Bow arm position - slightly bent or stiff

[Rick Richard]

What is the best position for the bow arm.  should it be straight out with no bend in it or should there be a bend and how much?

[moebow]

I personally like to see a straight (but not locked elbow) bow arm.  I feel that you get the best bone on bone alignment that way.  The more you bend your bow arm, the more muscle is required to hold it steady.  Just one opinion.

[SAVIOUR68]

X2 ON WHAT MOE SAID, JUST SEEMS TO ME I CAN GET A MORE SOLID BOW ARM WITH LESS TENSION.    

[bihunter]

What Moe said.

[JamesKerr]

I like a straight arm for my own personal shooting style. I have seen people including one of my closest friends shoot with a bent elbow and shoot very accurately. I just find it is easier to get a solid bow arm with the straight arm.

[cbCrow]

I shoot longbows and I use a slight bend in the arm.I find that it justs helps with position of hand in relation to string hand because of my anchor.

[gringol]

A lot of the Hill shooters advocate a bent arm.  Is that a necessity due to the straight grip, or simply because HH shot with a bent arm?

Also,  I think it would helpful to see a post with a collection of videos showing DIFFERENT shooters exhibiting good form (something that you experts can decide) so guys like me can visualize the slight variations in good form.  The form clock is very helpful, but people are all built a little differently so it seems to me that good form could also look slightly different from one person to another.

Am I way off on this?

[Terry Green]

Either works....just gotta find which works best for you.

[Keystone Cowboy]

Back in the late 80's i broke my bow arm elbow and after it healed from surgery i was not able to lock it out anymore. Both a good and bad thing. I have an automatic bend in my arm so i don't have to use an arm guard but also lost about 2" of draw.

[momo]

i think moe said it all

[gonefishing600]

I agree with moebow, but both Bob Wesley and Rick Welch recommend a bent arm.

Go figure!

[Hopewell Tom]

So straight or bent can work as Terry said, but the elbow points off to the side and not down, right?

[kenn1320]

I normally have a locked bow arm, but lately with my BB recurve I have been playing around with a slightly bent elbow. This gives me a push towards target arm and I equalise push/pull at anchor. Its showing some promise, just would take some time to ensure your getting consistent draw length and not affecting the arrow with the push upon release.

[moebow]

Tom,  short answer is YES.  With the elbow (pointy part) pointing at the horizon behind you (off to the side), you gain string clearance and have better bone alignment in your bow arm (stronger with less stress).

[Bowwild]

Straight but unlucked is the advice of Olympic archery coaches. This is a more repeatable bow arm and allows for keeping the bowarm active throughout the shot so you don't collaspe or creep.