Ozbow

Hi all,

so i'm trying to get my brother into archery giving him my old compound bow
i measured his draw length by getting him to stretch out both arms out to the side and measure the length from longest finger to longest finger in inches and divided it by 2.5 ended up being 29"

i now have a samick sage re-curve take down bow 40# at 28" i got my draw length by trying bows out at a small archery store they
told me 28" will be fine.

ive now been shooting at my house for 3 months i'm going well though lately I've been feeling that i might need a longer draw length as my back and shoulders feel a little twisted forward
i measured my draw length the same way i did my brothers and i got 29"

so my questions are if i'm not pulling back my full draw which according to this is 29" does this mean my form accuracy and shoulder and back muscles will put everything out of alignment and leave me hurting a lot more in the back and shoulders?

another is does this mean i may have to sell my bow and buy one at 29" or can i change the limbs to make it 29"?

another is if i keep the bow at 28" and pull it back to 29" will it damage the limbs and bow combined
is this a bad idea altogether?

last is does an inch in draw length make a huge difference?

thanks Mitch looking forward to hearing your answers

Hi Mitch
28" draw length is the standard that traditional bows are made to. Us humans come in different sizes like myself with a chimpanzee draw length 26 1/2" or knuckle dragging gorillas with a 32" draw length.
At a 29" draw you will be pulling 43#, maybe you are shooting to much and developing a bad technique that is making your back sore. Can you get someone to take a photo of you at full draw to see if you are leaning in to the draw, that is leaning your head forward to the string ,not pulling the string back to your face.
Matt

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FredsNephew,

Matt61 hit it right on! No need at all to search for a new set of limbs or anything for your bow. The marking 40# 28" simply means that the bows draw weight is 40lbs @ 28 inches back. At your 29" it might be 43# as Matt said.

Definitely try and get a photo of your form for us to look at, will help to assess any form issues or bad habits you might have.

Kendaric also touched on a good point about biomechanics and biomechanically correct form. Now granted there is a basic form that will fit every person when it comes to drawing a bow ( grab string, pull string back, anchor, release and follow through) everyone's muscle structure is very slightly different and everyone's biomechanical efficiencies are in slightly different places within the draw cycle.

To stop anyone I teach to shoot (very few people) getting sore, I tell them to draw however is most comfortable for them... which may be slightly different to how I have demonstrated.


Definitely do have to condition you body to shooting as it uses very unique movement pattern and muscles, and conditioning only comes through repetition, but don't overdo it!!

Most importantly, have fun!

Colin