Back Tension and Draw Length

[Bigjackfish]

I am shooting about 7 months ,and my draw can vary from 30-29 depending on how much I shoot at a given time .I seem to lose back tension as I tire some ,is this normal.I am shooting 45lbs on a recurve ,I shot 31''draw 65lbs on a compound for years .

[LongStick64]

That is the whole game right there, consistency on your draw and anchor is the best way to maintain accuracy. You may be shooting too many arrows per round, reduce it till you no longer feel like the draw is bouncing back and forth. If you start losing back tension you will introduce creep into the shot. Shooting a compound, you benefit from the back wall you hit when you draw the bow, no such thing exists shooting a recurve or longbow. You need to learn to feel and use the back muscles to signal "full draw". But you never really stop pulling.

[moebow]

BJF,

That large of a change in draw length indicates that you are PROBABLY drawing with your arm muscles and not using bone on bone structure.  If you line the bones up from the bow hand wrist all the way across to the string elbow, the BONES will only be so long.

Longstick said it pretty well and I'd add that using the "back muscles" are a function of keeping your bones lined up and that "never really stop pulling" is NOT back along the arrow line but perpendicular to the arrow line.

If you can learn to allow the bones to support the bow weight, your draw length will be consistent.  The bones are only so long and don't change.

Arne