Why you need a wrist strap for archery

If you buy a new bow at an archery shop for the first time, the sales clerk will always advise you to buy a wrist strap (or finger sling). The device connects your wrist to the bow and is also often called a wrist sling or bow sling. If you ever borrowed a bow from a club, you might notice that they don’t have a wrist strap. Therefore, you might wonder whether it’s really necessary to use a wrist strap.

You should always use a wrist strap or finger sling while shooting a bow. You shouldn’t grip your bow too tightly because this can decrease your accuracy. Using a wrist strap allows you to open your hand without the fear of dropping the bow on the ground.

Keep reading if you want to know more about how the grip affects your accuracy and how you use a wrist strap. I will also discuss a common misconception that compound archers don’t need a wrist strap. At the end of this article, I will also discuss the finger sling, an alternative to the wrist strap, and give some tips.

This is quite an advanced technique, however, which I wouldn’t recommend for new archers. This technique requires a different device called ‘’the finger sling’’ and is more difficult to use. But even for new archers, it’s a best practice to keep a loose grip on the bow.

You might think now, how do you make sure that you don’t drop the bow on the ground? That’s exactly why almost all archers recommend new archers to use a wrist strap. The wrist strap is the last resort, if you couldn’t catch the bow after your shot, the wrist strap will. Just like the wrist strap on a camera or a Wii remote.

Why compound archers should also use a wrist strap

Since most compound archers use a shoot-through arrow rest, interference as mentioned earlier is less of a problem. Especially with drop away arrow rests, the bow is a lot more forgiving for errors of the archer. Therefore, compound archers tend to have a firmer grip than most recurve archers. The free-fall swing technique is also barely used within the compound discipline. Read this article if you want to know why.

Since compound archers can grip the bow more tightly, some archers believe that a wrist strap is not necessary for these bows. I have to disagree, however. Although you can indeed have a tighter grip on the bow, you still should avoid a death grip. Additionally, even with a firm grip, you could always drop the bow. In most cases, this causes severe damage and can even completely disable your bow.

Wrist strap vs finger sling

I already briefly discussed the finger sling. This device is attached to your index finger and thumb and allows you to completely drop the bow. The technique of completely dropping the bow is called the free-fall swing technique. This technique is mostly used by recurve archers to make sure that you don’t grip the bow.

When you use a finger sling, you don’t necessarily have to drop the bow. In fact, most archers that use the finger sling don’t even use the technique. In general, the wrist strap tends to be more comfortable and easier to use, but some archers prefer to use the finger sling. In the article listed below, we discuss why so many archers use a finger sling and whether it’s a better option than the wrist sling:

Are finger slings better than wrist slings

Some tips for using a wrist strap

Although it might seem like a relatively simple device, I still want to give a few tips. I have learned most of these tips the hard way.

Use the option that feels most comfortable to you

Most recurve archers shoot with a finger sling; therefore, a lot of people feel that this is the better option. It only depends on your personal preference, so choose what feels most comfortable to you!

Make sure that the wrist sling is not tight around your wrist

When the wrist sling is configured tightly around your wrist it will affect the flight pattern of the arrow. Therefore, the sling should not be tight when you shoot. You only use the wrist sling as a last resort when the bow drops!

Make sure that the wrist sling is not damaging your bow

It might seem obvious that the wrist sling shouldn’t damage the bow. The entire idea of the wrist sling is to avoid damage. Sadly, due to the way how some wrist slings are designed they actually do damage the bow. The old sling I was using had a metal buckle that damaged the coating of my bow. By replacing it with a piece of paracord you can avoid damage from the metal-on-metal abrasion.

Make sure to use the wrist sling!

It might again be obvious, but you shouldn’t forget to use the sling. You will only have to consciously do it for the first few times. After a while, you will do it automatically, like buckling in your seat belt when driving your car.

Final words

I have to say that I currently don’t shoot with a wrist sling on my compound bow. I still want to make one, but it never got my priority. My compound bow isn’t all that expensive and needs replacing anyway. Therefore, I am quite relaxed about it. If you have a new and expensive bow, you want to be on the safe side.

If you are afraid that you might drop the bow, it can cause gripping issues. Therefore, I always recommend archers to use a wrist strap or finger sling. This simple device can help you focus on what is really important. Even a rope will do the trick.

If you have any experiences, comments, or questions, please leave them down below. I will respond to your question as soon as possible and send you an email with my reply!