# The Heretic Archer and the Frangilli grip



## c3hammer (Sep 20, 2002)

I don't think there's some magical thing about Michaeles grip. It's simply the shape that fits him and keeps the bow moving perfectly from start of release to the arrow clearling the bow.

Here's the best pic I could get of it in Shanghai.

Cheers,
Pete


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## menaztricks (Apr 2, 2006)

So the tip of the thumb is used to hold the grip instead of the usual grip between the thumb and index finger?


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## Jim C (Oct 15, 2002)

menaztricks said:


> So the tip of the thumb is used to hold the grip instead of the usual grip between the thumb and index finger?


Droll


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## Seattlepop (Dec 8, 2003)

It may not be magical, but it is definitely unusual... or maybe it's just pregnant? 
:smile:


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## fitadude (Jul 15, 2004)

The grip is your connection to the bow. People will send much time on other aspects but just put on the grip that came with the bow. stock grips are very cheap (plastic ones) so go ahead and get out the dremel and bondo and have some fun. You will never know till you try!!!

Have fun!!!!!


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## yellowgazer (Oct 24, 2006)

Not trying to be rude  but I didn't ask what you guys thought of it, just if it would fit the Merlin recurve


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## c3hammer (Sep 20, 2002)

I don't think he's shooting with that radical ball shaped grip anymore. Maybe Vittorio could comment further.

The grip I saw him shoot in Shanghai appeared to be a stock W&W grip ground to a radius without the hump he has shot in the past.

..... and to answer the original question 

No, I don't think a W&W grip will fit a Merlin, but I've never actually tried it.

Sorry for getting side tracked  

Cheers,
Pete


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## Vittorio (Jul 17, 2003)

Some remarks about our grip:
- Coming from very long time ago, first developped on TD4 and then on Radian, then reworked to fit Bernardini Ghibli, after for the Spigarelli 2001 and then, finally, for the Zenit Best. As Hoyt TD4+, Avalon, Elan, Spigarelli Explorer and 2001 and Best Zenit and Moon can all use the same grip with minor modifications, some years ago its wooden version (picture above) has been put into the marke by Best Italy. 
-The wood commercial version is slightly smaller in size than the original made for Michele's hand, so it is sold for small to medium size hands, only. If you want one for a big hand, you have to ask for a custom hand made one. 
- Can it fit other risers? Generally, a lot of work is needed. But it can be done. Carla is using one modified to fit her NX riser, for instance. 
- Picture of Michele's grip in Shanghai is simply showing a standard W&W grip with some small (side) modifications. Michele is no more using "his" grip shape since the end of 2004 becuse of some problems he had and still have at his bow hand. But in recent days the grip is "evolving" again to an intemediate shape between a standard flat one and the "ball" shape, proposing intersting alternatives to the original one. Work, anyhow, still in progress..
-What is the main advantage of the ball shape? Simply it gives a lot of forgiveness to mistakes and vertical or/and lateral movements of the point of pressure during the final (pushing) action through the cliker. The most astonishing effect is that if you relax the hand too much and pressure point moves backward, final result is a sligtly low arrow instead of a rather high/right arrow as with all other grips. 
What is the real problem of the ball shape? Is that the perfect grip should be hand tailored exactly to the hand of the archer that has to use it. Standard shape only gives the indication of what has to be done, but rarely is really matching any archer's hand. 
-How to do one by yourself for your hand? I have been questioned many times about this. The Heretic Archer II, if it will ever be published, will surely have a description of the process to be followed, but it will take another couple of years to get to it. A new special instrument to test bow torsions developped by a French archer is presently under test to help to standardize such grip fitting procedure, but we need some time for it.


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