Bow grip

Joined
Jun 13, 2021
Messages
76
Does it really matter how you hold or grip your bow? We all realize one most not torque or grip too tightly, but does hand placement really matter, as long as you shoot a relaxed hand?

I see so much emphasis put on hand placement must be at a 45, grip on the meaty part of thumb, down the lifeline with fingers flexed back on outer grip., etc.

Over the last few years, I adopted this hand placement and tuned for a bullet hole, and never thought much about it. But recently after checking the tune of my two bows I verified bullet holes with both bows using this hand placement. Then out of the blue I decided to check each bow just gripping the bow like you would normally be picking a bow up, with the hand more into the grip, but a relaxed grip and both were still bullet holes.
 

rclouse79

WKR
Joined
Dec 10, 2019
Messages
1,725
I lucked out and ended up next to a target archer and the indoor range last week. I saw him helping someone else and asked him how my form was. He said I opened my hand up too much and that he curled his index finger so the tip lightly touched the middle front of the handle with his middle finger curled and barely touching the side. I tried it and my left right variation shrunk immediately.
 

jimh406

WKR
Joined
Feb 6, 2022
Messages
935
Location
Western MT
Excellent shooters hold the bows a lot of different ways and still shoot well. It's important that you find a consistent way to way to hold the bow, draw the bow without it moving in your hand, and follow through the same every time.

What type of grip you use has a lot to do with your hand. Some people have really meaty hands and some have really thin hands. If your hand type is significantly different than it may be hard for you copy a good shooter who's hands are different than yours.
 

Ashenwelt

FNG
Joined
Aug 30, 2022
Messages
44
Location
SoCal (El Cajon, CA)
Excellent shooters hold the bows a lot of different ways and still shoot well. It's important that you find a consistent way to way to hold the bow, draw the bow without it moving in your hand, and follow through the same every time.
This. The way people talk about holding a bow is about making it easier for most (not all) to be able to shoot the same way every time.

It is not because it is a prescription to be successful. Shoot what works. Same discussion on command and back tension.
 
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