# First Bow - X lbs?



## aread (Dec 25, 2009)

A beginner should start with a low draw weight bow. You want to learn to shoot a bow, not build muscles. You can work up on draw weight later when you have your form settled.

Allen


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## TheAncientOne (Feb 14, 2007)

Willian said:


> Hello!
> 
> After seeing a lot of threads and videos I was able to decide if my first bow was going to be a compound or recurve. I went for recurve but now I'm facing another dilemma, should I get a bow with ~50 lbs or a bow with ~21 lbs would be just enough for a beginner?
> 
> ...



I start my adult male students with no more than 30lbs at their draw length and adult females at 24lbs. You are looking to learn proper technique in the beginning, once you learn to use your back muscles properly, then you can *slowly* build up. 

TAO


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## derekmatthews (Mar 1, 2013)

Most of our male beginners start at around 24 - 28lb. Even so, they usually begin to tire after an hour or so and their form begins to suffer. We get the occasional beginner who insists, against advice, that they can handle 30lb+ but their archery careers are generally short-lived as they fail to make progress due to poor form and give up after a few weeks. We did, however, have one guy who successfully started at 42lb but he is a plasterer by trade and built like a brick privy.


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## Finq (Jul 12, 2009)

I don't think anyone ever started out with a too low draw weight.


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## cslr (Jul 6, 2013)

30# is a great starting point. That is what I have started with and find it works out great. I find I can shoot for a couple of hrs and still feel good. I know another person who shots a 45# and he just begun and he shoots for about 45min and that's it. At a lower weight you will be able to work on your form without struggling to pull it back. I would recommend a bow that you can grow with something you can just upgrade your limbs to move up to the stronger weight as you improve.
Good luck and have fun shooting


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