bow arm elbow

[pHz]

when you draw up how does your bow arm elbow naturally align ?

even with bow hand at the correct 45 degree angle my elbow sits at about 45 degrees with the lower end of the joint towards the string (ie the pointy bit of the elbow joint is pointing down and left) - this (and my big forearms) results in some of my alignment and string clearance issues im sure

i CAN rotate my elbow so the joint is vertical and i get better alignment / clearance but this feels like its straining my arm and doesnt feel at all like a nice natural bone-on-bone configuration (and starts to fatigue my bow arm after a while)

so - do you lot have to 'consciously' rotate your arm too in order to get the joint vertical or does my arm just not work as it should ?

slainte : rob

[Tropicalshot]

this is one thing that i have to practice and ensure that i do as part of my draw procedure, otherwise "SLAP" on the old forearm. even though we know it hurts we still need the odd "SLAP" to remind us to get into alignment,

[Erika]

I run about 1" gap between me and the string. Consequently I hit my forearm every shot. My forearms are tiny, so i don't think that's relevant.

That's what arm guards are for.
By the time it hits your arm the arrow is already gone. So why worry about it?

[pHz]

i hear what youre saying erika but my contact is further up the arm - if i dont wear a full length armguard the string can end up hitting the arm behind the elbow end of a shorter bracer and if i get a bad contact even with the full length guard i get a low arrow (3 rings or worse at 60 yards) so i think my contact is occurring before or as the arrow leaves the string

as i said i can rotate the joint to get better clearance but this just feels awkward and 'out of line' and eventually uncomfortable

just wondered whether most people have to 'force' their elbow / forearm out of the way like this or whether its just me ?

i run a low BH - would increasing that help any ?

slainte : rob

[clickerati]

you're not only rotating the elbow, but the shoulder as well. i go for what feels natural and don't seem to have any contact issues (unless i have a bad release) and my elbow is the same 45 degrees as yours. if i rotate my elbow (which i can't get vertical because of my shoulder dislocation) it feels painful after only a short time.

do you think maybe you're rotating your should forward? is it down and back? it really opens up that area when it is.

[Paper_Arrow]

I had exactly the same problem when i was learning and found two things that helps to sort it out. The first was to always starting by having my elbow in the right place before i started to draw the bow (while it was still down) I found the easiest way to do this was to have my arm bent slightly before i raised the bow. It was then just a matter of raising the bow without rotating the elbow out of position. you must remember to check it as you draw the string back. The second method was to move to a more open stance as this moved the arm back out of the way of the string. This vastly reduced the number of times i whacked my arm.

[pHz]

some things to think about there (especially the shoulder thing leigh - must try to find some time tonight to have a 'look' at that) - thanks

should have mentioned - i already use an open stance

slainte : rob

[clickerati]

Originally Posted by pHz

some things to think about there (especially the shoulder thing leigh - must try to find some time tonight to have a 'look' at that) - thanks

should have mentioned - i already use an open stance

slainte : rob

I use an open stance, too But I know when I've been lazy and rolled the shoulder forward. So now I make sure I'm standing tall, but relaxed, and then drop the shoulders into place as I draw.

[King Custard]

If you can face a wall- with arms outstretched to the side - and open palms facing the wall........... then you should be able to bend your arms at the elbow to have your fingers contact your chest (rather than shoulders or above)
This will give you the required elbow 'angle' and upper arm bone position, and if you conciously practice this angle every time you reach for the kettle, reach for the toothbrush, hold the steering wheel of the car, or just plain yawn etc etc - it will come naturally - eventually feeling less awkward.

That said-
you are in the same boat as the majority of us- whose radius and ulna are far more relaxed at a '45 degree twist', than when one is laying parallel above the other. We're talking about the bow arm here- so a relaxed forearm is not an issue ( a relaxed forearm for the drawing side is though)

It's purely a case of you, me and most people naturally focussing on hand position when we reach out our arms...when as archers we need to focus on the configuration of the whole arm before we push our bow toward the target.
No kiddng- it IS uncomfortable, particularly late in a long shoot - but necessary for consistency, and imperative to avoid slap, injury and loss of points.
Just last Sunday, one our club's up and coming archers hit her elbow with the string - particularly hard- not once but twice, leaving the most awful emu egg sized swelling on the jutting elbow which has since turned into a ten inch red and blue zone between her bicep and wrist. Only elevation and ice pack treatment will have her shooting again without a long break.

PAIN is the elbows way of saying MOVE ME OUTTA THE WAY AND YOU'LL GET A BETTER SHOT OFF!!!.
TBH, it's only laziness that leaves it in the way for me, you, and a girl named Sue.....I've not met anyone that can't achieve proper elbow position with practice...often lots and lots of practice though.

And then we all forget, sometimes...
OWWWWWwwwww!!! - and an arrow thats lucky to score anything!

[JohnK]

I have exactly the same problem as you, and there is no panacea I have found... yet.

Contrary to popular belief, an open stance will only help clearance *if* you sacrifice alignment. Think about it - if you stand with an open stance and your shoulders follow a similar line then yes you will get good bow arm clearance *but* the line through the shoulders and your bow arm will be completely broken.

Also, the bow shoulder should in fact be at least partly forward, as it must be between you and the bow. If you shift it backwards this will again disrupt your shoulder alignment.

What is working best for me at the moment is being very careful to place my hand on the grip correctly and relaxing the bow arm as much as possible (i.e. not using any unnecessary muscles). I'd be interested to hear information from someone with more technical knowledge of this sort of thing (Erika? Marcus?). Sacrificing shoulder alignment to get good clearance may save you a whack or two on the arm, but it won't do your shooting any good in the long run.