Whenever I shot a compound I pulled 28" so I figured it would be close to the same on my trad bow, I assumed 27" because most say it is a little shorter.
I just checked my draw length to middle of the shelf. I'm only gettin a 26 draw. Ordered a 53# bow @ 28" assuming I'd be hitting a 27" draw and 50#. Looking like I may only be at 47-48#.
Thoughts? Bad form? Bad back tension?
measure to the front of the riser to measure your draw not the middle
Draw length is measured from the throat of the nock to the front of the shelf. If you measured to the middle you may have shorted yourself an inch or maybe even an inch and a half.
Stiks
one more thing. Work on good form and back tension and you may gain another half inch or more.
Stiks
Dwill.........the draw length is not measured from the center of the shelf. I measure mine from the back of the bow. I think it is actually measured 1.5" from the deepest part of the grip.
I only draw 25 inches and shoot 48 lbs and have no problem. Keep it tuned and the broadheads sharp. :bigsmyl:
yup to the front of the rizer bud. you should have (assuming this is a recurve)about a 27.5 or 28 inch draw. just a simple mistake your not stupid. i always used to measure to th back or the riser until someone on here corrected me
steven
If you just ordered the bow call the bowyer. It's probably not too late. If he's busy he probably hasn't started it yet.
Keeping the Faith!
Magnus
Sounds like you're just starting out in traditional archery. Welcome! You are gonna have a blast.
What you are now thinking of as stupid is actually not a bad thing. Starting out with a lower weight bow will help you develop good form and with practice, accuracy will follow. And you are right...48# is enough.
Good luck!
I didnt gain much...26 3/4 max
Did you pull back to your anchor point? Remember most of the time with the wheels your bow arm was straighter,and with the trad it's bent slightly. You only lost an inch max. Nothing stupid on your part,just tune your arrows with some extra weight (200gr up front)and you are good to go.
I've been shooting trad for about 2 years now, but recently got a heavier bow. Maybe I haven't warmed up to the extra weight yet.
What Stiks-n-Strings said X2 ! You will pick up at least a 1/2" and more like 1" with good form. With proper back tension, elbow down and everything in a good line you will be surprised how much longer your draw becomes. After a night or two with Rod Jenkins I had to check my bow to make sure I was not pulling the string off !!! Thanks Rod ! :notworthy:
That bow, as is, drawn to 26", will shoot through any whitetail I ever saw. Don't worry about it. Learn to shoot the bow well and have fun.
I'm doing well with the bow so far. Thanks for the positive comments guys.
I'm 6' 250lbs. and I shot an 80lb. wheelie for years when I was younger, now my trad set up is a #48 Bear Grizzly and my actual draw is only about 27"........it was passed down to me from my favorite uncle and I love it!
A #50 or #55 would be nice, but I have all the confidence in the world with my Grizzly, and it's real comfortable to shoot. There's plenty of KE there for killing just about anything you want to......keep your broadheads sharp and your shots in the boiler room!
Andrew,
In my former life when I shot a compound (also with fingers), I drew 31". When I "found" traditional archery and started shooting a recurve, my draw was 28". After a few years, I figured out one little thing to improve my form, and have shot 29" draw length ever since.
Once we figure out the form question, our draw length is what it is... no more... no less!
Don't worry about the NUMBER of inches you pull, just that you fully "load up" the bow with proper form, shot, after shot, after shot!
You might consider asking for a good training DVD for Christmas: Masters of the Barebow 3, available from several Trad Gang sponsors. I could have saved five years of trial and error (mostly error) if something similar had been available when I started 100 years ago!!!
Thanks for the good advice Daryl. I've been wantin to get some good videos and books.
I have no trad archer friends in my area so I'm on my own in this adventure for now. I wish I had a mentor, I just don't.
I know I have enough power to kill basically anything I want.
If I got a decent video of me shooting, would you guys be kind enough to tell me of what I need to improve?
The bigger the rack- the shorter the draw.
Just shoot small deer and you won't have to worry about it! :bigsmyl:
Good luck- #48 will kill about anything in N. America
Dan in KS
I agree with sticksnstrings. Im 16 and about the same build (with a little extra on the belly side) and have had the same problem. With better form I can get 28" at the middle of the shelf and have improve my shooting by a butt load.
Deer don't get big here anyways Dan..
When I switched back 20 yrs ago to sticks, I could only handle 45#...then slowly got to mid 50's... then started using REAL back tension and went from full 28" draw to almost 29".
As time took it's toll, the draw weight dropped, and am now in the 45#-48# draw weight and it still is about full draw, back tension and releasing w/ full follow through.
5# of increased draw weight is amazing what it will do to your form! Hang in there. Get the recommended DVD.
Check out the Shooter's Forum and there are great form clips on there...and a ton of mentoring right from your puter! :)
I'm not gettin the whole back tension thing..someone explain, please?
What part of bama are you from Drew? I'm in Lauderdale Co. NW part of state. U Close?
Ditto with all said, keep your chin up and if it shoots well, you will have no worries ! My first recurve was 45# nomad stalker and many deer fell to it before i realized there were bigger and better bows out there!!
Dwill, pull you arm up and hold you elbow out, pull your elbow back and you will feel your back muscles pulling instead of all arm muscles.
Dwill,
If you were shooting fingers with your compound and fingers with your recurve, your draw length will be the same. Below is a drawing showing how draw length is measured, as some have accurately noted above.
However, more important as where you measure the arrow at the back of the bow shelf is HOW you draw the bow. Most compound shooters are over-drawn, many traditional shooters are under-drawn. When you are at full-draw imagine a line from your grip, through your anchor, and past the elbow. The elbow should be 1/2"-1" IN FRONT of (or outside) this line. This allows you to initiate a rearward motion of your drawing elbow, using your drawing side back muscle (shoulder blad rhomboid)to execute a proper shot.
If you are over drawn -- elbow in line or behind it--you are overextended preventing the back from being involved in the shot. If you are underdrawn you are holding the string with your biceps, again preventing your back from participating in the shot. This is how 7.1 million students, including those from more than 400 schools in Alabama, are being taught by the National Archery in the Schools Program.
Tim Strickland (stricklandsarchery.com) has a terrific DVD about shooting traditional. Tim is the most successful coach of Olymipic archers our country has ever had and is an avid traditional archer.
(http://i956.photobucket.com/albums/ae50/bowwild/drawweightofrecurve.jpg)
Just call me stupid then. I done the same on my first custom bow in 61. That is not having a good shooting form/foundation.
Also, I am not only stupid I am slow in that I thought you always needed a heavy bow for big game (deer, elk, bear, lope, moose etc.) I was shooting the 70+ pounders early on which contributed to my shoulder and elbow problem that cost me 8 years of no bow hunting of any kind.
So great advice on form first by others,
I know of 2 trad hunters that use 46-48 pounders that have taken elk and bear with them. Just knowing ones limitations and their equipment, plus shot placement and sharp broadheads.
So bottom line on your set up no problem as others stated also.
Please guys,don't call yourself stupid! Congrats Dwill,fun just started.
Coil Springs: I'm in Calhoun County..I think were a little ways away.
Everyone else:
I know #48 is good enough to kill anything I'll be hunting.
My assumption about back tension was correct. I try to shoot with good back tension, I just don't know if I'm doing it right.
I have to agree with Bernie, Don't be calling ourselves stupid. When I first joined the gang I was kinda embarrassed to ask a few questions but did anyway. Right away I knew I was in the right place to learn all I will ever need to know about trad gear and trad hunting.
Ask away. As far as DVD's I don't have any advice on that but the shooters forum got me straigtened out on alot of form issues.
Dwill. for Back tension you need to find and develop your rhomboid muscles. Following the Rod Jenkins clinic I began to wonder if my concept and use of back tension was correct.
You know the concept of "squeezing to pinch the pack of cigarettes". I was squeezing but I was using mostly the wrong muscle groups.
Did some investigating. My chiropractor who is also a Tia Chi master explained what I was doing wrong and gave me some training exercises. I could not clearly explain them clearly in words so I asked if she would be willing to do a video I could share with the other guys from the clinic.
She taught this old dog some new tricks and it is making a significant difference.
It is a bit hokey but will definitely give you an understanding of back tension and how to develop your rhomboids. Part 1 & 2 are the most valuable.
Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aahqB4hKmKk
Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Lno2owb5mY
Part 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeonUiClmF0
Andrew
The "mystery" of back tension was what I finally figured out that forever added an inch to my draw length and gave me the kind of accuracy I had been looking for in my shooting for years.
The best illustration I've seen to explain which muscles we're talking about is from the "Master's" DVD I mentioned before.
Take an arrow shaft, and hold it in front of you at shoulder's height. Grip it with both hands, thumbs touching in the middle of the arrow, and palms pointing down at the floor. Now, pretend like you are trying to pull the arrow in half! The muscles that you feel working in your back are the ones I want to have involved in drawing a bow. Does that makes any sense?
For years, I tried to draw so my middle finger touched the corner of the mouth. That is good for a lot of folks, but for me, it did NOT give me good back tension, and I sprayed arrows all over the place. We are all built differently.
One sentence in something I read changed the whole game of archery for me. "Instead of trying to anchor at a specific spot (like corner of mouth), concentrate on coming to full draw with the muscles of your back. Then, where ever your fingers happen to touch your face is your reference point."
For me, that meant my back muscles had proper tension, my new reference spot (rather than "anchor") was index finger touching my cheekbone, and I drew 29" rather than 28!
The deer wish I had never figured that out!!
Hope that picture helps a little bit...
Its all about patience. I was real quick to buy a bow before i shot any trad bows...so therefore I did not know any measurements and wennt with what i "thought" was right. As I am slowly learning patience when buying equipment always pays off in the long run. Shooting multiple bows and learning draw lenghts and handles makes a big differende.
THe good thing is that we all get more bow than we need and like you have said no matter what your draw length is in the long run you still have plenty of weight to kill all animals in NA, as they stay just keep your shots true and points sharp!!!
And its not stupidity, it impatience and excitement. At least you have the excuse of being young...i have no such reasonable excuse
I like using the young excuse E.Allen
So from using Daryl's method of trying to "pull an arrow in half" I feel the muscles between my shoulder blades working. I'm getting that same muscle work by trying to keep my "drawing arm" elbow tucked close to my body and when I do that I'm getting a good back workout and my drawlength seems longer too.
Gonna keep at it.