We all know the bow hold is a complex thing, but there are easy steps and exercises you can take every day to ensure you have the perfect bow hold!
If you have had lessons with me before, you know I am very fond of our friend, the 'bow bunny'. The bow bunny allows us to take steps in order to create the correct shape for our hands and fingers on our bow.
I have created a step by step with pictures on how to achieve your bow hold at home!
WHAT YOU WILL NEED
- a pencil / pen
- your bow
- a mirror if you have one
- your tv or favourite music (yes, i'm serious)
Step 1.
Find your bow bunny by placing your middle finger and ring finger over your thumb to create our bunny's teeth while your pinkie and pointer finger stay up in the air creating the ears!
Step 2.
Get your bunny talking!
Step 3.
Get those bunny ears wiggling!
Step 4.
The bunny's nose needs a wiggle too!
Step 5.
Find the 'frog' of the bow and look for the piece of wood next to it... Bunny's love to gnaw on wood.
Step 6.
Your bunny's bottom teeth latch onto the edge of the wood!
Don't forget to bend that thumb right into the hair of the bow.
Step 7.
Let those top two teeth CHOMP over the top to meet your thumb on the other side!
Step 8.
Your bow bunny is incredibly tired now from all this hard work, time to go to sleep. Let your hand and wrist rest on the bunny's left ear...
Lets take a look from the front now!
Step 9.
Now that your bunny is resting, it still has to listen out for foxes!
So prop that little ear up on the end - be careful, make sure it's really balanced on the tip..
And thats it!
Now you have the perfect bow hold.
Lets take a look at it in full motion...
C H A L L E N G E M E
One of the challenges faced when it comes to the bow hold is the weight of the bow and the stamina of the wrist and fingers. To build up our strength and resistance there are many exercises and techniques you can do to help.
1. Instead of using your full bow, practice the 'bow bunny' technique on a pencil or a pen, this takes the weight away and allows better balancing while perfecting the muscle memory.
2. While practicing the 'bow bunny' with your bow, make sure to hold your stance for 10 seconds and then completely reset! Resetting is so important to the building blocks of secure technique. Practice makes perfect, no?
3. Another fun way to build your stamina and strength is to use the windshield effect. Find your bow hold and and turn your wrist upside down and back up again and watch your bow turn into a windscreen wiper! Make sure to keep all the 'bow bunny' components intact as you turn your wrist!
4. Try practicing your bow hold in the mirror to make sure you are keeping your full body posture in check.
5. Practice your bow hold on and off for the duration of your favourite song or tv programme (probably best to watch one you have seen a million times before so you don't miss any of the good bits!) - see if you can create the perfect bow hold every time you reset throughout the song or programme.
D O N ' T F O R G E T
Building up your bow hold strength and technique is just like building up muscle in the gym or training for a marathon! You have to make sure you are stretching your hands and fingers, keeping them flexible and in good check. A great way to do this is scrunching your hand into a tight ball and releasing your hands quickly and spreading your fingers as far as you can a few times over. Another way to relieve tension is roll your wrist round and round in a big circle. Pulsing your fingers tightly can help to stretch out those hands. And don't forget to SHAKE IT OFF!
Comments