Why You Need a Wrist Strap for Archery? (Explained)

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The art of archery has evolved with technology, mechanisms, and accessories. These have allowed archers to perform better and improve their skills to greater levels. Modern archery is complex and makes it easy to aim and shoot for an archer. These things have enabled more people to take up archery as a sport and excel in it. One accessory that helps the archer a great deal is the wrist strap.

You will need a wrist strap to achieve better accuracy and superior control of the bow. It also allows you to relax your hand that grips the bow. It helps an archer before, while the shot is in progress, and upon completion of it. Bow falling and hitting the ground can also be avoided when using a wrist strap.

What is a Wrist Strap? 

The wrist strap is also known as a wrist sling. It is an accessory used by beginners and expert archers. It is designed to wrap your bow from behind, and it is also attached to your wrist, so you can shoot without gripping your bow.

Two Types of Wrist Straps 

When it comes to wrist straps, there are two different types. Each of the two serves a different purpose. The first one is for training purposes, and the other is for hunting or competitive purposes.

For Training

The one used for training purposes is held tightly to the wrist, and it helps you practice your mind and body not to hold the bow or grip too tightly.

Holding it firmly would often produce a jerk and make the arrow miss the target in most cases.

Using a wrist strap, an archer can shoot without holding the bow. It also serves the other purpose of protecting the bow from falling to the ground. Once you practice your mind and body not holding the bow too tightly, you can use the other strap.

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Hunting or Competitive Purposes

The second type is not as tightly attached to the wrist as the former. After your mind and body are in sync to not hold the bow too tightly, which helps you shoot accurately. It also provides the safety factor of protecting the bow from falls.

Once you reach this level in archery, there are almost no chances when you are likely to drop a bow.

However, you would still prefer to use this not to let the reflexes take over to protect the bow. If this happens, you will end up holding your bow too tightly.

The Benefits of Using a Wrist Strap

No archer would use a wrist strap if it did not provide them some advantage. So, the wrist strap provides benefits for an archer, so almost every archer uses it. We’ll look at some of the benefits that make the wrist strap special.

Accuracy

The foremost aspect any archer looks for is a perfect aim. Often, archers find it difficult to hit the desired target for various reasons. Different factors affect the aim and make the arrow miss the desired spot. 

Archers lose confidence if they constantly keep missing their targets. Sometimes, it is due to the technique or the skills they possess. However, a wrist strap can help an archer hit targets accurately. It is the primary reason archers choose to use them during practice. 

Consistency

Another aspect that an archer needs to improve is the consistency at which they keep hitting targets. Sometimes, consistency comes with confidence. In general, consistency can be linked to being skillful and following the ideal technique.

Finetuning the skills and technique is something that all archers wish to do, and a wrist strap helps them finetune their skills and techniques. Once archers are used to a wrist strap, they would become better and consistently hit targets with perfection.

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An Inexpensive Tool

A wrist strap is an inexpensive tool that helps archers. Instead of taking archery lessons, a person can use a wrist strap to finetune their archery skills and techniques. You do not have to invest in expensive wrist straps.

Even a cheap wrist strap would do the same job as an expensive one. You can browse the market for the most reliable ones and select the one you like. You would be surprised at how many stylish and designer options are available in the market.

Reduces Chances of Bow Falling

Another unique advantage of using a wrist strap is allowing the bow to fall yet not hit the ground. It helps free-fall swing style archers a great deal. A bow falling on the ground does not happen often, but a wrist strap helps.

The bow is attached to the wrist at all times; the archer concentrates on taking a shot and not on protecting the bow. A bow falling on the ground can lead to extensive damages. It is irrelevant of the bow falling in an indoor or outdoor facility.

Extensive damage can often lead to costly repairs or replacements of parts on complex bows. Therefore, a wrist strap can ensure that the bow never falls to the ground, and it will not fall, even if the archer is not holding the bow by hand.

Avoid Bow Jumping

You will even find Olympians using wrist straps when competing at the highest level. It is not because they are low on confidence, and it adds that extra element to their shot where they avoid bow jumping.

Bow jumping happens to even the most advanced archers in the world. The impact the arrow has when it leaves the bow causes the jump. This jump occurs rapidly and even before the arrow has gone past the bow, making it waver and eventually miss the target.

Useful While Hunting

Hunters take different angles when aiming at a live target. There are times they even climb treetops to get a better vantage point to shoot at their targets. With a wrist strap, you ensure that your technique does not allow the bow to drop.

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Dropping a bow from heights such as a treetop can be damaging, and it would be a waste of your hunting trip to have to return unless you have spare bows. So, using a wrist strap while hunting is helpful, which is why most hunters do it to protect their bows.

Tips to Select a Wrist Strap

A wrist strap is a simple accessory that can immensely help an archer. We provide you with a few tips to help you select the right wrist strap. There is no rocket science involved in choosing a wrist strap. So, just a few tips would ensure you select the right one.

  • Choose Inexpensive Options: Do not buy an expensive wrist strap just because it is branded. Inexpensive wrist straps work just as well as the expensive ones.
  • Comfort: Choose a wrist strap that provides you comfort. A strap made of soft material would be an ideal option for most archers. Abrasive material can cause skin damage if you are using a heavy bow.
  • Ideal Strap: Be honest in selecting a wrist strap per your skill level. If you are a beginner, choose a tight wrist strap, and if you are an advanced archer, you can choose a loose one.

Conclusion

A wrist wrap provides accuracy, consistency, and protection for your bow to wrap up this article. Therefore, it is a good idea to use one irrelevant of the skill level you possess. 

Using a wrist strap for competition, training, target practice, and experienced archers recommend hunting. Look for a comfortable wrist strap that is moderately priced and is durable. It would ensure you select the right wrist strap for any type of use.

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