# draw length too long?



## mwood1985 (Feb 3, 2013)

my bow is currently set at 29. its a Mathews Outback. I think im an inch too long. i feel like my release hand is too far back. On a hoyt i felt comfortable with 28 and the measuring bow said 28 too. whats everyones opinions?


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## BOTTEMLINE (Feb 3, 2013)

*Specialist*

To long the string should be at corner of mouth and tip of nose also l would look into another peep one without the rubber tube they seem to break at the wrong time.


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## mwood1985 (Feb 3, 2013)

so go to the 28 inch cam and set it at 80% letoff? and im gonna change the peep too. i have one i was just holding off til i got the cam sorted out


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## alligood729 (Feb 3, 2013)

Yep, bout an inch......


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## MathewsArcher (Feb 3, 2013)

Could you post a full body pic. Sometimes the to long draw will have you leaning back as well. I think the shorter would be better.


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## mwood1985 (Feb 3, 2013)

yeah give me a minute and ill put a full body pic up


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## mwood1985 (Feb 3, 2013)

that work?


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## bamaboy (Feb 3, 2013)

MathewsArcher said:


> Could you post a full body pic. Sometimes the to long draw will have you leaning back as well. I think the shorter would be better.



Exactly what I was thinking^^^

I just saw your pic and I say your too long on your Draw length


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## mwood1985 (Feb 3, 2013)

its just not comfortable at 29. ive been feeling like it was but i wasnt sure


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## mwood1985 (Feb 4, 2013)

got it changed out to a 28 inch today.... almost regretting it lol my groups so tight i tore up two brand new arrows... ALMOST regretting haha


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## bamaboy (Feb 4, 2013)

mwood1985 said:


> got it changed out to a 28 inch today.... almost regretting it lol my groups so tight i tore up two brand new arrows... ALMOST regretting haha



LOL!!! Good deal!!!


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## mwood1985 (Feb 4, 2013)

it does feel kinda short now. like i cant extend my bow arm out all the way but maybe its just gonna take some getting used to after pulling a 29 and going to 28


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## Kool Hand Luke (Feb 4, 2013)

You need raise your peep put string on tip of nose your ducking into the string


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## oldgeez (Feb 4, 2013)

need another pic...i'll bet it's still too long


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## mwood1985 (Feb 4, 2013)

ill get another picture tomorrow. it might just be me not used to the 28 inch draw and still having muscle memory of the 29 inch


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## ScarletArrows (Feb 4, 2013)

Dunno if someone already said this but...Get someone to measure your wingspan. Divide that by 2.5 and you will have a good baseline for your true draw length.

One thing that makes this tough is your anchor hand is in two different positions for each of the two pictures and in turn the first pic and its not too bad... not right... but close. The second makes the draw length look way too long...Big issue here may be form more than anything else. The bow might be right. 

Make sure that anchor hand is getting a firm lock in on the jaw...and the peep is WAY too low in the string. You should be able to anchor in such a manner as to place your nose atop the string and see through the peep, not drop your nose along side the string.  Not having that 'third' referance point for head position can cause you all sorts of trouble when shooting out of a tree at  an animal.

My bet... maybe only a half inch. Depends on whether you really want to keep with that hand held release. Sometimes the way your hand positions for anchor (rotating so the pinky finger to anchor underneath the ear lobe) can allow for slightly longer draws. But spliting the index and middle finger knuckles upon and under the corner edge of your jaw, makes the measured draw work better. Often a wrist strap release is going to give the best results for a good feeling of draw length on a short bow.

Thats the thing to keep in mind, short ATA bows often require a slightly longer draw for the shooter when using a hand held release. But with a hunting bow I would personally rather be a little short than a little long. BUT something is up when two photos show me one thing...lack of a solid anchor.


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## mwood1985 (Feb 4, 2013)

we did the wingspan trick measuring middle finger to middle finger and i came up with 29.5 but thats even longer than the bow was set to at first. now its got the 28 inch 80% letoff cam installed and with the tru ball release i feel like its causing my bow hand elbow to bend just slightly and i can feel the tension in the elbow.  it feels like im trying to straighten out my arm and my hand is being forced forward into the bow. if i relax the tension of my bow arm to a natural feeling position it pulls the release forward farther than it feels is natural. if i put my scott wrist strap on it feels more like a relaxed comfortable position. idk if any of that makes any sense


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## ScarletArrows (Feb 5, 2013)

No it makes perfect sense. Like I said hand held releases sometimes require a slightly longer draw on short axle to axle bows. Wrist strap releases allow the string to sit farther foward on the shooters face from a 'normal' anchor point and in turn can feel a bit better on a shorter bow than a hand held. (probably has to do with the fact that the most common release is a wrist strap and I am willing to bet some engineer out their is taking that part into account when designing the bow)

My suggestion, (based solely on the pictures) work out that anchor point so your hand is firmly locked on your head. Just from the look of your build you should probably be shooting 28.5-29...its hard to say without you standing in front of me. 

But the biggest thing I see in picture #2 is the fact that your anchor hand is floating free from your head...you're in turn pushing your face forward into the string, making it look as though the draw is too long.  This is a common fault of any new shooter whom has a hiccup in their shot routine, that simply is they are trying to look through the peep before they are locking their draw hand in a spot on their head.  Your bow arm looks ok in that photo but your head is 'craining' foward. So it makes it look awkward when actually it is close to if not dead on the correct draw....Then we'll have to talk about the bow hand...how your feet position effects your draw... etc. etc. 

My suggestion above all else is to go to a shop with a well informed tech there. Your tag says you're in Marrietta and if I where you I would hop in the car and drive to Snellville and see GRIV...while he and I may not see eye to eye on the internet about certain 'politics'...He's unequivcally one of the most technically knowledgeable guys on the planet concerning bow set ups. And by the time you leave you will have the right draw and proper set up for you.


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## mwood1985 (Feb 5, 2013)

yeah i probably should head over to ALC and get it figured out once and for all. my main point of the whole experement is to have my draw correct and comfortable while im holding before the shot. I just havent felt that it was dialed in correctly. that or im doing something wrong. i felt good til this week when a buddy pointed out that i was leaning into it and it started the whole quest for getting everything right


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## MathewsArcher (Feb 5, 2013)

I would say a 28.5 or a 28".


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## oldgeez (Feb 6, 2013)

27 to 28"


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## mwood1985 (Feb 6, 2013)

27 i know is gonna be too short. IM gonna shoot the 28 a bit more and see what it feels like then go over to ALC. i keep figting myself and changing my mind over and over on what feels nore natural lol


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## dgmeadows (Feb 7, 2013)

For what it is worth, I think the difference in the two pictures is that in the first it appears you were likely aiming relatively level, and in the second you were aiming at a much more severe downward angle.  The first picture would be a better indicator, and based only on the location of the anchor and bend in the string, I would agree that it appeared too long, by about an inch, but without seeing how your arms were positioned, it could be as little as 1/2" or as much as 1 1/2".  The best full body picture would be one aiming level, so we can see your bow arm and release arm along with the anchor.  From some of your prior posts, I am not sure if you have too much bend in your bow arm now, or if you are wanting to hold it straighter than most form coaches say your should.  You should not have the bow arm completely straight, and generally your release arm should be in line with the arrow - the elbow should not be pointing too far up or down.  In your second picture, even though you were aiming downward, it appeared your elbow was going past "center" and (if you were aiming level) would be pointing downward because you were drawing past the ideal point to take up the additional draw length.


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## watermedic (Feb 7, 2013)

Mathews typically run on the long side. A 29 inch cam will usually measure close to 30 inches of draw.

That being said, I believe that the 27.5 inch cam will fit you fairly well.


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