Now check your bow hold in the mirror:

• Your hand should lean slightly onto the side of your first finger.

• Your first finger should contact the stick at or just below the crease on the side of the top joint.

• Your thumb should be gently bent and the end of your thumb pad should be positioned in the space between the frog and the binding.

• Your second finger should sit just slightly to the left of your thumb (from your viewpoint). It should contact the outer edge of the stick at around the crease of the top joint. Take care not to curl it under the stick.

• Your fingers should be comfortably separated from one another – neither squashed up nor stretched out.

• The tip of your curved little finger should rest on the upper inside edge side of the stick.

• Ask a friend to try lifting your fingers away from the stick. If they are relaxed they will spring back into position.

There can be slight variations to the bow hold depending on the size and shape of your hand, so use this as a guide and adapt it so that you feel comfortable. The most important thing is that your bow hold feels natural, balanced and relaxed.