Choosing the right bow is quite a task; there is a wide choice of models, lengths, and draw weights. We give you many handles and tips that can help you choose the right youth compound bow on this page. We assume that you are a novice archer on this page, so the advice below is also based on novice archers. This does not change, however: for many advanced shooters, the knowledge will be very helpful.
Please note, the arch selection is something very personal, so we always advise you to visit us if you want 100% conclusive arch advice. When choosing a compound bow, 3 things are very important:
- Left or right-handed bow?
- What is your draw length?
- Which draw weight suits you?
- Left or right-handed bow?
Traditionally, eye dominance determines whether you are a left or right-handed shooter. However, nowadays, more and more attention is paid to the preferred hand or writing hand (hand with the most “pleasant” feeling). We prefer the latter variant when shooting with both eyes open.
How Do You Know Which Eye Is Dominant?
Determining eye dominance is very easy. Make a small peephole with your hands and look through it with both eyes open at a preferably small stationary object. Now close your left eye; if the object is always visible in your peephole, your right eye is dominant; you can check this by closing your right eye; if all is well, you can no longer see the object it is a bit staggering. If it is exactly the other way around, your left eye is dominant.
Draw length
The draw length is, in short, how far you draw an arc; this varies a lot from person to person. It is important to know your draw length because that plays a role in bow length choice. It reads less closely than Olympic arches but is still very important.
How Do You Determine Your Draw Length?
Determining your draw length can be done in different ways; we will discuss 2 common methods here. We start with the way that you can easily do yourself at home.
Method 1 – calculated pull length
In this method, you determine your pull length by dividing your wingspan by 2.5, measuring your wingspan from the top of your one middle finger to the other. How? It is best to do this in pairs so that someone can measure. Stand up straight with your shoulders relaxed, spread your arms until you form a cross.
Try not to overstretch them, but spread them without bending your elbows. The other measures from one tip of your middle finger to the other, the result of which is your full length in centimeters. Often the result is quite accurate. However, there are circumstances whereby the actual draw length may deviate from what you calculate with this method.
Since in archery, everything is indicated in inches, your draw length must also be converted into inches; you do this by dividing your draw length in centimeters by 2.54 (1 inch is 2.54 centimeters).
Method 2 – Have your draw length measured
The second method is to have your draw length measured. When a customer comes to us, we always measure the draw length with the help of a measuring arrow; with this arrow, it can be precisely and accurately read what the draw length of a shooter is.
This method gives the most reliable draw length, but the shooter must have a good posture; if it is still under development, this method is less suitable. It is expected that the shape will improve, and the draw length will therefore be longer.
Draw length and arc length
You will now continue to check for a compound bow that suits you since you know your draw distance. More details on the drawing length arc are available below.
Too short compound bow
A short compound bow for someone with a very long draw length can cause the string to pull very uncomfortably in the fingers when they pull the bow out. Also, stacking can arise; in short, stacking is the point at which the bow lath no longer extends smoothly and builds up force but increases exponentially in force, so it suddenly becomes much heavier to pull through.
The extra power that the bow receives from the point at which it starts to stack can often not be efficiently converted into energy in the arrow, so you want to avoid this. Ideally, a bow should not stack. While most arches today can be pulled out very far, a short arch could also be damaged if pulled too far.
Too Long arc
Too long an arc at a short draw length can cause an arc not to be extended far enough to build up power efficiently. Each bow has a different power build an ideal peak moment, most bows measure the draw weight when extended 28 inches. The efficient distribution of force is distributed over the slats when pulling out is very different with a short bow than with a longbow and with a recurve different again than with a longbow.
Hunting Guidelines Recurve and Hybrid Bows 48 – 56 in
- Up to approx. 28 in.
- 58 in. Up to approx. 29.5 in.
- 60 in. 26.5 – 29.5 in.
- 62 in. 28 – 30.5 in.
- 64 – 66 in. Longer than 28 in.
Longbow / Flatbow:
- Up to 60 inches – Maximum 28 inches
- 62-64 inches – 27 – 30
- 66-68 inches – up to 31
- 70 inches + – longer than 30
Which Draw Weight Suits You?
Choosing the right towing weight is very personal; it depends on many different factors, including:
- Physical condition
- Experience archery
- Sportsmanship
- Pull Length
If you choose a too high draw weight, it can cause you to adopt the wrong posture, and that can lead to nasty injuries. We, therefore, always advise starting shooters not to start too hard. If you shoot actively and regularly, your strength increases quickly, and you can often have a somewhat heavier bow fairly quickly. It’s no shame to start light; most of us have!
But what is an average towing weight with which to start?
To give a guideline, that’s what this page is for; below is a list of average weights that are often used.
- Men 25 – 35
- Women 20 – 30
- Youth 10 – 12 years – 10 – 15
- Youth 12 – 16 years – 15 – 25
- Youth 16+ years – 15+
Again, to make sure you choose the right draw weight, try bows, limiting the risk of choosing too heavy (or too light) one.
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