I bet you can get that draw length back if you decrease you draw weight.

shortened draw length due to 'compression'?  no, i don't believe that at all - it's pure muscle conditioning strength, or lack thereof.

i'm 64yo and still have a solid 29" draw length for barebow shootin'.  

draw weight is another story, and 55# is my upper limit these dayze, no more 65# holding weights.  

pulling a 65# bow would instantly 'compress' my draw length to 27"  :D

Cool, I think the reason that long-armed guys are better shots is because their arrow starts out closer to the target than ours do!!!!

I'm old enough to be Rob's twin brother, and I agree with what he is saying.    :p  

It's more about conditioning....both body and mind, and most folks tend to let down a little as they get older.  Fifty pounds is wayyyyyy plenty for me nowadays, but I still draw my petite 27 3/4".    

When I was 18 years old, I had a 30" draw length. I'm now 60 years old and my draw length is still 30".

I am 60yrs young and when I picked up archery 2yrs ago I discovered that my draw had shrunk by 1 1/2". I thought that it was due to the injuries I suffered. I swithched bows from a ML 10 longbow 55@28 to a Harrelson longbow 36@28 and my draw came back. Evaluate the weight your pulling and you might need to lighten up like I did. By the way, that 36#r does the job, hunting or 3D.  

QuoteOriginally posted by Rob DiStefano:
shortened draw length due to 'compression'?  no, i don't believe that at all - it's pure muscle conditioning strength, or lack thereof.

I agree wholeheartedly with Rob. The only thing that caused my draw length to change with age is when I shattered my left collarbone (I shoot right-handed) and it grew back 1/2" shorter. My draw length went from 30" to 29.5". It is hard to get full extension with my heavier bows, but I can build up to it when I need to.

Allan

I'm nosin' in on 60 years old and draw 30" with my 50#.  Hit the weights and stretch!!

i keep my strung 55# longbow in my office and throughout the day i'll pull it back past my anchor point to my ear.  at least once a day i switch hands and pull lefty a few times.  imo, this is the bestest and most easiest bow weight workout for anyone.