I have a draw length of 26". What is the proper bow length for me, and how do you figure this out.

depends on type. I have been told twice draw length, so I would say 52" at length at least

For a recurve, you could go 56". A longbow, 58" min. Even with a shorter draw length, a slightly longer bow will be much smoother to draw. If you're just starting out and are buying your first bow, stay with a lighter 45# bow that is 60" +. This will be more forgiving and easier to perfect your shooting form.

the black widow sitehad alist by ht. what length they recommended might check that out my guess would be 58 maybe a 56 but remember shorter more likely to get finger pinch. i shoot 60"and i'm just over 6 foot and just at 28" draw. but i shot 64 for years as well and that extra legth was nice. if you have large fingers alittle more length would be good. i shoot 56# on one bow and #57 on other.

The answer will also depend on your level of experience. For a beginner, I'd say don't go below about a 60" recurve or 64" longbow. Remember that most bows are measured at 28". Art has a good formula to use to compute a weight measurement taken at 28" and converting it to 26". I'm sure he will share.

Depends on the bow style--I prefer to go a little longer rather than as short as I can get away with. I tend to shy away from really short bows period, but I have a long draw.

With some bows you could shoot a 44" without any stack, with another you might need a 64" or longer.

Chad

Thanks, this should help a lot, I am very pumped at starting Traditional Archery!!!

I thought I felt my ears burnin' this morning. Knew someone was talking about me.

The formula is take the bow's marked draw weight and divide by 20. That tells you how many pounds per inch to subtract if your draw length is shorter than marked, or to add if your draw length is longer. On the longer end, it only holds true until you hit the bow's stack point, where the bow starts pulling considerably more per inch than it did on the inches before.

It's not exact, of course, but it gives you a good ballpark estimate.

Best of luck to you. I know you're going to enjoy going traditional.