Draw length

[TimBo]

As Don W says, 45# is good for deer.  You may have been shooting that weight all along if you weren't thinking much about your draw length previously, so maybe your arrows are tuned that way, and not spined properly for the extra pounds when you haul it all the way back, which makes it seem like "you" can't shoot that way.  If you are normally accurate with 24" and the arrows fly well there, I would take a couple of days off, do some projectile therapy like Boomhowzer says, and go back to shooting the way you were while trying to forget this whole thread.  If, after hunting season, you want to extend your draw a bit, there is a lot of good advice here for that.  There isn't anything wrong with a 24" draw if you are consistent and feel confident with it.

A couple other things that help me - when you start up again, go to something like 10-12 yards, pretend you have a shot on a deer, and shoot one arrow.  If that still feels shaky, stand really close to the target (like a few feet), and ONLY think about your form.  Ideally don't even look at the target (just don't shoot through your garage!).  Do that until it feels good, natural, and stress-free.  Then transfer that feeling to other distances.

[Mad Max]

Maybe you form is wrong
This is the way--Shoulders in line with the arrow

[bassman211]

You hit the nail on the head Max. If he goes to the info I gave him above he will know the right,and wrong way to shoot.

[Fox]

Thanks for all the good advice guys…. And yes I know for a fact it’s my form. I’ve done lots of research read a few books and watched a lot of videos…. So I know what it’s supposed to look like….. but not how to get it that way 

I’ve been shooting for the past 4 years and the past 2 years I’ve shot atleast 4 times a week… every few months I start shooting really good, and then something happens with my form and I get all messed up, I don’t often wonder if it’s some not related to archery, like stress in normal life stuff

Anyway thanks for all the good advice I’ll take a few days off and throw some knifes 

[Hawkdancer]

Get a buddy to take a video, shoot with your long and your short draws, then correct one element at a time. If your form is really screwed up, change hands and start over.  Also, check to see if you are shooting with your dominant eye.  I have found that many people are shooting with their other eye, you are young enough to change easily, if necessary.  Post your video so we can critique your form.  As said, be comfortable with what you are doing. 
Hawkdancer

[bradsmith2010]

if  you shoot through a chrono and design the bow for 24,, you will see arrow speed is not an issue, I have 24 inch draw bows shooting hunting weight arrows 180 fps,, yes enough for deer,,

[boxerboxer]

Remember that when you draw, the goal is to draw til you hit proper alignment. That proper alignment of your shoulders, your bow hand, and your draw forearm is your anchor point. Finger in the corner of your mouth or whatever else you use is just a touch point to remind you where your hand should go when you're in alignment, and for something like that to even be useful, your head position and really the position of your whole body needs to be the same consistently.

Search "clay hayes shooting form" and you'll get a series of great youtube videos that cover the different aspects of this. I know this close to season you don't want to be changing things, but if you don't have consistency now it's the right time to change because the sooner you start doing things right, the quicker you can get the reps in to be consistent and confident enough to hunt.

Wherever you land, good luck with it. Hope your fall is memorable for all the right reasons!

Ben

[bradsmith2010]

proper alignment can be achieved with out an anchor,, depends on the shooting style and type of bow you are shooting,,

short draw bows are not made to hit anchor,, they are more suited to a Native American style of shooting,, and some say it takes more skill to achieve accuracy,, I would agree,,

[Fox]

Thank you all for so much good advice and sources of information. I took a few videos and this is where my form is now, I'm shooting a 28.5" arrow so probably drawing 26". getting good accuracy out to 15 yards now, any suggestions on my form would be awesome

(hopefully, this link works correctly)

https://www.flickr.com/gp/141458655@N02/b2AD57

[Woody roberts]

I thought your form looked pretty good but I’m no expert. I’ve only been shooting bows for 2 or 3 yrs. I had a lot of trouble when I first started. I had 3 square bales stood on end next to each other. At 12 yds I had to make many trips into the field when the arrows completely missed the bales.
I don’t remember the you tuber that got me on a good path. What I do now is anchor my thumb behind my jaw bone and set the string in the center of my eyebrow. Any bow shorter than 64” does not touch my eyebrow correctly and my accuracy suffers.
Hope this helps but I suspect everyone has to find what works for them.

[bentstick54]

When I was 16 I was drawing a 31” arrow to the back of the point. Of course I had no one around for coaching, so was pretty much a self starter as a young kid. I was anchoring middle finger at the corner of my mouth shooting split finger. As I got older, what I found out that I was rolling my draw arm shoulder back as I reached full draw thus overextending. Once I learned to keep everything in true alignment my draw settled in to around 28” to 28-1/2”.

Get your form right and don’t worry about your draw length.  Like Bradsmith says, design your bow for your 24” draw and it will shoot with the best of them. As time goes on, if your draw length increases, build another bow.

[StickMark]

Are your patterns spread out horizontal?
When I try to extend my draw length, the arrows go left and right. Why? Because trying to expand that extra inch is kinda forced. The expansion I feel going longer is fake, and the pattern shows it.

I am 5' 10.5", and I draw 25.25, flat NA bend in handle weapon system. A lighter bow will show 26", but the heavier draw compacts me (I went through the draw length worry process a few years back. I called it the 'draw length wars', all fighting in my mind. Like my camouflage war, my broadhead war, my fletching size war, I finally settled into what works for me).

One guy on other sites said he screwed up his shooting bad when the internet came out, and he quit reading shooting posts for two years, just to get his groove back; he is well known, I assume.

So, I would do what the others say. Shoot that 26" style. If it goes back to 24" 25", as long as it is consistent, all good. Hunt with what works, and like the old Ryman Cat said once, hunt the shot. Meaning, look for where your form and range intersects deer. Honestly, people worry too much about inches, like feathers, draw length, etc, when most of us primitive archers make weapons of mediocre speed and so we are most likely in the typical 20 yards-and-in club of hunters. (not all of us, so do not flame me).

Hope this helps.
Best book I read, by the way, Jay Kidwell's Instinctive Archery Insights. Know thy trajectory.

[TimBo]

Looks pretty good to me, Fox.  Nice natural motion, slight hesitation at full draw, good J follow through, looks like good alignment.  I am not an archery coach, but if you are confident in your shooting, I would just stay with that form.  Good luck! 

[Fox]

Thanks, Timbo 


Stickmark, when I'm shooting bad my patterns are all over the place, up, down, left, right... I think I will try to read that book it sounds quite good!