Laurence of Arabia said:
**** Kronus, that looks painful. I'm starting archery in april, any tips? How to avoid that injury for example....
If you use your fingers to shoot the arrow, when you release the arrow the string does not go straight back to its original position. On the contrary, the pressure of the fingers releasing the string actually makes the string bounce from side to side. This is an oscillating horizontal movement, as it pushes the arrow forward. The string then hits your arm and causes minor to serious pain
Check in this
AVI video an excellent arrow release by an olimpic champion. Notice the side-to-side motion of the string and the stress it applyes on a carbon arrow making it go out of the bow, flexing from side to side (remember that on another post I did mention that the arrows HAD to have some
flexibility?) Normally, as we are not as finely trainedas an olimpic champion, the side-to-side motion of the string is much more exagerated than on this clip.
here you can see a movie of the string hitting the bow arm on a bounce (not directly). If it happens directly on the arrow release, it is when severe injures are caused. As it is, it is just a painful reminder.
This problem is caused by locking the left arm, in the belief that this will
(a) hold the bow steadier
or
(b) get a longer draw.
Actually, (b) is true enough, but any benefit is thoroughly outweighed by the disadvantage and the resulting shooting speed loss of the string hitting the elbow.
The solution? Relax the left arm a bit and rotate the elbow slightly clockwise, so it sticks out to the left a bit. You'll probably find that it's harder to stay at full draw in this position, but your muscles will soon adapt to the increased strain.
Nevertheless, This injuries are also avoidable by the use of
Armguards
When shooting a longbow or recurve, as the string is released, it may strike the forearm of the arm holding the bow. This sharp slap is very common for longbows and for understrung bows and may leave a serious bruise or cut on an unprotected arm. An armguard, also called a bracer, is worn to prevent injury and to help the string slide smoothly along the arm. Modern armguards generally come in either a forearm-only style
7 inch armguard
or a full-arm style that also protects your upper arm.
12 inch armguard.
Whether you need just a single point of protection, protection for your entire lower arm, or a full-arm bracer depends on the type of bow, the bowstring, how you release, your body position, and the holding position of your bow arm. Since the bracer has a secondary use in helping to prevent your clothing from being caught in the string it may also depend on what you wear to shoot.
Most bracers are, and were of leather. A modern equivalent of this that is seen occasionally is molded plastic. Whether you buy one or make one be sure that: it is of sufficient thickness to protect you; it actually does protect where you need it; and it has no edges, straps, ridges, ties, or buckles along the inside of the arm that might catch or cut your bowstring
In this
movie about an study of limb vibration of a laminated recurved bow you can see a shoot right from the top of the archer. Notice the position of the arm, with the elbow rotated towards the outside in order to prevent the string to hit. Also note the vibrations that need to be absorbed by the bow. Check how the hand that holds the bow barely moves because the bow absorbs most of the limb vibrations. If the composition and the design of the bow are not correct, this vibrations may end up destroying the bow (This material fatigue, usually materializes by the limbs giving in during drawing for a shot, with the subsequent danger for the user) and will go straight to your compressed left arm's bone structure, with the risk of injuring your arm's joints if you keep punishing it with such vibrations.
Happy arrows!
