# keeping forward hand steady



## skip5515 (May 30, 2007)

*study bow hand*

Try relaxing your bow arm and maybe bending it a little and see if that helps.


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## ktownhustla (Aug 5, 2009)

skip5515 said:


> Try relaxing your bow arm and maybe bending it a little and see if that helps.


thanks will try that next time i practice, will let you know how i do.


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## STUDENT-ARCHER (Jun 26, 2009)

having the proper draw legnth and not shooting too much draw weight are the two biggies!


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## ol' Bow Bender (Sep 18, 2009)

*70 lbs and true tournment competition?*



ktownhustla said:


> any tips or any thing to practice to keep front bow hand steady, im a lefty shooting a reflex at 70lbs and ive tried loosening up on grip of bow, taking my time to try hold it in place, not think of it moving but my friends say it is still moving alot up down side to side about 1-2.5 inches from center. please i could use some help ive been shooting since august, already went hunting got a nice size feral billy goat about 18 inches just wanna get better on target shooting cuz there is a tournment coming up next month.


It's best you set down with your local pro and have a talk about shooting that much poundage having to do with any tournment competition. Wearing yourself down can create bad habits that will be hard to ever correct. You are not just going to be flipping a stick or two... a few times... 
There are just to many un-answer questioned such as what length of arrow are you shooting ... and should you really be? 
Your stance alone can cause your right hand to drop if pulling back to long of arrow into an anchor. 
Again, to many un-answered questions that only a true pro (coach) seeing you in action can give you the answers that will truely help. 

Good luck to you and welcome on board to the world of archery. 

Meant with the deepest of respect,
Ol' Bow Bender


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## Goodrich (Oct 23, 2009)

*weight*

Not really knowing everything you have going on I would say the first thing would be to make sure your draw length is correct. Then lower the draw weight on your bow a little and see if that helps. Then the next step for me would be to work with mass weight of the bow. Adding a few ounces of mass weight can help "settle" you in. And remember, relax, don't fight it, calm down and settle in.


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## SandSquid (Sep 2, 2008)

I've never hunted the feral critters that plague your islands but I doubt any of them require 70# to put down. 
That is a lot of weight to be pulling through to get to your let-off. even at 75% let-off you are holding quite a bit. especially for competive shooting.

If your goal is indoor (spots) at 20 yards, you don't need any more than 30#. Outdoor, such as 3D or field, I would not go higher than 50#. If you cannot comfortably shoot 12 ends of 5 arrows in 1.5 hours, and not fatigue or require an icepack you are over-bowed. They key to successful competive shooting is being able to do the same shot over and over, I just don't see that happening w/ that kind of weight.

Keep your 70# bow for hunting where you need to make a single hard hitting shot. Pick up a used lighter weight bow for competetive shooting.


Personally I would suggest about a 25-to 30# recurve. If you want to see your compound shooting improve rapidly, and put more kills in your game bag, shoot recurve!


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## coachbernie (Nov 23, 2008)

If you call me at 614-322-1038 ...I'll try to help you ,for free! ...Bernie.


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## Alienmulie09 (Aug 7, 2009)

I am haveing the same problem . Talked to my local bow shop owner and he said that if I am haveing problems holding steadin He advised me to try and make a circle around target and etheir bring it down from the top and pause on target for sec or bring it up from the bottom. Tried it today it seem to help . Try it . :smile:


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## Silent Bear (Nov 27, 2009)

usually when I have a problem keeping steady I go back to the basics, I practice shooting at a blank bale and when I release the string my left hand holding the bow opens as If I was shaking a mans hand and I catch the bow with my thumb and index finger this keeps my left hand relaxed and I let the bow do the work and release naturally as if no one was holding it


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## SandSquid (Sep 2, 2008)

Silent Bear said:


> I catch the bow with my thumb and index finger this keeps my left hand relaxed and I let the bow do the work and release naturally as if no one was holding it


Even catching it w/ just the thumb and finger is too much. It is one of the hardest things to learn and be confident that the sling is going to catch it, but you really need to _*just let the bow fall*_. If you weighted it properly the top will fall away from you, you will not get bonked in the forehead by the upper limb. Let go of the bow. 

My students' don't usually "get it" until I video-tape their bow hand and let them shoot a few.... then they see just how much they still torque the bow even with just a "2 finger catch".


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## Silent Bear (Nov 27, 2009)

SandSquid said:


> Even catching it w/ just the thumb and finger is too much. It is one of the hardest things to learn and be confident that the sling is going to catch it, but you really need to _*just let the bow fall*_. If you weighted it properly the top will fall away from you, you will not get bonked in the forehead by the upper limb. Let go of the bow.
> 
> My students' don't usually "get it" until I video-tape their bow hand and let them shoot a few.... then they see just how much they still torque the bow even with just a "2 finger catch".


Yes, thats what I was trying to describe you want the bow to naturally fall into your hands for me it naturally falls in the webbing between the thumb and index finger while my left hand still remains open as if I was shaking a mans hand


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## archery coach (Nov 22, 2008)

ktownhustla said:


> any tips or any thing to practice to keep front bow hand steady, im a lefty shooting a reflex at 70lbs and ive tried loosening up on grip of bow, taking my time to try hold it in place, not think of it moving but my friends say it is still moving alot up down side to side about 1-2.5 inches from center. please i could use some help ive been shooting since august, already went hunting got a nice size feral billy goat about 18 inches just wanna get better on target shooting cuz there is a tournment coming up next month.


do not hold the bow at all.let it push up against you but no pressure from fingers or thumb on the grip. when you shoot let the bow do what ever it wants to. a bow is a closed system, it will repeat it self identically , it is the nut behind the bow that needs tightening . " he who uses the least muscles wins".


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## nuts&bolts (Mar 25, 2005)

ktownhustla said:


> any tips or any thing to practice to keep front bow hand steady, im a lefty shooting a reflex at 70lbs and ive tried loosening up on grip of bow, taking my time to try hold it in place, not think of it moving but my friends say it is still moving alot up down side to side about 1-2.5 inches from center. please i could use some help ive been shooting since august, already went hunting got a nice size feral billy goat about 18 inches just wanna get better on target shooting cuz there is a tournment coming up next month.


Contact Shaka. I think he is in Honolulu or thereabouts.
Excellent shooter, and he can show you some pointers in person.


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