new to archery

[marcocor]

i just got a older bear compound bow given to me had it sized for draw and it will work what i want to know is should i need an arm guard ?? or is the issue with my form ? shooting with a release

[bearslayer01]

hey i would recommend getting an armguard 100 % reason being when your in hunting situations i usually put it on the outside of my camo reason being that it keeps my sleeves away from the string while shooting the last thing u want is your stirng to catch your sleeve and throw the shot off. i do also recommend shootign with a release i would talk to sombody or go to an archery shop and have a D loop put on so your release is not on the string.. hope this helps a bit good luck to ya

[Blk Arrow]

If you take your bow hand and set it on a door jam as you would hold you bow. Your elbow will most likely be pointed down at a rather steep angle toward the floor. Rotate your elbow counterclockwise if you hold with your left or clockwise it you hold with your right. This will create greater string clearance from your forearm. This may give you enough clearance that an arm guard is not required.

When I started I smacked myself pretty good and realized an arm guard was a good idea. Some bows because of there nature(i.e short brace height) will require an arm guard . If you wear an arm guard it will prevent the fear of being hit and prevent finching. It will also keep jacket sleeves out of the way if shooting outdoors in cooler weather. Hope this helps.

[Ruger4]

If your draw length is correct and your form is on the right track ....... no arm guard required :mrgreen:

[Bow Walker]

Good advice from above posts. Further to getting smacked by the string...you may have your bow-arm shoulder hunched up a bit, causing your arm to be too straight and therefore getting in the way of the string upon release.

Try coming to full draw and then relaxing both shoulders back into their natural posture. This should drop the bow-arm shoulder down and will (or should) put a bit of a bend into your bow-arm. The bend (at the elbow) should keep your forearm out of the path of the string.

Now some people's grip on the bow has their wrist in a position so that they are pushing on the bow grip with the webbing between thumb and forefinger. This is called a "high-wrist" and is usually a result of a stiff bow-arm and/or a hunched bow-arm shoulder. Try tilting your hand upward, thereby putting more of your thumb pad onto the bow grip. This should act to lower your wrist and coupled with the relaxing of the shoulder, it should stop the string slap that you're experiencing.

Lots of things to try. Any one of them (or a combination) could be the culprit that causes you to get those nice bruises. In short - yes, it usually is a bit of a form flaw that causes string slap.

But I'd still recommend an arm guard (or something similar) to hold any bulky clothing out of the way when you're shooting. Also - definitely do get a D-loop on your string (if you don't have one already).

A D-loop will make your release more consistent and it will save a bunch of wear and tear on the string serving. Far easier and cheaper to replace a D-loop than it is to re-serve your bow string.

Hope all this helps. Practice hard and hunt successfully.

[marcocor]

thanks for the help sounds like I have some work to do

[Bow Walker]

If you can arrange it - get someone to take your picture when you're at full draw, just before you release, and maybe "we" can help you with your shooting form. It might shorten the learning curve for you.