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What is a finger sling and why should I use a finger sling in archery?
If you asked yourself this question before, you have come to the right place.
Read on to find out how this small tool can improve your archery technique and accuracy a lot:
The name says it all: 
It is a sling that gets wrapped around your fingers, but why would you need one for archery?
What is the point?
When you went through my archery training you know that the last step, the follow-through is very important for your success in archery.
After the arrow left the bow, the bow will tip forward and you have two ways of catching it.
While using your hand is fine, it can result in a follow-through that is not perfect and can affect your accuracy negatively.
The better option is the finger sling because it will catch the bow automatically and you don’t have to move a muscle to stop the bow from falling to the ground.
Finger slings are all working the same way:
One loop gets pulled over the index or middle finger of the hand that holds the bow. Then you take the bow in your hand and move the sling around the grip of the bow and pull the other loop over the thumb.
The bow can not fall out of your hand anymore.
A wrist sling has the same goal as a finger sling but works slightly differently.
Instead of pulling it over your fingers, it is wrapped around your wrist and then around the bow.
This allows the bow to tip a bit more forward after the shot, but still can’t fall to the ground.
Using a wrist sling.
Let’s answer the initial question now:
I mentioned above that a sling can help you with the follow-through.
A common archery mistake is that the archer grabs the bow too tight which can cause several problems and inaccuracy.
The right technique is to just let the bow lie loosely in your hand and close the fingers around it without putting too much force on the bow.
If the archer is not careful, though, the bow can jump out of his hand when the arrow leaves the bow.
That’s the reason why many beginners cling to the bow with all their strength which results in poorer accuracy and consistency.
The finger sling or wrist sling can take away your fear of dropping the bow after a shot.
The bow gets safely attached to your hand or wrist and you never can let it fall.
When you use a sling you can shoot your bow with an open hand which eliminates all the mistakes your hand could make.
I think this is a great and strong argument for using a sling in archery!
Erika Jones uses a finger sling. Used under creative commons from: Pyb
While it is a great tool, it has one small disadvantage:
It takes time to get ready to shoot!
When you have all the time in the world before you let an arrow fly, a sling is a fantastic addition to your bow equipment.
But if you need to be quick it might hinder you too much for your liking.
For example, if you are out in the woods hunting, a sling can cost you valuable seconds and make you miss a good opportunity.
Of course, you could just keep the bow attached to your hand or wrist the whole time, but that can become uncomfortable when you have to wait for a longer time for an animal to come by.
Besides that, I don’t have any issues with finger or wrist slings.
Some might simply not like them for personal reasons, but if you feel that a sling could improve your shooting, I highly recommend to get one.
Slings are very cheap and you can get a finger sling here and a wrist sling here.
You can also make them easily yourself if you want to save a few dollars.
Watch the video below to learn how to make a finger sling quickly out of shoe laces:
Well, now you know why you should use a finger sling in archery.
It is quite common that beginners start without using a finger sling, but once someone has tried a sling he usually never goes back.
I use them depending on my mood.
Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t.
How about you?
Do you swear on a finger sling or a wrist sling or do you think that they are not necessary to succeed in archery?
Let’s talk about it. I am looking forward to hearing from you in the comments below.
Have a great day.