Bow Arm ???

[Zanda]

When shooting my bow arm is slightly bent, my question is, should it be bent, or straight, or don't it matter?
After only six months of shooting, four or so with compound I need to hear peoples opinions so I can make wise, informed decisions....thanks folks

[JohnK]

Many compound archers shoot with a bent arm, some very successfully. However, I'm firmly of the belief that a straight arm is by far the best option. Marcus is probably your best source for the reasons behind this, being a successful compound archer who coaches both disciplines.

[Adam]

It's a matter of personal preference, but there is a growing consensus of opinion that straighter is better.

Why don't you have a look at some of the pics to be found at http://www.dutchtarget.com/album/

This will at least give you an impression of what many of the world's best are doing.

As to why?, well, as with shooting recurve, it's better if the bones of the hand/arm/shoulder are aligned correctly so that the shoulder joint is as stable as possible, and all of the forces are transmitted along the straightest possible path.

That said, many people prefer a bent arm (Jonathan Mynott being the most notable local example): you'd have to ask them why - I prefer a very near straight arm.

Adam

Adam

A small bend in the bow arm seems to be the best option, this looks almost straight. I have tried all combo's and the slight bend works best for me and most people in our club. I am still experimenting with this.

Opinion will vary on here as it's not cast in stone. I'm sure you may have "opend a gate" on this one..

I feel very strongly that the bow HAND has a huge influence on the shot too.
You really need to get a coach with good experience of compound archery to have a look at you. The draw length on a compound is very inportant to get right as it has a big influence on the line of the shot. If not check out some modern books on the subject. James Park advocates a Straight bow arm. Marcus seems to know the chap very well so it's very likely he will promote the streight bow arm too, as I suspect James was his coach at some point ( is this right Marcus?)

Interesting question...

[JohnK]

Originally Posted by Adam

That said, many people prefer a bent arm (Jonathan Mynott being the most notable local example):

As I recall, Jon Mynott prefers a bent arm because otherwise his draw length would be in the mid thirties

[geoffretired]

Hi, The bow arm can be used three ways. There is bent. There is straight. And there is locked straight. Locked straight means it is stiff and has no way of reacting to the shock of the shot other than bending as the arrow is launched, to cushion the blow. This is bad news, in my opinion. The straight and relaxed is easiest to repeat in a way as there is little or no variation in the bow arm each time.
With the bent arm, some people find the bow feels lighter in the hand, especially those who shoot high mass bows with low holding weight. In nature, we rarely lift heavy items at arms length with straight arms.

[JohnK]

Well said Geoff. What some people think of as a slight bend is often straight.

One of the other problems I've read about with the bent arm is that if one shoots a true surprise release, the bent arm should snap straight. This can lead to tendon problems in the bow elbow.

[orius]

I'm with Geoff and John on this one,i.e very slightly bent ,not locked straight.
Its also worthy of mention that the bend comes at the elbow and not the wrist. This also decreases the likelyhood of string slap and the shot being affected as the arrow leaves the bow.

Try it and good luck

[GeoffT]

Originally Posted by Zanda

When shooting my bow arm is slightly bent, my question is, should it be bent, or straight, or don't it matter?

James Park's Mastering Compound Bows book and Mastering Archery Technique Analysis book are both good at explaining why straight is best.

As others have said some very good archers shoot with a bent arm.....but not many.

Originally Posted by GeoffT

James Park's Mastering Compound Bows book and Mastering Archery Technique Analysis book are both good at explaining why straight is best.

As others have said some very good archers shoot with a bent arm.....but not many.

OK lets quote James Park :-

We are aiming at having out archers use only the muscles that are required to shoot the bow, and and hence take as much of the forces as possible directly along bones and through joints. To optimize this distribution of forces, the archer's collarbones need to be sitting down inside the ribs, and a line through the shoulder joints should point straight along the bow arm.

To Minimize the required muscle use and to obtain the greatest repeatability, it is best to use a straight bow arm. This also has the added advantage of miniimizing the possiblity of injury.( for example, tendonitis in the bowarm elbow joint)