Hey, hey you.
Yeah, you.
You're buying a bow, aren't you?
Have you thought about your budget?
Your draw weight?
How about your bow size?
Getting the right bow size is rather important.
A lot of new archers do look up this detail.
The bow length is based off your draw length.
There are two ways to measure draw length.
The most accurate method is to measure yourself
while drawing the bow.
This can be difficult if you don't have a bow.
The other method is to measure your arm span from finger to finger
and then divide by 2.5.
You then match up your draw length with bow size charts
and then you buy.
Thanks for watching, and see
WAIT
There is more to it.
When searching up size charts
some people get into this obsessive mindset of finding a bow
of the right length
and get confused when they can't find a bow that fits.
There recommended bow sizes are generally the same
no matter where you ask.
One of the first sites that appear when you search for it
is this table from learn-archery.com
It's a pretty handy guideline.
But, it's only a guideline.
You don't actually need to get a bow that is the right length.
What you see on those tables are optimum bow lengths for your draw length.
This is basically the most efficient bow for you.
The catch is that these sizes generally refer to to a full sized target bow.
If you're shooting an Olympic-style bow and you've got a draw length of 28 inches
then you are probably looking for a 68 inch bow
which is a standard size for Olympic size recurves.
However, if you are looking at a beginner bow or a hunting bow
they don't come in these sizes and are generally much shorter.
So, what happens then?
Nothing, really.
They're designed to be shorter.
For hunting bows, having a bow that is the same size as you
can be clumsy to carry around.
Beginner bows are meant to be used by a variety of people.
There's just nothing really harmful about using a shorter bow.
So what happens when you use a bow that is the wrong size?
If you're using a bow that is too long
you're not using the full potential power of the bow.
Since you're not drawing to the optimal length
you're actually drawing a few pounds lower than what the rated draw weight is.
If the bow is too short, you experience something called stacking.
Stacking is when you draw past the optimum point.
The draw weight suddenly increases.
Basically, it gets a lot harder to draw this length.
It's hard to be consistent
but otherwise, you can still shoot okay with it.
The other effect is that the angle of the string becomes sharper.
This may cause the fingers to squeeze together onto the nock
of the arrow.
Which is called arrow pinch
and it can be uncomfortable.
Another problem to do with the string is that
because the angle is different on a shorter bow
it may be harder for you to get your desired anchor point.
So for example, if you're trying to anchor along your jaw and your nose
it may be hard to achieve the same angle of the string
if your bow is of the wrong length.
Otherwise, there's nothing bad about shooting a bow
that is slightly too short.
In fact, you may have already done so.
If you've tried archery at a camp or a club,
you were probably given a standard entry-level recurve bow
and they typically come in 62 inch or 66 inch sizes.
Which is too short for most archers.
It's perfectly fine.
We sometimes pick up our youth bows and have a quick shot.
If you're 6 foot tall, it may be slightly awkward
but the bows certainly won't break.
There are some exceptions with some traditional bows
such as horse bows with a maximum draw length
but a recurve bow, for the most part
is generally designed to take that kind of stress.
So, how does this affect your choice of bow size?
If you're getting into the sport-style of target archery
then yes, you do want to get the bow length that matches your draw length.
But if you are getting a hunting recurve or an entry-level recurve
the bows you are looking for are generally much shorter
and that's fine.
Generally speaking, if you have longer arms you want to get a bow
that is longer.
For example, instead of the 62 inch Samick Sage
which a lot of people recommend
you may want to get the 64 inch Samick Journey.
Which is actually exactly the same bow but with longer limbs.
Even so, it's still way below the recommended lengths.
Again, for these kinds of bows, it doesn't really matter.
Anyway, this is NUSensei.
Hope this is helpful.
Thanks for watching
and I'll see you next time.