Have you had a look at the bows but go confused by the different bow sizes? The aim of this guide is to teach you what size bow you need. It will show you how to take your draw length and determine what length bow you should be shooting from
When looking to buy any kind of bow whether a recurve bow or a compound bow, you have no doubt seen them at a wide variety of sizes. You will see the length of them range from 48 inches to 72 inches.
A common question I get asked is “what size bow do I need?” It is very easy and only takes a couple of minutes to figure out what size bow is perfect for you and your needs. One thing I need to make very clear is that it’s VERY important that you get the right sized bow. Getting a bow that is not will result in your being over-bowed.
This can cause the following problems;
- Poor back posture
- Poor form and shots
- Less accuracy when shooting
- Discomfort & Pain after shooting a few arro
Don’t worry though, as I said the aim of this guide is to teach you exactly to find the size bow that is perfect for you.
The Perfect Bow – How To Find The Right Size?
It’s important that you know what your draw length is in order to find the right bow size. The draw length is basically the distance that you are able to draw the bow correctly. I have also written a guide measuring draw length, once you have gotten the results (which takes 2 minutes) you will be able to workout the right bow size.
Below is a table that takes your draw length and then tells you what size bow you should get. This does just reflect recurve bows, as compound bows are determined by the frame size of the archer and the lb’s you can manage.
|
Draw Length (Inches) |
Bow Length (Inches) |
|---|---|
|
14-16 |
48 |
|
17-20 |
54 |
|
20-22 |
58 |
|
22-24 |
62 |
|
24-26 |
64-66 |
|
26-28 |
66-68 |
|
28-30 |
68-70 |
|
30+ |
70-72 |
Tips On Picking The Right Bow Size
Now you know what bow length to look for, below are a couple of tips to help make sure you get the right bow and are not persuaded to get one that is going to make you over-bowed.
Tip One: Don’t Go By Height
Many people use charts that are aimed to help identify bow size, one of these does suggest that arm span is the same as height. Therefore if you know your height, you will be able to workout the draw length from that and then the bow size.
It is true that generally the arm span and height are very similar and in some cases almost the same, however this is not a guaranteed test. There are many people that are the same height but their arm span is different to each other
Here is an interesting study – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8793422
Tip Two: Age Does NOT Determine Bow Size
In some cases people will be advised a specific size bow based on their age. This is normally the case when looking for youth bows, ignore this kind of advice! Just because someone is a specific age doesn’t mean someone of the same age is going to have the same draw length and use the same size bow. Measure your draw length manually and you WILL get the right bow for you!
I really hope that this article on finding the right bow size has been useful. Following the above advice, you should be able to find the right bow for you!