String slap!

[Fattony77]

I finally got started on working on my form today, and am getting good results. My bow arm feels like it's @ 90°, it's feeling like I've got good, solid, bone to bone support, & I am feeling noticeable back tension (a first for me). I even gained 2" of draw length to the 28" I'm "supposed" to be drawing (not intentionally, just an effect of the concentration on form). I accomplished most of this by considerably closing my stance, and starting with my bow shoulder pointed at the target. All this sounds great, but with the closed stance, my bow arm is taking a beating from my string! I bruised up even through the armguard! My elbow is not locked either! So what am I doing wrong & how do I fix it, without losing all the "good stuff" that I'm gaining?

[Trumpkin the Dwarf]

Higher brace height? If your form is good, that is the first thing I'd check.

[moebow]

How is your bow arm elbow oriented?  If you can roll it (bow elbow) inwards rather than having it "flat" you will gain clearance from the string.  Try this as a test.  Hold your bow out as though ready to draw.  Now, bend your bow arm elbow.  Does the bow come around in front of you or go up over your head?  It should come around in front!

Second, DO NOT close your stance.  Instead, OPEN it!  Then as you start to draw, you will have room to draw, room to turn your shoulders to point at the target, and gain still more clearance.

Finally, double check your bow hand and see that the knuckles of your bow hand angle out from the vertical axis of the bow at about 45 degrees.  All this will help with arm/string clearance.

Trumpkin is right IF the string is hitting you at about the watch band point, but IF the strike is on the upper forearm, your bow arm is the culprit.

Arne

[Fattony77]

Thanks to both of you! I will try the tips you have suggested moebow, since the bruise is alomost perfectly centered on my forearm. If I can make it through tonight without doing a double shift, I'll let ya know how it goes in the mornin'. Thanks again!!!!

[Sirius Black]

Arne, I grip my recurve with my knuckles at a 45*, then I cant the bow to get my eye over the arrow nock, but this puts them somewhere between 45* and 90*. Is this still ok, is the 45* just a minimum? Fattony, keep us posted because I've gone thru this myself. Good luck and thanks!

[moebow]

Sirius,  The 45* angle to the vertical axis of the bow is an average.  But in general, the flatter the better (moving toward perpendicular to the bow.  You won't get there but that is the desired direction.  When canting, your hand relation to the bow doesn't change but IF you compare it to the "world" the knuckles will approach horizontal.

Arne

[Fattony77]

Well I got stuck for a double shift today, and hafta work again tonight, so I'll likely try the tips tomorrow morning when I get off. Can't wait to see what works though!

[Fattony77]

Here's how it went today, I checked the bow arm elbow. Bow went in front of me. So that was good. Opened my stance some, and oriented my bow hand knuckles so they were at a roughly 45° angle to the bow. No string slap! :-D I knew opening my stance would help but was afraid that I wouldn't get good alignment. I would never have thought that the bow hand thing would've made any difference, but it's pretty clear to me that it did. I don't know that I felt the back tension as much this time, but that's why I'm working on it, right? Thank you, Arne!

Now how do I keep the string from dragging across my left chesticle? Lol! (Right handed shooter, BTW)