Finger pinching?

[acehero]

When shooting my longbow I find the nock of the arrow strikes or catches on the underside of my index finger when i release. It doesnt feel like theres contact when drawing or at anchor. I'm using a W&W 360 leather tab with a finger space and no platform, and anchoring under my jaw like i do with a recurve. Could this be a symptom of incorrect nocking point? Or is it more likely finger pinching? I've tried with a glove and while it masks the discomfort for a while the contact is still there, no matter how much i try and spread my fingers. The tab gives me a better release and anchor though.

Any suggestions apreciated.

[robtattoo]

I would suggest that it ain't finger pinch, unless it's a really, really short bow or you've got a huge drawlength. I shoot, on occasion, a 52" longbow (flatbow) & I have a 30" draw. Even that extreme doesn't noticeably pinch. It sounds to me like you may have your nocking point too low, or you're putting too much string pressure on your index finger.

[acehero]

You're right about the bow and my draw - approx 70" bow and im drawing roughly 28". I'll move the nocking point, and the finger pressure idea hadnt occurred to me at all so I'll pay more attention and see it could be that.

Many thanks for the reply.

[steve58]

Or your fingers may just naturally curl in? I use a Black Widow tab (can't stand finger separators) with the little flaps of leather to protect the inside of the index and middle fingers, even so I have a little patch of hard skin that builds up on the first finger just on the edge of the nail. It's less of a problem if I am really methodical about finger placement though. I do put the weight through the index and ring fingers, with the middle finger doing less of the work, the better I do this the better my loose and scores. Probably best to stick with the tab, the consensus on here is that your scores will be better than with a glove.