How to hold a compound bow

The right equipment is the secret to perfect hits in archery. Now the next step is to learn the basics of using that equipment one of which is how to hold a compound bow to be able to launch perfect arrows and hit the target. The way in which you are holding the bow makes a lot of difference with you having more chances to get a perfect hit with the perfect grip.

What you should know about how to hold a compound bow

• Take it easy
• Don’t let your handshake
• Extend your arm
• bowstring to the full draw level
• Keeping the grip in this manner
• keeps stringing your forearm

Here are some tips that would help you master the right grip on your compound bow. 

1. Take it easy: It is a natural instinct to hold the bow excessively tight, especially for the beginners for whom the whole process of hitting the arrow with concentration is a big deal. In order to concentrate well and hold the compound bow, the player tends to put all their strength in their grip but this is not the right thing to do. Holding the bow with ease feels slightly dangerous especially if the archer requires too much force to draw it, but that is exactly how it should be done, with ease. The more tensed you will make your hand be, the more disturbed would be your grip. Make sure that you are taking it easy however much tensed you are and keeping your hold gentle. 

The perfect grip is the one where you clasping the bow with a gentle grip making you ready for the shot. Your thumb must be pointing directly at the target while your fingers must be at a 45 degree angle away from the target. Keep your hand and fingers relaxed but also in a manner that you have the bow in absolute control. 

• Don’t let your hand shake: The only way of focusing well and ensuring that your target is well in place is to keep your hand constant and in check. This is the immediate impact of having a tight grip on your compound bow. A tight grip makes you clench your fingers, hand as well arm as which in turn makes your hand shake. If your hand would shake that would lead to the whole bowstring shaking with eventually the bow compound not being stable. In this manner, the arrow that you would release would be launched from a shaking bow making it slightly out of control which might end up missing the target. So a tight grip, in the end, would become a reason for you missing the target. 

In addition to this, if the arrow is released in this fashion, it would make the bow wriggle once the arrow has been shot which can also hurt you badly on the inner elbow. 

How to get a loose yet a firm grip?

After having understood the importance of having a good grip, now is the time to teach you how to get one. To make sure that your grip on the compound bow is loose as well as firm, you must follow the steps listed here: 

1. Extend your arm which you use to hold the bow and flex your arm and fingers slightly to relax them. Now try to make a ‘V shape’ using your little finger and thumb so as your palm’s line are vertical. Whether you are left-handed or right-handed, make this gesture or perhaps the sign to indicate stop from your bow hand. 

• Now place your bow in the middle of the V you have formed and draw the string from the other hand. When you would do this, your bow hand would hold the compound bow in a way to make sure that your grip is firm and stable. 

• Once you have taken the bowstring to the full draw level, now take some time to relax your fingers. If you feel that your grip is too weak, then you can make use of your index finger and press it on the rises. But just make sure that you are not squeezing the bow in any manner.  Some people tend to grab the bow after they have hit a shot so that it doesn’t fall down, but for assurance, you can attach a wrist sling if you like. 

• Keeping the grip in this manner, you would observe that the grip would be settled more on the fleshy part of the thumb rather than being placed somewhere in the middle of your palm. Your knuckles would also be almost parallel to the grip rather than being in a vertical position to it which would further take the forearm away from the bowstring because of your elbow turning out. 

• If the string of the bow keeps stringing your forearm this is an indication that the grip you are maintaining is not correct. 

In the beginning, it would be a good idea to use this grip and practice for some days. Even if you would not be able to hit your targets initially following this grip that is alright but you must keep practicing just with the grip.

Once your grip would be well in place, then you would have ample time to further focus on the shots and hit the targets. However much uncomfortable it might fee in the beginning, changing your grip to the perfect one would help you, in the long run, to meet your targets aptly. 

Conclusion

Having the proper grip is the key factor right after getting yourself in the perfect stance. This is an integral practice to ensure that you can lead a good life of an archer and not hit yourself in the process, also making it smoother for you to play.

Being tensed in the beginning is okay, but you must keep practicing to get the perfect grip, in the long run, and try to ease a little which would further help you to concentrate in a better manner. Always remember, how you hold the compound bow is the key aspect in how you would be able to perform with that bow. 

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