Grip is Key
#11
Typical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Hopkinsville, Ky USA
Posts: 811
RE: Grip is Key
Any of the "locator" style grips are more contoured to the human hand & will be easier to grab the same every time. As you've found, a consistent grip is vital to optimal accuracy. Going a step further, finding the perfect (locator) grip to fit you canbenefit your shooting accuracy to an even greater degree.Your hand will just naturally want to slip onto this grip in the same placeeverytime, without any fuss or concerted effort on your part.Many ppl consider the gripto beone of the most important features oftheir bow.
#13
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 43
RE: Grip is Key
I saw a guy at an indoor range shooting a recurve. He had tatooed a black dot on his web of flesh between thumb and first finger, and matched it up to a point on the grip of the bow. He shot very tight groups. Not suggesting perm. mark, but look for a noticable feature on your grip hand to match up..a fold of skin, a bend in a certain finger, or a part of a knunckle to match up to a certain, distinguishing, part of bow once you find the sweet part of your grip that gives consitent groups. After awhile of visually placing your hand on grip to find that certain spot, it comes naturally. Good groups! Tony!
#14
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location:
Posts: 520
RE: Grip is Key
That's a good tip tommy. I have seen that too, and permanet marker give you something to practice with.
I use a low grip, and I love it, but there are two things you have to get on top of. On my favorite bow, there isn't any registration point for the vertical position of the hand. I'd love something like the top of a grip on a 45. I'm fine with flat and all that, but getting a quick consistant grip is difficult. When I have time, I make sure my index finger is just below the arrow.
The other form of alignment is getting a zero torque lateral position. Plain longbow grips are wonderful for this, next best thing to a machinied riser without a grip, or a shrewd precision grip. if you hold your left hand out a little, and relaxed, take the finger tips of your drawing hand, and pull back into your lifeline area. You will actually see your hand shift position if you load the areas outsideo fht ezero torque position. Learn where this area is, this is the area than needs to take the laod when you draw. Keep a bent elbow, as low a wrist as required, and keep the no torque area against the bow. That's all there is to it. A lot of pistol grip are terrible for low torque, unless you use only the area between the thumb and forefinger. That kind of high wrist grip is not really good technique any more, unless you have a high wrist grip on the bow too, and even then it's out of favour.
I use a low grip, and I love it, but there are two things you have to get on top of. On my favorite bow, there isn't any registration point for the vertical position of the hand. I'd love something like the top of a grip on a 45. I'm fine with flat and all that, but getting a quick consistant grip is difficult. When I have time, I make sure my index finger is just below the arrow.
The other form of alignment is getting a zero torque lateral position. Plain longbow grips are wonderful for this, next best thing to a machinied riser without a grip, or a shrewd precision grip. if you hold your left hand out a little, and relaxed, take the finger tips of your drawing hand, and pull back into your lifeline area. You will actually see your hand shift position if you load the areas outsideo fht ezero torque position. Learn where this area is, this is the area than needs to take the laod when you draw. Keep a bent elbow, as low a wrist as required, and keep the no torque area against the bow. That's all there is to it. A lot of pistol grip are terrible for low torque, unless you use only the area between the thumb and forefinger. That kind of high wrist grip is not really good technique any more, unless you have a high wrist grip on the bow too, and even then it's out of favour.
#15
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 9,175
RE: Grip is Key
Goodadvice about finding the neutral torque zone of the bow's grip!It's such an automatic thing with me when I pick up a bow, either one I haven't shot in a long time or one I've never shot, that I'd plumb forgot I do it. [&:]
I find that passing odd, also.... The high wrist for recurve shooters was highly regarded back then. Actually, much more so than low wrist is today. Maybe that was because of how many bowhunters also shot field archery with their recurves, and practically everybody that shot targets used high wrist.
A lot of pistol grip are terrible for low torque, unless you use only the area between the thumb and forefinger. That kind of high wrist grip is not really good technique any more, unless you have a high wrist grip on the bow too, and even then it's out of favour.
#17
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 9,175
RE: Grip is Key
I think ossage is talking about doing, barehanded, what I do with the bow itself.
I hold the bow'sgrip in my hand, naturally,then squeeze the fingertips - hard -into the front of the grip. If the bow torques off to the side, I move my grip sideways and do it again. (If the back of the bow torques left, making the arrow point off to the left in other words,I move my grip to the left. If it torques to the right, I move my grip to the right.) I want to find the spot where my grip won't move the bow, no matter how hard I squeeze it. It's usually a bit different on every bow.
I hold the bow'sgrip in my hand, naturally,then squeeze the fingertips - hard -into the front of the grip. If the bow torques off to the side, I move my grip sideways and do it again. (If the back of the bow torques left, making the arrow point off to the left in other words,I move my grip to the left. If it torques to the right, I move my grip to the right.) I want to find the spot where my grip won't move the bow, no matter how hard I squeeze it. It's usually a bit different on every bow.
#18
RE: Grip is Key
I miss diagnosed my problem and it wasn’t my grip. It was a few things that I was doing wrong, but man have I learned a lot from these posts.
My problem was a combination of a few things, my draw was short (don’t know why), my brace height had moved and I was just in a funk
My problem was a combination of a few things, my draw was short (don’t know why), my brace height had moved and I was just in a funk
#19
RE: Grip is Key
ORIGINAL: Arthur P
I think ossage is talking about doing, barehanded, what I do with the bow itself.
I hold the bow'sgrip in my hand, naturally,then squeeze the fingertips - hard -into the front of the grip. If the bow torques off to the side, I move my grip sideways and do it again. (If the back of the bow torques left, making the arrow point off to the left in other words,I move my grip to the left. If it torques to the right, I move my grip to the right.) I want to find the spot where my grip won't move the bow, no matter how hard I squeeze it. It's usually a bit different on every bow.
I think ossage is talking about doing, barehanded, what I do with the bow itself.
I hold the bow'sgrip in my hand, naturally,then squeeze the fingertips - hard -into the front of the grip. If the bow torques off to the side, I move my grip sideways and do it again. (If the back of the bow torques left, making the arrow point off to the left in other words,I move my grip to the left. If it torques to the right, I move my grip to the right.) I want to find the spot where my grip won't move the bow, no matter how hard I squeeze it. It's usually a bit different on every bow.
Plain longbow grips are wonderful for this, next best thing to a machinied riser without a grip, or a shrewd precision grip. if you hold your left hand out a little, and relaxed, take the finger tips of your drawing hand, and pull back into your lifeline area. You will actually see your hand shift position if you load the areas outsideo fht ezero torque position.
#20
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 9,175
RE: Grip is Key
It's still doing the same thing, Bob. Rather thanusing the string hand to pullthe bow into the bow hand, I'm simply squeezing the grip into the lifeline with my fingertips. Either way, if the bow torques or your hand shifts position,you need to slide your grip around to find that neutral zone.