It seems to me that so many shooters aren't very realistic about their own draw lenght, I see so many that will tell you that they have a given draw lenght then you watch them shoot and it turns out that an arrow an inch longer than their said draw lenght sticks out three inches in front of the bow on release. Just wonder if others see this often? This would make it difficult when asking for tuning advice or using spine calculators.

Yes I have noticed that too.

Anybody who has not had a 2nd person mark the arrow while he/she is at full draw, including completion , is likely in the catagory u describe.

I myself am at 28 even with that final completion of those back muscles, elbow back. So i know i am 28". I have seen 28 1/4 on a fresh, strong morning.

I always get a chuckle out of short narrow guys who claim they draw 29.5 inches, when I know guys 6'2" who barely do!

Well it's actually pretty widespread and has been for a long time. I used to have a shop and we would measure folks for their arrows; almost every time, they would pull further than usual and say that is their natural draw. We would mark it...after they drew a few times, and cut them. Later they usually had about two inches or so sticking out past the back of the bow. We didn't really say too much since it's better to have too much out there than too little. We always allowed for that extra length for their spine requirement.

Guys are the worst for that, and I think it likely stems from a deep primal issue that most men have. 8^)))).

I've also seen this and considered starting a thread on the subject myself.

I have a friend who builds some of the nicest bows you will ever see...I like the way he explained draw length to me once when we were shooting a fun 3D course...he said "your draw length is whatever feels comfortable to you at the moment"...I know that what feels comfortable for me can be anything from about 29 to 31 inches depending on what bow I am shooting, and yes I understand that there are some form issues with that much variation in draw length...a few years ago I was in the process of buying a compound bow and the salesman would not believe my contention that I needed a 31 inch draw...the owner of the shop intervened asking me to draw the very light draw weight recurve they use to determine draw length...both she and the salesman were rather shocked to note that I drew 31 inches with my index finger anchored at the corner of my mouth

DDave

As a relatively new shooter, I've fallen victim to this as well. I don't know why I have it in my head that I have to draw 28". Maybe it's because most draw weights are measured as that and you assume that one must draw that to be an archer.

I draw about a 1/2" longer on my recurve with a pistol grip than I do with my low-wrist longbow. When I realized that, I experienced disappointment for no real reason.

Now, I honestly couldn't care less if I drew 24" as long as I'm consistent and I get the satisfaction of seeing a dart fly from my bow.

I know what you mean, I am 6' 3" and draw 28.25" at a target stance, but when I'm shooting my longbow Howard Hill style my draw is 27.5, I can't see how some of these guys draw 31" unless they are related to a gorilla, Ha!Ha!........sorry....wing

PS: Height is not as relevant as arm length and shoulder width.

A friend of mine is actually one of those knuckle dragging gorilla style people...he was telling me there is a medical term for it as he was showing me how with his arms hanging naturally they reach his knees...Randy might be 5 foot 10 and his draw length is 34 inches, or at least it was...after 9 heart surgeries his doctors have forbidden him to ever draw a bow again

DDave

Well, I don't think you can determine another guys draw length by the length of the arrow sticking out past the bow when he is at full draw. Some guys have tuned and like their arrows full length, which means at full draw they may have 3" to 4" sticking out past the bow. To each their own - Native American archers from the past showed a lot of arrow hanging out past the grip?

I have a 30" arrow shaft I marked out by wrapping it with 1" painters tape every other inch...then in front of a mirror?.... close my eyes and draw too full draw anchoring solidly by feel and then open my eyes and look where the arrows positioned...and I repeat this process several times...and with darn good repeat-ability I might add...that said?....

I've also noticed there's close too a 1/2-3/4" difference in my DL depending on whether I'm drawing a long, smooth 30# bow or a short stacky 45# bow which tells me that while some of my body parts stretch & compress less with a lighter weight smooth drawing bow?...they stretch and compress more with a shorter stacky bow of considerably more hold weight.

But I'm working with well worn joints and 58 year old human tissue here! LOL!

newt, arrow length as required for spine is not what folks are alluding to here. You can tell if a guy just uses longer arrows; he's the one who isn't hunched over like Quasimodo shooting the bow....for the most part anyway. Shooting longer arrows is common nowadays with carbon arrows. It wasn't always that way, and you can usually tell with a little observation.

I'm 6'0 and I draw 31 on a good day and 30 on a bad day. Last time I went to the doc they said I was 5'11 I'm sticking with the 6 ft lol.

One way to check your draw length is to put a piece of cardboard on the front of your arrow and draw back Make sure the cardboard slides easy but not to easy. It's not the most precise method but it'll get you close.

A plastic tie wrap will accomplish that as well...one problem though is that just as there is a difference between static arrow spine and dynamic arrow spine, there is a difference between static (posed) draw length and dynamic (shooting) draw length...depending on your shooting style that can be a small or rather significant difference...here is a good example about how dynamic draw length can vary...back when I still had the patience to shoot arrows over my Chrony I shot 3 arrows one morning that all registered the same 185 fps velocity...later in the day I shot another 3 arrows with that same combination...those 3 also registered exactly the same velocity but this time it was only 180 fps

DDave

Guilty. I walked around a long time thinking my draw length was 28". Well, it's not, I would say it's closer to 27ish.

I have noticed quite a few guys claiming longer draw lengths than they have. If they tell you their draw length and throat of knock to back of point arrow length and there is 2" to 4" of shaft past the riser face, they are optimistic.

I use a clicker . I have a 27inch draw every shot....

A lot of the short draw problem is related to the fact that so many new shooters don't have a refined and or repeatable shot sequence. They don't know what full draw actually FEELS like. They simply pull the string back and let it go.

So many new shooters have no idea what a good shot actually feels like.

I finally got a bow scale and was checking all the draw weights on my many bows.

Draw length is measured to the front of the riser, correct?

But is seems that draw length would also vary according to the shape of the grip and the thickness of the riser, since actual draw length is not to the front of the riser, but the throat of the curvature of the back of the grip in the web.

The web of the bow hand, the wrist alignment, the body are all the keys to a consistent draw. So it seems that one's actual draw length should be measure to the BACK of the grip, rather than the front of the shelf, which should be the measurement for the correct arrow?

In other words, someone with a 28 inch draw that uses a 28 inch arrow might actually have the arrow sticking out differently on different bows depending on the thickness of the riser or the angle of the grip. A high grip cants the hand a little further forward and increase the draw length a little. A straight long bow grip comes against the HEEL of the hand and will yield a slightly shorter grip. There would be a difference between a Ben Pearson Silencer and an english longbow.

When weighing my bows, I used the FRONT of the riser as the basis for my length marks. But there was as much difference as 1 inch from bows to the front of riser and felt that I would have been more accurate fro my own purposes to weight the bows from the throat of the grip. The scales indicated the riser in draw weight per inch so an inch difference could have been as much as 3.5 pounds depending on the stack and length of bow.

So I might have an actual draw of 26 inches (to back of the grip throat), but require a 28 inch arrows for most bows.

What George said. Measurement has always been a common male malady; men overestimating length, circumference, height and distance. Just, ask any female! :^)

Too many people go by the wingspan ÷ 2.5 way of measuring draw length...especially new shooters. Then they're posting questions on why their arrows are acting stiff. Even if you have someone mark your arrow, people tend to draw more than they actually do.

I agree with GDS though, guys tend to over compensate when sharing things like draw length, height, shoe size ;-)

My wife took this pic as I was shooting my 76lb window CJ, you call it. the arrow is 32" with middle finger corner of the mouth.

Great old joke about how women always overestimate distances by about double… LOL

My arrows are all cut 27 3/4 inches, and I always assumed that I had about a 26 inch draw.... I'm only 5'4", so I don't see that as a great failing on my part… Then come to find out that AMO Standard is to the deepest point of the grip plus an inch and a half, so... Ever since I took Jim Fetrow's advice and went to a tab and a deeper hook, I've been anchoring with the knuckle of my thumb tucked in behind my jawbone... Which puts me right at 27 inches, AMO.... Which is just about exactly the same as my inseam.

Guess I can work with that.

Funny thing though… A lot of guys get all caught up in their draw length when they are sorting out spine issues, and then out the other side of their mouth, they're talking about taking shots from half draw or using some floating anchor point, as if the arrow is going to behave exactly the same no matter what they do…

Don't expect so… but I guess that's what fletchings are for!

Now a few years later with about 62lbs and a 31 1/2" arrow. My longbow draw is 31 or close to it. I still draw 32 with recurve tho. This pic was taken as I shot a 3d shoot.

Well,I guess I'm one of those knuckle draggers. I'm 6'5 with an 80" wingspan. I have a 32" draw to the corner of my lip on all my bows but one, my Heartland Pulse. It's only a 31" and I think it has something to do with the forward handle. I could be wrong, but that's the only thing I can think of.

lol widow, not window

Wow - I always thought I was the only one without a 28" draw. When I was a teenager I had my draw length measured at a bow shop and was pissed off (doesn't take much to irritate a teenager) when told I had a 26" draw. Years later when I got back in this game, I tried to find a way to measure that draw length to add an inch or two, but surprise, surprise, I still have a 26"-ish draw. I've come to accept it - since there is not much I can do about it! Lol.

I had an archery shop. My draw was measured with a marked arrow made just for that. I had gotten TP so shot with a clicker for years. Even tho I no longer use the clicker I still set up as if I were so my draw is pretty consistant and hasn't changed since I was around 19 or 20..

I agree that many guys short draw and I was certainly one of them. I developed bad form over the years and have had to rebuild my form from scratch. To overcome the shortdrawing problem and to develop consistency, I follow the advice of John Schulz, who learned from Howard Hill. I cut my arrows to a "net length", meaning that with a blunt tipped arrow it comes all the way back to the face of the bow, that being the side closest to the target. I can feel the arrow tip against my finger and that works like a clicker. It takes a while to get used to this, but then it becomes a normal check. I mount my broadheads verticle and I cut so that I the back of the broadhead touches my finger.

Helps me.

Just stay away from sharpened trailing edges ;)

We have a "pose" draw and and actual shooting draw. The actual draw is best determined by someone watching you shoot and marking the arrow.

Now, you can always bribe your marker person by offering to take them to lunch if they add an inch or 2 to their observation. :)

Jawge

Thanks for the responses, I personally have a draw lenght of 26" to 26.5 depending on the bow, I shoot 3 under with my thumb joint under and behind my jaw with the fletching to the tip of my nose as per Rick Welsh. It becomes very obvious how important a definite solid anchor is when I switch to a heavier bow, for the first little while I need to be more aware of my anchor and resist the inclination to short draw to my previous bow's so comfortable, ingrained weight which now comes in at a shorter draw lenght on a heavier bow.

This is just BS I draw 26" on my recurves and about 25 on my long bow and guess what I have for over 40 years shot 29" arrows in all my bows.My arrows however are tuned to work at that length.They loose velocity a bit but it does not make any difference.There are cases that folk with longer arrows don't tune them to work well at that length and that is common.I actually use extra length it for a few reasons.It helps me in referencing my arrow to target through my perifial vision which is not as good as most folk.It also removes any danger of overdrawing an arrow and releasing it into a riser as I once did as a kid.I also never have broad heads touching my bow hand.If some of you folk think it's silly or wrong than s@&$w you .It works for me and I think my reasons to be more than justified for my particular needs.Yeah people don't always tune arrows well .I can assure you once tuned a longer arrow will shoot just about as good as a shorter one any day.Thats about as realistic as it gets. OSR

I'm guilty of what's been eluded to. When I have my draw length observed I'm on my best behavior. I give it that extra expansion. I think it's kinda like when golfers say " I wish I could hit the ball with my practice swing." The next time I see the doctor I'm going to suggest they measure draw length as part of their annual physical routine.

This is very true just watch them shoot and creep up they might start out at 28 and by the time they release its 26 or 27. Who would do that?

Plenty watch it and you'll see it. So whats the real weight of the bow is it 65 pounds or 60?

I on the other hand don't release till I come back past my point at the corner of my mouth that's how I know to let her rip. That's my form.

The guys who seem to sight their arrows I have seen doing this the most. Watch the arrows overhang.LOL

GF - Granted, I am a slow learner but I understand about not drawing back a sharpened trailing edge.

Osr144 - I don't think anyone is questioning the use of longer arrows. Whatever overall length works for an individual is what is best. The opening post questions if a lot of archers draw shorter than they say they do and many of us have witnessed that to be the case.

"I know what you mean, I am 6' 3" and draw 28.25" at a target stance, but when I'm shooting my longbow Howard Hill style my draw is 27.5, I can't see how some of these guys draw 31" unless they are related to a gorilla, Ha!Ha!........sorry....wing"

Well, I'm 6'4" and draw exactly 32". When you shoot with a clicker, there's no question about your draw length.

Most (about 90% of shooters), should be shooting less than 50# bows at their draw length.

Proper alignment is how folks hit those longer DL's.

If your string arm elbow is still outboard of your string and not in alignment with your wrists?...

You ain't "THERE" yet. ;)

"Proper alignment is how folks hit those longer DL's."

BS, some folks just have shorter arms!

Here I am with a 30.5" arrow...it's always helpful to have folks take pictures of you and video to analyze your form. Granted in awkward positions sure drawing is the norm

*short drawing

I have short arms and they have nothing to do with not coming too full draw.

Just for interest sake .... Anthropometric data used by NASA says that the mean 95th percentile distance from the Thenar Eminence of the hand to the Acromion (the location of the instant centre of rotation of the shoulder) is 28 and one half inches .... just sayin'.

Not only are some shooters physically challenged with short arms, some are technically challenge in present photos as well!LOL

Case in point look at the pictures if your arrow is long enough a bird can sit on the end its probably to long.LOL

Please don't come up with the BS its a tunning length either you only jerk your own string.LOL

Most don't even have photos to show for their efforts you realize that one also.LOL

I've only been shooting about 4 years or so and addicted to it. I've been shooting recurves (medium grip) and recently went to longbows R/D low grip. Shooting recurves my draw length was 27.5". My arrows are 29". I was just at a 3D shoot and my buddy says I'm not coming to full draw. He said too much arrow out front. I told him I'm drawing as I normally do squeezing the shoulder blades, middle finger to corner of mouth, and getting bone to bone alignment. Over the weekend I checked my draw length on my longbow and it was 26.5". I could not believe it. I checked it at least 5 times and it was consistent at 26.5". Will going from a medium grip to a low grip reduce draw length an inch? Looks like I need to shorten my arrows and hope to get consistent arrow flight.

I'm 5'8" but have a 71" wingspan. I have 29" arrows and draw them till the back of the point touches my index finger for a draw check so it's an honest draw (figure about 28 1/2" at release). Don't let height determine your draw.

neither of those are posed pictures. The first my wife took while me n my 5y/o son were shooting in the yard. The second, a friend of the guy who built the bow took while shooting a target at a 3d shoot. People have different draw lengths but not everyone exaggerates their draw length. There's no reason to. I started at 13 with a 27" draw and went up to 32 by the time I was around 19 or 20. Like I said before, mines very consistant because of shooting a clicker for years to fight TP. Now I use a mental clicker with the same type setup as with the clicker. Yeah I know a guy with 31" draw and 31 1/2" arrows who has 5 or 6 inches of arrows sticking out when he actually shoots. But his anchor hand never comes close to reaching his face.

Most traditional people underdraw from what I've seen. They hunch their bow shoulder, never reach anchor, lean forward, bend the elblow a ton, or move the head forward among other things. Don't let a thread make you go for a shorter draw. You want proper alignment and back tension you won't get it by shooting "trad" style. Or by worrying about guys who underdraw making fun.

^^Yep^^...they hunch and mush their face forward to meet the string instead of drawing the string back to meet their face.

End result?...short draw...all shoulder muscle...zero back tension.

^^Yep^^ times two!

Most archers have no clue how to CORRECTLY measure draw length, and then combined with a few other factors they don't know about, have no earthly clue what their draw length actually is. Having said that, yes, they generally always overestimate it and I suspect that makes them feel better anyway.

I've found this method of determining draw length ( I like the tape against the wall best) to work quite well, vertical or canting.

http://www.learn-archery.com/proper-draw-length.html#md

So we can safely add draw length to the old joke: What do sex, rainfall and draw length have in common? The neighbor always has more.

I shoot either net length bop or length fop, all depends if I am shooting broached spine or target/blunt spine. When shooting at a foam deer, those broad heads make me feel like I am stretching. However, when shooting at a live deer those same arrows seem short, amazing what a few deep breaths and adrenalin can do.

well?...while ya'll are having a pi$$'in match about what your draw lengths are and aren't and chastising others for being clueless and not even knowing how to measure DL and throwing solid form out the window while justifying short drawing and/or questioning folks ability to even post pix?...

I submit this pic for your viewing pleasure...with a question...(since I haven't got a clue! LOL!)....

Using the same limb set...and knowing my full draw anchor is solid and repeatable too +/- about 1/16th"?...

With which Bear "B" TD riser is my DL 27 7/8ths" and?...

with which one is my DL 28 1/8th"? LOL!

Green Stripe?....Red Stripe?...Speak too me Boys! LOL!

Not my circus not my monkeys I don't worry with other folks I just assume they have their own way of doing things.

My draw length is longer than yours....hehe

Depends on the bow weight for me. 30 lb = 30 in draw, 100 lb = 2 in draw.

Jinkster, looks like the one on the right has a higher grip, so I'm guessing your draw is longer with the one on the right? The high grip extends your hand further forward increasing the draw slightly.

Read an article once by Dennis Kamstra where he was talking about ( oh ! The horror !!) of snap shooting . Great article ,btw.

He closed it out with some thoughts on "short drawing". Essentially , it was if you have an elk at 15 yards and you are burning a hole into the that one ,little, bitty , spot you want to hit ; but only draw 23" as opposed to your normal "27 when you release...know what you have ? A dead elk .

HVR...look at the tape measures...

The throat of the grip is over 1 3/4" behind the back of the bow while the throat of the grip on the red stripe is actually less than 1 1/2"s behind the back of the bow.

That would be over 1/4" difference using the...

"Mark My Arrow At Full Draw"

method.

Despite the fact that my actual DL remains the same....and my DL can get even shorter on a longbow riser using that same method of measurement. ;)

If you read my post way above, that was exactly my point. That the distance to the throat stays the same, while the thickness of the riser changes the length.

But a high grip will change your length as well. I could not see the angle of the grip on the left.

Been shooting with a 26-inch draw for 54 years. Nowdays, my arrow sticks out so far beyond the bow that I could hang my laundry on it (28 and 28.5 inch arrows). When I first started shooting target bows, had those 1616 aluminums with nibs and Plastifletch fletching so short they barely cleared the arrow rest (26.5 to 27 inches) inches for my target bow with a Bear feather rest).

Think I like'em long now that I only short short distances at 3-D events. Long arrows for field archery caused the gap to be too much for those longer targets. That's the difference I see now as most folks like longer shafts since most (not all) are shooting shorter distances to targets and it helps with tuning arrows if you don't cut off too much.

Hypothesis: girth relates to draw length :-)

I put a piece of tape on the arrow to draw to the right "draw" when I shoot through a chrono,, sometimes I leave the tape on just to practice,, since I make wood bows,, each one has a different optimum draw,, so I am well aware how far I draw a particular bow,, most have a shallow grip,, so it does not add much to the draw,, if I shoot a modern bow with a deeper grip,, my draw is longer :) if I hit anchor and have good alignment 26 or 27 inches most the time,, if I am shooting a short bow,, I can short draw no anchor and shoot down to 20 inch draw,, I have a 42 inch sinew bow that draws 20 inches, ,it would kill a deer,, shooting through the chrono with a 500 grain arrow shows that,, the arrow sticks over a few inches for that bow,,

I agree with George T. There is pose draw, and real world draw. And flight shoot draw, and aerial draw. And chest draw, and behind the back draw.

Hard core target shooters probably have an exact same draw length, but they are shooting perfect condition, not hunting, stumping, 3D, or other.

Golf swings need to be exact. For practical purposes at normal ranges archery draw should be close but doesn't have to be dead nuts 'on it' every shot. I sometimes shoot from the chest for kicks. Don't know the draw lehgth. At the short range I shoot it makes no difference at all.

After compnds, I shot lb straight up w/full length arrows. Developed a slight can't but still shot full arrows. 40 yrs later, I can't 45 degrees thereby reducing my draw to 29"-30". Comfortable & consistent. O, & compared to targeteers, I snapshoot. But, I have the most fun!

Once upon time, as a kid soaking up every bit of archery info I could, I recall reading about how to find a person's "natural draw and arrow length". And it had a black n white photo of an archer demonstrating. Mind you this was in an 1940's era archery book at the public library. But I took it as gospel back then, and it has always worked for me and what I've always done since. Essentially this personal metric indeed gets me very close to my personal arrow/net draw where my bow hand finger can feel the point when I reach full back tension and release. Here's a sketch i did up describing it to a fellow a while back about what I'd read and do. You might try it and see if it works and holds any water for you too:

There is an illustration in 'The hunters bible' circa mid 60s that has a similar way to measure arrow length. Haven't tried it myself. I used the 'pose' draw and had my wife mark the shaft.

I know that my shooting improved when I stopped trying to maximize my draw length. I want the most I can get with good form, but for a long time I think I was over drawing. I'm much more consistent now.

This is exactly what has been discussed in previous threads about arrow tuning and draw weights . I am 5'9" and pretty lean and muscular for my age 68. I used to pull 55-65 from a compound and then went to my longbow whiich was 47 @ 28" .it was a piece of cake to shoot. Went to couple of shoots in the years following and I was made aware that I wasnt over bowed weight wise but draw wise. I came to discover that 26" is more what I really draw day in day out. Flash forward 25 years later I am into my third bow which is 45#@26" 64" long and ASL bow . Straight handle HH bow. I was stunned to realize that i was shooting very well at guess what?? 25"!!!! Yeah 25" maybe 25 1/2" . I used a piece of tape to the 26" mark on my arrows as a draw check . Question that I have now is whether I am over bowed weight wise, or draw length wise. Am I cheating by short drawing or have I lost muscle strength ?. All I know is that the HH Redman shoots very accurately and smoothly at 25- 25 1/2". It is also a string follow design. The more relaxed my grip is everything shoots much better. My arrows are right now tuning to 27 1/2" BOP . I theorize that I am shooting less that 45# more like 40# but don't have the calibration equipment to check. Sorry if this bores you all . It's one of my favorite topics and a recurring issue over the years with regard to bow / arrow tuning.

I shoot about 26,, but can open my stance and shoot 25 inches easy,, you probably just are facing more toward the target,,???

Jinks, Your draw length would be shorter on the Red Stripe due to the width of the grip.

If you have already registered, please

sign in now

For new registrations

Click Here