2 Questions on bending bow arm

[Butts2]

I have had this bow for 5 years. I can hold my bow for more than 20 seconds at full draw and still hit the kill zone so I do not think I am overbowed. I have my brace height set up at maximum recommendation from bowyer 7". I usually have a slight bend in my bow arm, do not need an arm guard. When holding at anchor with quite a bit more bend than usual in my bow arm the bow 99% of the time appears to shoot much smoother. WHY? If I extend the brace height out passed the 7" the bow appears sloppy. I do not mind shooting this way with the more of a bent arm but I believe there is no way of knowing if I have the same degree length or consistancy in the bow arm each time even though I am at my anchor. CORRECT?

[McDave]

"Quite a bit more bend than usual" indicates to me that you are experimenting with it, and so I would agree with you that you probably don't have the same consistancy in your bow arm each time you shoot.  I would assume that if you arrive at some degree of bend that you like, and shoot that way hundreds of times, you will achieve a degree of consistency.

When your bow arm is bent differently from shot to shot, you're changing your draw length from shot to shot, and thus the arrow velocity.  Whether this matters is dependent on the distance you're shooting at, and how precise you want to be.  At 20 yards, a slight change in the bend of your bow arm might have a 2" effect on the point of impact of the arrow, which you might not care about if you're still in the kill zone.  At 40 yards, the same change could cause you to miss the animal entirely.

I happen to shoot better if my bow arm is bent slightly.  Rick Welch taught me that way, and it works for me.  Other people shoot better with a straight bow arm.  But I think you shouldn't bend your bow arm any more than you need to to shoot accurately, or you're just robbing yourself of draw length and therefore arrow speed unnecessarily.

[bolong]

I'll second what McDave said.

[Earthdog]

I shoot recurve with a high wrist grip,and longbow with a low wrist grip "palm down" as they say.
Long ago I noticed that if I drop my grip from high to low while at full draw with my recurve, instantly my bow arm elbow also changes to a slight bend.
This slight bend is the same for my longbow,I don't need to think about doing it,just holding the bow with the low grip makes it happen.
I tend to think that if your actively trying to put a bend in,your probably going to be inconsistant because your going against the natural set of your arm.
Anyway,If I'm shooting with a low grip,the bend is there because it just follows on from the set of my bow hand,not because I thought about puting it there.

Also,,everything Dave just said.

[TSP]

Earthdog is right, it's the grip shape/design  that largely dictates the most comfy level of bend in the arm, and also the level of cant in the bow.  Straight grips operate more efficiently with a heel-down 'side' handhold, which in turn operate better with more of a bent arm.  Recurve-type grips (regardless of limb design) operate more efficiently/comfortably with a straighter wrist 'web' hold, which in turn operate better with less of a bent arm (at least, you can get away with less).  In each case the shot quality is a combo of the grip design and the hand's 'natural' way to fit into/onto that grip design to achieve best arrow/ forearm/ draw elbow alignment.  The degree of bent arm is simply a result of a shooter finding his particular best grip and best alignment for that particular bow.  You apparently found yours by bending your arm slightly more.

PS  You didn't say what kind of bow you shoot but if it's a Hill style (or any straight grip bow) the 'bent arm' is almost a requirement for comfortable and consistent shooting.  That grip design is, well, designed for a 'side' hold and a 'more bent' arm.

If your bow arm is bent with some degree of flex, the arms reaction to the shot will allow the straight gripped longbow to stay on target at the release. With a straight gripped bow with a dead and straight arm the bow could cause a pendulum torque of the arm at the release.  the bend causes you to have the ability to act as a directional shock absorber. How much bend is too much? Eventually your elbow will let you know if you have a heavy bow. Your joints will also let you know if you are jamming everything too straight.  One thing the broken elbow does do, it allows the shooter to get away with very flexible form that in turn allows quick accuracy in a wider variety of situations, much more than target form. If you experiment you will find your own sweet spot and it will be different with different styles of grips.

[eric-thor]

everyone seems to agree yet if you want to know if your draw varries cut your arrows to a specific leingth so you can referance your draw distance either a friend watching or some sort of indicator i run the shaft down my finger and feel for the tip. once you develope your ref. your muscle memory should eventually take over.

[Northwest_Bowhunter]

I have been shooting bent arm so much I can't straighten my left arm all the way. It's not serious, just a little bend in it.

[Pete Darby]

When I switched to Bob Wesley's four point anchor I found that it pretty much anchors not only your reference point and string hand draw but will also anchor your bow arm at a consistent draw length.