Draw length

[woodsman 365]

I am 5'8" average build 180 lbs. With proper form and corner of mouth anchor, approx what should my draw length be. My draw length for compound is 28.5" with slight bend in bow arm.

[JRY309]

It can depend on the type of bow,your draw length with a straight grip Hill stlye will be less then it would be with like a medium grip recurve.Best way to tell is to just measure it with the bow you are using.You could clip a close pin on an arrow and the draw back to your anchor and measure from nock to the close pin.

[4 point]

My draw length with trad gear is the same as my compound.

[woodsman 365]

Originally posted by JRY309:
It can depend on the type of bow,your draw length with a straight grip Hill stlye will be less then it would be with like a medium grip recurve.Best way to tell is to just measure it with the bow you are using.You could clip a close pin on an arrow and the draw back to your anchor and measure from nock to the close pin.

I measured my draw length at 26" to the back of the riser ( using a friends martin hatfield recurve ). I thought it would be 27.5 to 28" so I'm thinking I may be loosing draw length due to form issues.

[freefeet]

I don't think height should be the deciding factor on draw length.  I'm the same height but draw 30.5 simply because i have very long arms.

There's no such thing as normal!

[BobW]

Originally posted by freefeet:
I'm the same height but draw 30.5 simply because i have very long arms.

There's no such thing as normal!

thats for sure.....    
(finally my 32"+ draw seems in proportion to my 6'-7' frame and 38" sleeve)  

[robtattoo]

Originally posted by freefeet:
I don't think height should be the deciding factor on draw length.  I'm the same height but draw 30.5 simply because i have very long arms.

There's no such thing as normal!

Similar for me. I'm just on 6' with fairly short arms, but my shoulders are a long way from each other (53" chest) which stretches my draw to 30"! You see, we're all different! Best thing to do is go to your nearest store & get yourself measured properly.

[Grant Young]

Good point Rob. Woodsman- a pretty good guideline for traditional equipment is to have someone measure the span from the tip of your middle finger to the tip of the other middle finger with your arms extended and divide by 2.5. This formula was used for many years with pretty good results although ideosynchrosis in form may change your final result a little bit. I'm about an inch taller than Rob and kind of lanky but its a lot further from one side of him to another than it is with me. Plus he gets great extension and alignment. I draw about 29" (28.8 by the formula I mentioned.) GY

Then again, one should not over draw his own stature.  There are some fine shots out there that draw 26", John Schulz and half his family. They are extreme at their ability to hit small fast targets. I am 5'9" and I draw 26".  John had me at 25.5" with his measuring method, from the breast bone to the fingers tips reaching out in front with no stretching, perhaps the difference is the wide shoulder thing or I am not bending my left arm as much.

[woodsman 365]

A friend of mine shot recurve 40+ years so I went to his house today to have my draw length checked. With my 1st thumb knucle touching my earlobe, my DL was 27" to the lowest part of the grip. To the back of the riser it would be over 28". To the corner of my mouth it is 26.5" to the back of the riser. He told me that as my form improves, it may be a little longer. He is 63 yrs young at 5'10" and wide as a house. His DL is 30.5" to his jaw bone. Thanks for all the replies.