# Slight Bend or Straight?



## rjharcher (Feb 1, 2008)

I am not a pro but do own and opporate a shop in Alaska. I have been shooting for 19 years and now teach a few beginners the basics. When I started shooting I was constentaly hitting my arm, wore out 2 armguards in less then 6 months. Found out that my draw was measured incorrectly and form was horrible. I was put into a shorter draw for my second bow and also told to put a slight bend in my elbow. By doing these two thing I stopped hitting my arm except when I would forget and stiff arm my bow arm. Now after 19 years I have a habbit of the slight bend and no longer hit my arm except occasionally when I test shoot a 31 inch draw. I watched the video link to Larry Wise's hand placement posted on another thread and it caused me to wonder. Is dropping the elbow straight down slightly a bad habbit to teach beginning archers and should they be keeping their arm stiff?


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## 2fingers (Feb 2, 2006)

If you are talking adult beginners i would say teach them right the first time. If you are talking kid beginners show them but let them have fun. I feel the biggest thing is getting people in the correct draw length and not pulling to much draw weight.


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## introverted (Jan 2, 2009)

i've found hitting your arm doesn't have much to do with arm bend as hand placement

when i shoot 3d i use a half inch longer draw length and my arm is locked out, but due to proper hand placement i do not hit my arm

i'd google it

sounds like you're gripping the bow, 

here is a picture

http://www.buckmasters.com/BM/Deskt...eid=643&articleId=385&moduleId=658&PortalID=0


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## dwagoner (Sep 27, 2007)

rjharcher said:


> I am not a pro but do own and opporate a shop in Alaska. I have been shooting for 19 years and now teach a few beginners the basics. When I started shooting I was constentaly hitting my arm, wore out 2 armguards in less then 6 months. Found out that my draw was measured incorrectly and form was horrible. I was put into a shorter draw for my second bow and also told to put a slight bend in my elbow. By doing these two thing I stopped hitting my arm except when I would forget and stiff arm my bow arm. Now after 19 years I have a habbit of the slight bend and no longer hit my arm except occasionally when I test shoot a 31 inch draw. I watched the video link to Larry Wise's hand placement posted on another thread and it caused me to wonder. Is dropping the elbow straight down slightly a bad habbit to teach beginning archers and should they be keeping their arm stiff?


if your refering to that video of the grip and referencing to straight arm or slightly bent that they are two different parts of form. With a good grip like in that vid you can shoot straight arm or slight bend, but thats a whole different opinion there that had a HUGE thread about that, but both arm positions can have the same grip and not have issues with string to arm contact.


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## introverted (Jan 2, 2009)

ya, shouldn't much matter as long as the form works for them, i think it's also a matter of compound v recurve form


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## rjharcher (Feb 1, 2008)

*Dont think its my grip*

I don't think it is my grip. I do try to pull striaght aainst the radius when I draw and shoot. I will try to get some pictures when I get my old/new bow back from Barnesdale. I had him build a set of limbs for my Hoyt Stratus the old ones delaminated after shooting it for 6 years. Anyway I digress, I will try some pictures to show my grip and arm position then maybe you all could help more. Thank you. By the way I would like to try to get a handle on this before my new bow (Bowtech Airraid) gets here. I shot a Parker BlackHawk last year and didn't have any problems but wonder if I might with the new one.


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