The Importance of Draw Length for a Compound Bow

If you have even beginner's level knowledge of archery, then you'd be knowing compound bows are different from longbows and recurve bows. The chief difference between a compound bow and a traditional bow is a compound bow can be pulled back only a certain distance whereas a longbow can be pulled back any distance.

The mechanism that controls the draw length of the bow works in a fascinating manner; for the mechanism to work, the mechanical setting of the bow and the size of the shooter need to be at par with each other. If the size of a shooter is 64-inches and the draw length is 19-inches, then that means the draw needs to be pulled back 19-inches to work with the shooter.

Compound bows are manufactured to be shot when fully pulled back. So if a shooter is using a compound bow, then it should be drawn back to the fullest. The shooter is highly recommended to shoot drawing the string of the bow to its full capacity. He shouldn't fire the arrow drawing the string halfway. Veteran archers believe it's easy to feel the shooting experience than explaining it to the naive ones. So practice with a compound bow to hone your skill.

Normally, the mechanical stop of a compound bow is firm enough that a bow with 24-inch draw length cannot be pulled back 25-inches or 26-inches. To draw the bow back more than its fixed length, modifications need to be done on its mechanical setup. It's essential for an archer to draw his bow slowly and in a controlled way.

Modern compound bows require less than 20-pounds of pressure to be held back at its full draw. Hence, if an archer has to put extra pressure at the time of shooting an arrow, then he's basically trying to overdraw the bow. Try to quantify the pressure that you are putting on the bow because if it exceeds 20-pounds and you are still not getting full draw, then something is wrong with your bow's mechanical stop.

The draw length is not fixed because different archers are of different height; the draw varies from one archer to another. A tall archer needs a bow with more draw length. On the other hand, a short archer needs a draw that is not too much in length. Compound bows are made to be adjusted by a user. To adjust the draw length, an archer first needs to consider his size and select the draw length accordingly.

Question is how to measure your personal draw length. To measure the draw length, first the archer needs to calculate the length of his arm span. To measure that, the archer needs to stretch his arms out and face forward. At the time of measuring, he shouldn't stretch his arms but stand totally naturally.

There should be someone to accompany you because you couldn't measure your arm's length yourself while standing stretching them out. The length of the arm-span is from the tips of one arm's middle finger to the tips of another arm's middle finger. Whatever number comes out, divide that by 2.5. The quotient is the actual draw length.

The calculation could be inaccurate if you measure the length of your arm span wrongly, which is why you should take help of an archery professional. Compound bow owners often make the mistake of setting their bows at a draw length, which is more than the apt length.

If the bow is set at a draw length that is more than what it is appropriate for it, then the archer might get hurt as the string will slap back on his forearm. In case the archer isn't fully sure whether the draw length selected by him is accurate or not, he should keep the draw length less, otherwise he might get hurt.

There are some disadvantages of using a compound bow. The mechanical settings are so complicated that the archer doesn't enjoy the freedom while practicing archery. Hence, at the time of selecting the draw length, the archer needs to bear in mind that he'd have to be within the constraints of the technicalities.

All in all, compound bows are used by almost all modern archers, and to ensure safe usage of such a bow, it's essential to select a proper draw length.

Katie Smith, a freelance writer, is expert in writing high quality content related to unique sports lessons for popular online publications. Archery interests him most. He receives professional training from archery texas