Wrist Slap , Not ARM Slap With a Longbow

[Coach]

So THAT was what you ment Coach yer what Ed said you should have been more clear on your question.

I thought my post was quite clear
Anyway , you shouldnt be shooting a bow with your injury Unless it is one of those wimpy 30# models

[kimall]

I know mate I am a medical marval I have changed my form(it was no good anyway) and have found I can shoot the 63 pound with only a couple of days of pain after.
I really want to have some fun on game and then it will be heading your way.
Cheers KIM
PS Your post was clear enough but I just dont like to give advice on techinque without seeing a guy shoot.

[Coach]

I know mate I am a medical marval I have changed my form(it was no good anyway) and have found I can shoot the 63 pound with only a couple of days of pain after.
I really want to have some fun on game and then it will be heading your way.
Cheers KIM
PS Your post was clear enough but I just dont like to give advice on techinque without seeing a guy shoot.

Sometimes the pain is worth it
Mate , if you saw me , my form and my shooting , you would be amazed I know I am
Looking forward to the bow with the weird handle I might take it up the main street of Gulgong and shoot some of the Ferals that have been hanging around here lately

[g_r]

Hi coach,

good to see you have shooting isuues also.
As mentioned by stiknstring above i had the same problem with my longbow too. i also thought it was my form and i didnt want to ask for not being taken as a TOTAL dumb-one.

well problem solved, i sold my longbow few weeks ago, now im getting slapped on the forearm ...

[longbowinfected]

Coach,

Jeff = Coach
Kevin = Longbowinfected

You go away for a few weeks and they forget all too soon........

I recognize the fact that not everyone likes me but I am horrified that you un-remembered me as our friends like my mate Steve say at the NRMA. If you had had the bad luck to meet me face to face I am reliably informed that people remember me....especially during sleeptime=nightmares.

Why don't you bring your bow up to Mountain Archers at Mt Vic this weekend? You can even bring up bows other than your longbow. We can shoot either at FITA or 3D targets. I will shout you a lousy tasting instant coffee or tea as long as you like it black.

Seriously, I used to get the odd wrist slap a handsbreadth up from my wrist......probably one every ten like Steve said and more likely if I did not practice much in the week beforehand.
Since going to a heavier draw bow and using a bowsling it rarely happens. I did find that it is really important to try lots of different brace heights and then keep to the one, use a string keeper to maintain twists etc and also important to check the brace height and nocking point religously when you brace and after every distance or long shooting break.

Kevin

[Coach]

I recognize the fact that not everyone likes me but I am horrified that you un-remembered me as our friends like my mate Steve say at the NRMA.

HUH You want to re-write that ?

[longbowinfected]

Jeff,
sorry I could not resist......
The NRMA "un-worry, un-everything" advertising campaign uses that sort of language.....it works because it irritates me no end. I have seen about a 100 billboards across Eastern Australia in the last month on the road and every second advert on TV including SBS. I put it in as Steve works for the NRMA and I thought you would bite and if you didn't, Steve would.

So, you thinking about coming this Sunday?

Kevin

[Antonio]

Coach I never get slapped .I used to .Hers an instructional video it might help explain why.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83xHYE8J7Jk

[Coach]

Kevin , I dont think I will be going to the shoot ,,, got some stuff to organise as I am starting a new job on Monday .

Antonio ,, what brace height do you have ? Assuming that you are using 5" feathers , it looks to be nearly 7" . I also hold the bow the same and get slapped .
As I have said before ,, I'll just use an armguard

[Stickbow Hunter]

As I have said before ,, I'll just use an armguard

Yep, a smart move mate.

Jeff

[Coach]

As I have said before ,, I'll just use an armguard

Yep, a smart move mate.

Jeff

Yeah , well , it didn't take much to work out that I am not going to have one grip for a Longbow and another for a Recurve and compound . Bugger that ! Once again ,, I should take my own advice and stop over thinking things ,, Trad is supposed to be simple

[kimall]

Mate just wear an arm gaurd.
Cheers KIM

[Coach]

Mate just wear an arm gaurd.
Cheers KIM

Thanks for that invaluable advice there Kim

[Roadie]

Evening All, After reading all the replies to this one, i must be doing something wrong, all though I wear a wrist band and arm guard i dont seem to have the problems aired here. I shoot only long bow, of the knuckle, and I hold my bow like I'm holding a can of drink (beer) with my wrist at about a 70 degree angle. Cheers Roadie.

[Coach]

Yeah I found if I held it like that ,, I didnt get the slap . But Ill keep the grip I have , so I can shoot Compound , Recurve and Longbow all the same

[Nephew]

For a second I thought you had said "all the same TIME" Now THAT I'd like to see, big fella!

[Antonio]

Hi Coach .Ill say its about 6 and 3 quarters brace high on the bow .that bow I was drawing was 113 lbs .but thats outside of the topic .I can see what you are trying to do having one form for all the 3 different bows .good luck with that .and let us know how you go with that ,you dont see a lot of people talking about that or trying that .
I just got one question do you think it can be done ? one form for 3 different bows ?

Henry ford said if you think you can and if you think you cant either way you are right .

cheers:D

[Coach]

It wont be the same Form , but the same grip . And yes , it can be done , I am doing it .

[hue]

i can't help but stir the pot here, but Jeff, if you shoot the same grip for all the bowstyles, then Grahame is a monkeys uncle!

Hue

[woody]

Jeff,
I am not a longbow shooter, so I probably dont know as much as others, but......

If I was getting wrist slap, I would increase the brace height. It will slow the bow a little, but so does belting the string into a thick leather arm guard.

I have a mate who is a pretty good longbow hunter, his bow has a 9 or 10 inch brace height and he doesnt wear an arm guard...ever.

Works for him.

[Coach]

i can't help but stir the pot here, but Jeff, if you shoot the same grip for all the bowstyles, then Grahame is a monkeys uncle!

Hue

He probably is , but it works for me

[Glenn]

Without see the bow I would say a sensible brace height would be around 6.5 inches and 7 to be on the high end of brace height. A 9-10 inch brace height sounds far too high, amongst other things that would be robbing the bow of a lot of performance....Glenn....

[woody]

Without see the bow I would say a sensible brace height would be around 6.5 inches and 7 to be on the high end of brace height. A 9-10 inch brace height sounds far too high, amongst other things that would be robbing the bow of a lot of performance....Glenn....

It would also reduce hand shock, and the tendency to torque the bow and inconsistent form because you are using a "style" designed to reduce pain instead of promoting repeatability.

I am not saying a 10" brace height is for everyone, just that it works for a mate,and it has plenty of performance to kill lots of pigs.

Without a chronograph, the best performance indicator is shooting for distance to show cast.

I personally would be increasing brace height until a comfortable shooting bow and the least loss of cast distance is achieved.

Not a bad way to put in an afternoon.

[longbow steve]

Some bows I have shot call for a 28" brace height to make them shoot nice .

[woody]

Glen,
What is your opinion on where the arrow nock and string part company during the shot process.

Would you say its at brace height or slightly beyond, and if its past brace height, by how much.

What I'm getting at, is high speed photographics film I've seen of target recurves and compounds being shot, clearly show that its past brace height that string and arrow part company.

In the film clip I've seen, it can be as much as a couple of inches past brace height.

I am assuming that a similar thing is happening with a longbow, to some degree.

If so, with a 6" or 7" brace height, the string that is hitting an arm guard could still be connected to the arrow.

Loss of arrow speed and inconsistent arrow flight would have to be expected if this was the case.

( some talcum powder sprinkled on the arm guard will show where the string hits, it will show where the string has slid along the surface of the arm guard, the length of the scrape will tell the story, the beginning of the powder scrape will show the beginning of the hit, and the end of the scrape will show how far the string travels forward.

If the end of the scrape is past brace height, this is how far it travels before returning to brace position, and also indicates where the arrow and sting part company)

It may well be a slightly higher brace could improve the tightness of arrow groups and the pleasure of shooting.

In any case, its up to each archer to decide where he gets best result with bow and arrow tune.

[longbow steve]

Hey Woody, there is a way of shooting without contacting the arm guard whilst having the benefit of maximum power stroke. My bow have a 6" height and I rarely contact my arm. I would be concerned for the longevity of the bow braced that high. Steve

[woody]

Hey Woody, there is a way of shooting without contacting the arm guard whilst having the benefit of maximum power stroke. My bow have a 6" height and I rarely contact my arm. I would be concerned for the longevity of the bow braced that high. Steve

Steve, thats good, but this thread was about Coach hitting his arm, and its Coach and others with a similar problem that I was hoping to be helpful to.

Its just my personal opinion, agree or not, is up to you.

[longbow steve]

No Worries .

[longbowinfected]

Shooting the heaviest/fastest arrow you can under full power rather than using a lower power bow solved any minor problems I ever really had. Using a bowsling really resolved most problems as the bow does not torque. Steve really demonstrated the value of using a Chrony in that you can shoot "x" times the same way with exactly the same arrow velocity that your form is very good as well as your set up.
You cannot expect to excell if you cannot analyse your form with real numbers.
I now wait for the humongous reaction to that little pot stir.

Any one wanting to check out their kit come to our club for a shoot. There you go.....access for everyone within a few hours drive. I bet other clubs/groups/individuals around Oz could make the same offer.
Just as important a tool as electronic measuring scales and spine testing jigs.

Kevin

[Stickbow Hunter]

If I was getting wrist slap, I would increase the brace height. It will slow the bow a little, but so does belting the string into a thick leather arm guard. I have a mate who is a pretty good longbow hunter, his bow has a 9 or 10 inch brace height and he doesnt wear an arm guard...ever.

IMO if you are "belting the string into a thick leather arm guard" or having to use "9 or 10 inch brace height" then you are doing something wrong and it isn't to do with brace height alone, if at all. Using such a high brace height with a longbow is not the answer IMO as the performance loss would be substantial because you loose 3 to 4 inches of power stoke. I would never suggest anyone to raise their brace height to that degree to solve a problem of the string hitting the inner side of their bow arm. Look elsewhere for the real cause of the problem as it surely isn't a brace height problem.

It would also reduce hand shock, and the tendency to torque the bow and inconsistent form because you are using a "style" designed to reduce pain instead of promoting repeatability.

After more than a few years shooting longbows Woody I can't agree with this comment. A normal brace height for a longbow (usually 6 - 7 inches) will not cause the first couple of problems you mention above. The use of an armguard solves the last problem - yes even a little contact with the inner bow arm can cause pain. The need to use an armguard when shooting a longbow is considered normal IMO, as an inherent part of the longbow design is that you use a brace height that is lower than with most other designs.

Recapping, a mild string slapping of your inner wrist when shooting a longbow is quite normal. However if the string is really slapping the archer's inner bow arm hard then he/she most likely has a form problem rather than a brace height problem, again IMO.

Jeff