History

The evolution of the thumb rings

Since late antiquity in the 3rd century archers deployed the thumb technique and used a thumb ring to protect their thumb. They consisted of metals such as E.g. bronze, iron or silver. Often made of stones such as jade, nephrite or jasper or just leather. High-ranking people wore a ring made of gold or ivory on occasions - these were often richly decorated with precious stones and ornaments. The shape of the thumb rings varied greatly, depending on which region it came from, but no matter what shape it had or what material the thumb ring was made of, its purpose was always to protect the tip of the thumb from the rebounding bowstring.

Although the string can also be pulled without a thumb ring as protection - after long training and a formed corneal - even with stronger arches, a thumb ring made of hard material induces a clean and always exactly reproducible shot. The bare thumb or a soft leather guard do not have a solid snap of the string and make it almost impossible to keep the string in the same position at all times. At the moment of release, the string rolls over the soft skin of the thumb or leather. However, if the tendon rests on the small heel of a thumb ring made of hard material, the release of the arrow can be compared to the release of a modern compound bow.

Two popular materials for making thumb rings were and are, horn or bone. The black buffalo horn or the white cattle bone give the rings a noble look.

Particularly beautiful rings made of bronze or silver are tempting to wear like jewelry and can also be decorated.

Today

Thumb rings
for today's archers

Today, thumb rings are made from less noble materials - but their use and elegant shape are retained. I offer you thumb rings in Korean and Ottoman in different materials. Visually, you can hardly decide from the horn rings. You can find out more here.