Checked my draw length...suprise!

[twistedlim]

I always thought I had a 27 inch draw since I had a friend check it years ago when I was shooting a 62# recurve.  I guess I was a bit overbowed.  I had to do it myself this time with a video camera but by putting on a tripod and lines on my arrows I have acutally been pulling 28.  Just added 2.5 pounds to my arsenal. :-)

   

[njloco]

How long are those arrows in the video ?  To me, it doesn't look like your getting complete draw, I don't think your fully engaging those back muscles, and you might be leaning your head toward  the bow just a bit. Your also shooting, at what appears buy the arrow angle, a low target and your not bending at the waist, this will mess up your form and make everything harder to judge.

What is the draw weight of that bow ?

[twistedlim]

Thanks for the tips.  I am working on getting the back muscles more into the shot. Previously I don't think I used them at all.  Yes, the target it slightly lower. The arrows are 30 inches.  I cut the arrows to tune, not to my draw lenght.  The draw length of the bow is 28".  I am getting cleanly to my anchor point (corner of my mouth with my middle finger) but have been working over the last few months at using my back muscles more.

[Trumpkin the Dwarf]

I will agree, you don't have full back tension there. Fully engaging the back muscles may add another inch or so to your draw length.

[TomBow]

One thing I was shown when working on form, was to draw in a more circular motion with my hand about even with my eye when starting the draw.  Keep your bow hand fairly loose and use your string hand to control where the bow is pointing.  Sort of start with your string hand about 6" away from your face and forward, keep as little tension in your string hand as possible, a deeper hook helps with this, then pull your string-hand elbow around and back until you reach the anchor on your face. This will promote a lower drawing shoulder.   It helps to look in a mirror to see the motion.  Practice without the bow when looking in the mirror and concentrate on keeping your hands loose.  And try blank bale shooting from only a few feet away so you aren't focusing on a target, but totally on feeling your form.  You want the target butt about chest height so you don't have to worry about leaning at the waist to hit a lower target. You can work on that later.  See mobow's form videos on YouTube.  He lives in Grand Rapids, MN and I was able to get some one on one form lessons with him and it really helped my consistency.  Best of Luck.  Also, figure out what works best for you.  Everyone's shot is a little different so if your form is a little different than someone elses but you are hitting what you want to hit, well, that's the way it should be FOR YOU.

And yet one MORE thing, keep your head still, try to avoid leaning your head into the bow.  Focus on the target and bring the string hand to your face instead of moving your head to your string hand anchor.

[twistedlim]

Thanks all. Will wok on it. This is the first time I have ever seen myself shoot. I like the tip about rotating your elbow in a circular motion. I ran into a shoulder problem a while back fronm too high of an elbow and I might be over compensating. I have noticed that shooting at a very close target and concentrating on form has helped my accuracy a ton.

[njloco]

The same way your going to rotate your elbow to the 6:00 position is the same way you rotate your shoulder to engage your back muscles. On release, your string elbow should be going back and slightly down because your continuing the rotation of the elbow and shoulder when pinching the back muscles to get the release. The blank bale shooting is so you can concentrate on all of this without having to also think about hitting the target. Blank bale shooting is the ticket to good form, and good form is the ticket to picking up any bow and hitting the target on first shot.

[twistedlim]

Any better?  Looks like I am getting another 1/2 to 1" of draw?
Still got to get the elbow a bit lower.

   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmfih5Bc5Aw&feature=youtu.be

[Landlocked Pirate]

See mobow's form videos on YouTube.

I'm a bit reluctant to give advice since I'm a new shooter but I can tell you what worked for me. You mentioned you were working on back tension and I had been myself, and I came across one of moebow's videos in which he was adamant that the wrist, forearm, and bicep had to be relaxed during the draw. When I tried it, it all came together. For me, with relaxed arm muscles there wasn't really any other way to draw except by back tensioning. My bow has a slightly short draw length for me (28" bow vs. my 29.5" draw length), but by using this method I was Able to get full extension with no problem.