Choosing The Right Recurve Bow For You
Scott Byers
Many archers prefer a more traditional recurve bow over the modern compound bow, and for a number of reasons. A common feeling among archers is that a recurve bow allows you to more easily connect with the essence of archery, rather than getting caught up in the technology. It also gives you more direct control over the shot, and is often more difficult without the guiding hand of hi-tech assistance.
Choose Hand Preference
When selecting your recurve bow, the first thing you will need to do is determine your hand preference.
For most people this should be a fairly obvious and simple step. Right handers will use the traditional right handed shooting method of holding the bow in the left hand, and drawing back the bowstring with the right. Using this hold will also mean that you will be aiming with your right eye.
Naturally, the complete reverse is true for the traditional left handed shooting technique. You would hold the bow in the right hand, while drawing back with the left and aiming with the corresponding eye.
While these two techniques will work fine for most archers, some people are cross-dominant. This means that their dominant eye is opposite their dominant hand.
When faced with the dilemma of how to go about shooting when all of the dominants do not match up, it is common for the archer to hold the bow whichever way feels more comfortable in the hands, and make a slight alteration to their aiming technique.
When aiming you will want to close your dominant eye.
For example, a cross dominant person who holds the bow right handed, yet who's dominant eye is the left will want to learn to close his left eye when he aims, and only use the right. If they were both kept often, he may find his dominant eye will influence the aim, and he will be shooting slightly to the right.
Choose Your Draw Length
Next, you will need to determine a proper and suitable draw length.
Draw Length is simply the distance from where your arrow is knocked on the string at full draw, to the front of the bow. The correct draw length for you can be determined by a simple formula.
Measure (or have a friend measure) your arm span from the fingertips of one hand to the fingertips of the other hand. Just stand naturally with your arms out to your sides. Don't stretch your arms out as far as you can, or you may end up with a incorrect draw length.
If you are unable to perform the measurement, you can simply use your height instead. It won't be as accurate, but most people have an arm span approximately equal to their height.
Once you have this measurement, simply divide it by 2.5 to determine your draw length. The end result will be in the same unit of measurement you used to measure the arm span.
Just to give you some frame of reference, a typical 6' man will have a draw length between 28 and 29 inches.
Choose Your Draw Weight
The final step in choosing your recurve bow is to find a draw weight which suits your body type and shooting style.
The draw weight of a bow is simply how much force it will take to pull the bowstring back to your full draw length.
You will want a weight that you can draw back the full length and hold for at least 10 seconds. If it feels like you could hold the bowstring drawn back for significantly longer than that, you may want to consider moving to a higher weight.
An adult male should have a draw weight between 25 and 50 pounds for recreational or target shooting, and even higher for hunting.
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