advice and info on shooting heavy bows please.

[Daddy Bear]

If I may pass along some sage advice given to me years back by archers far more experienced than I:

If you don't keep the shoulder down, you can develop shoulder impingement, even without using a heavy bow.  It is important that you fully engage the rhomboids between your shoulder blades to execute proper form. You hold with the rhomboids and not with your arms. In doing so, IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU KEEP YOUR BOW SHOULDER DOWN AND BACK TO PREVENT LONG TERM SHOULDER INJURIES. If the bow is of such weight that your shoulder is forced up and is compressed while at full draw, it is collapsed and is not down and back into the socket. You are then on the fast track towards impingement and long term injuries.

With all that said, I'm of the opinion that it does little good to train with a bow weight beyond your ability to execute safe and proper form. Even when using a bow that you can properly handle, it is a bad idea to shoot to the point that you exhaust your strength so that your shoulder is collapsed. If you intend on increasing your weight, do so in small steps over a period of time. If you are now shooting XX weight with relative ease, next bow you may decide to go up a few pounds. I think it a very bad idea to jump a large chunk of weight at one time as you may very well reduce the number of years that you can shoot a bow if you live to get old.

Not trying to preach, but thought I'd share a few tidbits that has helped me to shoot stickbows over the past 45 years without injury.  I am the apple that didn't fall far from my Grandfather's and Father's tree.  They both preferred hunting bows in the 60-70 pound range, so I fell into the same and never changed.  I think you should shoot whatever weight you prefer, just go wisely and slow.

Best  

[Scott E. Thomas]

Daddy Bear, good advice. God bless, Scott.

[Terry Green]

Yes ....great points....you have to draw it properly...PERIOD.

[duncan idaho]

"Duncan Idaho I bet I'm the only nerd on here that knows where your handle is from LOL! probably my favorite character of all time"


LOL...Yes, not many people know who Duncan is...I have read the original series many times over my life, because, it seems the books change as you age. I have also read, all the ones his son wrote, but, did not find them in the same caliber as his father's work.

[duncan idaho]

Ken,
     I shoot a 76# Dale Dye recurve on a regular basis. 2219's , 29.5 in length, 175 grain points fly really well. around 640 grain weight. I also can get 2020's to fly well with a lighter point, around 610 grains. Alaskan Grizzly sticks, the heavy ones, sorry don't know the model number, fly well with 145 to 175 points but weigh in around 540 grains. Just some suggestions.

[Looper]

Get one of those Bowfit devices and really work on your back muscles. Pull it past your anchor point to where you feel your elbow hook around. For me, my draw hand ends up behind my ear. You want to feel like you are trying to touch your shoulder blades together.

Again, make sure your front shoulder is locked into the socket and not rotated towards your chest. You want to feel like you are pulling the top of your shoulder down and in.

Actually, it's like shooting a war bow. Look at guys that do it correctly.  Good alignment, proper use of back muscles, shoulders locked in.

[RecurveRookie]

Make sure your form is good, so you don't hurt yourself, and don't rush it and overtrain, your muscles and joints need some time to build back up.  You can do it.