There are many important steps that you will have to undertake along the way of becoming proficient with your compound bow. If you are new to the sport you will have to go through the most important step first, and it doesn’t even involve shooting an arrow anywhere.
Bows are essentially similar in their makeup regardless of whether you are buying a Hoyt compound bow or a BowTech compound bow, you will still have to go through the same routine if you are going to get one that fits you.
Fitting your compound bow is one of the first things that you will do after you have bought it. It’s a task that is best done in the store where you bought it so that the sales staff, who should have a vast knowledge of bows and archery, can help you.
When fitting a compound bow you are measuring for draw weight, draw length and bow length. Each of these factors will affect your ability to shoot straight. The draw weight refers to how much force is being applied to the bowstring as you draw it back to full draw.
You will find that the draw weight will be significantly greater at the start of the draw than it is at the end when you are holding it at full draw. What you are looking for is the comfortable weight that you can pull as you go through the peak weight of the bow.
The draw length is ideally the point of the draw that is commonly referred to as the valley. This is the point in the draw at which the weight is at its lowest giving you the most comfortable holding weight. The draw length can be determined by measuring your wingspan and working out where that position will be based on those figures.
In the past the draw length was tied in with the length of the bow. A bow with a longer draw length would require a bow with a longer axle-to-axle measurement. This has changed in recent times with some manufacturers producing very short bows giving them greater power but sacrificing precision to a certain extent.
You don’t necessarily have to walk into a physical store to buy your compound bows, particularly if you already know the measurements of the size of bow that suits your frame. Similarly, if you have no problem adjusting the bow to suit your own preferences you will be quite comfortable buying one online.
photo credit: sidewalk flying