A good way to find your best way to grip your bow.

[jonsimoneau]

Most of us on here already know the best ways to grip a bow.  But I have noticed something.  I can take 2 different bows and grip them the same way.  Take one and grip it the way you would as if you were going to shoot.  Don't draw the bow.  Just grip it the way you would during a shot.  Now without changing the grip, squeeze your hand like you might do in a high-pressure situation.   Notice how much the bow moves when you do this. Now do the same thing with the other bow.  Notice which one moves the least when you squeeze it.  The one that moves the least is the better grip for you, assuming you grip both bows the same.  I think this would also be a good way to determine how to grip each individual bow that has different grips.  Figure out how to hold it so that even if you were to really squeeze it like in anticipation of the release or when the biggest buck you have ever seen is under your tree, it moves the least amount.

[tracker12]

As I go down the traditional journey I am always trying to improve and become n=more consistent day to day and shot to shot.  Grip is one of those things that can hurt consistently.  i thought I had it down until a well know bowyer made the statement that a long bow is meat to be held.  Grip it like something in a vice.  I tried that but for me a more passive grip letting the bow find its right place an letting the draw hand steer the bow has been better for me.

[Sirius Black]

I shoot all my bows with the same light grip. My Hoyt recurve, and a Hill longbow I recently picked up, both shoot great this way. I have none of the "shock" with my Hill that some people speak of.

[jimboby]

Taking another view of this I tried my normal grip and drew my bow with eyes closed.   I found I was not on target when opening my eyes.  After adjusting my grip, I found I could do this process and be on target every time.  This was done with an arrow on the string at 10 feet from a target.  After adjusting to this new grip my shooting improved and my bow got a whole lot quieter.  I did this with a 2 other bows and found similar results.  Each bow seemed to want to be gripped its own way.

[jimboby]

Taking another view of this I tried my normal grip and drew my bow with eyes closed.   I found I was not on target when opening my eyes.  After adjusting my grip, I found I could do this process and be on target every time.  This was done with an arrow on the string at 10 feet from a target.  After adjusting to this new grip my shooting improved and my bow got a whole lot quieter.  I did this with a 2 other bows and found similar results.  Each bow seemed to want to be gripped its own way.

[overbo]

If you ''grip'' a bow and it has some movement, then your hand isn't located on the grip so that it's in the true center of the bow. This is bow building 101 and every bow should have that sweet spot. As Jon mentions, some bow grips need a different hand placement to find that sweet spot.