Arm guard?

[Kain]

Thanks again guys.  Anyone point me to a good source for proper form.  Found a couple youtube videos that I think are pretty good but want to double check them against other opinions. 

[Button Nubbs]

Take a lesson, it will help way more than watching videos or reading.

[JKEEN33]

Your elbow should always be locked. Hand relaxed and elbow turned out. If you bend the elbow you will never have the same shot. I hear this all the time and bending the elbow is how a bow shop gets a misfit bow to work for you. A locked arm is going to be the same length every shot a bent elbow is going to change with every shot.

I use an arm guard to keep my sleeve clear.

"locked" ?? must be why I dont hit 100% of the time 
But when shooting my recurve it is a fluid motion from raising the bow, pulling the string and pushing the bow forward, when I hit anchor, ..I release and follow through.
Arm is not "locked" or I would hit my forearm, but it is fully extended......
quit using an arm guard because I needed the painful reminder that if I hit my arm, I was turning my wrist out .

From an olympic coach "Lock your arm and lean against the wall and see how long you will last, then bend your elbow and try and hold yourself at the same spot and see how long you last"

Lock your elbow, turn it out and unless you are double jointed you will not hit your arm. Recurve may be different, but with my compound, my arm is pointed down at my target before I start the draw.

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

Well, according to a different source...

This is an argument that keeps popping up year after year.  There is a simple technique that avoids all of the confusion, is intuitive, and results in the most biomechanically sound solution. Stand with your side (bow arm) to an open door with an imaginary line through your shoulders aligned with the door frame.  Relax your arm at your side and lift it to about the height that it would be while aiming.  Relax the wrist and place the palm of your hand against the edge of the door frame.  You should be standing arms length away from the door so that you are relaxed with your arm extended and hand against the frame.  Now lift your foot on the bow arm side.  This should cause you to put body weight into your bow arm.  Adjust the bow arm position so that you hold the weight with the least effort and most stability.  Now slide your support foot a few more inches away from the door and get the same position of your bow arm and check.  The support for the weight against the door frame should come from alignment of the bones in your arm and shoulder more than muscles.  This is the position that you should use when shooting. Whether you call it straight or bent is irrelevant.  In truth, no one ever has a completely straight or locked elbow.  Generally, hyper-extension is not good.    The goal is to find the most efficient alignment of YOUR skeleton to support the force of the draw with the least muscle effort possible.  This is the foundation of good shooting. Too many coaches and shooters cling to terminology and techniques that confuse and are not always effective because that’s what they were taught. Good common sense and a very basic understanding of physics and bio-mechanics usually leads to simple solutions. FYI, my credentials are a B.S. in Kinesiology, M.S. in motor behavior with emphasis in bio-mechanics, former Sport Science consultant to the NAA coaches committee, former member of the USOC and NAA Sport Science Committees, and 20 years of archery experience. Leonard G. Caillouet

[Kain]

I think that helps.  Thanks.  This is the kind of thing I wanted to see.  Even if I went and got lessons how would I know the instructor is doing the right thing.   

[Kain]

Well it appears that my elbow is pointed down instead of out.  Years of bad habit I guess.  Groups were always good just needed the arm guard.  Tried shooting a few with what i have learned this morning and it was better except I can now barely pull my normal weight.  Gonna drop it way down and work on it for a while.

[JKEEN33]

Well, according to a different source...

This is an argument that keeps popping up year after year.  There is a simple technique that avoids all of the confusion, is intuitive, and results in the most biomechanically sound solution. Stand with your side (bow arm) to an open door with an imaginary line through your shoulders aligned with the door frame.  Relax your arm at your side and lift it to about the height that it would be while aiming.  Relax the wrist and place the palm of your hand against the edge of the door frame.  You should be standing arms length away from the door so that you are relaxed with your arm extended and hand against the frame.  Now lift your foot on the bow arm side.  This should cause you to put body weight into your bow arm.  Adjust the bow arm position so that you hold the weight with the least effort and most stability.  Now slide your support foot a few more inches away from the door and get the same position of your bow arm and check.  The support for the weight against the door frame should come from alignment of the bones in your arm and shoulder more than muscles.  This is the position that you should use when shooting. Whether you call it straight or bent is irrelevant.  In truth, no one ever has a completely straight or locked elbow.  Generally, hyper-extension is not good.    The goal is to find the most efficient alignment of YOUR skeleton to support the force of the draw with the least muscle effort possible.  This is the foundation of good shooting. Too many coaches and shooters cling to terminology and techniques that confuse and are not always effective because that’s what they were taught. Good common sense and a very basic understanding of physics and bio-mechanics usually leads to simple solutions. FYI, my credentials are a B.S. in Kinesiology, M.S. in motor behavior with emphasis in bio-mechanics, former Sport Science consultant to the NAA coaches committee, former member of the USOC and NAA Sport Science Committees, and 20 years of archery experience. Leonard G. Caillouet

I would agree with this. He says the bones should be supporting the weight not the muscle. Call it locked, straigt or whatever it's not a bent arm.

[yajsab]

I always use one even though I don't really need it.  Better to protect your arm then slap it with the string.  That's not cool!

[dreamingbig]

Install a string stop as well. Helps with vibration, noise, and arm clearance.

[sakoshooter]

Opening your stance and correct bow arm position - shouldn't need an arm guard. I always wear one hunting so that once in a life time shot isn't ruined by the string hitting your clothes.