Rangeball:

I don't know if the bulk of pro shops do or don't do as you say, but I agree with much of what you said. You can also throw in the pile, catalogue ordering and used bow purchasing; which is not a bad thing if the person purchasing the bow knows what he or she should, in order to purchase a bow that is correct for them.

As for the pics of different shooters, Art P is correct when he said, "It is a mistake to take a picture of one guy's form, no matter how good he shoots, point your finger at the picture and say "that's how it's done." However, you know it is highly likely there are learning shooters who do not have access to a personal instructor who are doing just that. That is why I have asked, "What is exactly meant when someone says to bend your bow-arm." How bent is bent?

Not only do I believe there are shooters trying to teach themselves by looking at pictures, I know for a fact that there are shooters that are misinterpreting archery terminology's they do not yet understand; and some, if not many, are forming bad habits due to the misinterpretation. The "bent bow-arm" is one.

A novice starts shooting; keeps getting string-slap (which will make anyone want to over-bend their bow arm), can’t get their anchor to full draw so they bend their bow-arm until they can anchor, they are over-bowed, etc. Then they see pics such as the shooter from Sweden (is that not a vertical bend?) and read that some shooters seem to be saying that they are over-bending their bow-arm to keep from hitting their arm or clothing, and, bingo! The novice now believes he or she has correctly understood what bending your bow-arm means. The result is, consistency is just a word to them and they never become proficient with a bow.

I know there seems to be a redundancy occurring in this thread, but sometimes it takes repetitiveness or the same thing said in different ways to turn a person's light on.