[CAPTJJ]

Do you always wear an armguard when you shoot? I had been wearing one and occasionally getting a little string slap. I took it off the other day to adjust my nock and forgot to put it back on, never noticed till I stopped shooting. Decided I don't need it any more, I suppose that means my form is good? Will definitely wear one while hunting to keep my clothes(ASAT 3D suit) out of the way.

 

[SS7777]

Anymore, I always wear both an arm and chest guard. The Easton chest protector looks more like a manzier, actually.

 

[CAPTJJ]

The only time I ever needed a chest protector was as a hockey and lacrosse goaltender.:wink:

 

[CFGuy]

I still don't really get chest guards. For ladies, yes, but I've never had any sort of painful string slap or really any string slap at all on the chest.

 

[CAPTJJ]

Maybe if you have man boobs.:shade:

 

[Nekekal]

I still don't really get chest guards. For ladies, yes, but I've never had any sort of painful string slap or really any string slap at all on the chest.

Lol, I stood wrong one day, the string about ripped my nipple off. I briefly considered a chest guard but after thinking it through, I just decided to not stand like that any more.

 

[CFGuy]

In fact I use the string touching my chest as a draw check but it certainly doesn't come all the way to mid chest.

 

[Nekekal]

Do you always wear an armguard when you shoot? I had been wearing one and occasionally getting a little string slap. I took it off the other day to adjust my nock and forgot to put it back on, never noticed till I stopped shooting. Decided I don't need it any more, I suppose that means my form is good? Will definitely wear one while hunting to keep my clothes(ASAT 3D suit) out of the way.

I always wear the arm guard. I mostly don't need it, but once in a while I feel the string hit me. Maybe when I get better I can lose it, but for now, it is required.

 

[MGF]

I still don't really get chest guards. For ladies, yes, but I've never had any sort of painful string slap or really any string slap at all on the chest.

Have you shot in heavy or lose fitting clothes? I don't wear a chest protector this time of year when I'm shooting in a t-shirt but I wear one when I'm in cold weather clothes to keep the clothes out of the way. The string doesn't slap my chest but it might get my coat.

Whether or not I need an arm guard for string slap depends on which bow I'm shooting. I get a little slap sometimes especially from my low brace height bows. Again, when the cold weather comes and the heavy clothes go on, I wear it to keep my sleeve out of the way.

 

[Thin Man]

Good form can produce a bit of string buzz on the arm guard for certain bows and alignments, especially within the longbow domain. The buzz may be only from the string's recoil, but it does graze the arm a bit.

I wore a large hole in a flannel shirt shooting a Genesis bow without an arm guard. I never heard or felt a thing all the while that the sleeve was slowly disintegrating. Nice shirt. Riled me up something fierce.

I wear an arm guard every time I shoot for the same reason one wears a bike helmet. May never need it, but when you do ... it's gold.

Summer with a bare arm ... absolutely! Experimenting with alignment or bow grip ... absolutely!

All that said ... if you don't need to wear one, then there is certainly nothing wrong at all with not wearing one.

 

[bigtone1411]

I only wear an arm guard with my low brace height longbows.

 

[MGF]

Good form can produce a bit of string buzz on the arm guard for certain bows and alignments, especially within the longbow domain. The buzz may be only from the string's recoil, but it does graze the arm a bit.

I wore a large hole in a flannel shirt shooting a Genesis bow without an arm guard. I never heard or felt a thing all the while that the sleeve was slowly disintegrating. Nice shirt. Riled me up something fierce.

I wear an arm guard every time I shoot for the same reason one wears a bike helmet. May never need it, but when you do ... it's gold.

Summer with a bare arm ... absolutely! Experimenting with alignment or bow grip ... absolutely!

All that said ... if you don't need to wear one, then there is certainly nothing wrong at all with not wearing one.

All my bike riding was before I ever heard of wearing a helmet to ride a bike. LOL

 

[JINKSTER]

Great topic...and I guess I like it because it's one that I've NEVER lost my side of the debate on...leastways not in my mind...and while there are minds I've changed and those I haven't?...and while I'm not a fan of the dainty "smaller is better" prim and proper target style armguards?...I wouldn't be caught dead shooting any bow without an extremely substantial armguard such as my current favorite here...

and I wear this no matter what bow I'm shooting whether I'm shooting hunting weight bows or even my 26# form/target rig.

Okay...now explain myself...as follows...

All too often I hear fellow archers proclaim with a near braggart tone to their voice that they never wear an armguard because they are just so good that they NEVER sting their arm with the string to which I say..."Well Bully For You"...but...I don't wear an armguard because I fear the miniscule pain of string sting from a stick bow...or the oft common wrist slap of a low braced longbow...I wear a substantial armguard because I've seen the results of a carbon shaft splintering it's way through a friends forearm...as I was standing but a few feet away when he loosed the string of his 54# recurve and his beman went bang and drove the tail 1/2 of the shaft through his forearm (nearly up to the fletchings) where his forearm looked like someone shot a blowcan of red spraypaint with a .22 rifle.

The groan of pain that came out of him made my butthole cinch up...somebody picked his bow up off the ground...myself and someone else escorted him at his sides off the active back range while a third guy was hopping along frantically removing one of his shoelaces to fashion a tourniquet which was on by the time we got him to the front range to call 911...(pre-cellphone days)...it was months before he shot again and took years for the CF splinters to "grow out of his arm" and never completely did.

So...I don't wear an armguard because I'm afraid of a string whooping...I wear an armguard because my forearm is allergic to cedar and CF...and one of those pansy looking target armguards ain't gonna cut it...and this is usually where the "Well I Check My Arrows" crowd begins their bantering...to which I say....yeah.....right....because out of thousands of arrows shot at shoots....and despite the millions of "Check Your Arrows" warning stickers they wrap around shafts at the factory each year?...I have yet to fill one hand of folks who I've actually seen "check their arrows" at any shoot I've ever attended...and even if they do?...who's to say they didn't miss one?...a cracked one?

So...to me?...shooting a bow without a substantial armguard is about as smart as riding around on a sportbike with the helmet strapped to the rear seat...I don't ride without a lid...and I don't loose an arrow without an armguard...a real one...cause in my experience?...it's just not a wise thing to do....but folks will do what they will...and that's their choice.

All I got and L8R, Bill. :cool2:

 

[Nitroboy]

I don't wear either but its summertime, come hunting season I will for sure wear a arm guard to keep clothes away from the string and i dont have any big fluffy clothes cause its usually warmer weather during season down here in LA, lol

 

[Destroyer]

Always. It not only keeps clothing out of the way but it protects the arm. Looks good too!

 

[Infamousfrog]

The only time I wear one to shoot is when I wear my leafy suit.

 

[UKNick]

thats terrible Jinkster, you just scared me into getting oneukey:

nice leather work on urs tho:smile:

 

[Kayo]

Last week a buddy of mine was shooting his wheely with out an arm gard, tore of a piece of skin and had to go to ER. The bad thing about it was he had a human bite on his hand which was worse then his arm. Had to get hepatitis series shot.:yuck:

 

[Roughrider]

Jinkster I would wear that arm guard even when I wasn't shooting! That is one fine looking piece of leather.

 

[JINKSTER]

thats terrible Jinkster, you just scared me into getting oneukey:

nice leather work on urs tho:smile:

GOOD!...cause the whole time I was typing that out?...I was thinking...

"Do it....cause if it just saves one fellow archer the agony?"

here's the good part?...my friend?...was wearing an armguard....if you wanna call it that...but it was one of those 3 strips, smaller is better...camo cloth over coat hanger wire $10 armguards....shot right through it...in between the strips....which is why I wear the best I can find...with solid thick butt saddle leather...worn very near the elbow.

You can buy a plain jane one like mine for about $60-$70 and comes with a lifetime warranty...and some folks might consider that expensive...but I look at it this way...even the cheapy flimsy ones that wouldn't deflect a broken arrow cost about $20 and you're lucky to get a year out of one before they shred or break...where mine will last me the rest of my days....and imho?...spending big bucks on an armguard that works is a drop in the bucket as compared to just the ambulance ride too the ER let alone the onslaught of med bills that will surely follow.

I look at the investment in a decent armguard as an insurance policy...play it smart...and NOT be...."That Guy".