Thinking about different parts of the shooting process, the second thing on my list is 'relaxed grip on the bow.'

('Stance is #1 if anyone cares.)

Some bows, the ones that fit me well, make the grip easy. Just pick the bow up, don;t grip too tight, and shoot.

Other bows feel 'wrong'. Grip too big, too small, too low etc. I have to really work at making that bow sit in my hand well.

I have a mid-70's Howatt Hunter, great looking bow, but the grip is too big for my medium-sized hand. Have to think about it a lot before ever nocking an arrow.

Another bow, the grip is the right size but very low-wrist. Again, I have to do some adjustment before I can shoot it well.

It's not that we can not adjust, I think that - having to - adjust may throw us out of a smooth shooting process.

All of which is the long way of saying, a bow my hand 'likes' is easier to shoot.

Anybody else find this so?

By way of qualifying the above, I should note that I have a bit of arthritis in my hands, and my bow hand has had multiple surgeries from a break some years back.

A younger person, or someone with stronger hands, might not 'notice' the grip so much. But I wonder if it still affects their shooting?

I try to only grip it just tight enough as to keep it in my hand at release. I compare it to holding an egg

Grip is everything to me and is my #1 criteria when selecting a bow. The grip needs to fit like a glove and not like a 2x4. The low grips on my R/D longbows work for me. Not too much hand on the grip.

The small grip on my Black Hunter long bows is my ideal.

Sandy

In the past I would have taken a rasp to a too-large grip, and might do that on a fairly new bow. But a mid-70's model has collectors' value and I'd hate to ruin that. Someday the bow will end up in the 'right' hands ;-)

How many years have some of us been telling you that "fit" is the number one priority with any bow. It trumps speed by a large margin, yet people look at speed first...check the threads for that. This is about fit, which is what makes you shoot well. And I know, others will say otherwise...that's how it goes.

I try to get a low grip on all my bows.

Definitely go for low grip. Puts the pressure on the palm and not the web of the hand.

Low wrist, and a death grip on it. I figure a shooting machine holds it even tighter than I do, and those things always send arrows to the same place. I actually think it's possible to have a firm grip without introducing torque.

Since I need to shoot as straight wrist as possible, a high but unobtrusive grip suits me best.

This is a very subjective subject ;-)

Grip means ALOT to me as I have medium sized hands. I've had a couple really good bows (quality-wise) that I just could never shoot very well because the grip was just too thick and bulky for my hand. Could fit someone with bigger hands well probably but didn't for me. Having a smaller hands and the size (thick/slim) of the riser's grip plays more of a role for me than the low/high part of it.

Inside the lifeline and repeatable, Or, however you want.

My hand-span is right at 8”. Size 8 shoe, 6 1/2 in a hockey skate. Not a Big Dude by any stretch.

But I have a used custom that was built for a much larger person and I actually think I shoot that one pretty well. Then the‘ 67 Thunderbird has a pretty massive grop, and it seems to shoot extremely well for me also. Frankly, the slimmer grip of the RDR is more comfortable, but the proof is in poking holes, I guess...

Low to medium grip and I like to have a firm grip on the bow...works better for me.

Low grip, "bird", ring, and pinky fingers rolled under. Like a fist with thumb and index finger barely touching.

-Joe

Thought when I bought a new rosewood target bow in 63 with a big high grip with a thumb rest, that from then on, all my bows I would buy in the future would have that type grip. Wrong. What I have liked the best through the years for just ordinary recurves is the round medium feel grip without a thumb rest. Like the 62 Bears with a good amount of wood in the palm, as they just feel real good, like a hunting bow should. It's what feels good for whatever particular bow you shoot is about all that matters for a grip. Also some manuafacturers have ruined great feeling bows with a change in the grip in my opinion, such as some of the K Mags later made which had a slight variation in their grip from the original '61's and '62's. That's why it's good to feel a bow and/or shoot it before you buy. Especially if you're buying an old recurve.

This is kind of like asking if you like a size 10 or size 12 shoe, isn't it?

I watched a video of a guy shooting his bow with wicked accuracy... his opinion? "FIRM GRIP! IT HAS to be a firm grip." I tried that... arrows flew like crap.

I saw another guy shooting arrows with laser accuracy... "super light grip on my bow..." I tried that... bow got noisy... arrows flew terrible.

I shoot with an Asbell type grip... with "Medium" pressure. Not sure if there's ONE right way... just the best way for you and that bow.

I’m a Tall Tines fan, love the way they shoot and Brian’s attention to detail is outstanding. The last bow I ordered from him I decided to try his low checkered grip, all my previous risers had his standard grip. What a difference that made, as much as I liked his standard grip his low grip is perfect for me. For me it turned a great shooting bow into a super shooting bow......

A low grip, like in a regular longbow that is not dished, requires more pressure on the palm. A palm grip as opposed to the thumb and forefinger grip on recurves, create less draw length, if that's important to you. My recurve draw length is 28 3/8,_but my recurve draw length is 28. Because a straight Longview grip requires your bow hand to bend outward at the wrist. Plus, most people can't shoot that non-curved longbow, grip without bending your elbow just a tad to prevent arm slap. It takes more muscle to draw a bow with the loss of support from a locked bow arm. Maybe.

Sometimes I grip a bow with my left hand, sometimes with my right hand. Sometimes I forget what I'm doing or what bow I've picked up and grip it with the wrong hand. Sometimes I switch hands, sometimes I put the arrow on the other side of the bow and fire away. I'ts complicated.

Bow gripp is an individualize thing as to, what we want to/can shoot. I have a friend who has won IBO Indoor and Outdoor Longbow Championships. Actually helped him learn to shoot when he got started shooting and he started his shooting on traditional gear. He cannot for love nor money shoot a recurve style grip, to where he feels comfortable with them. He is also so particular he can only shoot longbow grips made like the manufacture's when he first started traditional, he is that pickey He is making bows now "trying" to copy that grip for himself. I have another friend who can shoot anything recurve, longbow, selfbow, and switch between bows on the same coarse. I have watched him out shoot others with there own bow, no mtter what the style. Helped him learn to shoot also. He has won no major campionships because he has never been interested to even try. Of the two of them he is the better shot. So it sure wasn't the teacher. The point of all of this diatribe being: Some of us can be so pickey on grip style, we become fixated on it, thinking I can only shoot my best using that grip, and others are so flexable to them it is just another bow, whats the big deal. Most of us are somewhere in between. DANNY

If it doesn't fit take a rasp to it. I file grips that are too big. I wrap electrical tape around grips that are too small. Cover it up with a Suregrip and shoot better than before.

Instead of fighting a grip, make it be what you want.

Red, I agree up to a point. I'd hate to ruin the 'collectors value' of a forty year old bow. Druther trade for something that works better for me.

Although it has little to do with comfort, or fit, the reason that the majority of folks have major problems with bow grips is that they don't really understand how the bow, arrow, hand, should be aligned when they draw the bow to begin with. They don't understand the draw/force line and how to ensure that they are in line with it.

Now, like I said, being able to do that doesn't chnage the "comfort" aspect, but it makes a world of difference in the "shootability" department.

I like a high grip with a light hold. I find I shoot best when my wrist/bow hand is closely in line with my forearm. I can tell from all the pictures of bows with low grips or grips that look like broom handles I am in the minority!

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