tight or lose grip

[huntman]

Shooting recurve bows do you grip the bow lose or tight?

[Ybuck]

For myself, a snug(not tight) grip. Makes my follow through "happen"

[snag]

Pretty light in the hand. If you place the bow in the yoke of the hand and then pull with your back muscles through to completion of the shot the bow will softly jump forward. What happens is if you hold the bow firmly you can torque the bow causing noice, excess string oscillation, etc. Just allow the bow to do it's job and it is quiet and you will be more accurate.

[joevan125]

What Snag said per Rod Jenkins.

[Scott F]

Everytime that I shoot one of my recurves I use a wrist sling that I made from some 550 cord (paracord).  It loops around my wrist, then around the riser and clips back onto itself.  My hand is relaxed because I don't even hold the bow but it is impossible to drop it.  Yes, I even use it in a treestand  

Longbows are a different story...

Scott

[Gregg S]

I'll probably get bashed for saying this because it goes against what is considered the "right way to do it" but here goes anyway. I tried for years to shoot with a loose grip. From my compound days to present. With a loose grip I tend to wobble the bow while I'm trying to settle in on my spot. I would end up shooting when the bow drifted past my intended sight picture. Sometimes good and sometimes not so good. Anyway, I had read that Howard hill said that the bow should be held like it was in a vise before the shot. I started experimenting and here is what has seemed to work for me. I draw the recurve with a loose grip and allow it to move in my hand until I'm fully anchored. It will settle in quickly to where it wants to go. Once at anchor I grip the bow firmly and continue to aim and keep tension on the string until the shot just happens. I'm not sqeezing the crap out of the bow but it is a firm grip and that allows me to hold on a spot "like it is in a vise". This has worked for me. Give it a try. Maybe it will work for you and maybe not.

[huntman]

I've shot compound bows for over 20 yrs. & can shoot with a open palm. Just did not know the proper way with a recurve. Thanks

[TSP]

Starting out 25 years ago I used a loose grip.  But, over the years I've come to prefer a tight grip for both longbows and recurves, finding that my control of the bow is much better, achieving good solid alignment is easier, the bow itself is much quieter and my shooting is better/more consistent.  Yes yes, I've heard the experts say otherwise...but the proof is in the pudding.  'Get ahold of it', as Hill used to say.  It works for me, give it a try if you aren't happy with your current grip.

[dragonheart]

with the mass weight of a recurve you can shoot a more relaxed grip.

[Paul WA]

Whwn someone says "completion of the shot" it means the same as release...PR

[strcpy]

Loose.

The name of the game here is consistency. It is tough to grip the bow with the same amount of force each time if you are actively gripping it. Relaxed is, well, relaxed.

Your grip is one of the two most important factors in your shooting. You really only come into contact with he bow in two places - the grip and your string. All you form work, concentration work, well - all your work comes to nothing if your contacts with the bow are not consistent.

If you think about the shot form clock and nearly everything else you read about it then it is an effort to have those two contact point have nearly all their "force" either directly towards (for your bow hand) or directly away (for your string hand) from the target.

Follow through, release, keeping on target, and the other dynamic parts of your shot are all there to maintain those lines *after* your static form is done (that is, your form before the release is set up so that after you let go of the string everything stays in line). Anything and everything you do to make that better is going to improve your shooting.

As such your grip is the last part of your body that can affect the shot. Hopefully your string fingers have already let go and allowed the string to cleanly slide off your fingers down that line drawn in the shot clock. It is up to your grip to stay on that line until the arrow leaves the string - a surprisingly long time (I have a slow motion video I took on this forum - watch it).

If you can use positive grip pressure to do that then all is good - most people can not. For most of us a relaxed grip where the bow springs forward is the only way to do it. For target shooters that can use a sling it is best to just let the sling catch the bow - after all then you have no timing issues (did you grab to early?). If a hunter or a class that you can't have them then you just have to carefully practice it.

[TSP]

Strcpy, are you speaking about target shooting or about hunting because in my view there's a big difference.  Hunting does not provide the luxury of straight-up perfect world shooting form, nor is it generally done with light-weight and carefully balanced bows or under optimum shooting conditions at stationary bullseyes with unlimited prep/draw/shoot time. There are angles, heights, higher poundage, torque enhancers (like a bowquiver full of arrows), weather, timing, fatigue, stiffness, and just plain harder conditions to cope with in the woods than when on a target line.  Controlling the bow and maintaining control through the shot is easier to do when actually holding it under those circumstances, and bow torque is reduced all else equal.  I'll agree that many target shooters prefer and do very well with a hold-it-like-a teacup approach at tournaments, but those that shoot targets AND spend much time hunting will likely prefer (and be more consistent with) a firmer grip for better control.  It's a learned experience.

The shape of the grip has a lot to do with how much pressure one can get by with for the control TSP is speaking of.  Some recurves and longbows with virtually straight grips can be handles with the longbow grip without putting to much torque into the limbs.  Be careful that more pressure is not turning the handle section.  Even though Hill put pretty good pressure on the bow, he did not twist it.

[TSP]

I believe Pavan (and to some degree strcpy) is right re grip shape, it certainly does matter.  But a firm grip isn't what causes bow torque, an IMPROPER grip does.  Alhough I do shoot Hill bows alot I also regularly shoot Widow and Morrison recurves as well as hybrids...all with exactly the same firm grip and all with minimal handshock/movement/vibration.  Achieving a straight line between the arrow point and the draw elbow by setting the grip under tension (straight line) early in the draw allows a solid hold to be MAINTAINED through the draw and shot while actually MINIMIZING torque... because the bow stays under your control rather than tilting/flopping like a fish.  It'll work for any bow, it just takes a little forethought and practice. For better control 15' up in a treestand or crouching in a cramped groundblind things it pays dividends.  When on a target line, well I guess that pinky-and-a-teacup thing does fine, too.

[SteveB]

I shoot targets 10 1/2 months a year to prep for hunting season.
Most are done with my hunting equipment.
Use a relaxed grip and never have any issues in any hunting situation and shoot several deer yearly. If the shot is not there, I don't try to force it and call it "hunting situations".

I think Rod Jenkins has killed a deer or 2 - as have most of the top competitor tea cup holding shooters I know and have met.

SteveBNY

[fantastixvoyage]

+1 for loose.  Was taught that way and it works for me.  Tight grip seems to negatively affect my shooting of all kinds - compound, recurve, bird gun, etc.

[Ragnarok Forge]

I like to hold the bow like I am holding an egg light and just firm enough to keep it in place.  The allows the riser to settle into the pad of my thumb uniformly and has helped me a lot with my follow thru.  I guess you would call that a light grip.  I used to shoot open hand when compounding and adapted it just a bit to keep the longbow in my hand after the shot.

[dragon rider]

I prefer a loose grip with only my thumb and forefinger actually around the bow.  I started that style after attending Rick Welch's school and listening to him about not grabbing the bow at the shot, and watching Rod Jenkins on MBB III show how to avoid the grab reflex.  It works well for me.  

On the other hand, like many things, if you do exactly the same thing on each shot, I don't think it matters what you actually do, you can learn to shoot accurately and consistently.  The trick is to find a style that you can easily repeat on each shot.

[hvyhitter]

I'm on the side of "pretty damm tight". It  works for me and have never had a "torque" problem. Try it it might work well for you...or not. Its like 3 under, or heavy cant, or stiff arm/push pull or snap vs hold, may work for some but not for everyone.

[mustoffa]

First  Ikeep hand open til i reach full draw and then i lightly wrap index finger around bow.this way i think the bow sit the same always.no tweking or twisting your bow .that my thoughts