# grip tape



## redman

What does most of the pros use on the grip to tape it up and why do they use it 
I was thinking that vet wrap available at Tractor Supply would work great


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## neutral

vet wrap is nice and it was a fad about 8 years ago to use vet wrap on grips however the problem with vet wrap is that it has little resiliance to compression. After a few times shooting it no longer has the grip that u want and ends up making things sticky. especially if you sweat alot. You might be better off with a synthetic badminton grip or the like. Hockey tape is bad too if u sweat at all. the glue comes through and makes everything sticky and uncomfortable. A popular option used to be grip tape like that on a skateboard. sand paper on one side and sticky on the other. Works well on narrow compound grips. not sure if it would work well on a recurve. You dont want to add torq to the bow. What i think anyway. I'm guessing from your avatar name that you might shoot a redman. if you do the grip tape works well. I do remember guys shotting 300s all day long with those bows.


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## AT_X_HUNTER

athletic tape. be careful though. It's easy to torque the bow if you're not careful. The tape can make it worse.


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## mag41vance

A golf Glove is the best thing I've found.
It's also good for gripping arrows. When you get real sweaty, get out a fresh glove. Eliminates sticky residue common with tape.


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## ILOVE3D

I used to use the grip tape they put on tennis rackets but one time in a lot of rain, it came loose and was useless. I now use the grip tape they apply to steps, it's black and feels like sandpaper on one side and sticky on the other is how you apply it to your bow. It works quite well. Bought it at ACE hardware.


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## rossing6

Go to Spott Hogs site and read all of their newsletters/articles on testing-there's a lot of great information there and pass it along to everyone you know. I test the same way and can vouch for the accuracy of the information. There is some interesting stuff there concerning grip. 

There are those who put tape on for adjusting the feel or angle or width of the grip, and this is fine, but you absolutely do not want "grip" as the bow should be neutral in your hand, not held. Traction on the grip helps torque the shot better than anything out there. I teach to lube up your hand with lotion and let your hand find the natural grip fit without grabbing the handle. If you are having trouble with how a grip feels, fit-wise, you can buy after market grips, Torqueless makes great grips and I use Shrewd for my target bow as I want aluminum with the minimum amount of traction. Cabe Johnson has got me convinced to try shooting with a slick surface glove to help make sure I don't add anything to the shot as my cold non-sweaty hand is smooth on the grip, but hot and sweaty it is sticky on the grip, and therefore the shot has changed...analyze your shot process. Go shoot in the rain and see if your wet hand sits in the same spot as your dry hand....just one more thing to becoming a good top archer. 

Work on anything that will help your shot process stay the same throughout all conditions, wet dry, uphill and downhill, and anything else you can throw in there. I found that as I fatiqued on a long shoot, my shot broke down more noticablely with obvious poor shots. I had a 1/4" too long draw length at nationals and found that I really struggled on the uphill shots...find what you need to work on-my worst two things were stamina and proper DL. Experiment and by no means take any one persons word for it. The only reason I know what I do is because I experimented for myself and validated what worked (or didn't) and why, as every time I asked for help I got an opinion without facts to back it up...we all have opinions and that in itself does not mean they are valid.

Get a coach to help you, I learned all the basics and a lot more from Bernie Pellerite his books are a great resource-there's a lot of other resources as well-Go to John Dudleys site and read his articles-all of them- and I guarantee you'll be amazed and learn a lot...John is one great guy who is a great resource when it comes to helping teach others to shoot and set up their equipment. With the right hand position, "Grip" is eliminated and thus you are letting the bow jump in your hand. WE often forget to just aim and let the bow shoot. Don't try to control the bow during the shot. Use a wrist or thumb loop to catch the bow and shoot with a relaxed bow hand. Cheers...aim hard and relax. Thanks Bernie and John for sharing.


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## field14

If you just let the bow fall into its natural position FOR YOUR HAND, the bow will find the "sweet spot" all by itself. Just like the shot, you gotta let the grip "Happen"...

I learned the "Vaseline grip trick" in the early 1970's from Denise Libby, and I went from shooting 298-299's with fingers and recurve to shooting 300's quite often...by "LETTING THE GRIP HAPPEN< and LETTING THE BOW FIND ITS OWN SWEET SPOT in my hand.

Since then, I just let the bow find its own position and don't "Think" grip...

A also agree that too many shooters gyrate around, moving their hand around in the handle of the bow...trying to find the magic spot...and they end up with a different "grip" every time and wonder what is going on? They add torque, take it out, add more, add less....all in one end of shooting.

LET IT HAPPEN, the bow will find its natural spot, just like it will shoot the arrow into the same hole every time...if you LET IT HAPPEN.

Hands sweaty and you are "slipping around." Why?....cuz you are not letting it happen by itself in the first place.

field14 (Tom D.)


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