Trad Gang

Main Boards => The Shooters FORM Board => Topic started by: stick_string on February 18, 2010, 09:16:00 AM

Title: How many hit your arm with the string?
Post by: stick_string on February 18, 2010, 09:16:00 AM
Hey guys...I have tried heavily to follow the model and the shooting videos to keep the gaps and everything straight; but I cannot get past the fact that if I keep everything tight and the string hits my arm...I shoot much better!!  Does anyone else hit their arm with the string REGULARLY?
Title: Re: How many hit your arm with the string?
Post by: akbowbender on February 18, 2010, 10:59:00 AM
Nope. I only use an armguard when wearing a heavy coat.
Title: Re: How many hit your arm with the string?
Post by: Rabob on February 18, 2010, 11:22:00 AM
Nope...I've shot recurves for 49 years both left and right handed,never did.
                                Regards,Ray
Title: Re: How many hit your arm with the string?
Post by: Lechwe on February 18, 2010, 11:41:00 AM
I'm pretty regular at hitting my arm lightly.
Title: Re: How many hit your arm with the string?
Post by: bshunter on February 18, 2010, 12:39:00 PM
Funny thing...I didn't in the beginning, but now I hit it all the time...still working on finding out which one of the many form changes I've made, that might be causing this. Rod Jenkins just answered a post of mine that kinda asked the same thing...try and grip the bow in such a way that your knuckles are at a 45 degree angle, good luck.
Title: Re: How many hit your arm with the string?
Post by: Earthdog on February 18, 2010, 12:54:00 PM
I do most of the time,just a bit of a zing,nothing big.
When I'm hunting and wearing my usual jacket I just open my stance a little to compensate for it.
Title: Re: How many hit your arm with the string?
Post by: Winterhawk1960 on February 18, 2010, 02:16:00 PM
Nope, the string never has hit my bow arm upon release........well......except the ONE TIME that I had a wooden flu-flu disintigrate when I turned her loose.

Winterhawk1960
Title: Re: How many hit your arm with the string?
Post by: Cyclic-Rivers on February 18, 2010, 03:43:00 PM
I hit it hard one time when the knock broke.  Wish I was wearing he arm guard then.  

I find I start hitting my arm more and more when my string stretches and my Brace height is off.  I will be painting my arrows to have a quick reference so That I dont have to measure all the time.
Title: Re: How many hit your arm with the string?
Post by: xtrema312 on February 18, 2010, 04:50:00 PM
Not with a curve, but with a long bow a little sometimes.  Even with a hybrid LB I can do it.  I don't understand that given the grip is like a curve and the brace height is up higher.  I was shooting at the Kzoo expo and had it with a couple LB’s like the A&H and med grip Morison.  I shot without an arm guard and never had a problem with the curves I shot.  

I didn't think I was with my MOAB shooting this winter in a heavy shirt with a vest, but the other day I was in a real light long sleeve shirt after work when it was a little above freezing.  I took of my coat when I got home and shoot for about 15-20 minutes by the barn before heading in, and I found I was getting a real light contact on the shot.  A tighter grip fixed it as did more bow arm bend, but I don’t like to grip hard or give up draw length.  I have found release can be a problem sometimes.  If you pluck or even shoot more off the tips of the fingers without a deep hook you can cause the string to get some side to side movement and hit if you shoot a fairly straight bow arm.
Title: Re: How many hit your arm with the string?
Post by: Over&Under on February 18, 2010, 05:46:00 PM
I tend to hit my arm regularly and tend to shoot better when I do.  Maybe I am doing something wrong and thats why, not sure, but ya I have to wear an arm guard.
Title: Re: How many hit your arm with the string?
Post by: twitchstick on February 18, 2010, 06:54:00 PM
I don't with my recurve but I do with my long bow.
Title: Re: How many hit your arm with the string?
Post by: woodsman 365 on February 18, 2010, 07:22:00 PM
I hit my arm lightly and do sometimes end up with a small bruise.
Title: Re: How many hit your arm with the string?
Post by: Covey on February 18, 2010, 08:11:00 PM
No, I don't have any trouble with hitting my arm. I wear one to hold my clothes in, but I'm thinking about trying the rubber band thing for that! Jason
Title: Re: How many hit your arm with the string?
Post by: Bill Skinner on February 18, 2010, 08:54:00 PM
If I do everything right, I won't hit my arm.  I wear an armguard:  1. it keeps my sleeve out of the way, and 2.  I don't always do everything right.  Bill
Title: Re: How many hit your arm with the string?
Post by: Earthdog on February 18, 2010, 10:11:00 PM
The better your alignment (a the classical sence) the more likely you are to sap your arm.
You can control most of it by either changing your grip to the Howard Hill style of coming in slightly from the side,or by opening your stance a little.
I have a slightly beyond closed stance for most shooting situations,but If I want to clear my jacket arm,all I do is put my back foot around 6" further forward of where it would normaly be.
This opens the stance and as a result my bow string clears my arm more.
Open or closed,think of it like a door but base it on your back foot,square an the door is closed,slightly forward an the door is slightly open.
My usual stance,the back foot is behind the line of my front foot,,,slammed through the door frame ;^)
Title: Re: How many hit your arm with the string?
Post by: MercilessMing on February 18, 2010, 10:20:00 PM
If I cant my bow too much the string tends to hit my armguard.  Usuaually move the bow a bit more vertical can solve my problem at them.
Title: Re: How many hit your arm with the string?
Post by: bofish-IL on February 18, 2010, 11:11:00 PM
I use to hit mine some with a recurve or a longbow. Then a older guy told me to turn my feet toward the target instead of standing sideways. Worked for me!!
Title: Re: How many hit your arm with the string?
Post by: PhilNY on February 19, 2010, 10:45:00 AM
When I shot target indoor 300 rounds as a kid I always hit my arm gard so I used talc on the gard and a monofiliment serving and it did not hamper my shooting at all.Later on I held my chest in and front shoulder down when drawing and that combined with an open stance and arm rotation has kept me for some time from slapping the gard with the string. If you are shooting good groups and it doenst make too much noise for hunting then I dont think it really matters.
Title: Re: How many hit your arm with the string?
Post by: longbow55 on February 19, 2010, 11:04:00 AM
Shooting my black widow longbow yes, shooting my shrew longbow, most the time, no. The grip makes a difference I guess.
Title: Re: How many hit your arm with the string?
Post by: Greg Skinner on February 19, 2010, 03:26:00 PM
I never used to use one at all with any bow.  I only shoot long bows, now, and since I have refined my form to get better shoulder alignment I find that I get a little bite from the string if I shoot wearing a short sleeve shirt.  I always use an armguard just to keep jacket sleeves from possibly interfering with the path of the string.  I don't ever notice any noise associated with it, though.
Title: Re: How many hit your arm with the string?
Post by: stick_string on February 19, 2010, 08:51:00 PM
Awesome...thank you!!  That is great.  I cannot seem to stop hitting my arm, but it is very slight...just regular.
Title: Re: How many hit your arm with the string?
Post by: coaster500 on February 20, 2010, 09:53:00 PM
Not with my Robertson Recurve but yes with my longbows? I think it's about the mass and the grip.
Title: Re: How many hit your arm with the string?
Post by: Bowwild on February 24, 2010, 07:23:00 PM
Proper bow hand set can eliminate or minimize arm slap. The bow hand's lifeline should be centered over the grip of the bow. The bow hand knuckles should be on a 30-45 degree angle (vertical knuckes will hit your arm), and the bow hand should be relaxed.  Of course the stance should be slightly open--front foot half step back, feet shoulder width apart, and front foot "opened" about 45 degrees towards the target.  This bow hand set is often difficult to get with many recurve handles because of the way they are made. It is much easier to achieve with a narrow gripped compound. Having written all that. To answer your question.  I "nick" my bow arm just above the wrist if I shoot a recurve with a brace height less than 7.5 inches. Not so much that I need an armguard but I always wear one when hunting to keep my shirt/coat sleeves at bay.
Title: Re: How many hit your arm with the string?
Post by: EzArcher on February 25, 2010, 01:05:00 PM
hitting your arm is a bad thing because it is never consistent especially when you change clothing. check your brace height if it is fine then try turning your bowhand slightly clockwise (if you are right handed) and remember to expand using your back muscles to keep everything in line.
Title: Re: How many hit your arm with the string?
Post by: cgeiser on February 28, 2010, 07:05:00 PM
Stick_string,
search for the post titled "bow arm elbow". This is one I recently posted and robtattoo gives a great answer with backup from shooter8. It wasn't the grip for me but the rotation of my bow arm. Robtattoo's answer describes the solution better than I can. I hope this helps.

Che