No; i would say the opposite...most people do NOT use an arm guard. They key is in how the bow is gripped; if done properly you won't hit your arm.
Grip should be such that the meat of the thumb pad is against the bow; somewhat aligned with the lifeline of the palm; knuckles somewhere near 45 degrees.
As long the arm isn't hyperextended at the elbow; this grip position results in the forearm pointing more downward and away from the bowstring.

Only time i'd consider an arm guard is if i was hunting in a bulky coat and was afraid of string contact.

 

I use an old tube sock that I cut the foot out of.. Not as much for protection anymore, as my form has improved since I first started shooting a couple of years ago, but still use it primarily to keep my sleeve from getting in the way. Also serves as a halfway decent extra storage spot for small items such as phone, extra hand warmers, etc. Cheap and simple!!

 

I think I big contributor to string slap is elbow position. With your elbow rotated away from the bow string, the radius and humerus are perfectly in line. it makes it much more stable and often eliminates any chance of string slap

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I don't use one and I'd most don't use one.

It isn't form so much as it is either grip or draw length too long or both....

Cold weather I use a arm guard or sleeve compressor (camo) to keep fluffy coat sleeves out of the way....

 

The only time I wear one is on our late hunt when I am wearing extra clothes to stay warm.

 

Compound or recurve? You see very few compounders using an arm guard except maybe to control bulky clothing; OtOH at the Tokyo Olympics approximately 90% of the archers used some sort of arm protection.

Regardless of what anyone/everyone else does, until you fix the issue causing the contact, only you can weigh the benefits between "meh, I don't like arm guards" and "every time I shoot I fear a string g slap..." If someone punched you in the gut every time you took a bite of ice cream, eventually you would develop an anxiety, even a hatred for, that bite of ice cream...

 

Used to use a long arm guard special made from arm pit to the hand because arm wasn't set up correctly, moved to city & started to shoot at archery range & was shown how to set up my arm correctly back in 68 & have not used an arm guard since.

 

After a year or so of shooting I have never hit my arm since, never.
But after 37+ years of shooting I still wear a small Beiter Armguard model
1370130 or 1370050 from Lancaster just incase....By the way...If you take bloodthinners, a very bad arm slap by a string is a serious health problem. (breaking internal blood vessels, bleeding internally, bloodclotting).

 

You are correct about blood thinners. If I just bump the back of my hand, it will turn very dark over a large area within a few hours. Thank you for the comments.

 

Never used one and never had a need to

 

I have used a full length arm guard for years. Keeps the string off the clothes when shooting. I'm an NASP coach and tell my kids to get an arm guard and glove at the beginning.

 

I teach NASP Basic Archery Instructor courses and while we do mention arm guards and try to have them available, my focus is on adjusting the archer's form to make the arm guard unnecessary.

IF the bow string is hitting the arm, YES an arm guard can mitigate the pain / flinching it causes. The problem is is that the actual process of the string hitting the armguard still will cause an aberrationin the flight of that arrow. We we want to avoid striking EITHER the arm or an arm guard.

Some things you can work on:
Rotating the elbow properly to keep it out of the string path. An archer can practice this by holding onto a vertical surface (door jamb, bow rack etc) while they move the elbow back and forth until they can draw and release with it properly rotated.
A relaxed bow hand. Tensing the bow hand can torque the bow to exacerbate the wayward path of the bowstring. Keeping a relaxed grip will allow the string to move straighter.
An open stance. Have the archer open their stance more so the bow arm, torso between the shoulders, and the drawing arm form more of a triangle instead of being in a straight line.
Proper draw hand set and release. Having the string in the "archers' groove" first joint of the fingers instead of too deep a hook, and releasing by letting the string slip out of the fingers minimizes the looping motion of the bowstring.

 

support arm knuckles at 45 degrees = no inside forearm string slap burn.

 

I teach everyone the correct form so as not to hit their arm and teach everyone to only wear an arm guard for loose clothing. Hitting your arm while shooing is because you are self taught or taught by an idiot.

 

Form adjustment eliminated arm slap for me even on a bow without a string stop.