Bow shooting tip ....

[robertsjd]

Hey guys this year first year shooting archery planning on elk hunting and deer hunting archery , but have a serious problem .... When shooting when I release the string slaps the sh*t out of my for arm .... I've tried everything is there anything I could do / wear to prevent this ?? I get huge blood blister and bruises I try and bend my arm out of the way I do good for 5 shots and then as soon as I'm comfortable I get the piss slapped out of me ...

[robertsjd]

More

[Johnb317]

compound or recurve?   If it's a compound you're doing something wrong.... get someone to walk you through proper form. 
A few videos on line too.

[bowhunter74]

Your draw length is probably too long if you're hitting your arm like that.

[Jason]

I think alot of the time this happens from the bows draw length being to long for the shooter which allows the shooter to have his/her arm that holds the bow straight, bend your arm and set it to the correct draw length and you should be set

[robertsjd]

Yes compound bow

[robertsjd]

Dang really I had measurements taken and bow set to "my" draw length but I will be taking it back in and get it done again .... Thanks guys I was at the point scared to shoot and season so close I have to practice ... But was getting crazy blood blisters lemme tell you ..... It FU***ng hurts !

[10thmountainarcher]

Are you reaching in to grab the bow? As stated it could be your draw length is too long, but also pay attention to your form. You have to have the hold arm bent a bit, if its not then your arm will look like such.  I did it a lot when I first started archery

[bobbydean]

Dang really I had measurements taken and bow set to "my" draw length but I will be taking it back in and get it done again .... Thanks guys I was at the point scared to shoot and season so close I have to practice ... But was getting crazy blood blisters lemme tell you ..... It FU***ng hurts !

just don't be a pu**y 

[Smossy]

Dang really I had measurements taken and bow set to "my" draw length but I will be taking it back in and get it done again .... Thanks guys I was at the point scared to shoot and season so close I have to practice ... But was getting crazy blood blisters lemme tell you ..... It FU***ng hurts !

lol Yes they welt up way worse then that sometimes. You need a standard forearm cover, They're cheap.
http://www.sportsmanswarehouse.com/sportsmans/Sportsmans-Outdoor-Products-Youth-Armguard/productDetail/Releases-and-Tabs/prod9999008808/cat100511
$6 Bucks. Sounds like you should focus on your shooting form alittle also, Once you perfect that, or come close to perfecting it. Blistered forearms will be a thing of the past. Ive shot without an armguard for along time now.

[ICEMAN]

Silly bowhunters....

 

[Smossy]

Silly bowhunters....

 

Silly flannel wearing, Jean wearing, 400 yard sitting, gun toting rifle hunters
Lol jk Iceman.

[Wazukie]

It is probably the way you are holding the bow.  A bow is not to be "Gripped".  It's the action and pressure of drawing back the bow that should hold the grip to your hand.  Hard to explain, so my advice: Find someone in the know and ask them to help with your form.

[Jellymon]

Read this, it should help you out. It could be too long a draw, but odds are its your grip. I'm a 27 1/2" draw and using the correct grip I can shoot a 29" bow without hitting my arm.  It will be a little uncomfortable at first but it will help in the long run.

http://arrowtrademagazine.com/articles/jan_08/Jan2008-WiseOnBowHandBasics.pdf

[MIKEXRAY]

Bend your left elbow more to keep your fore arm out of the way, like said if you can't bend your arm a little and still come to full draw then your draw length is to long.  I shortened mine a half inch a couple of years ago under advice and it made a lot of difference. You don't want it catching on your long sleeve shirt either and obviously that will be further out then skin.  My arm is pretty bent @ full draw.

[ICEMAN]

Silly bowhunters....

 

Silly flannel wearing, Jean wearing, 400 yard sitting, gun toting rifle hunters
Lol jk Iceman.

All true except I am only good to 300 yards.

[xXx Archery]

It is NOT your draw lenght ..its your GRIP...

[carpsniperg2]

  100% grip.

[robertsjd]

Okay thanks for all the Feedback and advice guys ill look into proper form and maybe my draw length ?? Here's only pic I have of my draw and form ?? If this helps you guys at all

[seansfire]

looks like your elbow is locked to me man. gonna smack yourself every time that way. if your elbow is locked like that your draw is too long and that would make the way you hold the bow wrong as well and that is why you get a bruise

[MrsTurkeyFeather]

looks like your elbow is locked to me man. gonna smack yourself every time that way. if your elbow is locked like that your draw is too long and that would make the way you hold the bow wrong as well and that is why you get a bruise

at first I thought it was your grip, but you look good & relaxed/loose holding the bow in the pic, after talking it over a bit with hubby, we agree its draw length...Id sure as heck be whacking the snot outta my forearm if I was locked elbow (with too long a draw length) as it appears you are.

Let us know how you do after getting things readjusted! 

[turkeyfeather]

I disagree with the advice on getting a forearm cover. That just allows you to hide the problem. Better to find out why your hitting your arm and adjust right away. Then you have immediate feedback if you do it wrong.

[RadSav]

Form doesn't look all that bad.  Draw length might be a little too long, but well within reasonable.  The biggest thing I see is your right foot!  Looks to be behind the left one.  That's a no no both for balance and for slapping your arm.  Move that foot forward about 12-15 inches and point your toes a bit more toward the target.  Doesn't have to be a lot to rotate that left shoulder.  What you want to do is open your chest up to the target.  When you do that the left should rotates out and creates more angle and getting that forearm out of the way.  It also gives you a better visual picture of the target too.  A lot like batting in baseball...think Jay Buhner!!

This might shorten your draw length a little too much for the draw setting on the bow.  But that's easy to fix if it happens to change too much.

One of the other things I noticed in that picture is that the wrist sling seems tight to your wrist at full draw.  That can cause problems too!  Wrist sling should be almost floppy loose.  All it is there for is to catch the bow.  There should never be any tension on it until the arrow has completely left the rest.

[westernarcher]

Your strings stopper is not adjusted to stop the string from going to far forward upon release. First time I shot my bow this year it whacked me so hard I thought something blew up. I noticed the bump stop had twisted to far to the left and wasn't catching the string. Hope this helps.

[Jason]

Just do what most have suggested and you should be good to go.
And forearm guards are for sissy's Just don't even remember someone suggested that to you

[turkeyfeather]

Your strings stopper is not adjusted to stop the string from going to far forward upon release. First time I shot my bow this year it whacked me so hard I thought something blew up. I noticed the bump stop had twisted to far to the left and wasn't catching the string. Hope this helps.

I disagree with ya on this. Until last year I never had a string stopper and didn't hit my arm.

[westernarcher]

My arm disagrees. Its the only time its been hit with a compound bow since back in 1997.

[mountainman]

Feet should be no tighter then at 11:00 and 5:00 o'clock to the target. Shoulders should be directly over your feet. You can try rotating your bow arm shoulder a little more back, down, and relaxed. What you are tying to do is create a triangle with your bow arm, draw arm/arrow, and the cross section between shoulders. Also, looks like your bow arm elbow is too locked. Think centered and tall to get relaxed and balanced...

[robertsjd]

Wow thanks everyone for the help!! Really glad I have hunt wa and all you guys !! Gonna get this taken care of ASAP !! Looks like I need some archery form training haha !! Just learning all on the fly this year don't really have a mentor thanks everyone for aLl the input !!! Cheers to hunt wa!!

[JLS]

Your strings stopper is not adjusted to stop the string from going to far forward upon release. First time I shot my bow this year it whacked me so hard I thought something blew up. I noticed the bump stop had twisted to far to the left and wasn't catching the string. Hope this helps.

I disagree with ya on this. Until last year I never had a string stopper and didn't hit my arm.

 

A string stopper's function is to dampen noise and improve accuracy.  It does nothing to prevent the string from slapping your arm.  I'd say you have some other issue going on here.

[RadSav]

mountainman's advise is right on.  Centered and relaxed will solve the majority of problems archers struggle with.  Each coach has his own advise as to the proper foot and shoulder position.  For instance Larry Wise likes the archer to have all bones in the left arm in perfect alignment with one another and does not preach much about being open with the target.  Rick McKinney on the other hand tends to teach a more open stance and spends less time worrying about the left arm.  Both world champion archers, both great coaches and both have my utmost respect.  The one thing they both agree on is "Center", "Balance" and "Relaxed"

[robertsjd]

Awesome thank you very much !

mountainman's advise is right on.  Centered and relaxed will solve the majority of problems archers struggle with.  Each coach has his own advise as to the proper foot and shoulder position.  For instance Larry Wise likes the archer to have all bones in the left arm in perfect alignment with one another and does not preach much about being open with the target.  Rick McKinney on the other hand tends to teach a more open stance and spends less time worrying about the left arm.  Both world champion archers, both great coaches and both have my utmost respect.  The one thing they both agree on is "Center", "Balance" and "Relaxed"

[JJD]

Opening the stance, turing slightly toward the target w/ foot farthest away from target, slightly ahead of the forward foot by about 1/2 a shoe length works good for me.
You may have to fine tune that for your body.
Only time you might need an arm guard is when you are wearing a heavier jacket or something like that.  Keeps the string from contacting the sleeve material and throwing your shot off.

[Mongo Hunter]

looks like your elbow is locked to me man. gonna smack yourself every time that way. if your elbow is locked like that your draw is too long and that would make the way you hold the bow wrong as well and that is why you get a bruise

[robertsjd]

So does this mean my draw length is the main reasoning for slapping my arm ?

looks like your elbow is locked to me man. gonna smack yourself every time that way. if your elbow is locked like that your draw is too long and that would make the way you hold the bow wrong as well and that is why you get a bruise

[luckyman]

Your upper body is leaning back slightly. Thats another sign you may be too long on draw.
Shortening up should help.

[Bunny Thumper]

Don't be such a wuss. Another 2000 arrows or so and you'll have a nice callus built up and then you won't feel a thing.

[Mongo Hunter]

So does this mean my draw length is the main reasoning for slapping my arm ?

looks like your elbow is locked to me man. gonna smack yourself every time that way. if your elbow is locked like that your draw is too long and that would make the way you hold the bow wrong as well and that is why you get a bruise

without seeing you shoot personally and just looking at the photo and what you have on your arm it appears that's your problem. My actual draw length and my bow draw length are different for the same reason. when I was measured when they set my bow up I think I was a 29" draw and we set my bow for like 28 I think. I kept getting my arm slapped too until we brought it down just a little and a actual bow guy saw my form. to be totally honest your front elbow should be slightly bent not locked, try bringing your bows draw down just a hair.

[lghtnquik]

Loosen that wrist strap so you can rotate your hand out better. Knuckles should be at a 45 with the riser at full draw. You shouldn't get hit where you are unless you are gripping the bow with your whole hand.