How's my draw length?
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I'm thinking I'm a little short. Everything feels bunched up. Thoughts?
Crap.... Thought this was BGF. Lol
Turn your nose just a little towards the camera, release and see if you think your draw length is still too short. ;)
Better yet.... Put a FOB on that arrow and see how much beard is left on the side of your face after a few shots!! LOLOL
Definitely short drawing, knock needs to be parallel with ear lobe.
I think your hand is on backward.
So much for getting the arrow under your eye!
The best way to judge your draw length is by the angle of your torso and head at full draw. You should be straight up and down from your feet to the top of your head, and your bow arm should have a slight bend in it at the elbow. That's the most stable position, and results in the most accurate shooting.
Many guys shoot draw lengths that are too long. It's easy to spot. Their torso and head will be angled towards their trigger hand at full draw. Their spine will look like a big S shape, and their bow arm will be fully extended. I'd say over 50% of the guys I see at local 3D shoots are shooting draw lengths that are too long.
Hope this helps,
Matt
Matt,
You echo what I've seen from most "experts" on getting the most out of shooting a bow. One frame of reference I've heard a lot is that if your shooting a release your thumb should pretty much be aligned with your jaw bone. You can also note the straight up and down body and head position.
I used to do a lot of 3D shoots and like you a lot of people with draw lengths that were too long, some by a good 1-1 1/2". Without the proper draw length it's difficult, if not impossible to ever shoot consistently and consistently well.
Sorry, the original image isn't working for me so in the event that's true for all here is a second image that I confirmed works.
This also shows the form I described above.
Here's a couple of pics to demonstrate.
The first pic shows a draw length that's too long. Note how his torso is angled and his bow arm is straight.
The second pic shows the proper draw length. Head and torso are straight, bow arm is slightly bent, and his trigger forearm and elbow are in-line with the sight.
Matt
Exactly...everything's at a 90 degree angle. That's how it should be, even when you have to shoot on a downward angle, like a treestand shot. But many shooters now keep their torso perpendicular and angle their bow/string arms....not good.
What's your bow set for? Can you feel a 'wall' when you draw back?
Mike,
I was blessed to befriend a world class target archer, named John Willig, back in the day when I was cutting my archery teeth. I grew up shooting rifles with my Father, so I understood the basics of aiming, squeezing, and the surprise "bang". But I was clueless about the fundamentals of proper archery form and mechanics.
The first thing John did for me was shorten my draw length by 1-1/2". I immediately noticed the improvement in my groups. The second thing he taught me was to squeeze with my shoulder blades, not my trigger finger. With practice, those two tips alone transformed me from a decent archer into one who was competing with some of the best in my state.
Over the years, I've lost touch with John, but I think of him and his lessens every time I pick up my bow.
Matt
Good thread. Everything 90 degrees.
Not having a slightly bent bow arm is the other common mistake I see. A bent elbow allows the bow to follow thru in the direction of the aiming spot. With a completely straight bow arm, the follow thru will swing the bow to the left on a right-handed shooter, often causing left misses.
And of course, the importance of a surprise release can't be over-emphasized. Some guys can get away with punching for a short time, but it always creeps up and bites them at some point.
Let me know if I'm boring you guys. I could yammer about this stuff all day.
Matt
The single most important thing an archer should do, and it will help just about ALL these issues, is to ingrain in your DNA the physical act of PUSHING the bow had/arm away from you CONSTANTLY throughout the draw/aim/anchor/release/FOLLOW THROUGH sequence. If you do this you will automatically use your back muscles instead of your arms and everything in the shot sequence will benefit, and you will better avoid the dreaded "collapse" of the form, after which everything goes to hell.
Pretty sure Bowfreak knows all this...... he knows his stuff........ he was having some fun with a pic of a TV hunter that's been making the rounds.....
Now THAT 'splains a lot!
That pain in my jaw from the hook should have been a tip off!!
Still looks like his hand is on backward.
It was a Critical Pontificating trap and the bait was easily taken first by the CF's best...
I took the bait, as well, obviously.
Anything significant about this TV hunter?
Matt
TD's Link
I think this is the guy??? Had another similar thread a while back.
Yeah we got hooked, but it was worth it to be able to talk about something that REALLY matters.........ARCHERY!!!!
He posted it over on Bowsite also where he had several hits.