How to Achieve Correct Arm Placement for Shooting a Bow and Arrow

The position of your bow arm (the arm holding the bow) when you release the arrow is one of most critical techniques in archery. The primary challenge in arm placement is to achieve accuracy without having your arm slapped by the bow string when you release it. The following steps will show how to achieve correct arm placement for shooting a bow and arrow.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Use your non-dominant hand to hold the bow. The superior motor control of your dominant hand will be more useful in releasing the arrow than holding the bow.

2. Hold your bow arm to the side so that your shoulder is pointed towards the target. Your hand will generally be at or above your shoulder depending on the amount of trajectory required for the shot.

3. Extend your arm almost completely without locking it. Locking your elbow makes it more likely that the string will hit your arm upon release.

4. Rotate the elbow slightly down and in to move your arm out of the plane of the string's movement. Your arm should bend to the side instead of down when it is in the correct position. This is especially important for finger shooters because the pressure exerted by the fingers causes the string to deviate from this plane.

5. Ensure that you are not anticipating the shot. This is a common problem with beginning archers and occurs when you try to extend your bow arm just before you release the arrow, causing your arm to be struck.

Resources

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