The TRUTH About Stabilizers (You May Be Doing This Wrong)

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[emdrum]

The point of a stabilizer is to compensate for the geometry issues created by the bow. In a perfect archery system, the archers hands would be in the centre of the bow, both at the nock and at the grip, creating a symmetrical spring with which to launch the arrow. Unfortunately this means that the arrow is going to have to go through the archer's hand. To avoid this, the grip is moved below the arrow, but this creates a point of pressure below the centreline of the bow which causes the bow to kick upwards on release. The stabilizer is there to counteract this kick and ensure that the arrow leaves cleanly without an upward kick affecting the flight of the arrow. Having a stabilizer sticking out the front of the bow creates a front-back imbalance, so having a rear stabilizer helps to correct this imbalance while enhancing the resistance of the bow to the upward kick.

[trxe]

I run a 12 in the front and a 8 in the back for hunting. The way I figured out what I needed was to draw with my eyes closed and then look at my bubble and adjust, it really helped my form.

[josefyoussefpour]

Thanks for the info Chris, would love to see you shoot your bow in a long range situation with and without your stabilizer to see the difference in grouping.

[daveeagling]

I’ve watched countless videos on stabilisation and no one has ever explained the advantage of adding bias to the bow in a way that makes perfect sense. I’ve tried it for myself now and it’s a game changer. Thanks Chris.

[aidens.]

I'm only 15 and your videos are helping me with my bow hunting skills and what is necessary for my bow. I basically have the same hunting setup as up. Thanks Chris

[RealRadNek]

With my V3, the bow without any stabilizers, front and back, is already well balanced. It is possible to hunt without stabilizers period and the effect on the shot without stabilizers is negligible in hunting situations. As a result, I simply shoot with a single rubber stabilizer "stacker" ball and really, that is only to hold my wrist strap on. I have hunted with a simple small bolt in the stabilizer bar hole once again to simply hold my wrist strap on the bow. Lugging around in the woods all that extra weight is pointless IMO. And lengthy stabilizers whether out the front or back has more potential to hurt you in the tree, whether in the saddle or stand than to help when you are making the shot. Thanks for sharing the tech info Chris. Very interesting and I learned some stuff today.

[ridgebologna]

I sat in Blair Sandberg’s kitchen back in the spring of 2007 and he gave me a physics lesson on rotational torque and why designed the original b-stinger the way he did. It’s awesome to see that he innovatived the stabilizer and archery world and we are doing everything differently.

[MikeJones-vbme]

I wish there was a way to try different stabilizers or releases or things like that before you buy them

[Thrilloftheoutdoors]

I was today years old my bow likes to lean to the right and I have to tilt it the left to get my bow level and when I shoot and I follow through my bow it self dirfts left I never thought about why my bow goes that way but it makes sense now

You taught me something new thanks chris

[kriskodisko]

I have started looking more into stabilizers as I just got my first ever deer at 32 with my uncle's 30 year old bow he gave me long ago, and decided to get a flagship bow (Bowtech SR350) as I'd finally done his bow justice and gotten a harvest with it. I'm not sure how I feel about it all yet. I was able to pull off a Robinhood at 25 yards within my first month of practicing with his bow again (PSE Edge 1000C, it had been years since I'd shot it and I started working on my form to get back into archery), and the only stabilizer I had on it was a Trophy Ridge 8" dampener more or less. It was definitely much less forgiving, but it forced me into proper form for results. I'm of the mind that all the gadgets arent necessarily necessary so long as you pound correct form into your head and dont rush or take shots you shouldnt. You sorta touched on that with stripping all the weight off a new bow or new form but still. It just feels a little to foreign to the art of archery. But If I go down that rabbit hole too long I'll end up at bare bow archery and no one wants that x'D

[outdoorlifewithdougb]

Thanks for the teachings. I’ve been learning for past four years on my own just from watching videos like yours and others. I don’t have access to a club unless I travel 3.5 hrs away and they’re not available most times on the weekends. Archery isn’t very popular in my neck of the woods. Maybe a few guys who only hunt one month out of the year. So, I appreciate the time you put into the vids.

[jonse]

I didn't know about calculating how much was needed on the back bar, but I got the same thing by just feel. Pretty cool to confirm it.

[IIDASHII]

Thanks for this vid. I haven't put a ton of thought into my stabilizers other than that "they should balance out the bow...right??" The side bias reducing chances of error makes a lot of sense. I will have to try kicking my back stabilizer out a little and see what it does for my consistency.

[bbarker]

When I'm hunting my setup us short because I do a lot of stalking and very little stand hunting honestly. However I do have weights added to a short stubby back bar to balance out my quiver/arrow weights.

[aaronr]

Stabilizers increase the rotational inertia of the entire bow rig. You lever mass as far from rotational center as reasonable to resist the tendency for rotation. They also assist with vibration diffusion after the shot lets loose.

[tylerelkins]

I’m about to run a back bar for the first time on my Hunting Rig (Lift X) & once it comes in I hope it helps balance everything out but, I’m going to try & run a 10” front & a 10” back but, I’m putting a 3 oz steel weight on the back. I hope 🤞🏽 it works to balance everything… oh & im running the BL Stabilizers.

[swamibr]

Okay, the back bar bias tip is pretty great and something that I just kinda stumbled on today.

[mtnphysio]

Good video Chris. George is the man! I love the way he approaches archery from a quantitative and mathematical equation! Catch you at TAC this year man!

[tomsimmons]

You said that you were adding a link to the George Riles information on stabilizers? Great info you provided, thanks. Always looking for new information to help me shoot better.

[aftertheburial]

very well explained, I know very little about the technical side of setups, but I learned some new things.