# High Wrist vs Low Wrist



## RCR_III (Mar 19, 2011)

As a disclaimer, these are my personal findings and you'll hear different responses from different archers. 

To me, having a low wrist creates tension in the forearm and the back of the hand. This leads to a shakier sight picture and issues executing. Think Mathew's bows up until 2019 and why almost all their archers changed grips for a better angle. 

If I have too high of a wrist then I push downwards on the bow and see my float and aim go down and I fight to pick the bow back up. 

For me personally I like somewhere around the 18 degree mark. This is very standard for Hoyt, PSE, and I believe the new Mathew's grip. 

If you're referring to how you place the hand in the grip and varying pressures up or down, I would say work to make sure you're using even pressure along the entire grip surface with your bow hand. This creates the best, most consistent reactions shot after shot. 

From here you can adjust loop height/ tiller to micro adjust how the pressure of the grip feels in your hand and adjust the vertical placement of your aim with those pressures.


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## southernvet (Apr 16, 2016)

Thanks for the input...


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## SonnyThomas (Sep 10, 2006)

RCR_III said:


> If you're referring to how you place the hand in the grip and varying pressures up or down, I would say work to make sure you're using even pressure along the entire grip surface with your bow hand. This creates the best, most consistent reactions shot after shot.
> QUOTE]
> 
> Probably best described for low wrist...........


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## SilicaGhost (Aug 16, 2018)

Good info, thanks


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## lskywalker918 (Apr 3, 2018)

ended up shooting high wrist when my new to me riser came with jager high grip and i was too lazy to change it out. i didn't like it at first but then i notice that i don't get string slapping my bow arm as much as before. high wrist it is for me now


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## nuts&bolts (Mar 25, 2005)

lskywalker918 said:


> ended up shooting high wrist when my new to me riser came with jager high grip and i was too lazy to change it out. i didn't like it at first but then i notice that i don't get string slapping my bow arm as much as before. high wrist it is for me now


lskywalker918. YOU should clarify that you are a barebow RECURVE shooter, with a Jaeger high wrist RECURVE grip. The other folks who responded to this thread, are shooting COMPOUND bows.


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## *SWITCH (Nov 27, 2007)

southernvet said:


> Only two years shooting indoor archery and hard to find accurate information to make solid educated decisions to improve form for better scores.... Like most I am a YouTube archery expert ha-ha.... My question is what are the advantages and disadvantages of shooting a high wrist or low wrist bow grip? or is this simply trial and error?


IME it can depend on the bow, grip and your hand size. Just gotta try and see what works best for you.

personally I prefer a slightly high grip on my C4, coz thats what it likes, if I switch to low grip I find it increases the chance of putting torque into the bow, and as already mentioned creates too much tension through my hand and wrist.

I build my grip up to form a nice comfy pocket for my hand at the top of my grip at my preferred angle.

heard the newer mathews tend to favour a low grip, so a lot of archers swap out the grip if they don't like that.

what bow are we talking about here? then you may be able to get some more specific advice


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## reddogjack (Dec 7, 2016)

when low wrist is done correctly, i feel there is less/no influence on riser .
any push at all on the top is hard to repeat. there should be NO influence 
from bow hand. anything other then zero pressure from bow hand is hard to
repeat. 
do a AT search for grip / bow hand, lots of info !!
here is one to start with : - https://www.archerytalk.com/vb/showthread.php?t=2464473 
there is nothing in this link that i tried - that didn't work.


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## mumu666 (Sep 25, 2019)

RCR_III said:


> As a disclaimer, these are my personal findings and you'll hear different responses from different archers.
> 
> To me, having a low wrist creates tension in the forearm and the back of the hand. This leads to a shakier sight picture and issues executing. Think Mathew's bows up until 2019 and why almost all their archers changed grips for a better angle.
> 
> ...


incredible insight. THanks!


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## Mahly (Dec 18, 2002)

I find that _for me_ a higher than average wrist works best.
I suspect it may take longer for some to develop a repeatable high wrist than a low one (I think both can work), but I needed to go with a high wrist for clearance issues (really big hands).


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## SonnyThomas (Sep 10, 2006)

As for the even hand, you don't see too many say "heal the bow."


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## reddogjack (Dec 7, 2016)

SonnyThomas said:


> As for the even hand, you don't see too many say "heal the bow."


it is not so much a - heal the bow - as it is a center, to low thumb pad hold. 
bone on bone, with low shoulder. and a approx. 45* degree bow hand. with 
this bow arm an hand position, the heal of your hand is nowhere near touching
the bow.
low wrist isn't a good description. center of, to low thumb pad is better.


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## mbriscoe91 (Apr 2, 2020)

avoid the "meaty part" of your palm in your forward pressure, realy helps be consistant


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## lcaillo (Jan 5, 2014)

It really comes down to a combination of what you find is more consistent for you and getting the right angle. I use a relatively low grip with a totally relaxed hand and have customized my grip to work with that. I used to shoot a high grip and as long as you can keep it consistent and have the right angle for you it can work too. The problem with a low grip is usually that it does not fit right and it is impossible to relax the hand completely without sliding around. A little tension with a low grip affords a greater moment about the center of mass of the bow normally resulting in more torque. A higher grip is usually putting the pivot point closer to the CM of the system. Some who shoot a low grip use a lower CM by moving weight lower on the bow.


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## huteson2us2 (Jun 22, 2005)

In the days when a person could order any grip that they wanted for any bow, I tried many grips. My best friend at the time used a high grip very successfully. When I tried it, I found that as my hand grew tired it would not shoot the same. With a low grip as all my 7 bows that I own now come with (no after market grips are available), I would heel the bow as I grew tired. I liked the medium grip for my style of shooting. Because my hand pressure was very repeatable. But everyone is different and should be able to try the different grips. I keep looking for a company that would make aftermarket grips for my bows.


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## merlinron (Mar 23, 2020)

as you look at the palm of your bow hand,...your entire grip should never be beyond the main crease that runs diagonally across your palm and pressure should be placed evenly along the entire height of your hand.


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