A:

A world class compound archer once said that their whole focus at full draw was to try and pull the axles out of the limb and this should give you an indication as to the level you should be leaning on the stops at full draw. Leaning on the stops refers to coming through the peak and pulling against the resistance made by the cams against either the cables or the limb depending on bow make. Many compound shooters “tap” against the stops and this can lead to all sorts of issues in execution. Not pulling hard enough on the stops makes aiming difficult, in as much as the aperture will not behave in a controllable manner and this will lead to a lack of confidence in the aiming process and quite probably punching. Similarly if the archer doesn’t lean hard enough on the stops they will struggle to execute the trigger (hinge or true back tension) consistently and this will lead eventually to punching.

In order to learn good techniques with respect to how hard to lean on the cams, set an Evolution or similar release aid 4 pounds heavier than the valley for that bow and on blank boss the release aid should execute as soon as you release the safety catch. If you then bring a target into the equation the release aid should trigger the same, if not you are coming off the stops at full draw to facilitate aiming, but this will actually lead to the issues we have discussed.