How many hit your arm with the string?

[stick_string]

Hey guys...I have tried heavily to follow the model and the shooting videos to keep the gaps and everything straight; but I cannot get past the fact that if I keep everything tight and the string hits my arm...I shoot much better!!  Does anyone else hit their arm with the string REGULARLY?

[akbowbender]

Nope. I only use an armguard when wearing a heavy coat.

[Rabob]

Nope...I've shot recurves for 49 years both left and right handed,never did.
                               Regards,Ray

[Lechwe]

I'm pretty regular at hitting my arm lightly.

[bshunter]

Funny thing...I didn't in the beginning, but now I hit it all the time...still working on finding out which one of the many form changes I've made, that might be causing this. Rod Jenkins just answered a post of mine that kinda asked the same thing...try and grip the bow in such a way that your knuckles are at a 45 degree angle, good luck.

[Earthdog]

I do most of the time,just a bit of a zing,nothing big.
When I'm hunting and wearing my usual jacket I just open my stance a little to compensate for it.

[Winterhawk1960]

Nope, the string never has hit my bow arm upon release........well......except the ONE TIME that I had a wooden flu-flu disintigrate when I turned her loose.

Winterhawk1960

[Cyclic-Rivers]

I hit it hard one time when the knock broke.  Wish I was wearing he arm guard then.  

I find I start hitting my arm more and more when my string stretches and my Brace height is off.  I will be painting my arrows to have a quick reference so That I dont have to measure all the time.

[xtrema312]

Not with a curve, but with a long bow a little sometimes.  Even with a hybrid LB I can do it.  I don't understand that given the grip is like a curve and the brace height is up higher.  I was shooting at the Kzoo expo and had it with a couple LB's like the A&H and med grip Morison.  I shot without an arm guard and never had a problem with the curves I shot.  

I didn't think I was with my MOAB shooting this winter in a heavy shirt with a vest, but the other day I was in a real light long sleeve shirt after work when it was a little above freezing.  I took of my coat when I got home and shoot for about 15-20 minutes by the barn before heading in, and I found I was getting a real light contact on the shot.  A tighter grip fixed it as did more bow arm bend, but I don't like to grip hard or give up draw length.  I have found release can be a problem sometimes.  If you pluck or even shoot more off the tips of the fingers without a deep hook you can cause the string to get some side to side movement and hit if you shoot a fairly straight bow arm.

[Over&Under]

I tend to hit my arm regularly and tend to shoot better when I do.  Maybe I am doing something wrong and thats why, not sure, but ya I have to wear an arm guard.

[twitchstick]

I don't with my recurve but I do with my long bow.

[woodsman 365]

I hit my arm lightly and do sometimes end up with a small bruise.

[Covey]

No, I don't have any trouble with hitting my arm. I wear one to hold my clothes in, but I'm thinking about trying the rubber band thing for that! Jason

[Bill Skinner]

If I do everything right, I won't hit my arm.  I wear an armguard:  1. it keeps my sleeve out of the way, and 2.  I don't always do everything right.  Bill

[Earthdog]

The better your alignment (a the classical sence) the more likely you are to sap your arm.
You can control most of it by either changing your grip to the Howard Hill style of coming in slightly from the side,or by opening your stance a little.
I have a slightly beyond closed stance for most shooting situations,but If I want to clear my jacket arm,all I do is put my back foot around 6" further forward of where it would normaly be.
This opens the stance and as a result my bow string clears my arm more.
Open or closed,think of it like a door but base it on your back foot,square an the door is closed,slightly forward an the door is slightly open.
My usual stance,the back foot is behind the line of my front foot,,,slammed through the door frame ;^)

[MercilessMing]

If I cant my bow too much the string tends to hit my armguard.  Usuaually move the bow a bit more vertical can solve my problem at them.

[bofish-IL]

I use to hit mine some with a recurve or a longbow. Then a older guy told me to turn my feet toward the target instead of standing sideways. Worked for me!!

[PhilNY]

When I shot target indoor 300 rounds as a kid I always hit my arm gard so I used talc on the gard and a monofiliment serving and it did not hamper my shooting at all.Later on I held my chest in and front shoulder down when drawing and that combined with an open stance and arm rotation has kept me for some time from slapping the gard with the string. If you are shooting good groups and it doenst make too much noise for hunting then I dont think it really matters.

[longbow55]

Shooting my black widow longbow yes, shooting my shrew longbow, most the time, no. The grip makes a difference I guess.

[Greg Skinner]

I never used to use one at all with any bow.  I only shoot long bows, now, and since I have refined my form to get better shoulder alignment I find that I get a little bite from the string if I shoot wearing a short sleeve shirt.  I always use an armguard just to keep jacket sleeves from possibly interfering with the path of the string.  I don't ever notice any noise associated with it, though.