Pulling my bow, help!
 

Im 15 years old im about 6"0 130 lbs. i just bought a new bow, parker extreme, its set to 30' draw length and 50lb draw weight-which is its lowest- the day i got it, yesterday, i could not pull it, my shoulder was hurting the day before, and today i still have a struggle pulling, but when i pull with my left it is not that hard, plus im told my form is off, i pull my arm up and the set it down into anchor position, any help, or good things to do while i go to the gym?

When you draw try pushing away from yourself at the same time as you draw it back.

Some people tend to "sky" the the bow when they have too much draw weight for them. Which means they aim it at the sky when drawing back.

Keep at it and build up those arms and shoulders. Gym isn't a bad idea either just do it right so you don't injure yourself.

its definitely not a "natural" movement. it takes time to get used to it i have buddy who is in pretty good shape and he couldn't pull it back yet alone hold it back once i assisted him in drawing it back. practice practice practice pretty soon you wont even notice the weight.

Maybe part of the problem is the draw lengh is too long. This can make the muscles work harder as when you get to full draw the bow still has farther to go and you've pretty much run out of muscle. If necessary try turning the bow down a little farther. The last thing you want to do is cause a shoulder injury, especially at your age.

do some work outs. Your draw weight is pretty high for your size. Just do some pushups, or a rowing machine. Anything that will work out your shoulders/back/triceps. workout one day,take one off, workout, day off, and so on. for pushups or shoulder exercises do 12 reps, wait 10 seconds, 8 reps, wait 10 sec, do 6 reps.

you will keep getting stronger so once that is easy do 18 reps, then 14, then 12. good luck.

Your draw length is too long unless you have UNUSUALLY long arms. I am 6'0 and my draw is 28.25". Have you been measured by a competent bow technician/archer?

Having too long a draw will make it harder to draw and get into a solid anchor. Turn the bow down and shorten your draw!

NC

Tyler - any chance of taking the bow back and swapping it for a lighter draw weight bow? With today's speed bows you can easily kill a deer with a 40# draw (provided its legal in your state). Way back when I was your age I shot several deer with a 40# recurve. (and that was 40# at 28" and I probably had a 24 or 25" draw length then so I was probably only shooting 35#).

Bow hunter Mag TV Randy Ulmer (sp) had good advice. when done practice shootin. draw back many times properly as much as you can and keep building up (with out arrow nocked)... those muscles for drawing a bow dont get used unless drawing a bow.. there are some work out simulation alternatives that cabelas sells..but to me nothing beats the real thing even if it is in your garage shootin 5yrds.. pracitcemakes perfect. my new bow i am still gettin used to but i always draw my bow without the "sky draw" as it is less mvmnt for them rascally deer to spot..

NOT a good idea to draw your bow without an arrow nocked!! That's a dry fire waiting to happen.

NC

No offense at all, but please, for the love of everything holy, if you can't handle the draw weight especially, NEVER draw a bow without an arrow nocked! One tiny slip and you blow the bow up, potentially causing a serious injury. Just shoot the thing every day or every other day and work up to it. By 15, I had shot a bow enough that I was drawing a 70# no problem. If you absolutely can't get it back, certainly look in to another bow, but with a little practice and working out, you will have it back no problem. Good luck, but seriously, do not draw an empty bow back.

Also, you have to have a bow that fits you before form even comes in to play. If you can't draw the bow back, what does form matter?

Good advice above. I too think you have too much bow and too long of a draw length. If a pro shop sold you that bow, don't go back except to get your money back. If you bought that bow on-line or from a buddy, you made a mistake. Go to the nearest pro shop and get some face to face advice.

Nothing you will read on here will replace a lesson in person.

Forcing yourself to shoot a bow you cannot draw properly is a huge mistake. You will always have bad form. Get a lighter bow. Exercise is not going to get you shooting that bow well. You need a bow that you can draw while pointing it towards the target. Shoot the he11 out of it. When it is way too easy to draw that one, buy a bow with a heavier draw weight. Your current situation is going to lead to frustration and a crappy experience.

Pulling a bow back . . .
 

is not a natural move, like picking up a bottle of soda. kidding!

But, it isn't unheard of to do some weight training. Been working with five pound weights at the house for over 20 years. Had injury and illness prevent me from drawing a bow.
The weight training just doesn't come with the bow advertisement.

One of the best and simple "tools" I have used through the years to build up and keep in shape the muscles used in shooting a bow is simple rubber resistance bands/tubing. Just about any physical therapy center can hook you up with these. I tie a loop in both ends of the tubing to form the handles, Put both handles together, then tie a knot to be used to secure the bands. This knot can be placed in a door frame and close the door to secure. Simple and very effective.

Well two things
 

First, as BG noted, you got mighty long arms for a 6 footer. Your draw length was measured at the archery shop?

Second, pulling a bow takes strength not usually used and needed by most people. The last thing noted by archery companies is a certain amount of strength is required.
Been working out every week, for some twenty years, with 5 lb weights. Usually use them in a archery draw. Otherwise, for me, not a lot of reason to push myself. I got an old body.