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Choosing a tab
The need for a good loose is paramount. Your drawing hand needs to
be as relaxed as possible so that the string just brushes the fingers
aside with minimum deviation. So
what sort of tab should you go for, well in your early days of shooting
you were no doubt taught with the basic two hole variety, some coaches may
use the platform type of tab and it is true that it will not only make
their lives easier but you will actually shoot better and find it easier
yourselves, but think on this….archery is about good repetition so
learning a sound basic technique is very important and feeling the base of
your jawbone is part of that.
We see a lot of
people trying to hold the string with the fingertips, is this right or
wrong? Tense fingers will not open so well, and you will experience some
soreness of the fingers, at this point archers will buy a bigger tab
hoping to cure the problem.
Lets give you
another view, if you try to put the string on the tips of your fingers the
first thing you will do when you start your draw is tense those fingers so
that the string does not fall off. If
you hold deeper, at least to the first joints then you will be more
comfortable and relaxed, with this relaxed hand the string may (if you
want it to) ease towards the tips but this time the fingers are relaxed
and you will get a much better result.
The tab
from A & F is what we would consider to be pretty universal in it’s
design and use. It has a metal palm plate with a plastic top that is
colour coded for size it does include an adjustable finger spacer. Spare
faces are available of various types, which include cordovan and hair.
This is by far our biggest seller because of its ease of use and
versatility.
The
Spigarelli confort tab, look at the shape, what do you see.
Santos has obviously designed this tab for the archer who shoots
with a higher drawing elbow. The
cut is on an angle, which makes the top finger leather look short, but if
you maintain a straight wrist then you will increase the amount of top
finger use and the third finger will start to drop of the string.
A higher
drawing elbow will help you get it behind the arrow and the shoulder will
work better. This generally
will add 2/3/4 feet per second to the shot.
The
Cavalier tab, definitely designed for a deep grip on the string, sometimes
into the second joint of the fingers, this can feel strange but what the
hell, anything is worth a try. In recent years the finger spacer design has changed, this
makes the tab more versatile as it is more comfortable than the original
which was very uncompromising. I
remember myself and many of my friends (the dedicated ones) having really
bad blisters on the inside of the first and second fingers if you did not
shoot as the tab dictated. BUT NOT ANY MORE thank goodness.
A
link to a selection of TABS on our online shop
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