The Importance of Recurve Finger Guards

Most archers buy ready-made finger guards for recurve archery. The finger guards produced by manufacturers are mass-produced, so the specifications are only divided into large, medium, small and left-hand and right-hand. However, the palms of archers are large, small, fat and thin. Therefore, in order to release the string and arrow smoothly, everyone will adjust them to suit their fingers. The requirements for finger guards for advanced archers must be stricter and more suitable.
Knowing your own string hooking and string release methods, you can adjust the finger guards to closely match the movements and achieve a bonus effect! The leather used for recurve archery finger guards is mostly cowhide, and there are also subdivided buffalo or yellow cowhide; in recent years, many products have also used horsehide; some foreign archers like to use deerskin or sheepskin because they are softer. I have also seen people use elephant skin, which is very durable and can be used for 8 to 10 years.
After the new cowhide finger guard is repaired, it must be maintained after each use. If necessary, 3 or 4 more should be prepared and replaced frequently, especially after rainy days. It must be air-dried and then rubbed with baby oil or leather oil to make it soft so that it can maintain a certain degree of softness when used next time. When repairing the finger guard, be careful not to trim it too short, so as to avoid the string line still being wrapped around the fingertips when releasing the string. The fingertips are prone to blisters and calluses, which affect the stability of the string, and of course the flight of the arrow will be unstable. The size of the finger guard is based on the width of the front edge, and the width of the index, middle, and ring fingers, plus 1/4 inch. Don't use too large or too small.
Renovation of the shallow hook finger guard:
1. The width of the index finger should be narrower, and the length should be flush with the front edge of the index finger.
2. The length of the ring finger can be shorter and thinner.
3. The middle finger is flush with the front edge after hooking the string, and the bottom layer of the secondary leather can be thicker.
Finger guard repair for deep hook:
1. The width of the index finger should be wider to protect the knuckle groove, and the length should be flush with the front edge of the index finger after hooking the string.
2. The length of the ring finger should be flush with the front edge of the ring finger after hooking the string, thin it a little but make it wider to protect the knuckle groove.
3. The middle finger should be flush with the front edge after hooking the string, and the bottom layer of the secondary skin can be thicker.
Whether it is a deep or shallow hook, the force of the index finger and the ring finger will most affect the release of the string and the arrow. Therefore, it is necessary to cooperate with the shooting type correction, and repair and test shoot 3 or 4 finger guards at the same time! The finger guard for bare bows in field archery has no slits, which is convenient for positioning using the finger width adjustment method.