Additional Discussion on Draw Length
Issues
The "Perfect" Draw
Length
 Your
own "perfect draw length" is the draw length setting at which
you are the most comfortable and the most accurate. There
is no right and wrong, no absolutes. But it is unlikely that a
5'10" guy will be successful with a 30" draw length, and
similarly unlikely that a 6'3" guy will shoot well with a 28"
draw length.......not impossible - just unlikely. For some, a
"perfect draw length" may be ultimately determined by feel (and
some trial and error) rather than by calculation. However, we
still recommend a common-sense approach here. If you're new to
the sport, you'll have better luck if you just play the averages
and choose an initial draw length that's similar to others of
your same size and stature (reference the chart from the
previous
page). Fortunately, on most bows, making a minor draw
length change is pretty simple. So it's not quite a life or
death decision to start. However, as you become more immersed
in the sport and begin to "fine-tune" your game, you may wish to
experiment a little with your draw length. |
Why Draw Length Matters
More Draw Length = More
Power
The longer your draw length, the longer your bow's
powerstroke will be - and the faster your bow will shoot.
As a general rule, 1" of draw length is worth about 10 fps of
arrow velocity. Bows are predominantly
IBO Speed rated at 30" draw length. So if your particular
bow has an IBO speed of 300 fps, and you intend to shoot the bow
at 27" draw length - you should expect an approximate 30 fps
loss in speed. This is one of the reasons that so many archers
choose inappropriately long draw lengths. So with regards to
generating hot arrow speeds, tall shooters do have an advantage.
However, shorter guys might feel better to know that
short-draw archers do have a few advantages over taller shooters
in other areas. |
Finding Your Anchor
Point
 A
properly set draw length helps you to establish reference points
at full-draw - key elements to reliable accuracy. When you come
to full draw, you will want to establish contact points between
you and the bow. Hopefully, these points will be the same
every time you draw the bow. Perhaps you'll concentrate on
where your knuckle meets your ear or cheek (1), perhaps how the
string touches the corner of your mouth (2), or how the tip of
your nose just tickles the string below the peep (3). Whatever
reference points you choose to monitor is up to you, but they
are an important part of a consistent routine and collectively
help you to establish your ANCHOR POINT for each shot. If you
don't release each shot from the exact same ANCHOR POINT, your
accuracy will always be mediocre at best. |
Visibility Through Your
Peep Sight
Perhaps the most critical alignment is that between your eye
and your peep sight. If you're too far away from the peep sight
(draw length too short) then your field of view through the peep
is too restricted. And at such an angle, the peep's hooded area
isn't large enough to block out the surrounding images that you
don't want to see. So you must strain to ignore the outer
images, and try to focus just on the objects within the peep's
narrow angle of view. Seeing too little inside the peep, and
too much outside your peep makes acquiring your target very
difficult - even in broad daylight - and next to impossible in
low light conditions. |
|
Too Far From Peep |
Correct Distance |
Too Close to Peep |
|
On the other hand, if you're too
close to the peep sight (draw length too long), you get a
different set of problems. As objects are moved very close to
your eye, into your eye's Field of Proximal Convergence,
your eyes naturally begin to cross (even if you have one eye
closed). It's very difficult to "un-train" your eye react to
this involuntary reflex - so sighting will always seem unnatural
and strained when the peep is too close to the eye. A peep
sight that's too close to your eye will also give you a jumbo
field of view that makes precise aiming considerably more
difficult. |
Shooting Form Problems
 Draw
Length too Short:
If your draw length is
too short, maintaining your reference points becomes more
difficult. At full draw, your anchor point is effectively
"floating". Without some physical contact at your reference
points, it's very difficult to steady on target and make a
repeatable shot. This also puts your eye too far away from your
peep sight, as we discussed earlier. If your draw length is too
short, you have to compensate by leaning into the string or
bending your bow arm to give your body more contact with the
bow. Unfortunately, this causes most shooters to close-down
their stance, hand-torque their bow to the right, and tilt their
head awkwardly to the side to see through the peep sight....not
a good way to shoot.
|
 Draw
Length too Long:
If your draw length is
too long, you get a different host of troubles. Again, your
peep sight will be too close to your eye and some or all of your
reference points will be difficult to establish. To make
matters worse, compensating for a long draw length will cause
you to open your stance too far, hand-torque the bow to the
left, push your shoulder out and away from your body (adding
tension and inaccuracy to the aiming process), and to lean your
head back in an attempt to see properly through the peep. To
add insult, opening your stance to compensate for an overly long
draw length can put your bow arm (holding arm) in the path of
the string. So a bow set for too much draw length will often
reprimand the shooter with some alarmingly painful string-slap
on his forearm. Ouch! When you're shooting a proper draw
length, with the proper shooting form, your bow's string should
NEVER touch your forearm. String-slap is a sure sign you're
doing something wrong! |
|
Does a String Loop
Change My Draw Length? |
|
  |
This is one of our most commonly
asked questions, and it's a difficult one to answer - as it
depends on your perspective. Does a string loop actually change
the bow's draw length? Certainly not. The AMO/ATA specs for
measuring draw length reference the actual bowstring at it's
nocking point - not necessarily the point of attachment from
which it is drawn. So adding a string loop to a 29" bow DOES
NOT make the bow a 29.5" draw length.
However, using a string loop may give you the perception
that your draw length is longer. Look at the diagrams above.
This is the same bow, at the same draw length, drawn back first
without and then with a string loop. Notice the pink lines
referencing the relative positions of the crease of his index &
middle finger to his ear. Clearly you can see that when using
the string loop, his hand decidedly rests further back on his
jaw (perhaps as much as an inch further back). But the distance
between his eye and the peep sight, as well as the contact
between his nose and string both remain the same.
So it's a tough call. If you judge your fit for draw length by
referencing where your release hand rests on along the side of
your face, then yes - a string loop will make it feel as if your
draw length is about 1/2"-1" longer. If you're a new shooter or
accustomed to judging your fit for draw length by some other
reference point - one not affected by a string loop - then no. |
How Precise Do I Need to
Get?
 This
is another commonly asked question. How close do we have to
get? Within an inch? Half-inch? A quarter-inch? This issue
could be debated, as there probably isn't a right and wrong
answer to this question either. But again, we recommend a
common sense approach. For most shooters, a ±½" change in draw
length is hardly noticed. To be realistic, half-inch sizes are
probably precise enough (27½", 28", 28½, 29", 29½", etc.),
particularly for the purposes of hunting and recreational
archery. However, we will be glad to adjust your new compound
bow to any draw length you desire. If you would like your bow
set to a very specific length, our pro-shop will gladly
accommodate the request. But you should keep in mind that as
your bow's string ages and stretches over time (as ALL
strings do), your draw length will slightly increase - a little
fraction at a time. So maintaining a razor-specific 28 & 13/16"
draw length may be a frustrating endeavor. |
|
|
