currently I will be shooting the onx thumb button during hunting season, and then I will be shooting or am shooting a lynx hinge in the off season, which feels very, very similar to my onyx thumb button. I understand there is the onx hinge, but I just have been playing with this Lynx a little bit more and really enjoy it, and it seems to be very consistent. So that's it. But back to Ultra View, when you look at that system, they've done a very good job. These things are virtually identical. So same thing with the UV Hinge 3. The neck is about 20% shorter, so it's a quarter inch shorter. So it doesn't impact your draw line negatively, but you'll notice the actual hook on this thing is moved further over your middle finger. So it puts everything more in line, which they say helps the overall feel of the actual release, right? We know equal finger pressure is important on a release. Well, this just helps with that, right? So you don't have too much finger or too much pressure on one finger over the other. The design of this release helps you to shoot the release better. They put a lot of thought into this. They've also done away with the thumb peg. You can get it as an accessory, but it comes now with the actual pad. Like I said, I went away from shooting an actual peg on my hinge to nothing, right? Now they've got the pad on their actual hinge, which is fantastic. It keeps, when we talk about shooting a really a release in general, it's important how we grab this release, right? We don't want to white knuckle it. We want it to be very consistent on the way we grab it, and we want the hand at arm to be nice and flat so that whenever we anchor, there's not any kind of weird movement in our hand, so that whenever we're pulling through a shot, it's straight back and consistent, right? Well, the design and the ergonomics of the UV hinge three, I think, really helps with that. It's a very, very good design, and I think that the actual pad, thumb pad, feels better than a post at this point. And obviously the guys at UltraView think that the case as well because that's what comes stock now on this release. So they've put a lot of thought into this. There's also a lot of adjustment in this release itself. You can get accessories as far as changing out the click-to-fire speed, right? So it used to be on the UV henge too. If you want to make adjustments, it was a two-moon system, I think, and you could manually adjust the click-to-fire speed within the release. Well, now Ultra View has taken and because it was hard to get it perfect, like if you moved it too far, hard to get it back, because we're talking about thousandths of an inch on click adjustment. Ultra View has done a has gone through and made preset hooks with specific settings, right? So they've got a no-click, they got a 16,000ths, a 20 thousandths, a 24 thousandths, and a 28,000ths click speed. They recommend with the as a new shooter, as a new hen shooter, sticking with the stock hook that comes in it, which is the 28,000ths, and running that. But now instead of micro or manually adjusting those, you just swap the actual hooks out so it's consistent. So whenever you're going from one to the other, you can perfectly match it to where it needs to be. And then you've got your micro adjustment as far as the actual travel of the release. And they've done a killer job with being able to micro adjustment. You'll notice on the release, everything is labeled. It tells you which way is hot, which way is cold, and there's these indicators on there that make it very, very easy to see where you are in your adjustment process. So if you've gone too far, haven't gone enough, you can reset to where you were very simply. They've done a fantastic job. They've really put a lot of effort into this, and I think this is going to be a very, very popular release. And the ergonomics on it and the feel of the release is absolutely fantastic. It's very low profile. It fits the hand really, really well. All of these releases do, but I really think Ultra View did a good job is with the feel of the release. I'd like to shoot one a little bit more. Um, I spent some time messing with it whenever we initially got it in, but I do want to, I'm probably gonna grab one and play with a little bit more because I do think it feels really, really good. Um just the adjustment that you get in it and the quality of the release is just there. So I think they've done a fantastic job. But there's a lot of really great options out there. It really comes down to shooter, shooter preference, what works for you, what feels best for you. Some people like a light release, some people like a heavy release. It's all dependent on the individual.

Reigniting Progress And Target Plans

Zakk Plocica 35:45

Um, and the more I get into my archery journey, which is continuing to evolve, right? I've been doing this for quite some time, but it continues to evolve and um, you know, excite me. And this year, after or these last couple weeks, month have really made me start over and really look at things from a different perspective, um, a little bit more of a technical perspective, because I do want to become a better and more proficient shooter, and that's what I'm working towards. And I'm not understanding not everyone needs to do that, but it's, you know, it's kind of reinvigorated me and made me excited to shoot again because we all go through laws, and you know, me struggling there has really kind of reignited my fire to want to enjoy shooting a bow a little bit more. And with it, I'm able to, I'm big on like really breaking things down and analyzing them a little bit more in depth. And I've I've started to apply that with my shooting, and I think it's just made a world of difference. And it just it all comes through trial and error, right? I think most of these things you can watch and you can read and whatnot, but in order to really do it, you've got to go out and uh do it and apply it. And some lessons you've got to learn the hard way. And for me, that was you know, that lesson out there at Total Archer Challenge was a hard lesson, but it was a great lesson, and it re-you know ignited the fire in me to really want to become a more proficient shooter. So at some point, I haven't made the um the jump yet to the target side of things, but I still think I'm gonna consider about building a target rig in order to shoot paper because paper doesn't lie. And you know, the best archers in the world are you know, target archers that shoot paper, and you know, they're able to just the most consistent, most repeatable shooters there are. So there's something to be said about that. So I think at some point I'm gonna get there. Probably not this year because as late as the season where we are, is late of the season we are in currently. We're getting ready to start prepping for hunting season before long. So I'll probably start getting my stuff, but I think by next year I'm probably gonna have an indoor target bow setup, specifically so I can become a better shooter and work on the fundamentals even further to that um just very precise degree, right? Nothing wrong with it. You're just gonna make me um the goal is to become better from the tuning side of things to the technical side of things to the actual execution side of things. I think uh if I want to do it, I need to commit and go all in. So that's probably what I'm gonna do. Now, as I continue shooting my hunting bow, I'm still playing with the actual bow. I feel like with all these changes I've made, my aiming is much better as well. I am more steady on the target. I know we're kind of jumping around here, so bear with me. Um, sorry, this is kind of unscripted. Uh, but you know, um, with all these changes I've made, there were some areas that I noticed I struggled a little bit, and obviously the execution side of things, but the aiming side of things was another one. And all of these things that I've been able to kind of dissect and diagnose has really helped and aided in making me aim better and hold better. You know, by increasing the holding weight of the bow, by shortening the draw length a little bit, by uh changing the let off, the bow just fits better. It feels better, it feels like I'm able to expand through the shot better. I feel more consistent and from my grip, my front shoulder to the actual execution, going to that hinge release has all played a part in improving my shooting capability and my progression over these last few weeks. Am I an incredible shooter at this point? No, but it's slow progress and you know it's progress nonetheless, and that's my goal with this thing to slowly continue to increase and become better, and then share it with you guys the mistakes I make and the things I learn. And, you know, I'm sure I'll be revisiting this again here with uh some other things that I'm I'm picking up and learning down the road, but I wanted to be able to share those things with you guys today. Um, the good, the bad, the ugly, all of it, and you know, kind of let you know how I'm taking these things and you know, approaching them in order to become better. So it's a slow process, but it's a process nonetheless. It's actually something I'm actually enjoying more than I have in a long time. And um yeah, I it's it's it's good, man. I'm excited. Um, excited to shoot my bow more than I ever have been. I'm still playing with my stabilizers though. I have not committed to anything yet. There's just a front bar on it with no weight at this point. Uh, I'm not sure what I'm going to do exactly, but I think I'm gonna probably run between a 12 and a 15-inch front bar, and then I'll look at a a rear bar, probably between a, depending on what the front bar length is, between a 10 and a 12. So that's also talking to some other people and kind of seeing because I want a bow that just holds rock solid. And that's particularly like that 35. I want it to just be hold on target and like a laser beam to where it just doesn't move. I actually shot some uh the Matthews Arc34 and the Hoyt AX333 today for a bow war series. If you're interested in bow comparisons, go to Extreme Outfitters YouTube channel, check out the Bow War series where we put bows head to head. And uh, I was very surprised at shooting my bow and then going and picking up different bows and shooting them a little bit more, how well it carried over to shooting those bows and shooting those bows accurately. Obviously, the Hoyt and the Matthews shoot extremely well, but I was really impressed at how well I shoot them with those fundamentals that I've been working on, carrying them over from bow to bow to bow. So it has a place, man. I think it's uh something that definitely takes time, but it's it's been fun. And I think one of the big takeaways, invest in a good quality release and then take the time to set the release up correctly. Obviously, make sure your bow is set up correctly. And then from there, it's just focus on the fundamentals and be intentional with what you're

Final Takeaways And Listener Feedback

Zakk Plocica 41:22

doing. That's my biggest takeaway from all of this. Get your gear dialed in, make sure it's set up, configured for you. It fits, it's shooting, it's tuned well. Your release is set up, tuned for you, specifically the feel you're looking for. And then from there, it's just spend time behind the bow and be intentional with every aspect of the process that you're working on so that you don't build any bad habits because they are very, it's very easy to build those habits and not be aware of them because they're so minuscule or minute that you you overlook them. And before you know it, you're trying you're chasing your tail, trying to figure out what's wrong, thinking it's the bow. It's not the bow. It is you, my friend. You are the problem behind the bow, at least I am. So that's it, my my friends. I appreciate you guys listening to me kind of ramble about this. Um, but if you have the opportunity, man, check out some of these new releases. Ultraview just did a fantastic job. Um, if you're looking for a little bit more affordable option, check out the B3 series, the uh the flow and the Flow X, and then of course the stand stuff you can never go wrong with just high quality, just good Sears internals. Buy a good release, invest in a good release, shoot that release, set it up correctly, and uh enjoy it. So as always, appreciate you guys following along. If you need any of the products, man, hit the website, extremoutfitters.com, use the code Archer Project, check out all the new releases. If you're local, come in our shop, Jacksonville, North Carolina. You can test any of the releases you would ever want to test and see which one works for you. But as always, I'm curious to hear from you guys. Drop some comments and give us some feedback and let me know your thoughts and your struggles with shooting a bow. Was it with the bow itself that just didn't mesh with you? It wasn't set up correctly, you had to make some changes in order to improve your shooting. Was it you, the shooter, your execution side of things, your process? Did you have to manipulate and change some things in order to become more proficient? Or was it the release? Did you just the release, you know, you went from one release to a different one and you notice your shooting changed dramatically? I'd be curious to hear from you guys because there's like three or four different parts that it could be, and you've got to be able to dial it in and figure out which part you need to actually correct, right? Obviously, we need the fundamentals dialed in and the bow needs to be set up and the release all need to mesh in order for us to be good and consistent, especially when we're talking about becoming that much more proficient. We talk about shooting dots or shooting extreme distance. Every single input matters. Bad inputs are going to equal bad outputs, and they are amplified downrange if um you're shooting those extreme distances and things are just not clicking. So, as always, I appreciate you guys following along, man. Give us some feedback, let me know. I always enjoy hearing from you guys and everyone that supports us in our channels. Thank you very much. It means the world to me and our team here. So that's it, guys. That's another episode of the Archery Project. Thanks for following along. We'll see you guys next week in the next episode.