Brian, when I went from wheels to a longbow I had grip problems and about gave it up. Then an old gentleman said to hold that bow like you were picking up a suitcase. If you do that and then just for grins stick your pointy finger out, it will be pointing at what you be wanting to hit. If you hold it like compound grip, your finger will be pointing off towards Tim Buc Tu. Good luck. I have no grip problems whatsoever between my recurve and longbows. Biggest problem I have is a sometimes hittin’ what I wasn’t looking at. 😆

Longbows are harder to shoot than recurves. You need to find a group of trad shooters that can hit what they shoot at most of the time and get some coaching from them. I have been shooting recurves all of my life, and now i am trying to shoot a longbow and it is not easy. I am getting better, but only because of my experience with trad. recurve, and help from fellow longbow shooters who show me how they shoot. good luck.

Hi Brian

Welcome to the clan, my experience was little increments, think my grip improved when I stopped dropping my bow arm after I had released, this also helped with becoming more considered about each shot. The hardest lesson for me was about anchor and now if my shooting suffers it’s almost always down to anchor.

Stick with it, Mark.

I have always been a recurve shooter. Have never shot a compound. About 2 years ago I bought a laminated longbow from a local bowyer and almost immediately could shoot it as well as my recurves. I strive to hold the bow with the least amount of grip possible. The tighter you grip the bow the more torque you apply. A solid consistant anchor point is one of the most important things to strive for since you do not have the aid of peep sights and the such. Practice, practice, practice, but don’t over do it at any one session or you are more apt to form bad habits. Eventually it should become like throw a baseball, you don’t have to calculate you just haul back and let her go and it goes where you’re looking. At least in theory. Good Luck, good shooting and if you’re ever in Kansas would love to shoot together. Brian

Brain- Your form is everything. Practice up close to start. Remember to drawing arm level with your arrow and get a good solid anchor before letting loose. Keep your bow arm up for oh perhaps one thousand one, one thousand two for a good follow through. I shoot a Howard Hill style straight end 70# longbow but form, someimes I use a 25# bow to practice my form. Practicing your form will pay off a great deal later on. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.

Dan

Brian, I switched from compounds to a recurve about three years ago then progressed to a longbow. I hold my bow by wrapping my thumb and index finger around the grip and placing the tip of my index finger under the tip of my thumb the other three digits point toward the target. By gripping this way I dont put much if any torgue on the bow. It took a lot of trial and error to come to this way of holding but it works for me anyway.

Brian…can you give us a little more information on what is giving you the most problem shooting your longbow? That may help getting the advice you may be looking for. I went from the compound bow to the recurve then to the longbow. I will never switch back to either of them. I love my longbow and its accuracey.

Dan

A great video available to longbow archers, new and old is one called ” Hitting them like Howard Hill”, an older media source by John Schultz. In my mind it sets down the basics better than anything I have viewed or read. Although it emphasizes form well, it promotes a very fluid shooting style which seems to fit the longbow shooter more easily. In particular of benefit for my shooting was the “grip”.

Brian,
What kind of longbow are you shooting?