To fire off an arrow perfectly, holding the compound bow accurately is one of the most crucial keys to success. Finding the ideal posture that works for you can be a real struggle. Fear not! We are here to guide you through that journey.
As you already know, you will have to learn the proper posture to make archery work for you. Most people assume it will be hard for them to acquire the skill. But we would say this skill is rather tacky than hard. If you know and can learn the small yet accurate tricks, you will find it super easy.
Holding a compound bow is instead a tricky technique than difficult. If you keep in mind some simple rules and keep practicing them regularly after, the techniques will come naturally to you. You will constantly move and stand the way you should do it.
So, don’t bother and make yourself worried thinking about these new rules to adapt. Take these tricks as life hacks, and you will do just the fine!
To make it easier for you, we will go over these rules step by step. This way, it will be easy for you to remember and follow all of them at once. So let’s dive into it!
Contents
Body Posture while Holding a Compound Bow
While holding a compound bow, you might have noticed the hunters and archers hold their bodies in a particular position to secure the bow and release the arrow. The physical posture is essential to fly your arrow straight and get a better grip on your bow.
It’s not obvious to shoot an arrow only in a standing position. You can shoot an arrow while sitting and even crawling on your chest. The rule is to keep your shoulder straight and back in a flat position. If you are standing, make sure you are to stand tall.
Keeping your back flat will give you several advantages. First of all, you will have access to the stronger and bigger muscles of your back. This position will also give you benefits in windy conditions when you must shoot from a treestand.
Keep your neck and shoulder relax. Tension should grow on your bow limbs, not in your body. Pull a deep breath from your belly and exhale, slowly dropping your shoulder. Now hold this relaxed position and keep your shoulder blade down. Keep your shoulder in a neutral position and fix your eyes on the target.
If you need to move sideways, like left or right to follow your hunt, move your body holding the posture. Remember to stand straight on your legs and keep the weight balanced. Keep sixty percent of your body weight on the balls of your feet and the other forty percent on your heels.
Your Hands Position to Hold the Compound Bow
Your hand is like the sword for you when it comes to the matter of bowhunting. It will have to execute most of the activities of holding your compound bow properly. From grabbing your compound bow to releasing a shot, everything needs strong support from your hands.
Phase – 1: Using Elbow, Shoulder Muscle & Substantial Hand
First of all, when you lift your bow, try to keep your elbow straight; this will help you take the weight promptly. There is a lot of model and varieties designed compound bow available in the market. Every one of them has got different holding positions. You will have to cope up with all the types and select your holding position.
The basic rule is to keep our shoulder muscles relaxed and arms strong while holding the bow. As you know, to maintain the compound bow in a shooting position, you will need both of your hands. If you are a right-handed person, your bow hand will be your left hand, and if you are a left-handed person, your bow hand will be your right hand.
The rule is simple you will need your more substantial hand to pull the arrow along with the bowstring. Shooting a compound bow takes a decent amount of draw weight, and you might have to keep the weight constant for a while in a hunting ground.
Phase – 2: Managing Draw Weight & Using Arm Tactically
The release or arrow hand should take all the draw weight and shouldn’t tremble while holding the position. The elbow should be bent smoothly to give it a better release. The arrow hand’s positioning and movement are so crucial that the landing success depends a lot on the arrow hand.
Almost all of the compound bows come with rubber or padded bow grip. This part is added to make the grip painless as a hunter holds their arrow for a long time. Place the front of your arm on the bow grip and secure the grip with your thumb, putting it around the grip.
Many people think putting pressure on your arm while holding the bow or holding it super tight will give a better grip which is wrong! Hold your bow with a relaxed grip. Just make sure the grip is firm and able to keep the bow in its aspired state. Don’t hold your bow with a clenched fist because it will end up creating tension in your grip.
If you are struggling to find the strongest muscle in your fist, try to do a push-up and notice which part of your arm is holding you up mostly. Try to place that muscle under your bow grip, and you will feel stronger using your hunting bow throughout the sessions.
Fingers Role & Posture to Hold a Compound Bow
Fingers play a vital role in holding a bow. From nocking arrow to perfect release, fingers will be needed in it all! If you are a new bowhunter and confused about the term nocking, you should know that nocking is attaching the back of your arrow to the particular part of the bowstring.
Most of the compound bow has a ‘D’ loop in its string it is where you will attach your arrow. When you attach your arrow in the D-loop, you will hear a click. This means your arrow is perfectly connected with your string.
The next step is finding the perfect stance for you. Fix your posture and hold it modestly. Put your hand in the ideal position and pull the string with your finger to hunt in the cold weather or just transport your bow gadgets to the hunting ground; before taking up the position, close and open your fist several times for better blood circulation finger.
This will help your finger relax a bit and keep them ready for future actions.
Conclusion
As the era of expansion and modern technology is expanding, people choose gadgets that have technologies in them. And it’s a good thing too! Technology makes our life easier and spares some precious time to relax. The compound bows are bows that combine old techniques with modern technology. But some extra attachments made them a little heavier than usual. That’s why Holding the compound bows correctly needed much attention. The techniques are easy, and once you adopt these while shooting an arrow with a compound bow, you will enjoy every bit of the experience!