# HELP! String Slap hurts!!



## Artemis1979

Hey everybody, I am fairly new to archery. I started shooting in December. I'm very proud of how far I've come in such a short period of time however, I'm having a problem that's getting me frustrated. I don't want to be that way either because I love shooting. 

Tonight while shooting, I got a HUGE bruise and welt from the string hitting my bow arm. Now, back when I first started, I did this once and may do it occasionally but never this hard or bad. I didn't have my guard on and I'd prefer that not be the answer I get because I'd like to correct the problem, not just protect my arm. Can anyone more experienced comment on why this happens to me? If I don't know the cause I can't work on it. Thanks so much in advance!!!

I'm shooting a 2009 Martin Moab, new strings. I have a slight bend in my arm. I started out shooting 33 pounds and have worked my way up to 47 pounds. It is tuned perfectly. Easton 500 arrows made especially for my draw weight and length. (which is 27 by the way)


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## mojo man

Seems to me that you maybe getting your bow hand to deep into the grip. Try sliding putting your bow more toward your thumb. The center of the riser should be just off center of the life line that runs in the middle of your hand. Hope this helps.


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## 3dmama

Make sure your draw length is correct. String could have stretched since you started. Or try opening your stance just a little. Maybe you have changed the way your standing since you started.


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## deerslayer451

Yeah what he said....and do youself a favor....wear a arm guard....even if you dont think you will hit your arm


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## SpOtFyRe

I found some of the biggest tips I got to avoiding string slap were:

- ensure the tops of my knuckles of my bow hand go down at a 45 degree angle away from the riser and;










- ensure that the meat of my thumb (the line described in the above post) is where the pressure of the grip is against my hand ... and not in towards the center of my hand.











I found that remembering those two things seemed to keep my bones in allignment and prevent my arm from hyper-extending.


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## ArmyWife

when i started slapping my arm more and more I stood infront of a mirror drew my bow and looked at what i was doing that could be corrected to prevent arm slap... well it worked i stopped slapping my arm till today when i got my new bow so back to the mirror for me tomorrow


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## MN_Chick

I hit my arm every time, if I don't remember to turn my elbow out as part of my draw sequence. Women are built different than men and we are more likely to hyper-extend our elbows. Make sure you check it everytime you draw.


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## Mali

oh honey, I feel your pain 

String slap sucks. I agree with MN, always check your elbow. 

The other trick I learned is to tuck my pinky and my ring finger under when gripping the bow (this forces my hand to not grab the bow, keeping my elbow out of harms way lol) gripping too tightly is my number one reason I slap my arm. 

Wear your arm guard, If I ever leave it off, I'm guaranteed to slap my arm, not because I'm dependent on it, but because I get overconfident. I wear a typical hard shell guard underneath one of my sons "babylegs" leg warmers because I'm vain that way and I can change the look anytime I want by alternating babylegs lol 

Good Luck! The physical bruises take awhile to go away, I can only suggest ice packs and tylenol  Hope you heal quickly!


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## Artemis1979

It only hurt initially but since I'm a red head with fair skin it's going to look pretty nasty tomorrow I'm sure. I am not against wearing an arm guard that's not what I was saying. What I'm saying is I don't want damage control, I want to correct the error because if I hit my arm, I'm not going to hit my target accurately. I'm type A and I like to be perfect. Maybe I can get someone to take some pics of my form and that will help. I have to wear it when I hunt to keep my sleeve out of the way. Thanks so much for the tips, suggestions and empathy. I really appreciate it!!


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## nag

Shooting form certainly comes into play here, but i think I'd be looking at draw lenght as the culpert. Women especially tend to hyper-extend their elbows, which makes it worse.
I know you mentioned that your arm does have a slight bend.....that bend might not be quite enough.
I almost every case of arm slapping I've seem, the bow was too long, sorry to say.


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## S Callahan

*bow hand and arm*

Another thing to check is when in your stance and ready to pull you bow, if you bend your elbow the bow should come to your chest and not at your head. This is a good way to check and see if you have the 45 degree angle mentioned in the earlier post. 
Until you get your stance and arm position correct and a natural habit, do your self a favor and wear the armguard.
You should enjoy shooting not worry about the pain afterwards.

SC
The old coot who loves to shoot.


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## canam

As much as I have shot in the past with decent enough form and bows timed and tuned, I have learned a big lesson. I will not own a bow without a string suppressor like an STS. This stops the string before it gets to your arm unless you are really messing up with your form. 

The grip scenario is the next thing. When my grip is wrong, I will tend to slap my arm (without the STS).


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## kimmiedawn

the 1st slap doesnt hurt as bad as that 2nd on in same round of shootin... lol. That bein said, I use to slap my arm all the time. I wore a guard even when I didnt need to til it total stopped.. but yes check your grip, bow elbow and stance in general.. If u are where u can have someone take pics and post on here. It tends to help. I have changed alot about the way I shoot by lookin at pics of my form.


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## mathewsgirl03

I feel your pain too! The other week the string hit my arm so many times I swear I though I busted an artery! It was horrible. On that last slap I was so scared to pull back my sleeve and look at it. But everyone on here is 100% correct. It's probably a combination of the way you are gripping your bow and how your arm is once it's in full draw. 

Set your grip right off the "thick" part of your thumb on palm side (duh)  and touch together your index finger and thumb. When you are drawing back, set your grip in that spot and put slight pressure so it doesn't move. I ALWAYS had a problem with my grip until that piece of information was given to me. Since then it has totally changed the way I shoot. If you tend to shoot either left or right, that should help with it also!


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## Horses&Hunting

I've hit my arm with and without a arm guard. I can tell you it hurts just the same. I changed my form and how I stood and I no longer hit myself. Knock on wood. I would also check the dl on your bow to make sure its the right length and all. Hope this helps.


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## buckchaser86

You guys need to work on your grip better. When I first started I was getting slapped around by the string as well. Now that I have worked on my form and grip, I *never* get hit by the string, nor do I even think about it anymore....


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## MN_Chick

buckchaser86 said:


> You guys need to work on your grip better. When I first started I was getting slapped around by the string as well. Now that I have worked on my form and grip, I *never* get hit by the string, nor do I even think about it anymore....


Perhaps you missed the part about boys and girls being built differently... 
We are so very happy that YOU don't have a problem with it though, Justin.


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## buckchaser86

I was just saying that I had it bad too, but with proper form and bow setup it should become a thing of the past. I'll leave the ladies forum now. :embara:


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## canam

buckchaser86 said:


> I was just saying that I had it bad too, but with proper form and bow setup it should become a thing of the past. I'll leave the ladies forum now. :embara:


No need to leave. You are not wrong. If a woman grips her bow correctly and hold her arm properly, she shouldn't slap her arm. It is when we slip out of this that we mess up. I can coach a double jointed woman into shooting and not hitting her arm.


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## Jonny Boy

*Foot Work*

If you don't want to change your grip, i would suggest changing your stance. A regular stance is when both feet are parallel and shoulder width pointing to the right or left of the target depending on if your a lefty or a righty. If your slapping your arm too much i would suggest an open stance. When your shooting, instead of having your feet parallel, you should take a step forward with your back foot. Worked for me!


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## HyperFlow

Does that bow have a string stopper from the factory? if not you should look into one. That will help.


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## Artemis1979

*Thanks!*

Thank you everyone for your suggestions! For those that asked, I do have a string stop on there. I do think I've had a flaw with my grip since day 1 and it maybe as easy as working on that. My stance and form are great from what I've been told. I wonder if there is a different grip I can get, I've shot other bows and this one seems weird but I love the bow. 

Another thing I'm looking at is going down on my module by a half inch. If I have to bend my bow arm more, it will mean I have to draw back way further and that ends up throwing off my form with a backwards lean. Problem is the module doesn't have the holes in the correct place and it won't fit so I called Martin today. Maybe it's a combination of incorrect DL and hand grip. 

I am up for the challenge and I'm not afraid to get back out there and practice some more today. My arm's not as bad as I thought it was going to be compared to how terrible it hurt initially!


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## Artemis1979

mojo man said:


> Seems to me that you maybe getting your bow hand to deep into the grip. Try sliding putting your bow more toward your thumb. The center of the riser should be just off center of the life line that runs in the middle of your hand. Hope this helps.


Thank you, I tried this tonight and it made a world of difference!


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## Artemis1979

SpOtFyRe said:


> I found some of the biggest tips I got to avoiding string slap were:
> 
> - ensure the tops of my knuckles of my bow hand go down at a 45 degree angle away from the riser and;
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> - ensure that the meat of my thumb (the line described in the above post) is where the pressure of the grip is against my hand ... and not in towards the center of my hand.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I found that remembering those two things seemed to keep my bones in allignment and prevent my arm from hyper-extending.




THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! I'm not good at visualizing things and seeing the pictures really helped. Had a much better night tonight. It seems that sometimes, I just have to hang it up, re group and keep getting after it on another day. I love that AT has such a supportive group of serious archers that are so willing to help this newbie out. The encouragment helped me go back out tonight because I was discouraged. Not any longer! Thanks again!


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## MN_Chick

buckchaser86 said:


> I was just saying that I had it bad too, but with proper form and bow setup it should become a thing of the past. I'll leave the ladies forum now. :embara:


Ok, I have to swallow my pride and apologize now. It's been a rough week, and I probably read more into the post than was written. The "you guys need to work on your grip" rubbed me the wrong way. Most of us have worked past it, but it IS something that takes constant thought.


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## buckchaser86

No need to apologize. My post was probably snotty. Who knows what mood I was in at the time, I have soo many.


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## sunmouse

I used to slap my arm quite a lot on my Merlin TM5, then I bought an Alphamax 32 wth string stopper and the problem was much better. Much more confidence with the bow. 

My advice, is to practice with different grips on your bow until you find something which eliminates the problem. It could be that you are gripping the bow, which you shouldn't do and having a bit of torque in there as well. Rest the bow against the fleshy part of your thumb and relax the fingers in a 45 degree position. Try not to grip the bow when you shoot it but let it fall from the grip. If you have a good bow sling, this will not cause you problems. 

A good way of doing this is to get the grip right BEFORE you draw, then bring the bow up and draw. You will find that you get a nice bit of push/tension that way. 

Above all, practice and use an arm guard. That is why they exist, to stop tissue damage.


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## SLG2

Artemis1979 said:


> Hey everybody, I am fairly new to archery. I started shooting in December. I started out shooting 33 pounds and have worked my way up to 47 pounds. It is tuned perfectly. Easton 500 arrows made especially for my draw weight and length. (which is 27 by the way)


Artemis - slapping your arm normally means your draw length is too long, but since you were doing well, and this is a new problem, it may be your form. I see it often when we do test flights, sometimes when we increase our draw weight we alter our form. Check to see if you possibly are leaning back as you draw, and pulling your bow arm's shoulder up...this causes your draw to shorten. After you draw, make a conscience effort to straighten your stance and drop your shoulder. Best of luck to you, and keep on shooting!


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## fatboyshooter

*Use a string stop*



Artemis1979 said:


> Hey everybody, I am fairly new to archery. I started shooting in December. I'm very proud of how far I've come in such a short period of time however, I'm having a problem that's getting me frustrated. I don't want to be that way either because I love shooting.
> 
> Tonight while shooting, I got a HUGE bruise and welt from the string hitting my bow arm. Now, back when I first started, I did this once and may do it occasionally but never this hard or bad. I didn't have my guard on and I'd prefer that not be the answer I get because I'd like to correct the problem, not just protect my arm. Can anyone more experienced comment on why this happens to me? If I don't know the cause I can't work on it. Thanks so much in advance!!!
> 
> I'm shooting a 2009 Martin Moab, new strings. I have a slight bend in my arm. I started out shooting 33 pounds and have worked my way up to 47 pounds. It is tuned perfectly. Easton 500 arrows made especially for my draw weight and length. (which is 27 by the way)


I had this same problem come up after the 2009 3d season ended and I started shooting my Mathews Q2XL getting ready for deer season. I bought a Norway String Tamer string stop, I also started shooting the blank bale in my barn at approx. 10 ft. away just concentrating on form , hand placement, stance, and everything else I try to remember to do the same b-4 every shot.


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## canam

After I thought about this thread some more and read Karen's post and the one before this, I remember the last time that I consistently hit my arm so badly that it looked like I had a goose egg on my arm. I was even with my old coach. I was doing things right, but the string on my old Hoyt Sapphire had stretched and the drawlength was about 1/4 inch too long. I remember the pain and frustration.


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