Preventing String Slap

If you’re just starting out in archery, or perhaps you've been shooting for a while, you may have noticed how painful and frustrating string slap can be. There’s nothing more painful than a raw wrist that is sore from string slap. There is hope, however. If you take a bit of time to focus on form technique and using proper equipment, you can prevent the pains that come from string slap. Let’s get started!

One of the most common reasons for string slap is when archers don’t allow their elbow to curve. When you’re drawing back your bow, you should always make sure that there’s a slight crook in your bow hand’s elbow. Now, this is part of proper form, but a lot of newbies are afraid to further develop their form because of getting string slapped. So, you should always put an emphasis on using the proper form, but if you just want to prevent string slap, you should make sure that your elbow is bent until you’re familiar with the right form techniques.

Newbies will often get discouraged from furthering their archery hobby because of painful string slap. A lot of times this is because they’re shooting a heavy poundage bow that that packs a real punch. While an arm guard is a great way to prevent the pain, a lower lb bow might be a better way to further subside their fear of getting hurt. With that in mind, it’s also a good idea to learn your proper form technique with a lower lb bow, which will eliminate most risks of getting string slapped anyways. You’ll be much less worried about getting slapped and more focused on having fun.

All in all, 90% of the time string slap occurs because the shooter is not practicing proper form. Now, even the most experienced archers will tell you that they get slapped from time to time, and that’s why they wear an arm guard. This is going to be one of the most helpful purchases that you make when you’re just starting out with archery and it will save you from going through a lot of pain.

So, with that said, the key elements to preventing string slap are: proper form (specifically the crook in the elbow), using a lower lb bow (while it won’t prevent string slap, it will make it much less painful) and wearing an arm guard. I hope that I've helped solve your string slap problems. Remember, you can always make your own arm guard out of leather, or if you’re on a budget, a makeshift milk carton arm guard will work just as good. Happy shooting!