String hand question?

[Eugene Slagle]

I've been shooting Split Finger "Mediterranean" for over 30 years when I shoot with fingers & although I'm not the best shot in the house I'm very consistent & comfortable with it.

My daughter Erin shoots 3 Under & she is very good at it, I've tried it & on occasion still try but it doesn't feel right to me.

Last night my church friend Frank wanted to try my 2 RH Recurves out to see if he can handle 50# before he orders a Longbow from Mad Dog "he's left handed, just wanted to see if he can handle the weight."
He grips the string with a 2 up & 2 down configuration & when I used one of my LH Genesis bows to measure him he did use a standard split finger but at first instinct had him gripping it with 2 up & 2 down.

A little history on Frank with Archery:
He told me that when he was in his early teens he had a fiberglass bow & learned to shoot it very good but life got in the way & he dropped it.
He is in a re-enacting group & he shoots a very light Longbow with modified arrows to keep from hurting anyone when he does this.
He knows from just last night seeing Erin & I shoot that he'll need some instruction to achieve proper form & I told him not to worry about arrows just yet, just get the bow & we'll use what I have to get him shooting properly before we order his arrows.

Here is my question:
I've taught both standard ways, split finger & 3 under & experimented with thumb rings but is his 2 up 2 down wrong & should I get him shooting more conventionally with either a split finger or 3 under string hand or is it ok the way he's gripping the string??


By the way, he's about a 28.5" draw with the genesis @ 20#.

[Greg Dearth]

I would let him experiment with split and 3 under and see if he could become comfortable with either one. I wouldn't think one could develope the best arrow release with 2 above and 2 below. I'd think it would be hard to get the fingers to clear the string , in order to get a clean release. Try to find what is comfortable for him to shoot. Just my 2cents worth....Greg

[Wapiti Bowman]

In my experience, it's not unusual to see a newbie grab the string with four fingers. However, for most folks, their little finger is so much shorter than their other three, that using it can lead to improper string hand alignment and/or torquing the string. I would agree with Greg, that you get your friend to start working with a three finger "hook"; either split or three under. If he's just really learning, and intends to shoot without a sight, I would encourage using three under as it gets the arrow closer to the eye which tends to make target alignment easier for a new shooter, IMHO. BTW, don't forget to determine your friend's dominant eye before he puts money out for a new bow.

[Eugene Slagle]

Originally posted by Wapiti Bowman:
 BTW, don't forget to determine your friend's dominant eye before he puts money out for a new bow.

Already done that at the church but thanks.

Yeah, I kinda thought that myself on the string hand but thought there may be someone out here that does shoot like that, just wanted to be sure before I started pointing him twords split finger or 3 under.

[Trumpkin the Dwarf]

Originally posted by Wapiti Bowman:
 If he's just really learning, and intends to shoot without a sight, I would encourage using three under as it gets the arrow closer to the eye which tends to make target alignment easier for a new shooter

Another solution is to start him out with a high anchor point(think top of cheekbone). I shoot split, but anchor just below my eye. I really dislike three under personally just because it feels so strange. IF he is already accustomed to a variation of split fingers on the string it may feel very awkward for him to shoot three under.