What Are Olympic Archers Wearing On Their Hands? (Finger Tabs)

A quick overview of the finger protection used by archers, and why you're not seeing people shoot with gloves.
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[@Andarthiel]

Finger tabs are so useful. I remember when I first shot a bow in a LARP (before I did Archery proper) and didn't wear any gloves or tabs, my hand was bleeding and blistering.

[@willsprigg6652]

I just learned about finger tabs this week after counseling for a camp my dojo that was focused on archery. I have been shooting bare fingers since I was young and would always have to stop after my fingers were blistered or bleeding. After making my own yesterday, I was able to shoot all day without my blisters popping and couldn’t be happier with it.

[@Massivecarcrash]

I started with a glove, but the padding on the fingers was so poor that after about 45 mins, my fingers were so sore that I couldnt shoot anymore. After a week of that I couldnt shoot for another 2 weeks because my fingers were ruined. Switched to a tab and I've never had that problem again.

[@jmarine1933]

Another excellent video and you’ve got a new subscriber! Thanks!

[@robertlunsford1350]

I am getting into recurve shooting in addition to my compounds. It is goo getting in depth explainations of the small things. Figuring out how to set up my sight and even my tab is tough.

[@idbuyanewbmx]

Always informative. Great stuff!

[@joamon559]

That was really helpful. Thanks very much.

[@MySantafe1]

Awesome videos and very informative

[@guilhermemoleiro2871]

Nu can you do a video about all the kinds of arrow rests and which ones are better for each purpose.

[@magicknight8412]

I started with a simple tab which was fine, but when i went to a metal adjustable tab i found it much better to use and to keep my hand in the same position , plus the thumb plate to help keep the same anchor point.

[@SentientTent]

I've had nerve damage from archery once. There were very few people at the class that day so instead of alternating in a line of 3 I was shooting constantly for a couple hours. I had no sensations besides pins and needles in my finger for a week and had lingering effects for about 6 weeks. I don't reccomend fingerless shooting for long periods and you should stop immediately if you start feeling any pins and needles. I was also using a 2 finger grip, which probably exacerbated that as well.

[@tuttuti123]

oh man did you ever recovered from that damage?

[@SentientTent]

@@tuttuti123 yeah I recovered, I was super worried it was going to be permanent but after a month and and a half I was basically back at full sensation.

[@tuttuti123]

@@SentientTent glad to hear that

[@arjunalibhai9475]

I have lost feeling in my thumb for the past 2 months after 12 months of shooting everyday for at least an hour a day without a thumb ring. Hope it comes back. I started at 35 lbs and have worked my way up to 65 lbs, after 45 pounds a thumb ring is an absolute must for trad archery.

[@SentientTent]

@@arjunalibhai9475 I really wish you luck. My recovery definitely platoued. Like I didn't have any appreciable changes from weeks 2-5 until it started fairly quickly improving the last week.

[@Intranetusa]

I presume tabs are better than gloves for shooting heavier draw weight bows because they're thicker?

[@NUSensei]

You can use thick tabs or thick gloves. Traditional archers can use either, and historical war bow shooters can also use a tab or glove.

[@Intranetusa]

@@NUSensei Thanks.

[@Tystros]

​@@NUSensei At least I have not managed to find any archery glove that gives enough protection for me to shoot my 140# warbow without it hurting the fingers. My fingers tend to be somewhat sensitive though. With tabs its easy, they're all usually thick enough, but I have tried a lot of gloves and none were thick enough. So I'm not sure if there's really any gloves that give similar protection to tabs. If you know any such gloves, I'd love to hear where to find them.

[@KingsOfLosers123]

@@Tystros why not make/order it in custom?

[@ty1978]

When I did my 'taster' archery session around six weeks ago the instructors never mentioned anything about tabs but they provided an arm guard :/ Anyway, I had a very sore blister on my middle finger only just after an hour of shooting. I've bought a tab since and I wouldn't recommend shooting with your bare fingers, very painful

[@KingsOfLosers123]

First few hundred arrows, shooting it with bare fingers did give me blisters. After my hand have calluses because of it, I'm fine.

[@gilinf.2662]

yep, same for me, I had no idea why people wear glove and guard when I was a beginner, it was totally hell... but it still depend on every person... I never had any problem when thumb drawing... but when i did 3-fingers drawing, my fingers gotten so numb after a hundred arrows, and it took me 2 weeks to recover...

[@nazarderkach9320]

But how about a review of the blunderbuss?

[@Guthem]

Wow Great tip about nerve

[@mychanneltoletyouknow]

thx

[@mortenjacobsen5673]

Automatic tourqe distributer with power draw and draw lenght calculator with gravety modification

[@MerlinsTeaboy]

I'm a bit behind with your stuff, so did you manage to save the club?

[@TheJohniegoodman]

Hi. And what about finger sleeves like Ksenia Perova wear? Are they useful?

[@mohdhaffizul6237]

Hello sensei..have a nice days..

[@UTxTheArchangel]

Those nice Alibow arrows.

[@seanchua3318]

Hi I'm joining an archery club soon to train on Olympic recurve. I'm planning to start buying my own gears soon but I'm not going buy everything all at once, but I don't know what should I buy in order. Would you consider making a video to share how would you build your bow based on the accessories' importance?

[@seanchua3318]

@@manabellum Ahh thanks for sharing it!

[@rangermctague]

Have you tried using a D-loop with a recurve - if not can you make a video and compare the accuracy with finger tabs

[@NUSensei]

As in shooting with a release aid? I haven't done it, but I've seen people do it. The accuracy should in theory be better since you eliminate the inconsistency inherent in using fingers, but at the same time you have to hold the weight of the draw, unlike a compound bow. It defeats the purpose of shooting recurve, mostly.

[@Ari--d]

Compound has one better. A string handle (release)

[@sp-nj9le]

hey I'm new to archery and I just bought black hunter recurve bow do I need to unstring it when I'm not using it? if so how often? asking because I don't have a stringer and its difficult to string it

[@NUSensei]

You can leave it strung, for the most part, but it's a good habit to unstring it when not in us.

[@moosebro]

shooting a bow since i was 5yrs old i dont need protection because i developed finger strength

[@stevehuffman7453]

Why a finger sling, instead of a hunter's wrist sling attached to the bow under/behind the stabilizer(s)? I can understand the finger sling on a bow that has zero attachment points for things like stabilizers, sights, and arrow rests/plungers.

[@NUSensei]

While wrist slings are allowed and some old-school competitors use them, finger slings are more preferred. Wrist slings are useful for practical purposes where you need to let go of the bow frequently, but the wrist sling is mainly for retention in case you drop the bow. Target shooters will purposefully drop the bow, and having a finger sling allows for a more comfortable release and recovery, whereas wrist slings tend to have too much slack that makes the drop less comfortable.

[@Veronica.John10-10]

Seems to me that the metal part touching the palm of your hand with the finger tab over time would cause nerve damage in your palm, is that right?

[@NUSensei]

No, it shouldn't be applying any pressure. It's not meant to jam into your hand.

[@akeeperofoddknowledge4956]

Your videos haven't shown up on my YT RADAR in over a year, maybe two! Out of sight, out of mind. Last I heard you were trying to save your club. Haven't heard so I figured your club closed down. What's the deal, Nu?

[@aquaticstime1564]

Dose N.A.S.P allow finger tabs?

[@rickkvfx1451]

why dont olympic archers use a 3 under grip? wouldnt you think it would be more consistent since you dont have to account for finger spacing etc?

[@NUSensei]

3-under is generally less desirable, as it is more of an asymmetric force (i.e. the direction of the draw is off-centre from the arrow). This in turn necessitates that the limbs be set at different tillers. The main advantage of 3-under is that it brings the arrow closer to the eye for aiming, but as Olympic archers use sights, it presents no advantages.

[@rickkvfx1451]

@@NUSensei yeah true, i do stringwalking so thats why i was curious why. thanks for answering

[@daksheshhadkar3749]

Hi

[@seanpicasso]

Could you please not to mislead by mixing Olympic Recurve and Traditional bows?

[@Australian_Made]

😁

[@daksheshhadkar3749]

Sir I am a beginner

[@lilskruf]

I want to get into archery but I also want to protect my eyes. I hear nobody wears protective glasses like in rifle shooting. I know the chances are low a string snaps and hits your eye, but how is this not a thing? Will I look stupid for wearing discreet looking clear safety glasses?

[@NUSensei]

There's nothing that goes wrong that endangers the eyes. If the string snaps (which requires a willful amount of neglect since you can see the string being damage months before it fails - I've had one happen to me), it doesn't carry any energy that would make it hit the eye. The tension is in the bow limbs, and the bow actually ends up shooting normally. The one time my string broke, I shot a perfect 10. It was my last shot of the day, of course.

[@Peter1992t]

The string snaps away from you, just like how the arrow releases away from you. The limbs are pulling everything away from you. The only possible thing that could injure your eyes would be the limbs snapping during a draw. Modern bows are designed so that the limbs don't break so catastrophically so it's not a concern. If you wanted to make your own bows, this might be something to be concerned about. That being said, feel free to wear safety glasses if you wish. I don't think anyone's going to mind.

[@lilskruf]

@@Peter1992t I also watched a video where an arrow exploded and splintered into a guys hand. How does that even happen? Are aluminum arrows less prone to that?

[@Peter1992t]

@@lilskruf It depends on the arrow material. Carbon arrows are probably the most popular, and when they break they do splinter. This can be dangerous, but it happens rarely. The way to avoid them is to examine your arrow for any cracks before shooting them. I typically check the arrows I'm going to shoot before each session, and I've never had an arrow break on me, but have found cracked arrows that I either discarded or attempted to salvage. I've never shot or researched much about aluminum arrows, but from what I hear they are much more sturdy and the worst thing that happens to them is that they get bent and warped (which you would discard), but they don't explode and splinter. Aluminum arrows shoot fine unless you are at the top level, so they are a decent choice.

[@Oldtanktapper]

@@lilskruf If you shoot a badly damaged arrow that could possibly happen. It can also occur if you try to use a light weight wooden arrow in a high powered compound bow. Compounds should only be used with arrows that can handle the much higher acceleration forces they generate, generally they’re made from carbon fibre or aluminium.