@@tdistel yeah if your trying keep relatively cheap just try matching spine to poundage i guess and I've found carbon arrows are so strong. I first used fiberglass and they where so bad if l hit the frame around the target or miss my target at home and hit the wooden backing the shafts would split. Haven't had a carbon shaft split yet. I'm shooting traditional bare bow what do you shoot.
@@djinn201 nice. I'm shooting a Southwest Spyder 64" 45lb draw. I have a regional park with a full archery range so, it's been fun getting out and practicing. I wish I could show you but, on my first day, I jammed an entire head into the shaft of a carbon arrow. Split it in all directions hitting the metal frame of the hay bails. Im keeping it for posterity lol. As for arrows, I was originally using 31" 400 spine arrows but, after shifting to 30" 500 spine, I've noticed a much quieter release in both sound and, vibration in my shots.
@@djinn201 oh, and one other thing, if you ever need a replacement string, I've only used it once so far but, I'd recommend Krammer Ammons (YT channel). He makes strings and, I just tried his out and, it made my bow even quieter that it was before. I was pretty shocked to be honest. Put roughly 160 shots through it so far. Really liking it!
@@tdistel I'm using same bow same poundage, 32 inch 600 spine arrows do you have any cat whisker silences on your string I put them on my standard string and it really made it quieter and reduced a lot of vibration
I jacked up the tendon in my index finger after thinking I could switch from a 100# longbow (shooting 3 finger), straight to a 100# Turkish composite recurve made in Istanbul (shooting thumb draw). I thought I tore it, and when I went to the doctor, they diagnosed me with flexor digitorum profundus ("jersey finger"). I was devastated, as I I'm not only an amateur archer, but I also shoot 3 gun and trap. I struggled for almost two months retraining to be left handed. Then one day when I was rewiring some outlets, I shocked the shit out of myself and saw my finger bend. Seeing that, I questioned the docor's diagnosis, as if the tendon was gone, my finger wouldn't be able to bend, even if it was shocked. I ordered a tens unit off Amazon and began doing shock therapy on my finger while trying to dry fire my pistol. After about three months, I was able to use it again reliably. I'm about six months out from that, and my finger is almost back to full strength.
You mentioned it briefly, but the extra thickness of a glove is beneficial for hunters who may have to hold the bow at full draw for an extended period of time while waiting for an animal to turn and present a clear target.
I shoot a modern recurve at #50/32'' and I have both a tab and a glove. In my case my tab was very expensive and is way thicker than my glove (which was not cheap) - I prefer the tab if I'm standing shooting at targets on the range, however, on the 3D course I prefer my glove - if I'm shooting for over an hour I also wrap zinc oxide tape around my three string fingers before I put my glove on which I find helps massively - and I can shoot all day without getting sore fingers!!
Tape! Brilliant! I have a cheap-ish glove and a fancy Venom tab. I like the tab, but I do notice that I feel it in my fingers after shooting for an hour. I just bought an Olympic recurve- just waiting for it to come in. I'm psyched. I'm using the shop rental Olympic recurve (the only one they have). I've been shooting it for 2 months and they even restrung it for me. I finally have the sight set for me as I'm the only one who uses it, lol. Just in time to re-do everything with my new bow + sight.
Thanks for highlighting the importance of protection, I was sure it was ok to shoot with bare fingers, because I thought your body would respond to pressure by growing more "meat" on your fingers, kinda like when you're learning to play guitar.
You can grow hard skin when playing bass guitar - been there done that, but the strings don't whip along your finger tips at high speed and take that precious hard skin off again... The archers in Bhutan do the thumb technique without rings, but they shoot every single day for hours and only then they can have a thick layer of skin on the inside of their thumbs.
The Ghost of the Flying Dutchman I swear Ive seen you commenting on completely unrelated random videos Ive seen around RU-vid. Im a musician myself, so maybe thats where I know your username from. Can youtube really be THAT small?
I'm really glad that I found this video. I actually already bought my bow and I've gone and shot it a few times already. I was worried because at the end of my sessions my fingers would be purple and look really scary. I'm glad that this video single handedly saved me from losing 3 incredibly important fingers in my dominant hand. Thank you very much!
While I've never shot with gloves, they never felt terribly comfortable while trying them on in stores. Which is kind of funny, because initially I didn't think I'd like using a tab.
When I was shooting competitively I did a competition that was two full fitas each day two days in a row. By the second day the skin over my calluses had peeled back and I was actually able to pull out the calluses. This was with a double layer cartel tab and only a 26 pound bow at the time. Do not underestimate how important finger protection is.
A funny thing, l´ve spent the last 3 years trying to refine my technique with finger tab on olympic recurve without much sucess, the string moves slighly every time because of no firm spot under my somewhat meaty face. About two weeks ago, l said "ahh screw it" and used my glove, the one l use for barebow, with two fingers over, one under (for distance compensation), resting my index finger always on the corner of my mouth . Surprisigly l gruped like never before at 60m, almost all 12 arrows within yellow. I guess there is no writen book about what works best, is more about personal preference.
I tried both, and decided to use tab for competition recurve like everybody else. Maybe one day I will use the glove again when I start fiddling with long bows etc.
I switched to tab a while ago for a few reasons. 1. I get a more consistent and even release. 2. I can wear warm gloves and still use my tab. So I can wear a pair of fleece gloves while hunting and still use the tab versus having to only wear the archery glove or wear it over my other glove. 3. I string walk on my heavier bow so I need the tab to count my gaps.
I used to have a compound as a kid so I knew how much it would hurt after a while. Recently went with a Recurve to get back into it. I shot for 2 hours the day it came and even with a glove ( very cheap, came with the bow) my fingers were sore. Let me say this first. He is a wonderful man and husband and wasn't trying to hurt me or put me down in any way but when he wanted to shoot he told me that I just needed to toughen up ( in a nice but snarky way) He declined to wear the glove saying that I was being overly cautious and that a little pain now would make it not hurt later.... So long story short his fingers were killing him and about 30 minutes later he asked for the glove lol. The next day his fingers were sooo sore and had numbness and pain. I think it was a 40 pound draw weight. Lol
yea ithe place where im at the coaches all say 40+ will destroy your fingers. MUST have protection. its for LONG RUN protection. shooting a bow 100+ times well think about that.. thats rough lol i got finger tabs with a spacer lol. i figure with the two its pretty much more about what youre comfortable with. gloves felt weird when im shooting.. tabs do too but well with just the THIN tab works great i like to feel the string and my bow itself but i dont like calluses lol. i can still FEEL it without actually hurting myself. a glove or something thick well just feels like theres too much annoyance going on i cant actually feel what im doing i dont want to figure out how to shoot with a glove lol i need something to allow me to shoot the way i want to. i like to feel my bow. great vid thanks
Nu, After many years of using a glove without problems, I recently started using a finger tab, and find it easier and even has increased my accuracy. I’m curious and would appreciate knowing which tab (product ID/name/model #) you use and why, on a regular basis, and carry in your quiver?? Your videos make up the most informative, and comprehensive series for new and intermediate archers available. And I feel certain that more seasoned archers have benefitted from your tips and explanations. Thank you for your efforts!
i use a glove when im moving around whilst shooting, like when im hunting, because it makes it easier to do other things while wearing it. when im target shooting, i will use a tab.
Beginner here. Had to use a tab after going up in weight… HATED it. Lost all accuracy and feel for the string. Ended up taking it off as I decided I’d rather endure the pain and be competitive than not.
In a single session of learning to find my anchor point with a 26# draw, my middle finger went completely numb. It was easy for me to draw and didn't feel uncomfortable, so I didn't think it would be a problem to practice my draw cycle with my bare fingers. I still have no feeling in the tip of my middle finger.
The Grey ghost a lot of new archers don’t know that a glove or finger guard is a option when they buy a bow kit that Disney come with a glove or they just don’t know the risk
I just got started in archery. I like these videos. I have a Mongolian horse bow (Thanks to him I know thats not really how to describe it but I dont know what to call it other than that.) Very informational plus I can tell he really is passionate about archery.
I just turned 30 and picked up archery. Don't know how much I shot in first practice session, but it must've been a very light bow, like 15 lbs draw. Ordered my own bow and it has 30 lbs. That's about just as much as I can hold steady for a few seconds. What I wasn't prepared for is the finger/joint pain from shooting. Had to put on a working glove for my second solo session and immediately after ordered both a tab and a thick glove.^^ Already thought I'm just getting old and years of gaming made my joints shitty. Glad to hear this is normal and when thinking about it, having 30 lbs=13kg pulling on the tip of your fingers is a lot, considering I can barely do fist grip biceps curls with 10kg! Thanks for the video!
In trying to learn how to string walk so I bought a tab that had markings on it. I think it was a yost. One of the plastic ones. I love it so much better than the tab I had been using that had a wedge between the fingers.
Good video, and you mentioned correctly that the choice is subjective. I've use gloves for years, shooting in the 40/50# range split finger and just recently went to a Cavalier tab. I seem to have a better feel when shooting, with better finger protection less discomfort and after I started shooting with it seemed to be shooting better right away. I once missed a deer shot trying to put my glove back on at the end of the day, learned my lesson.
A tab can be made with calf hair which is slippery and can smooth your release. Unlike gloves, a tab can be fitted over a regular glove to keep your fingers and hand warm while hunting in cold weather.
An additional benefit to gloves is that if you're shooting in really cold temperatures you can wear full hand insulated gloves and keep your hands warm
I think that the glove sounds better to use and I will be shooting for a longer period of time at first and it sounds like it is the best idea for users like myself. Thanks so much for this information and I will try to remember what you have said.
In my experience of introducing over 200 people to archery, not one person has been happy starting with a tab. (Zero). Everyone has selected the glove or bare fingers. Like you say in the video, as archers begin to use higher draw weights, Olympic recurve archers switch to a tab, partly for speed but also to incorporate a finger spacer and maybe a jaw anchor plate. Competitive barebow archers usually stick with a tab designed for shooting 3-fingers under the nock, and then use the stitching for accurate finger placement during string walking. And...its worth remembering that camp programs may want to use gloves because there is no left- or right-handed 3-fingered gloves. Whereas if the program is using a tab, you need to have some left-hand tabs in stock.
You can put your tab right up against the arrow and the you count stitches to find out where you need to hold the string for that range. Put your thumb as the appropriate stitch and slide the tab down until the top oof the tab is at that height. That will give you a consistent reference guide when stringwalking. In my case 50m is the first stitching, 40m is the fourth from the top, 30m is the seventh from the top and so on. Of course the measurements differ for each individual, bow and arrow setup. You could do that with a glove I guess, but it would not be quite as accurate. But I've never used a glove myself.
***** Most tabs designed for stringwalking are layers of leather sewn together. Do a image search for "archery tab three under" on google and you will plenty of examples of such tabs
I am shooting a horse bow with no rest. To keep my bow hand protected from the fletchings, I have to wear a glove. I find it is just easier to use a regular pair of leather gloves from the hardware store. With 30#, a light pair of gloves is fine, but I can see needing something more substantial with a higher draw weight. Lucky for me, gloves come in all sorts of thicknesses. Yes, I know this is an old video, but a good video is timeless.
The first time I shot my new longbow(no arrow rest), the fletching carved a nice, straight, DEEP line across the web of my left hand(i'd never shot a bow off the knuckle before). While it was healing, I got a pair of deerskin gloves from a hardware store. I took the left glove, cut off the fingers just below the second joint(and the thumb below the joint), and made a notch at the base of the back of the glove so I could tighten it(using a button made of antler and a loop of braided artificial sinew, both of which I made). It looked really cool, and protected my bow hand VERY nicely. Been using it for several years, now, and it still serves its purpose. I tried using a tab for a while, and found that I didn't much care for it. I use about the same kind of glove that Sensei was using in the video
Always shot split with a glove. Mostly targets. Recently got a tab to try out, if it ever warms up a bit haha Update...tried the tab and shot terribly. Think I'll stay with a glove.
How much should the flap overlap the string, I'm just learning and I'm holding the string on the flap but it's at the very tips of my 3 fingers, the string is about 5mm from the edge of the flap.
NUSensei, I have to disagree with gloves giving more protection than a tab. A couple of gloves I've used were actually thinner (or at least felt like it) than a cheap $5 tab I got, even though the gloves were double-layered. Also some gloves can get a groove in them easier than a tab, which makes for a more difficult release. Lastly, the aforementioned $5 tab I have, I reinforced by adding some layers of scrap leather. It's a super cheap addition to get more protection for a tab, but something that's not quite as easy to do for a glove that isn't thick enough.
I wish I had watched this video before I started hahaha. I watched before buying my bow some of your video's, but this one not. With the bow was a cheap finger tab, but I thought it was not comfortable, so I didn't wear it... Biggest mistake ever. After an hour or 2, my fingers were hurting so much. Stretching them or holding stuff hurt for days and after that it was still sensitive for several more days. Now I am using the finger tab and I don't have the problem anymore. To anyone who is reading this and just starting with archery. But at least I learned something. The finger tab was in there for a reason 😂
I also had the same issue the first time I used my bow. I just used a regular leather glove thinking it’s the same and after an hour my finger was a little swollen and numb for a few days. Definitely will use a tab next time.
One time I lost feeling in my shooting fingers for over a month! I was scared that I had permanent nerve damage from practicing too much. I use a glove. Never tried the tab.
Maybe it's my low amount of experience with different protection methods but personally I have found that the average low price tab ($15 - $30 CAD) feels like they provide a better thicker protection that a glove priced around the same. I was recently looking for a glove do to the convenience but I found that (well a nice fitting one apparently didn't exist for me but more on point) they were thinner and more harsh on my fingers than a simple tab. Also btw I shoot traditional instinctive with a 46 pound (well 40-41 pound at my draw length) horse bow.
This is essential, I was starting out shooting an hour a night no protection and it messed up my fingers something awful. Haven't shot bare fingers since lol!
I new someone who started shooting lighter weight bows bare-fingered, until he built up calluses on his fingertips. Then he went hunting with a 70 lb bow. The second time he shot it, the string caught behind the calluses and ripped them right off!
I want to begin practicing archery but in order for me to do it I need some protection to catch stray arrows I've seen nets wood sand bags and foam on the Internet which would be best?
Hopefully this doesn’t make me sound too bad... While I have seen others use finger protection and understand its value, I personally do not use it. This is because I am more comfortable with less and prefer the more intimate feel of skin (for archery and other sports). While I have noticed blistering, callouses, or even some instances not mentioned below, I feel that the comfort could affect my ability. Unlike some in the comment section, I am not, nor do I pretend to be, a professional or competitive archer. I don’t say that negatively towards those people, just to note I don’t shoot as often as they would
I'll admit that it can get very uncomfortable, but I actually prefer shooting without a tab/glove. It doesn't bother my fingers as much as it does others I guess. I also have issues with tabs the release on them feels sketchy. I don't mind the gloves but would rather shoot completely bare. Actually 90% of the time I don't have a wrist guard either. Every time I hit my wrist, that pain is reminder to me to be more cautious of my arm and the string. Mind you I'm not usually shooting for 5 + hours straight like some competitive shooters might.
Stop. Your gonna dmg your fingers, it's not about if you have calluses built up, it's to do with blood circulation and stuff, it's gonna f*ck your hand up in the future mate, use a glove
Maybe I'm weird but I get a better release with a glove vs a tab both being made out of cordovan leather. It's more comfortable and since the glove is thicker you can slide your fingers off the string easier for me at least.
I'm new to archery, really like it as a discipline and sport. I just bought a samick sage yesterday, with all the necessary items. I got the most expensive glove the store offers so I hope its a quality item but was wondering what size you used because i have small hands and they look small compared to yours, I bought a small glove just to be safe. And also is the string that comes with the sage any good, it'll be a while before i have any free money to invest in a quality string
If you don't put the rubber things on the string how do you mark the middle of the string? a knot? Why would I use a three fingered archery glove over a regular leather glove?
1. Knots are probably the most common way, but you can also get small, usually brass nocking points that you can crimp onto the string to indicate where you should nock the arrow. 2. This is going to be a personal, "your mileage may vary" thing, but because thick, protective materials can be restrictive or uncomfortable in certain contexts, a person may opt for the three-fingered glove in order to minimize such. For example, if one is shooting in a hot environment, the three-fingered glove will, to many, be more comfortable then a normal glove because it's much more open, allowing more airflow and greater evaporation of sweat.
Why does the material and thickness change the way the arrow flies? I have a nice glove with thick padding and a slick surface, but I can't use it because the arrows corkscrew like crazy. With my cheap thin leather glove, the arrows fly straight. ??
i was doing archery 3 years ago about 2 months. I started to archery this week i done before with right hand but in this class i have a leftie bow for myself. Problem is i get blisters and my middle finger still soo hurt that even i cant curl it ? i get my lesson from this video i need a finger guard thanks Sensei
Now, I’m curious. When people didn’t make gloves yet, what did they use? I love traditional bows cuz I would wanna make my own someday. I love primitive tools. I wish they made bows that came from natural materials. Like the grip on the bow would be made of a hardwood and the wings would be soft wood. Or bamboo string. Like, more creative, yet still functional and powerful bows. And bows that still use natural materials that you can find in the forests. I hate modern bows just cuz I think if you ever lose it, or something happens to the string in the forest, you can’t simply use the inner bark of a tree to make a new string.
One thing I notice with gloves is the fingers of the glove sometimes twist on my hand. Is that just me having a crummy release Or is this just a feature of gloves that only cover the ends of the fingers they are more prone to this?
higher end tab --> sas elite, then add some moleskin to that thing or yourself lol. esp if you shoot a lot. I noticed my glove that I had just sucks.. I think the problem with gloves with noobs is they may accidentally hook wrong.
I shoot a longbow and use a glove. I also have large hands (palm a basketball). Sometimes I feel like the string hangs on the edge of the glove on the release. Any suggestions?
I shot 10 arrows from my pvc bow and my fingers look like sausages.. I made a cheap finger tab that screwed up my aim.. Shot 3 arrows with only fingers and had a decent group.. My solution is i bought a legit 4 finger glove on amazon.. I have actually been finding out that a quick draw and release with fingers only vs my homemade tabs i am way more accurate. I cut up a pair of gardening gloves.. Can wait for my legit 3 finger gloves to come in... Again i am using a cheap pvc bow with fiberglass core.. Soo far I am loving shooting my pvc bow and 12 arrows from amazon.. I could only imagine my accuracy with a glove and decent reccurve.. I refuse to spend the money at this point.. A $20 vow vs a $30 glove no thanks.
