Post by Buckfever on Jun 8, 2006 22:14:48 GMT -5
IMO in terms of archery proficiency, the most important thing, by far is having the right draw length. For the less expereinced archers, what I want you to do is standing with your back against a wall, stretch your arms out wide and have someone mark your wingspan. Take that number and divide by 2.5. That is your AMO draw length. You do not want the "measured" draw length of the bow to be more than a half inch greater than that number. How do you measure the AMO draw length? At full draw have someone mark your arrow at the center of the berger button or the arrow rest hole. The distance from the inner most portion of the nock that rests on the string to that marked point plus 1.75" is the bow's AMO draw length.
A lot of guys will push this for the increased perrformance of the additional draw length. But it's a fallacy because in turn they will have to handle less weight, because they won't be able to roll it over because they are over drawn, so they'll have to turn it down, and so don't really gain any performance.
But what they lose is profound.
By being stretched out, they creep at the shot, they collapse at the shot, they punch the trigger and develop target panic. And then it really gets bad, because they lose their confidence!!!
Don't be long!!! If you're a little short, there are things you can do. You can slightly overrotate the cam and lengthen the string loop a little to get comfortable. Just don't be long.
Very recently I've dealt with this issue with a buddy of mine and was reminded of just how important it is. Having the right draw length is more important than having a high end bow. Let me repeat that, "having the right draw length is more important than having a high end bow". Especially now a days when the low end bows are as good or better than the high end bows of 6-7 years ago.
Now to put some actual numbers to this deal, we ran this stuff through this past Sunday. We have a bow that has a 29" cam, that has a draw that is an inch long for the archer.
424 grain arrow 67lbs on the #1 pegs, which are the most efficient pegs.
254ft/sec.
That's where he's been hunting because the long draw makes it hard for him to handle more weight.
Bottomed out:
424 grain arrow 71lbs on the #1 pegs, which are the most efficient pegs.
263ft/sec.
Bottomed out:
424 grain arrow on the #3 pegs, which are the least efficient pegs.
257ft/sec.
Archer comments that it feels like 62lbs, we take it to the scale it measures 66lbs.
With the draw length correct, the archer is able to handle the draw weight much more easily and even in the least efficient position, is getting better performance than before. The reason for that is because, when he was overdrawn he was not shooting off the back wall so he wasn't getting the benefit of the longer draw, because he wasn't using the full length of the draw.
So the idea of getting a longer draw, for the additional performance is actually illusory.
We're going to put him into the right draw length cam and he'll be able to easily pull 71lbs and with the increased efficiency of shooting the cam in the most efficient position we should get mid 260s. I'll report back when we change out the cam and run it through again.
The other thing especially with these cams with the harder rollover, you all know the deal, you let down and the bow wants to take off on you. Just letting it down after weighing it, when it come out of the valley, damned thing acts like it's going to explode. How in the world is anyone going to be able to shoot consistently, if you're stretched out and you creep into that?
And today finally well the proof is in the pudding folks. I went to work out with that buddy of mine and he says, "I want you to see something". Walks me over to the target. He goes, "one got away from me". I said: "Where?" He goes: "That one there, see that one is not touching the other 5". He had 5 out of 6 arrows touching at 20 yards.
We are talking about an 8 year old Featherlite. When you get fit right and you get to shooting like that, you don't give a crap none about the power anyway. You know that you can succeed and you enjoy shooting.
It's fun.
A lot of guys will push this for the increased perrformance of the additional draw length. But it's a fallacy because in turn they will have to handle less weight, because they won't be able to roll it over because they are over drawn, so they'll have to turn it down, and so don't really gain any performance.
But what they lose is profound.
By being stretched out, they creep at the shot, they collapse at the shot, they punch the trigger and develop target panic. And then it really gets bad, because they lose their confidence!!!
Don't be long!!! If you're a little short, there are things you can do. You can slightly overrotate the cam and lengthen the string loop a little to get comfortable. Just don't be long.
Very recently I've dealt with this issue with a buddy of mine and was reminded of just how important it is. Having the right draw length is more important than having a high end bow. Let me repeat that, "having the right draw length is more important than having a high end bow". Especially now a days when the low end bows are as good or better than the high end bows of 6-7 years ago.
Now to put some actual numbers to this deal, we ran this stuff through this past Sunday. We have a bow that has a 29" cam, that has a draw that is an inch long for the archer.
424 grain arrow 67lbs on the #1 pegs, which are the most efficient pegs.
254ft/sec.
That's where he's been hunting because the long draw makes it hard for him to handle more weight.
Bottomed out:
424 grain arrow 71lbs on the #1 pegs, which are the most efficient pegs.
263ft/sec.
Bottomed out:
424 grain arrow on the #3 pegs, which are the least efficient pegs.
257ft/sec.
Archer comments that it feels like 62lbs, we take it to the scale it measures 66lbs.
With the draw length correct, the archer is able to handle the draw weight much more easily and even in the least efficient position, is getting better performance than before. The reason for that is because, when he was overdrawn he was not shooting off the back wall so he wasn't getting the benefit of the longer draw, because he wasn't using the full length of the draw.
So the idea of getting a longer draw, for the additional performance is actually illusory.
We're going to put him into the right draw length cam and he'll be able to easily pull 71lbs and with the increased efficiency of shooting the cam in the most efficient position we should get mid 260s. I'll report back when we change out the cam and run it through again.
The other thing especially with these cams with the harder rollover, you all know the deal, you let down and the bow wants to take off on you. Just letting it down after weighing it, when it come out of the valley, damned thing acts like it's going to explode. How in the world is anyone going to be able to shoot consistently, if you're stretched out and you creep into that?
And today finally well the proof is in the pudding folks. I went to work out with that buddy of mine and he says, "I want you to see something". Walks me over to the target. He goes, "one got away from me". I said: "Where?" He goes: "That one there, see that one is not touching the other 5". He had 5 out of 6 arrows touching at 20 yards.
We are talking about an 8 year old Featherlite. When you get fit right and you get to shooting like that, you don't give a crap none about the power anyway. You know that you can succeed and you enjoy shooting.
It's fun.