Published November 13, 2015 in Archery TipsBy P.J. Reilly

How to know if your bow's depict weight is also heavy

How to know if your bow's draw weight is too heavy

Are you cartoon too much weight?Getting a bow with the correct draw weight is an individual endeavor. Everybody's unlike. At that place is no prize awarded to the archer who draws the heaviest weight.The most obvious impact of having a bow with too much draw weight is that yous tin can't draw it at all. If you tin can't get the cord back, yous tin't shoot the bow. That'due south an easy one.Merely fifty-fifty if you tin can draw the bow, that doesn't mean the weight isn't nevertheless as well heavy. If information technology is, accurateness is sure to suffer. Information technology actually doesn't thing how fast your arrow is flying, or how much momentum it carries, if y'all can't put it where you want it.Compound bow archers seem to be about apt to try cartoon too much weight. They know if they can but get the string over the allow-off hump, they'll hold much less weight at full draw. But that over-exertion at the front end tin weaken you at full draw – especially if you're in a tournament situation, where you might have to describe and shoot 30-threescore times, or if you lot're hunting and end up having to hold full draw for an extended period while waiting for a good shot opportunity.drawweight4If you have to signal the bow upward at the sky, or pull downward toward your waist in society to get the cord dorsum on a chemical compound bow, you're pulling besides much weight. If you have to collapse your bow arm shoulder in to get extra leverage, then the weight is too loftier. If y'all discover yourself shaking at full draw, it's too much. If yous can't go through a elementary practise session without feeling drawn, then you're pulling too much. You should exist able to hold a compound bow directly in forepart of your trunk, and draw the string without struggling.If it'southward possible, reduce the weight by turning the limb bolts counter clockwise. Whatever you lot do to ane bolt, practise exactly the same thing to the other. If your bow already is set at the lowest describe weight possible, then y'all might have to get some other bow with a lower draw weight range. Or, yous might exist able to become replacement limbs for your bow that are rated for a lower weight range.Recurve and longbow archers near invariably volition draw much less weight than they would if they shot a compound bow. Chemical compound bow archers who switch must understand there's no way they will depict and agree with their fingers the same weight they describe and hold with a release using a compound bow.When yous draw a 70-pound compound bow with 75 pct let-off, you're only holding about 18 pounds at full draw. When yous draw a 50-pound recurve – bold you have a 28-inch draw length – you lot're holding 50 pounds at full draw.The well-nigh obvious sign that a recurve archer is cartoon too much weight is he or she volition shake at full draw. If you can't agree the string back for fifty-fifty a few seconds without shaking, y'all're pulling too much weight.drawweight7Check your accurateness with bows of varying draw weights. If you're pretty consequent at 40 pounds, but then discover erratic arrow groups at l pounds, then 50 pounds is probably too much weight.Earth renowned traditional Archer G. Fred Asbell recommends a examination for determining if an archer is over-bowed.  While bending at the waist and aiming at the footing, an archer draws the bow with the dorsum of the bow manus merely below the within of the human knee. If an archer cannot do this easily, he or she is likely non strong enough to shoot that draw weight.drawweight1Archers shooting takedown recurve bows can normally get lighter limbs to drop some describe weight. Those who shoot one-piece recurves or longbows are going to have to switch bows.Just considering you might not exist strong plenty for a certain depict weight right now doesn't mean you can't always shoot that weight. The more you shoot, the stronger you'll become. Couple your practice sessions at lower draw weights with force-training workouts aimed at your core and upper torso muscles.Every bit you get stronger, increase your draw weight incrementally. If you observe any of the problems we've already discussed, back off. Over fourth dimension, you should be able to achieve your goal weight, and be able to handle that weight with ease.Now yous might say to yourself, "Well, I'll just keep shooting this heavy draw weight, and somewhen, I'll get used to it."That's a bad move. The whole fourth dimension yous are struggling with that heavy weight, you're tossing expert shooting class out the window. A bang-up deal of solid archery shooting class relies on muscle memory – preparation your muscles to know how to perform correctly during the act of shooting a bow. If y'all train your muscles to do the incorrect thing, then that muscle retention is worthless.When it comes to depict weight, don't go for the gusto. I'd rather be able to drive tacks with slower arrows, then accept them fly screaming fast, but rarely hit those tacks.