Test Page – please accept my apologies whilst I try and rebuild this site from the ground up
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Finger Placement
While we are talking about fingers, it is worth mentioning, at this point, that there are various devices to protect your fingers whilst pulling the string back.
Although you can try to fire your bow with bare fingers – this is not recommended, as, to be honest it hurts after a while. Your fingers can end up painful and sore.
The style of protection tends to vary with the type of bow you use.
- Longbows : Long bowers tend to use a Three Fingered Glove, giving protection to the fingers that grip the string.
- Recurve : Recurvers can also use a glove, but most use a Tab. Although this can take several forms, it again shields the fingers from the string by placing a Leather (or mock-leather) "Tab" between you and the string.
Compound : Compounder's rarely touch the string at all – but usually use a device known as a release aid. This generally has a mechanical hook that clips round a loop attached to the string. Once the draw has been completed, the string is released by pressing a button that will then release the hook, and hence the string.
Irrespective of which device (bar the release aid) you use, your fingers will still need to do something – physically.
Bow Hand placement
This placement is possibly one of the most important issues to bare in mind. As you can see from the images, there is a preferred way to hold the grip (or not as you will see later) will make so much of a difference to the way the arrow flies, and to the accuracy of the shot.
The pressure of the bow should be distributed along the pressure line, and, initially at least, the sensation is a little "odd" (or at least I thought so). But, with a little persistence you will find you get used to the feeling.
Relax your fingers, don't grip.
The back of your hand should make an angle of 45 degrees.
The tips of thumb and index finger are may touch each other in a relaxed way. This is very difficult for me to describe. The effect, as you draw back the string, is that as the tension on the string increases, the bow sits back into "v" at the base of your thumb. This, in turn, makes it un-necessary to grip the bow at all. Again, as with most things it is something that will develop as your confidence grows.
5: Bow Arm
Again this is another part of the technique that may well take a while to perfect. Coaching can also come to your assistance, as, with an experienced "pair of eyes". The way you hold your bow can make as much difference to the end result as has the bow its-self.
Again, in a effort to protect you, and your skin, the arm with which you hold out your bow should be protected with an Arm guard (you can see a graphical representation on the arm of the "chap" on the left).
This item "deflects" the path of the string should it come near your arm.
Using the Bow Arm
With the bow held comfortably in your hand, bring that arm up-to to roughly shoulder height.
The elbow of your bow arm should be slightly turn away from the path of the string
Footnote: The images used above, and on other pages in this site, have been sourced via the images search on Google (other than those on the main club pages which are used with the knowledge of the officers of the club). As far as I'm aware the images have no specific copyright associated with them. However if anyone is aware of anything to the contrary, firstly I apologise the the copyright owner, but, if you would kindly contact me via the "Contact Us" page I will happily carry out the required actions.
