Giffford

So I just started archery about 2 weeks ago, and when I first got measured I was at a 28” DL. I felt like it was just a little too long for me, so I went to the store and had the guy shorten it to 27.5” and it felt better because it kinda forced myself to keep a bend in my bow arm. But now I’m kinda feeling like it makes me bend my arm just a little too much. I feel like if I could just put it right between 28” and 27.5” it would be perfect. Are you able to micro adjust your draw length or can you only adjust it by half inches?

rogerstv

Yes, by twisting or removing twists from the string.

mrbb

I agree yes you can, but I really doubt your going to notice a 1/4 inch difference

learning and knowing what good form is, and making sure you have it right .

if your a right handed shooter as an example, your left arm shouldn';t be being held bent at all, , it should more or less be straight and almost locked like
if your trying to control arm slap from the string, by bending the arm to keep things away
your shooting form is OFF< and your bow most likely has too short of a brace height
the shorter the brace height the more consistent and solid your shooting form has to be to avoid arm slap, there just harder bows to shoot well, without good form period!

when you get into bow with longer brace heights, there more forgiving on shooter form and easier for a newer bow shooter to learn on!

so, this might be something you didn't think about or know before buying the bow you have?

hunters_life

mrbb, not wanting to sound argumentative but you are incorrect about your support arm not being slightly bent. That is correct and proper form. You will notice, if you watch all the pro shooters, they do indeed keep a slight bend in, if they are right handed, the left arm. With the palm open and the grip supported in the cleft of the palm. This isn't just to eliminate string slap, it is also to prevent torking the bow. I'm by no means a professional archer but I was taught by one of the top archers in the country.

Giffford, do you shoot with a release aid and string loop? If you do, you can adjust some small increments into your draw length by making your loop a bit longer or your release aid, if it is adjustable, a bit longer.

mrbb

no harm, but if you read what I said, I said ALMOST locked,
leaving some room?
I been in archery a LONG time and shot with a lot of pro's over the yrs as well

but shooter form is a big part of being a good consistent shot with a bow, and the facts are , short brace height bows are harder for shooters to master,a s small errors in form show up faster!

odds are again, the OP< would be better off learning form , or a bow they can master better, than twisting strings and such to Micro tune
as what happens when they go and replace strings, a rather normal wear and tear item. every time they will be twisting and trying to get things back
they can learn to HAVE a custom string made to there SET size, which is NOT a big deal for a shop to do, as most all shops MAKE there own strings these days
but they will be off spec if the maker looks up size
I was just giving other options/idea's and thoughts

Giffford

Um so yes I shoot a caliper release aid and a string loop. My release aid is able to adjust the length, so I will try that and see if that helps. Thanks for the help

Giffford

Yea I didn’t know much about bows or anything like that when I bought my bow. I had no clue compound archery was this complex😂. And Um I didn’t shorten my draw length because I was afraid of arm slap. Don’t really have a problem with that, I shortened it because I felt like I was able to stabilize better when I slightly bent my arm. After I had it shortened by half an inch I realized that I felt a little too crammed. Thank you for the advice though, I will definitely work on my form. Still just learning.

bronko22000

I've been shooting a bow a long long time and IMO your bow arm should have a slight bend in it. Also your left wrist, if you're a right handed shooter should also be canted slightly. Experiment with your grip until you find which way you shoot best. When I shoot my left arm is slightly bent and the bow's grip sets between my thumb and index finger with my index and middle fingers loosely wrapped around the bow. (not holding it, just to keep it from falling after the shot. My ring and little fingers are curled into my hand and do not support the bow at all.
The key to shooting a bow is consistency. Find what works best for you and do it every time.