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If you are reading this because your child is getting involved in 4H Shooting Sports or JOAD (Junior Olympic Archery Development), Scouts or any other ongoing archery program there is a good chance that the instructor only has some basic archery instructor training. Keep in mind these proper draw weight charts are merely suggestions for a beginner and those with some basic experience or formal training. We can only estimate what may be a good starting point and I base all of my recommendations on the student's physical abilities, motor skills, experience in other sports, past archery experience, and their ability to learn and be coached.Įvery one of them is an individual with different needs and different capabilities.Ĭonsequently, my proper draw weight charts are different than any other. They are real numbers taken from real archers that range in skill level from beginner to high performance competitive athletes.įor the record also, there is no magical answer to selecting the ideal draw weight for any given individual. They are all based on my experience from coaching hundreds of youth and adult archers.
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There is a really fine line between too heavy of a draw weight and one that is too light.įor the record, these suggested proper draw weights were not random guesses like those found on other archery websites. They should have an in-depth understanding of the biomechanical requirements of archery and the complications that arise if the archer is over bowed.Ĭonversely, if there are not enough dynamic loads generated from the draw weight it could make it difficult to learn from the student's perspective. The reality is that an instructor or coach who really understands the complexity of teaching good shooting form should not be asking this question.
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Top How I Came Up With The Numbers For Proper Draw Weight.Ī lot of experienced archers and coaches ask why my proper draw weight recommendations are relatively low. NOTE: If you want to know why or how I came up with these numbers for proper draw weight, read beyond the charts below. Use these as a starting point to determine your proper draw weight. Regardless of your age, gender, body type or willingness to learn selecting the proper draw weight is important and again, the learning experience is hampered if you are over bowed.Įnough already! Where is my recommended proper draw weight?īelow you will find the recommended draw weights for Recurve and Compound bows. This commentary is focused mainly on beginner archers or those who are making a leap from recreational to competitive archer for the first time. If your draw weight is too heavy, the likelihood that you will learn proper biomechanical form is greatly diminished and the experience will be less than enjoyable. Your physical condition, stamina and motor skills will change the more often you shoot. No matter your interest it is important to have a firm grasp on how much time you have to pursue your goals. Or you are a first time archer wanting to know what should your draw weight be. You may be someone with a little archery experience and you want to learn to compete in local tournaments or you are in 4H or JOAD. Maybe you had a couple of basic lessons and you want to pursue archery as a recreational pastime.
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