Hand Placement

[Wolftrail]

This has probably come up before.  I am by no means an expert archer and maybe never. But anyway I find that gripping the bow especially when it comes to self bows etc. that have a straight handle my hand is rarely in the same spot.

Things happen like torquing the string, shooting right, shooting left and the string hitting the arm guard.

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[McDave]

Whatever kind of bow you have, a pretty good place to grip it is to place the handle of the bow between your lifeline and the base of your thumb.  Grip the bow as high as you can on the handle without interfering with the arrow.  That should give you a consistent grip.  Avoid torquing by keeping a loose grip on the handle with your thumb and fingers, so that all the force of the bow is straight back against the pad directly below your thumb.  Avoid the high-low misses, and the left-right misses by using a consistent anchor and learning to come to full draw and release with back tension such that you're either pushing directly towards or pulling directly away from the target when you release the arrow without any sideways tweeks.  That's about all there is to it, really.

[Stumpkiller]

I have a Dick Palmer (Hill style) longbow I never got consistent with because it forced me to break my wrist down.  I shoot high-grip recurves MUCH better because I can keep the shaft close to my forearm.

Whatever works for you is the key.

[Wolftrail]

Makes total sense.
"Grip the bow as high as you can on the handle"

At any rate its tough for some of us. Golf, Tennis and a few other sports relate to the Grip Syndrome.

[Wolftrail]

"the force of the bow is straight back against the pad directly below your thumb."  I guess in other words dont grip the  bow tight, having a  (death grip) I have heard this many times.

[McDave]

Many people who shoot straight handled longbows like to keep a tight grip on the handle.  Whether you grip the handle tightly or loosely, you can't shoot any bow accurately if you are torquing the bow.  It is impossible for me to tell if I am torquing the bow if I grip the handle tightly, therefore I don't do it, longbow or recurve.  I know there are successful longbow shooters who grip the handle tightly, but they would have to tell you how they manage to do it without torquing the bow.