if i grip by longbow too tight, then i feel handshock. if i do it right, there is none. im guessing all the force should be traveling through your hand down the bones in your fore arm, where it then is supported by should/arm muscle, and back/chest muscle.

the hand is really just gripping the bow enough to not drop it, or torque it in any way.  so to sum it up, im not sure! haha

only been shooting a little while, but i sure know when i grip it wrong, or shoot wrong. most of the weight is resting on the base of my thumb joint, or the heel of the hand.

Relaxed grip on all my bows. My fingers barely close around the grip so my mind will know I have it securely.

Find what works for you, with arrows flying properly.  Repeat it.

QuoteOriginally posted by Killdeer:
Your bow will teach you how to hold it.      

.......and that folks is an absolute FACT !!!

I shoot a wide variety of both longbows and recurves. What Killie said is right on the money.

The correct way to hold "any" bow is the way it tells you it wants to be held. When it tells you, you'll remember.

Winterhawk1960

I keep my recurves like I keep my woman.

My grip is light enough to feel unrestricted but with just enough tention to let her know that no matter what I will not let her fall.

Thanks for all the info everyone! I can barely wait for the bow to arrive in order to start figurin' all this out! I iimagine I'll start out with a relaxed grip similar to what I did with the wheelie. We'll see where it goes from there!

I don't undertsand why you would need or want to grip it tight.Grip it tight and you will get every bit of handshock that bow has to offer.

QuoteOriginally posted by gobblegrunter:
Thanks for all the info everyone! I can barely wait for the bow to arrive in order to start figurin' all this out! I iimagine I'll start out with a relaxed grip similar to what I did with the wheelie. We'll see where it goes from there!

Depending on how relaxed your grip is with a compound, you may want to use a sling of some sort till you get the feel of your bow & how she likes to be touched.

I keep a few finger slings handy for just that occasion, or a home made wrist sling would do the trick too.

A hold that works fine in the summer on your back lawn won't necessarily work fine when  you're peeking around a tree at a deer, at a steep downward angle, in cold/wet weather, for your only good shot of the season, lol.  I agree the bow itself usually let's you know how to hold it...but while I've shot bows that hated a 'gentle' hold I've never met one that couldn't be shot under varying conditions with a firmer hold.  It's your bow, pick your poison.      

Firm.

I have found that different bows require different grip preassures. My longbow likes a lighter grip than my recurve.

I hold a relaxed grip on my longbows and recurves.  That is, fingers wrapped around, but not tight.  With this type of grip, good form and follow through........ works best for me.

Hold it like you would hold a little bird....no wait, that is Ben Hogan's advice for a golf club.

I hold a recurve with the thumb and forefinger lightly gripping and just lay the middle finger on the back of the bow for stability.

QuoteOriginally posted by Steelhead:


Kinda like your holding a small delicate bird. Just loose enough to not hurt it.But tight enough to keep it from getting out of your hand.

Yep....that was HH's quote.....

According to John Schulz who was taught to shoot by Howard Hill himself, "Howard used to say 'Get ahold of it, heel the bow, exert a little pressure...' (excerpt from "Hitting'em Like Howard Hill").  That doesn't sound much like holding a small delicate bird to me, but if that works for you then fine and dandy.  Then again, he shot a straight-limbed and straight-grip bow.  Not everyone does.  

Alot depends on the type of bow you shoot and your style and physical build.  There is no universal one-way-fits-all when it comes to gripping the bow.  Try a few ways and see what produces for you.

For me its just a question of which bow I'm shooting. The 65# Jerry Hill Wildcat requires a light, kinda delicate hold. The handshock on it is painful if I really grip it. But using a choke hold on my 55# Martin Savannah gets me better groups and still no handshock.... Phil

The bow is like a bird.  Grip it too tightly it suffocates, too loosely it flies away.

QuoteOriginally posted by Stumpkiller:
The bow is like a bird.  Grip it too tightly it suffocates, too loosely it flies away.

Though I believe the original quote was regarding a sword.  ;-)

I keep a relatively loose grip.  (High wrist target style).  Never did get used to the "suitcase grip" of a longbow that forces the wrist lower.

QuoteOriginally posted by Killdeer:
Your bow will teach you how to hold it.
Killdeer      

I agree.  My recurves and compound like a relaxed grip.  But with one of my longbows, I need to hold it like I'm choking a rattle snake.  The other likes the soft but firm hold.

I agree that every bow is differant and you may need to experiment. that said I lean towards the lightest grip I can take.