How do you grip the bowstring?

[ajbruggink]

Hey guys,

I'm curious as to how the rest of you grip the bowstring with a 3-finger or Mediterranean bow draw. I don't mean, do you put 3 fingers under the arrow, or use a split-finger draw. What I mean is do you put the bowstring on your fingertips and pull back the bow, or do you put the bowstring on the first joint of your fingers and pull back the bow? I have always put the bowstring on the first joint of my fingers and pulled back the bow, but recently I have tried to work on my shooting to improve my shooting skills, and I have realized that are some things that could be improved, and I'm just wondering if my release could be improved. So, I'm curious as to how others do it. I have realized that the fact that I shoot my bow with my bow arm straight could be a problem. Shooting a bow with a straight bow arm, with the elbow locked, might be causing me to unintentionally torque the bow, causing me to miss. I also realized that I squeeze the grip area of my bow rather tight, so that could also be causing me to torque the bow and miss. Unfortunately, I can't draw as much draw weight if I pull the back bow with a slightly bent elbow in my bow arm and a loose grip. I didn't realize how much I was relying on the bow arm pushing on the bow to get it to full draw, and for some reason I find pulling a bow back harder when I grip the bow loosely. So, I have decided to do some training with a lighter bow so I can do these new improvements, and perhaps add some more handle material to the grips of my bows (all of my bows are D-bows that bend throughout their length) to create a riser so that it doesn't feel as awkward holding onto these thin bows with a loose grip, and I thought if I'm going to change how I release the arrow, I may as well do it now. So, what do you guys think? Will releasing from my fingertips really be an improvement over releasing from the first joint of my fingers? Your replies and critiques are greatly appreciated.

Thanks.
Aaron

[WhistlingBadger]

I put the string in that first knuckle crease.  I've tried the fingertip thing, and I think it might make for a slightly cleaner release if I were stronger, but I'm not.  I shoot a 60# longbow, and the fingertip grip just doesn't feel solid enough.  I'd rather have a good, deep, secure grip on the string so I'm in full control of when the arrow flies.  I'll be interested to see what others say.

[Pat B]

I generally place the string in the first creases in my fingers. If, however my shooting and release get sloppy I do a deep hook, in the second crease. Believe it or not the deep hook gives the smoothest release.

[matte]

I know that archers have adapted to their particular way to grip the string and some how make weird ways work. I found that you can use an arrow with lesser spine if you shoot off the tips or first joint of your fingers rather than a deep hook release. A deep hook requires a conscious effort as oppose to shooting off the tips or first joint of your fingers which allows the arrow to just slip away.The string doesn't have to travel as far off the fingers which is an asset.  A lighter spine arrow will have a flatter trajectory which can improve accuracy due to having less arc. On the other hand if someone has an unorthodox method that is repeatable they can adapt and shoot well? It is ironic how the mind adapts to a situation? I taught a young man that was on the archery team while in college. This young fellow wasn't an archer and started shooting a bow when he started to colledge, This young man wound up being their top archer. The main reason in my opinion is he hadn't developed any bad habits. He had a clean slate to work with.