Gripping the Bow
There’s a lot going on when we come to full draw with our bow. There are a lot of physical and mental things that we have to remember and properly execute if we ever hope to have consistent arrow groupings. However, one of
the most overlooked components of archery mechanics (and yet perhaps one of the most important) is how you grip the bow at full draw.
The grip of a bow is designed so that it LOOKS like it should be gripped very tightly like we would a hammer. Do that though, and you’re asking for trouble. In reality, we shouldn’t be gripping the bow at all….we should be blocking it.
Whenever someone comes up to me and says they can’t get consistent groupings with their bow, the very first thing I look at is how they hold the bow at full draw. Ever hear the phrase “This is where the rubber meets the road”? Let me tell you, when it comes to archery, the grip is where the rubber meets the road because it’s the only place where the hand meets the
bow at full draw.
If you grip the bow with any kind of tightness at all, you run a very high risk of having the bow torque on you at release. That means that your hand, wrist, forearm, shoulder, and back will all fight against the natural
movement of the bow in order to hold it on target. Due to the involuntary nature of this muscle reaction, torque is difficult if not impossible to
control. In effect, this means that you will have inconsistent impact points on your target.
A loose grip (or better yet…no grip at all) will allow the bow to move naturally after release and have the same movement for each release. This allows us to dial our sights in better and give us more consistent groupings.
But…how are we to hold the bow if we can’t grip it? First of all, your bow should have a wrist strap on it. This will prevent the bow from falling
after release. However, your instinctive reactions will naturally grasp the bow after release. I’ve yet to see a bow flop all over that place after
release when I’ve shown someone how to properly hold the bow at full draw.
Do this. Standing up and looking straight ahead, extend your bow arm straight out to your side. Make the “stop” sign with your hand. Now relax
your fingers and thumb. Look at your hand. THAT is the position that your bow hand should be in when you come to full draw! Notice how the line of knuckles is angled to about 45 degrees? That is a good point of reference when you are at full draw. At full draw, your fingers should be loose and relaxed. Let your fingers fall where they will but avoid the temptation to
grip the bow.
You may feel like your going to drop the bow the first few times you try this but you won’t. By the time your fingers instinctively grab the bow to keep it from falling, the arrow has already cleared your bow and is well on its way to the target.
Before you even hook your release to your loop, your bow hand should already be in the proper position on the grip. As you come to full draw,
let you fingers relax so that you are not gripping the bow in any manner.
You will find more consistent groupings and a less stressful shooting experience.
