do you shoot with bow arm locked or bent?

[Smallwood]

wondering who shoots with their bow arm locked and who bends it and to what degree do you bend it, alittle or alot?

[champ38]

If a fully exteded elbow is 0 degrees,Im at about 3-5 deg at full draw. If I lock my elbow,too much bow arm movment upon release,usually left(Im rt. handed)

[George D. Stout]

Neither.  I keep a solid arm that is not locked, but is not bent.

[E. Texas HillBilly]

If I kept my arm straight those 70# or 85# straight limbed longbows would unceremoniously rip the flesh from my forearm and render me rolling on the ground, gasping for breath and looking for my lost appendage.
                             -Hillbilly

[Shawn Leonard]

I have very big forearms and if i do not bend my bow arm slightly to roll my forearms out of the way, I am a hurting unit. Shawn

[Jeff Strubberg]

I'd call it relaxed more than bent.  A straight elbow seems like a prescription for joint pain to me.

[sdpeb1]

I don't get the two questions- bend and bent? Can some one help me? I do not lock my arm. If I straighten my arm out and then relax it to it's natural position and that were I fix it into position. thanks

[Bear Heart]

My arm is straight but not locked.  Just like you can stand straight up but not lock out your knees to avoid passing out.

[gsdmikko]

straight but not locked

[trip]

Originally posted by George D. Stout:
Neither.  I keep a solid arm that is not locked, but is not bent.

ditto. If the arm is locked, it may rotate inward and likely increase the possibility of string slap. ouch!

[Bonebuster]

I too would mirror what George said.

I truely cannot say my arm is locked, BUT it is not bent either.