[shhh-thunk]
Hey guys, this is NUSensei.
Today we have a quick video response to a question from a viewer, Arvid, who asked me
about a particular complaint about light draw weights, and that it's harder to get a
good release or clean release from a light draw weight, because the string
doesn't fly off the fingers as quickly.
The video that he linked to actually belongs to "3D Archery", now if you
haven't checked out 3D Archery's channel, definitely check it out.
I do love how he goes around to all the different 3D courses and has genuine
fun. There's a lot of engagement and fun facts involved, so definitely check it out.
But the the video he linked to involved a "20 pound challenge", where all the
participants use 20-ish pound bows, and there was some banter at the beginning of the
video, and they said a few things actually. One of them was that the 20-pound bow
"well, you can throw an arrow faster than a 20 pound bow."
No, that's just an exaggeration.
We say that all the time to make fun of low draw weights. The second thing that was
mentioned was the difference in draw weight, and how having a low poundage bow can make it
feel harder to get a good release.
Now, I actually do have two bows here. My 45 pound Samick Sage and my 25 pound
OMP Adventure 2.0. So these are two drastically different draw weights. So I'll
shoot both, and you can perhaps see for yourself if there's any noticeable
difference in my release.
We'll start with the 45 pound Sage.
And now the 25 pound Adventure.
So was there a difference between the 25 pound bow and the 45 pound bow?
There kind of was, but it's kind of hard to explain exactly what it is. It's a very highly
subjective feeling a lot of veteran shooters who use high poundage bows
will report that when going to a low poundage bow
they can't get it to feel right, and this makes sense. Your body memorizes a
certain physicality, a certain physical feeling when you shoot, so when you come
to your full draw there is a certain balance in your push and pull.
Now when you go from a heavy bow to a light bow, the feeling is wrong because
your body knows it should feel a certain way, but it doesn't.
So someone using a lighter bow may find that they torque the bow much easier
because there's less resistance. That what I'm talking about.
The bow needs to have a certain amount of resistance to feel like you're
shooting right, and a light bow doesn't give the same feedback as a heavy bow.
That might be the main reasoning
behind why people find it harder to shoot light bows.
As for making the release harder on a lighter bow,
I'm not sure about that. I think it's very subjective. Some
people feel a big difference, others wont. The more important thing, in my opinion,
is that you have control of the entire shot process. While I did struggle a bit more
with the 45 pound bow, it wasn't really the release that was causing me problems.
It was the control of the draw weight, and a 25 pound bow is much easier to pull back
and much easier to expand and release.
Now does the string come off as quickly? Well, no, it doesn't, but it shouldn't be
that much of a factor. It is only a split second.
So I'm still of the opinion that there aren't that many disadvantages to shooting
a light bow. You can shoot for longer.
You control the shot presses much better. You can get form right.
The 45 pound bow, or higher draw weights in general, do reward you with a great
physical feeling of punching the target, but I don't think it necessarily gives
you an advantage in giving you a better release. You have to work harder for it,
but it doesn't inherently make you shoot better.
However, higher draw weights can punish you if you shoot poorly.
You pretty much have to have good control and good form to use a heavier
bow properly without fatiguing, without shooting arrows everywhere.
You just have to be able to control the weight of the bow.
Does it make shooting easier? No. I think some people have the mentality of
"because I have to shoot well, the heavier draw weight is right for me," and, look,
I can't say that's wrong. I mean that's a valid opinion and some people do have a
positive, constructive growth mentality when it comes to picking up harder
equipment and trying to use them, but I don't think it's a hard and fast rule.
I think that for some people who already have a good foundation, then yes, it's a good
idea to go higher sooner,
but for most people, the average person, I think the light bow doesn't punish you.
It will help you learn good foundations, and the release isn't really a problem.
It's going to come off regardless of what you do.
To sum up, I don't think there is a definitive difference between light and
heavy bows, at least for the release part. Some people will feel it,
others wont. I think the difference is mostly in the overall shot process, and
the control of the weight in relation to your experience and strength as an
archer. One of the analogies I use for this would be, in a computer-sense, mouse
sensitivity. As a gamer, and as a power user,
I prefer a high sensitivity mouse. I like the ability to move the cursor around
the screen really quickly and precisely with minimal hand motion.
Now my colleagues, the other teachers, they have trouble using my mouse
settings because it's just way too sensitive.
They push it once, and it flies off the screen, and they can't get it to move in
the right place, and it's actually quite painful to watch them try do so, and
vice versa. When I use their mouse settings,
I can't use the mouse because it's just way too slow and heavy. It takes, like, 10
swipes across the mouse pad to go across the screen.
I think that's the difference. As with some people, some people prefer the lighter feel,
others before the heavier feel. Experienced archers will be more familiar with
the heavy weight and the heavy resistance the bow offers. Whereas, the
light bow kind of throws them off, but it's more friendly to beginners.
So why is it a challenge for these experienced 3D archers to shoot 20
pound bows?
Well, there are several reasons. The main governing factor is slower velocity. There's
less energy in a 20 pound bow compared to a 45 pound bow, so it won't go as
fast, and there are several implications.
The first one is that you have to compensate more for distance.
Because there's less energy and speed, the arrow will drop much sooner,
and you have to arc it higher to get onto the target, and that means,
especially if you're shooting bare bow,
you have to deviate much more than what you normally would.
The problem is that especially, again with barebow, there's much more room for error,
and this is a general bare bow factor.
Another reason is because it's slower, it will take more time to get to the target,
and that means it spends more time being affected by crosswinds. The third
disadvantage is that you simply don't have the range.
A 20-pound bow will start to really struggle at around 40m to 50m, and
while you still can hit the target,
again, it's just really hard to make that distance, and if you're shooting competitively,
then a 20 pound bow simply wont cut it. Now, that doesn't mean that you should be
getting a high draw weight bow right away. I still think that, as a beginner, you
should be starting low because distance isn't really a factor when you're
practicing starting out. You can shoot three meters in your backyard.
I shoot three meters my back yard, and that's completely fine.
All you can work on is form, but when you start thinking about shooting longer
distance, like you want to compete or you want to hunt,
that's when you start thinking about getting higher draw weights, but apart from
that, there aren't any real disadvantages to using a light bow.
I think the main argument against the light draw weight, for those who are picking
between heavy or light, is that it feels too light. This is especially the case if
you're an athletic person. You're going to the gym, and you lift weights, and you're really
strong, and you feel like the light bow is way too easy.
That's a fair statement. I think that's a valid and legitimate reason to go for
a heavier bow, but just bear in mind that you still have to shoot
well. Archery isn't about strength. Archery is about technique, and technique
is better learnt with light gear not heavy gear.
So just because you can hold a 40 pound bow for a minute
doesn't mean you shoot well with it. So take the time to learn the basics.
Don't rush into it because making the wrong choice can delay your development by
months, if not years.
Anyway, this is NUSensei. Thank you for watching, and I'll see you next time.