Drawlength question...

[Straightarrow]

I've gotten the urge to get back into shooting a recurve. It's been 25 years since I've shot one seriously, and I remember shooting a longer drawlength than I do with a compound w/release aid. After doing a bit of research, it seems that most are saying that drawlength will be 1.5-2" shorter with a traditional bow, shooting fingers.

That doesn't make sense to me. When I hit my anchor with a release aid, I have the head of the release and a string loop in from of it. Depending on the release and loop length, this will usually be at least an inch or two. I went to the local shop and sure enough, my drawlength with fingers is 30" as opposed to 28.5 with release and loop.

Am I missing something, or doing something wrong that I've forgotten about?

[Arthur P]

You're confused because you're comparing apples and cow pies. [8D]

Did you shoot high wrist with the recurve, but low wrist with the compound? Low wrist will take away at least an inch of draw length. You've got the release head and a string loop in front of your fingers. That's probably another inch taken away. The only constant is holding full draw weight back at full draw doesn't allow you to extend your draw length like only holding 10-20 pounds does. If you drew the compound with your fingers and used the same wrist position as you'd use with the recurve, THEN you'd drop an inch or two in draw length.

Really, thatold rule of thumbneeds to go away. Compounds and the methods used to shoot them have changed so much over the past 10 yearsthat it's not hardly applicable any more. And it's never been totally applicable across the board.

[Straightarrow]

I'm using a similar low wrist postition, that varies a bit because the grip on the recurve is different and puts my wrist in a slightly higher position naturally. I would guess it to be only slightly higher.

I'm obviously holding more weight with the recurve, but I seem to be drawing to approximately the same position. I'm anchoring my middle finger on a tooth while touching the string to my nose. I'm making an effort to keep my head straight. When shooting a compound, my finger is in a similar position, just not touching a tooth. I see many traditional bow shooters leaning forward to meet the string, which would obviously shorten the drawlength.

If one uses the same wrist postion and uses fingers on both a recurve and a compound, wouldn't the drawlength be the same, or very close?

[Arthur P]

I see many traditional bow shooters leaning forward to meet the string, which would obviously shorten the drawlength.

I do that. And I use a neutral wrist grip with recurves, low wrist with longbows. Recently I began using a more closed stance with a stickbow than I do with a wheelbow. I do these things specifically to shorten my draw length, because I really, really need to. Even with these adaptations I draw just over 30" with a longbow and 31" with a recurve. It's 33 1/2" with a compound.

In the 80's, I used perfect target form with a recurve and drew a full 33". They don't even make arrow shafts that long any more. At least I haven't found any.

So, I'd say you could very well draw close to the same length with a recurve as you do with a compound. I used to.

[Straightarrow]

Recently I began using a more closed stance with a stickbow than I do with a wheelbow.

I thought a closed stance would lengthen your drawlength, at least if your draw elbow goes back the same amount?

I guess I'm just a bit concerned about drawing to a point that makes it more difficult. I've always thought keeping your head straight was important for consistancy, and that anchoring on a tooth was common. My reach is only 73", so a 30" draw seems like way too much. I supose I better have someone videotape me, so I can see if my form is off and I can't tell because of the extra holding weight.

[Arthur P]

You've got a 73" reach. My wingspan is 83". That's why I have to take steps to shorten my draw length.

No. Closed stance shortens your draw length. Open stance lengthens it. Maybe you've confused the terms. I had a heckuva time with it when I started learning karate and this is how the master explained it to me, and got me straightened out.

Imagine your body is a door and your front foot is the door hinge. Pivot on your foot so that you are facing straight at your opponent (in our situation, the target). You've CLOSED the door, or closed your stance. Pivot so that you are facing 90 degrees away from your opponent (the target) and you've OPENED the door, or opened your stance.

I used to stand facing a full 90 degrees away from the target. Now my stance is about60 degrees. If I close it up any further, it hurts my shoulders, puts my shoulders way out of alignment. But that's how closing the stance shortens the draw length.

Keeping your head straight IS important for consistency. If you lose your composure, you'll never hit nuthin! Ohhh.... You mean head POSITION. [8D]Yep. Keep the head upright. That's good ol' target form and what you have to do to keep the coach happy. On the other hand, if you lean your head exactly the same each time, consistency doesn't suffer.

Anchoring on a tooth is a good idea and is taught by some of the top shooters, but it's not really common. Most folks just pull to the corner of the mouth and let fly.

But yeah, I do believe you're in danger of over-thinking the draw length thing. First, make sure your form is good and then, whatever you draw with the recurve is what you draw. How it compares to your draw length with the compound is absolutely a moot issue.

[Straightarrow]

Arthur, I knew you're a big guy, but 83"!

We were thinking the same thing, but I was using the wrong term. I was thinking "closed" as in a baseball stance. Come to think of it, I've probably given a lot of advise where I was saying closed and the other person was thinking open. I hope I didn't screw up too many people.

You are right, drawlength isn't as important with a stick bow, since the bows can handle a very wide range. I think I'll start out leaving my arrows full length and then cutting them down only far enough to get the perfect spine after adding a fairly heavy tip. Thanks for the info.

[BobCo19-65]

FWIW, I shoot a 30.5 inch draw on a compound. 28" with a longbow, and 29" with a recurve. I have a 76" wingspan. It is really difficult to say what draw someone will be without actually measuring.