# A question for female Oly shooters



## Mika Savola (Sep 2, 2008)

I am male and I have previously coached a lady in my club who has similar problem... She shoots 66" bow. I have suggested trying 64" bow to help with string contact but she has not switched riser yet. She uses a very good Arrowhead chest protector with leather panel sewn over the mesh, and protector itself is cut to shape like the contours on a female body... The panel provides somewhat harder and slicker surface against string. Her string touches chest protector before she anchors... Not a very good situation , but with that chest protector allowing a reasonably smooth pathway for the string, on a good day she can score 550/600 @ 18 meters on 40 cm face


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## Greysides (Jun 10, 2009)

Have you tried posting in this forum?


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## Vittorio (Jul 17, 2003)

Faced this issue several times, worst case was a lady with 29" draw lenght. Of course, she was shooting a 70" bow as of the "standard" suggestions, but as of the large breasts , she was unable to get to a proper alignement. Fortunately,her fingers were small, so simply changed her to a 66 bow and problem was (almost) solved. 

- Don't be afraid to change her to a 66" bow, or better to a 64" one 
- use a soft chest protector, so that string can go deeply in the brest without letting her feeling the barrier.
- bra shoud be a soft one too, without any side reinforcement or push up system
- high grip may help a bit, too


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## Ms.Speedmaster (Dec 10, 2010)

Pete,

This is a very real issue. I have the exact same challenge. Looking for a solution, I mentioned it on here one time, but I don't think anyone wanted to touch that one with a barge pole, lol.

So, I had to experiment...

There is not a chest guard in the world that will help me, so the string pulls firmly into the side of the left girl. This did/does cause all sorts of elevation issues that I did not have when I shot compound for the obvious reason of the difference in angle of the string at full draw.

To compensate, I have found that a negative tiller helps equalize the upper and lower draw on the limbs. I have removed my rear rods and put extra weight on the long rod, and I think I am close to the best place I can be, without doing the whole Amazon archer thing. *ouch* It's still a work in progress. 

You just have to experiment with your bow balance until there is no rocking in the hand. It goes without saying, but it is very important to keep that wrist down in the grip to reduce vertical torque. I have found a high grip to be beneficial. If you have a high frames per sec phone, use Coach's Eye to see what the bow is doing upon release to help trouble shoot where you are at with the balance.

Another well endowed student has a similar clearance problem. However, because she also had a really bad tendency to hit her arm, no matter what we did, and probably due to the extra thickness of her arm, I have her leaning forward slightly more than usual. She has an open stance, 30 degrees toward target, weight forward on feet - around 70/30, with a flat back This has opened her up, which clears her arm and her chest, which is protected with a chest guard. She looks like she's shooting against the wind, lol, but she's doing pretty well. 

hth. 
Lynda


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## Ms.Speedmaster (Dec 10, 2010)

My avatar pic is me shooting my 58" American longbow, verses my 66" OR. You can see what the string is doing. Shorter bow = better, but not best, clearance. Or, what Vittorio said. 

The higher anchor helps too, but you probably don't want to mess with that.


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## Mr. Roboto (Jul 13, 2012)

Thank you all for your help. I have forward them to my wife. She is excited.

Lynda, my wife grew up in the Houston area, and is looking at visiting family this summer, would she be able to come by and visit with you for some one on one with you.

Pete


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## Ms.Speedmaster (Dec 10, 2010)

Mr. Roboto said:


> Thank you all for your help. I have forward them to my wife. She is excited.
> 
> Lynda, my wife grew up in the Houston area, and is looking at visiting family this summer, would she be able to come by and visit with you for some one on one with you.
> 
> Pete


Absolutely! My schedule gets filled up pretty fast, but just shoot me a message or call closer to the time and we'll definitely make it happen.


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## williamskg6 (Dec 21, 2008)

Given the obvious differences in anatomy between men and women and the large numbers of women shooting, I'm honestly surprised there aren't more woman-specific options in chest protectors. 

I know your original question wasn't about chest protectors per se, but I only know of two chest protectors that offer women's specific models:
1. Arrowhead (my daughter uses one of these but she doesn't have your wife's anatomical problem).
2. Artebo (designed and made by a woman) https://www.artebo.de/en/shop/

The Artebo protectors, although quite expensive, look really nice and you may even be able to get one customized for your wife's measurements. The Arrowhead protector my daughter has doesn't fit as well as we were hoping, and the panel is quite rigid. I guess to some that may be an advantage (armor???) but if I was buying her another chest protector today I'd at least think about the Artebo despite the cost. Another interesting thing about the Artebo is that there is an integrated sleeve which helps keep shirt sleeves from coming into contact with the string.

Hope this helps.

-Kent W.


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## limbwalker (Sep 26, 2003)

Lynda, I see a perfect business opportunity for you here. If you need a partner, ask me about a woman in my club who would be a very good one for you.

John


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## Ms.Speedmaster (Dec 10, 2010)

williamskg6 said:


> 2. Artebo (designed and made by a woman) https://www.artebo.de/en/shop/


I'm going to take a serious look at these. Interesting. Thanks for posting.


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## Ms.Speedmaster (Dec 10, 2010)

limbwalker said:


> Lynda, I see a perfect business opportunity for you here. If you need a partner, ask me about a woman in my club who would be a very good one for you.
> 
> John


Check your email.


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## limbwalker (Sep 26, 2003)

Ms.Speedmaster said:


> Check your email.


Got it. Email sent.


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## caspian (Jan 13, 2009)

my wife pretty much gave up archery because of this issue. nothing fitted her or allowed adequate clearance from a regularly painful snap. she has no interest in compound archery so she faded out of the sport. the Artebo product looks very interesting, I will broach the subject again with her.


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## MartinOttosson (May 31, 2011)

How about a set of super recurved limbs to be able to go down to maybe even a 62 inch bow while still get the smoothness trough the clicker? Something like a Border Hex ExtraShort? It might not be the most forgiving bow i theory, but if it makes the breast touch problem affect the string less it might still end up as a better performer. 62 inch makes a big difference in the draw fingers however, but if so many hunters manage it, it shouldn´t be a problem.


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## pencarrow (Oct 3, 2003)

"62 inch makes a big difference in the draw fingers however, but if so many hunters manage it, it shouldn´t be a problem."
The number of shots is the problem. Hunting 30-50 a season, target 60-122 a match. I went from a 70" bow to 66" and lost the use of a finger and had to change from left hand shooting to right in one season. Not a good idea in my opinion
Cheers
Fritz.


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## Greysides (Jun 10, 2009)

One thing though is that many women will have smaller hands and fingers.

One thing that I have read for this situation is to use a chest guard and the same one every time so the friction with the string is consistent. It becomes an extra anchor point. 
I've seen pictures of some women arching their backs to improve clearance. Tight upper-body clothing may help some too.


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## Ms.Speedmaster (Dec 10, 2010)

Greysides said:


> One thing though is that many women will have smaller hands and fingers.
> 
> One thing that I have read for this situation is to use a chest guard and the same one every time so the friction with the string is consistent. It becomes an extra anchor point.
> I've seen pictures of some women arching their backs to improve clearance. Tight upper-body clothing may help some too.


Yes, I tell folks that I have the advantage of an extra anchor point, lol. Although, it really isn't an advantage. 

Fitted clothes help a lot. It's a fine line between tight and fitted, and feeling comfortable with how it looks, too. If you know what I mean. I'll usually wear the fitted shirts or athletic jackets made of the shiny poly stuff when I'm shooting. 

I have yet to find a chest guard that fits, is comfortable and not a distraction. And, unless it covers those criteria adequately, there's a very good chance I'll never wear one. I'll try one of those Artebo jobbies and see how that flies.


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## MartinOttosson (May 31, 2011)

My former girlfriend that shoots olympic recurve at very high level actually preferred the feel in the fingers of a 64 inch bow over a 66 inch. She is very small however and therefore also have small hands and fingers. She went up to a 66 inch bow as Hoyt introduced the Formula system, but had to spend a month or two to adapt to the new angles. She probably would be able to shoot a 62 inch bow without a increase in the risk of injury.


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## JF from VA (Dec 5, 2002)

Lynda,

I am really glad this discussion came up and you are giving some female points of view. I teach a lot of Level 1 classes with mostly women and the question about upper-body string contact and protection has come up several times. The best information I have had to offer to my students is to avoid longer bows if contact becomes a problem. I have also read that a more open stance will lessen the chances of string contact but I think this depends on the individual body size.


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## Ms.Speedmaster (Dec 10, 2010)

JF from VA said:


> Lynda,
> 
> I am really glad this discussion came up and you are giving some female points of view. I teach a lot of Level 1 classes with mostly women and the question about upper-body string contact and protection has come up several times. The best information I have had to offer to my students is to avoid longer bows if contact becomes a problem. I have also read that a more open stance will lessen the chances of string contact but I think this depends on the individual body size.


Glad to help! 

Honestly, from my perspective, a couple of inches off the bow length will make no difference. It only will help if you have a slight contact. When you have several inches of string pushing in, it's kind of "In for a penny, in for a pound", as they say in my homeland.  Just make sure you're balanced with minimal resistance. 

Let's face it, girls are developing earlier, and to a larger extent these days. I won't get into the reasons why... just eat clean, people, ultra clean... for everyone's sake. I mean grass fed, organic, non GMO etc. 

So, with this epidemic, we have to have solutions. John did plant a seed in my mind... we do need better gear for us girls.


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## PaloAltoJeff (Jul 17, 2014)

Also try opening the stance. NTS (dons flame-proof suit) recommends 30 degrees open as a starting point. I find that many shooters benefit from something between 15 deg to 30 deg open, regardless of chest problems.

As noted before, tight clothes, sports bra, and a well cinched chest protector will help. If you can't find a commercial chest protector that suits you, just about any saddle shop should be able to create you something in leather that will do the trick. I wonder if Tandy Leather has a pattern?


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## tjb50cal (Jul 5, 2010)

http://www.lancasterarchery.com/shooting-gear/gloves-guards-tabs/chest-guards-protectors.html

maybe try the advice from the posts above, if necessary check link.....good luck


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## aaronpv2 (Sep 9, 2012)

So while obviously prevalent with Women, some men with larger "barrel" chest, like myself also have had problems finding Chest Protectors that fit appropriately and properly.

While googling on the net I ran into this review

http://www.texasarchery.org/eletters/20051101.htm

Which led me to this eBay store

http://stores.ebay.com/arrowheaduk?_trksid=p2047675.l2563

Which led me to the website

http://www.arrowheaduk.com/

After a series of emails I was able to order one of his XXL chest protectors for men (this would fit a man with a suit coat size of 50 - 52)

About 3 weeks later through Royal Air Post the item arrived and I will tell You that no manufacturer I have ever tried comes even close to providing a product made for the "larger" chested archery give them a try.

With shipping after the currency exchange the Chest Protector came out to $30. shipped to the USA which what I felt was very reasonable.


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## Viper1 (Aug 21, 2003)

Guys (and gals) -

I'm going to be the bad guy here.
String clearance is, (to a certain extent) a function of form, in both senses of the word. 
In some cases, deviating from "textbook" form may be necessary, and some compromises may have to be made - in addition to an appropriate chest protector. And yes, each case will be different and the final determination on what deviations or compromises are required have to be left up to the shooter and her (or his) coach. 
Here's the bad guy part: One possible outcome may be that Olympic archery or archery in general may not be the best sport for a given person to spend a lot of time and energy on. It's just reality. Sure, you can make anything work, sometimes you have to ask, is it worth it? 

Viper1 out.


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## Vittorio (Jul 17, 2003)

Viper1 said:


> .....
> Here's the bad guy part: One possible outcome may be that Olympic archery or archery in general may not be the best sport for a given person to spend a lot of time and energy on. It's just reality. Sure, you can make anything work, sometimes you have to ask, is it worth it?


Nothing but reality... So many are swimming while they should be dancing, and so many are shooting recurve while they should be shooting compound ... or a rifle 

Seriously: this is the reason why in Korea boys and girls are pre-selected at elementary school level by antropometric measures and then sent to do the sport decided to be good for them.


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## archeryal (Apr 16, 2005)

Also, if the shooter leans back away from the target (common among those compensating for too heavy a draw weight), the string will be closer to the breast. 

Start with a low draw weight and pay close attention to standing straight and not leaning away from the target. This can be hard to self-diagnose, so check it frequently, use a mirror or video or have other watch you. Think of drawing the string as spreading the bow - reaching forward as you draw back, not just as pulling the bow back. 

(I guess you coud also do an Ed Eliason anchor, or some variation. In case you're not familiar with him, he was on the '76 Olympic team and made the final 16 for the US Oympic trials as recently as 2004 or 2008 team - a legend and was listed on 70+ recurve in this year's Indoor Nationals. As a Special Forces soldier (I think), he was very strong, barrel chested and had clearance problems with a conventional draw. He had a right incisor tooth filed and drew to the side of that tooth, as I understand it. Drastic, but maybe something along those lines could help. My previous advice may be more of a help.)


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## huckleberg (Jan 15, 2015)

Viper1 said:


> Here's the bad guy part: One possible outcome may be that Olympic archery or archery in general may not be the best sport for a given person to spend a lot of time and energy on.


I was wondering on the lines could she shoot more of the other games using a side of face anchor or higher anchor? I ask because (while I don't have breasts per se) in thicker clothes in the winter I get a lot of string interference on left chest when experimenting an olympic-style hold, and have nearly torn my left nurple off a time or two ... but using the side of face anchor I can clear even in a heavier coat. In other words I am asking if other anchors will solve the problem?


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