Originally posted by mec lineman:
Yea,put a clothespin on arrow and drew 28 with my recurve in 2005. I often try to stretch out my draw in back yard. But I think for me it all comes down to my natural draw when drawing on game. Thanks fellas
This is a GREAT tip, and I learned it here on TG.
I take a spring clothespin, clip it about a foot from the tip of my arrow, and have it sticking out to the right side.
As I draw my bow, the clothespin hits the back of the riser, and then slides along the arrow until I reach full draw. Then I let off and measure the distance from the clothespin to the arrow nock slot to get an accurate draw length measurement. It's very easy and precise.
I have also taken this a step further: I use the clothes pin and a mirror to help me perfect my draw. I know that I can draw 28" or more, and if I start getting less then I know that my shooting frame is collapsing, or that I'm messing up somehow with my form. So I use the clothespin trick and stand in front of a mirror to see where my form is collapsing.
This works wonderfully, and has helped me lengthen my draw and make it more consistent.
I'm 5'7". When I started shooting trad about 5 months ago I could only get to a 27" draw if I struggled. My actual draw was more likely about 26.5". But since adopting this method of checking my frame when drawing (and learning how to set my back frame properly), I can now get to 28.5" at maximum, and 28" repeatedly, with both my 40 and 50 pound bows.