# what is my draw weight



## buffalowings (Jun 21, 2009)

I am interested in participating in the sport of archery, my question is, what is the correct draw weight for a beginner? (keep in mind, I'm really a sixteen year old trapped in a twelve year olds body, gee that was embarrassing to say:embara:
actually, correction, I'm more like a twelve year old that has just started puberty (is that when other children physically begin maturing?)


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## Hoytkiller (Aug 18, 2009)

I would say shoot what you can comfortably draw and hold. When I was 12 I was pulling about 45 pounds.


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## Sighting In (Feb 5, 2009)

Hoytkiller said:


> I would say shoot what you can comfortably draw and hold. When I was 12 I was pulling about 45 pounds.


Same here. Try 35-45 lbs at first. It is important for the bow to not be too light, so that you actually have to work a bit to do it. However, do NOT over bow yourself. If you have to struggle to get it back, it is too heavy. Find a happy medium. 

I started at age 12, and I shot with about 40 lbs.


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## kegan (Aug 28, 2006)

Unless you want to hunt this year, there's no such thing as "too light." When I was 12 I was shooting 20# longbows. After a while I went to 35#, then finally 40# and 50#. Within two years I was shooting 60#. It isn't hard to build up, but don't think you need a butt-load of weight *ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU'RE STARTING*!

Start light, something that you can easily pull without strain or effort, and build from there. I started out like that and now can shoot longbows up to 85#


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## Sighting In (Feb 5, 2009)

kegan said:


> Unless you want to hunt this year, there's no such thing as "too light."


Well, yah, but most people (including myself) shoot better when there is a good amount of weight on the draw. You hold steadier that way. But like I said, don't over do it.


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## kegan (Aug 28, 2006)

Sighting In said:


> Well, yah, but most people (including myself) shoot better when there is a good amount of weight on the draw. You hold steadier that way. But like I said, don't over do it.


That's fine. Hey, I'm not one to knock heavier bows. But for a beginner it is very important that they realize it is easy to shoot TOO HEAVY a bow. Fortunately, there are a number of well made "Youth" bows that have a large tuning range for weight. Personally, I'd say that would be one of the best places to start, especially since many of them go up to 40-45# for hunting if need be.


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## Mach12 (Apr 3, 2007)

i like around 50 but it depends on you to decide. i like a bow with lots of speed so i can shoot less poundage to be more accurate but i have a low let off around 70% to have more holding weight if you dont have enough weight you can become sloppy and not shoot as good. so i prefer 70-75% let off 50 pound limbs or 60 pound draw and 80% let off


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## kegan (Aug 28, 2006)

Another point to consider:

A good friend of mine, his dad got him a Bear compound. Set 55# at 28". He can pull and shoot the bow fine, but after a few ends his shoulder starts hurting him, so he can't shoot as long. SHooting higher weights because it "makes you steadier" or "less sloppy" seems like all it does is cover up shooter error and form sloppiness.


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## Mach12 (Apr 3, 2007)

i meant in terms of keeping you less sloppy i shot a 40pnd mojo i had and it didnt hold me true i fidgeted to much, i shoot what i can and do it consistently.
to much is bad and to little is bad thats why 50-60 for me is great i can shoot it consistently and have good form you want a little holding weight on your bow it really does help just dont over do it






kegan said:


> Another point to consider:
> 
> A good friend of mine, his dad got him a Bear compound. Set 55# at 28". He can pull and shoot the bow fine, but after a few ends his shoulder starts hurting him, so he can't shoot as long. SHooting higher weights because it "makes you steadier" or "less sloppy" seems like all it does is cover up shooter error and form sloppiness.


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## kegan (Aug 28, 2006)

The best archers practice with bows that pull only 12#. If a bow is "too light" then it's not the bow, it's your tecnique. That's why there's no such thing as starting too light. 

If the bow is PHYSICALLY too light, which is a very different problem, there are lots of stabilizers and what not out there you can try.


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## Mach12 (Apr 3, 2007)

ok kegan i think were on the same path but i cant type as well as i can speak. what you need is a good steady holding weight which is teh poundage you hold at full draw by adj. your let off to around 75%. once you do that at full draw you will be holding at 15pnds. if you have a heavy draw you have high let off being 80% which allows you to hold 12 pnds or less. you have to have a proper holding weight to stay steady most to all target archers do it today they will hold more weight at full draw to keep steady. its not really anything about total poundage that you shoot. its meaning how much holding weight you have from let off. hope you can read that its kinda sloppy i cant type well :embara:







kegan said:


> The best archers practice with bows that pull only 12#. If a bow is "too light" then it's not the bow, it's your tecnique. That's why there's no such thing as starting too light.
> 
> If the bow is PHYSICALLY too light, which is a very different problem, there are lots of stabilizers and what not out there you can try.


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## sawtoothscream (Apr 19, 2008)

you have to try out different bows and different weights. at 12 i was shooting 60# 

shoot what you can with easy. if you cant draw the bow easy over and over and hold it then its to much for you


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## Sighting In (Feb 5, 2009)

kegan said:


> Another point to consider:
> 
> A good friend of mine, his dad got him a Bear compound. Set 55# at 28". He can pull and shoot the bow fine, but after a few ends his shoulder starts hurting him, so he can't shoot as long. SHooting higher weights because it "makes you steadier" or "less sloppy" seems like all it does is cover up shooter error and form sloppiness.


Shooting with more weight does not "cover up" shooter error, it just makes less of it. Holding a good amount of weight is not a band-aid, it is something that will make anybody shoot better. But again, you don't want to over-bow yourself. If you can't shoot more than 30 arrows at a time, you are shooting with too much weight.


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## N7709K (Dec 17, 2008)

At that age I was shooting 50 and 60lbs, but I'm large for my age. I now shoot 70lbs with ease and have thought about getting an 80lb travel bow


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## PA3-DArcher4 (Nov 5, 2008)

I would go to a bow shop and start small....dont just shoot one shot, though, cause after a few more you may start to tire out.


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## bowtechy95 (Oct 29, 2008)

go lighter. im 14 and i shoot 38 lbs. i shoot so low because i never get tired shooting spots when i shoot low poundage


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## Ignition kid (Oct 7, 2008)

I got a friend from church that we just got hooked on archery and he is pulling back about 47#-50# and he will be 13 this year, the best draw weight is the one that you can comfortably pull straight back to you with no look of struggle at all and one that is comfortable for you, if it seems to be really easy or just easy sit down on a chair and pull it straight back with no struggle since when I bowhunt, if a hog or a deer walks in and I'm sitting down i'm going to shoot sitting down and if I'm allready standing then I am going to shoot standing up. If you are going to bowhunt also put on your hunting clothes including your safety harness if you treestand hunt and then pull your bow back and take a few shots with all of that on because when I was in Ohio when it was in the teens and snowing and windy, I had on a bunch of insulated camo with my harness on top of it all and if your harness is tight then you may want to loosen it up a little bit because it goes over you shoulder and behing it and if it's a bit too tight then it will be a good bit harder to pull you r bow back believe me I should know since I would get into the stand strap my harness to the stand and pull my bow back and it was a good bit harder to pull it back normally. But as Ted Nugent said and always says is that accurracy and being comfortable with what your pulling backs beats speed every time.


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## Ignition kid (Oct 7, 2008)

Oh yeah, also keep in mind that the more you shoot, the easier it will ghet to pull your bow back and before you know it you will be pulling 60#-70# like that! The beginning of 2009 I was only pulling 38#040# and by the end of 2009 I was easily pulling back 60#-62# I could also pull back #65 but kept it as it is to be more comfortable because after 2 dozen arrow my shoulder would be in a throbbing pain.


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## buffalowings (Jun 21, 2009)

I'm thinking of buying a samick sage, do you think #30 will be good? I can only do 8-9 pushups, yes I'm that weak, still, I'm probably the best boomerang thrower in all of belmont MA (to be exact, the only boomerang thrower)


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## bowtechy95 (Oct 29, 2008)

like everyone is saying, you need to know how much 30# really is. but if you think you can do it, go ahead. 30# seems good enough to start with


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## Sighting In (Feb 5, 2009)

Hold on, you said Samick? They only make recurves, right? If you are going to shoot recurve, I would suggest you go lower. Try in the mid 20s. 

Also, if you are interested in Olympic style archery, you might want to look around and ask some questions in this form: 

http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/forumdisplay.php?f=24

Most of the guys there only shoot Recurve bows, so they will be able to answer your questions better than us who shoot mostly compounds. 

Also, for the record, push-ups have nothing to do with shooting well. I can barely do 10, but I pull 54 lbs.


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## Blood (Dec 29, 2009)

pushups can tell a little about your strength but still I know people who bench high 100's that probably cant pull my 60lb bow back in my grade.

I can do around 30 pushups...and like I said pull 60lb easy so it can give us an idea...but not exact

Go pull some bows back and if you can stay steady on the bullseye for 20 seconds then go for it.


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## corpralbarn (Jan 21, 2009)

Get a razor edge and then you wont have to worry about the draw weight. 30-60#


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## kegan (Aug 28, 2006)

Okay...

Let me start by saying that if you are going to use a recurve, do NOT start over 30#, _especially_ at your age and strength level (30# is recommended for adult males starting). This is not an insult by any means, and I assure you that I'm trying to be as helpful as possible. With traditional bows the lighter you shoot, the longer you can shoot and the more you can concentrate on your form and then later on aiming. The better and longer you practice, the better you can become. 

Traditional archery is a sport of tecnique, rather than aiming like with a compound. Obviously, though starting light with a compound you can go heavier than with a trad bow and be alright, but with traditional archery if you want to get really good you're best bet is to start light.

Now I've been shooting longbows for five years "seriously" now, and am not really a slouch. I can hit a ping pong ball out of the air with an arrow or pound a target from 30-50 yards barebow with heavy bows. No, I'm not some amazing archer and it did NOT come to me naturally. There have been numerous times when I've had to drop in weight in to learn better tecnique.


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## buffalowings (Jun 21, 2009)

kegan said:


> Okay...
> 
> Let me start by saying that if you are going to use a recurve, do NOT start over 30#, _especially_ at your age and strength level (30# is recommended for adult males starting). This is not an insult by any means, and I assure you that I'm trying to be as helpful as possible. With traditional bows the lighter you shoot, the longer you can shoot and the more you can concentrate on your form and then later on aiming. The better and longer you practice, the better you can become.
> 
> ...


thanks for your insight, I am in no way offended by your helpful comments
also, many thanks for those who have offered so much great help

James


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## muzzyman1212 (Mar 28, 2009)

ok i am just gonna say one thing, its not about what you can pull, its about whats comfortable. cause i cant shoot my dads 70# bow but thats ridiculous. because im getting pass throughs on deer with 50# so why would i shoot any higher weight if its not necessary.


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## Jared Les (Jun 22, 2008)

Visit a local archery shop and ask for their advice. If you don't know of any shops near you, just post where you live and someone should be able to point you in the right direction.


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