Archery | Moving Up in Draw Weight

Common questions asked: How do I move up in draw weight? How do I know when I'm ready? How much should I move up by? We try to answer these questions in this talk.
Bows featured:
OMP Adventure 2.0, donated by Hunting-Bow
www.hunting-bow.com/collectio...
Samick Sage, donated by 3Rivers Archery
www.3riversarchery.com/samick-...
Shirt-out to Shire Archery
www.shirearchery.co.uk
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/ nusensei

[@reinori8322]

My only comment is...... Do not forget your lighter bow if you are trying to move up. Warm-up on the lighter bow. Shoot some arrows at the heavier weight, then move back down to the lighter bow when your form starts to degrade. Be gentle with yourself. Shoulders are incredibly complex, damaging one takes years to heal.

[@redsquarejay]

I shoot till my shoulders start to feel tender or stiff then I stop.

[@MegaCokamo]

*Brings 150 warbow to local range*

[@Hordil]

Jup, for Armor piercing it's great to have some more power behind it! blood for the bloodgod, those weak bows won't hurt me x)

[@worawatli8952]

It's like taking RPG to a gun range.

[@Feeshyenjoyer]

Worawat Li perfectly balanced, as all things should be

[@alexanderflack566]

Imagine working up to 100# or higher in 2# increments. Personally, I would do it as a percentage jump: buying 40 bows would get rather pricey, to say nothing of actually having enough space to store them all. Personally, I can't shoot a 150, though I have brought my 105# warbow to the local archery range more than once.

[@Peeenos]

@@alexanderflack566 What did you start on and how old were you? I'm buying my first bow as an adult and it's 50# Samick Sage lol.. I feel like I got too excited before I found all this stuff out. I've been weight training for 19 years so hopefully that transfers over...otherwise I'll get a cheapy 30# bow to practice with.

[@stephenfishman4964]

My scenario: I'm 5'5", 165# with a 26-inch draw length. I shot a 22# 66" bow for 2 years, then went to 26# 66" bow for two years. Now, I'm about to move to 30#, again on a 66" bow. I can shoot 200-250 arrows with some fatigue, but I can easily recover by the next day. I'm in pretty good shape for age 72.

[@olivevkb]

Oh goodness, I thought you meant your draw weight was now 165 pounds. Now that'd be a JUMP.

[@Australian_Made]

Way To Go👍👍

[@silvermediastudio]

Fairly new Samick Sage owner here, learned on a fixed recurve when I was young. I'm 6' tall, I work out and lift on a regular basis so I'm fairly strong. Got 30# limbs for practice and 55# limbs for hunting. Works out great, and I much prefer a day of shooting with the lighter limbs. It's just like shooting a rifle, .22 is a lot more fun and you can build the same marksmanship fundamentals that you'd then take over to a large centerfire caliber for competition or hunting.

[@DrawingTechnical]

That's useful info, thanks.

[@jupitersscourge]

About a year ago I started archery by building a PVC bow. The build said it would come out to roughly 65lbs, so I assumed that's what I was shooting. So when I got really into archery, I bought a 50lb recurve bow because i wanted something a bit easier, but legal to use for hunting. It turned out that at my draw length (26-27 inches) the PVC bow only pulls, like 35lbs and at a regular draw it pulls around 38. So where I thought I was going down in weight, I was actually going up. By now I've basically gotten used to it, but it put a great strain on my arms trying to grow into the recurve. But now I can hit a target at 40 yards! Not well, but at least I'm hitting the target.

[@tzenophile]

I went from a 45 pound one piece longbow to a 60 pound one piece (special rebate sale). I was surprised I could shoot it at all. Still working at the "...well" part. But the feeling when I took my first shot . . .

[@christelleberthon]

I've got 30 million views on my videos and I still don't understand people are putting a thumb down when it's good. The same goes for you NU Sensei, all your videos are so well explained presented and documented that it puzzles me that 10 idiots dislike this video

[@danielmeecham464]

Hey guy, Thank you for the very relevant video! I am reasonably strong such that I can carry 100 lb pails in each arm of concrete all day. So at a sportsman show, I bought a 55 lb draw Matrix. I learned quickly that it's a totally different set of muscles. I can pull it back, but I barely hold it for long and I don't have a grouping to speak of. I am now looking to pick up a 30 lb draw weight.

[@m14hh5]

Had a friend who was much stronger than me try to draw my 50 lb. bow that I started with. He couldn’t do it. It’s very hard to gage until you pull.

[@bollockchops1616]

Great advice, as always. Thanks for taking the time to make these splendid video tutorials.

[@marthaanderson2656]

Really well done. Thoughtful and comprehensive

[@bradforddemond6187]

Great vid! This and the ‘choosing draw weight’ video are super helpful for this topic!

[@philbateman1989]

I came to archery as an ex alcoholic and I had literally screwed my muscles through years of substance abuse and being sedentary. I started out at 22lbs draw, and got pretty good, but as soon as I went up to 26lbs, which I did WAY too soon as my muscles were still very messed up and I still had the shakes, it was a miserable experience and I stopped having fun. I couldn't get the bow back and my accuracy was non-existent. Seriously, don't go up in weight until you're SURE you're ready, because if you're not, it will ruin the experience. I ended up going back to 22lbs not 2 months later and stayed at 22lbs for about a further 6 months before I went up to 24lbs.

[@decimated550]

Yella Dart I have a 35 pound bone in and decided to go up to 40 but I’ve been in office go to for 10 years I haven’t worked outside with my muscles in such a long time I ripped my shoulders to pieces and after a $750 x-ray series From weeks of pain . I dropped back down to 35. And could shoot all day. I’ve gone up again but only to 37 and go to creep up to 40 by the end of the year

[@thatdudethecommenter1012]

I'm proud of you,i hope you're doing great now

[@kieranbouffard503]

14 y/o me using my dads 55 pound hunting bow bc the only other one I have sucks

[@The_Fit_ness_monster]

I’ve been at 70# for years now. Just wondering how old you are? My 12 year old draws 25#.

[@Australian_Made]

@@The_Fit_ness_monster My 15 y.o. draws 110# all day long, and still fit by the end. What's wrong with your 12 y.o.? ... 🏹🎯 🙊 😜

[@davidwsmith316]

Thank you NUSensei! This video was extremely helpful! 😊

[@michaelrooks880]

As someone who jumped from 50lbs to 60lbs I can say be careful. I ended up messing my back and arms up so much that I had to take a couple month break from shooting, please just go slow if you are going to increase your draw weight

[@kaizen5023]

The joint and ligament strain etc. is real, and you might not feel it until the next day when you've really messed yourself up and take weeks to recover.

[@sevenrats]

60lbs is ridiculously hard.

[@psturtivant]

That was extremely helpful: it addressed, in a clear, logical and comprehensive way questions that I've been working on since the end of the summer here. It didn't give me the answer I need, but it has given me confidence that (so far, at any rate) I'm approaching this decision in the right way. I'm very grateful for this kind of help.

[@14cnewman]

Hi NUSensei this is the best topic explained about archery I ever seen before. Thansks very much and good luck

[@garyhiggins3575]

On a different matter, thanks for posting these videos, you do a great job!

[@imsteevin]

I recently started with 35 lbs and am glad I did, shooting more has been way better for learning

[@russdub1]

great video as always :). One thing not mentioned on cost of limbs is that you can save money by buying limbs quite a few pounds heavier than you would comfortably use but bring the weight down with a modern riser by a good 10% from the marked weight and then move on up to and beyond the the limb weight stated on the limbs with adjustments. This has saved me a lot of money over the last 2 years of shooting and has made me a better tech at tuning. There is however a possible extra cost to moving up because you may find that you need a set of stiffer shafts. Love all your archery vids keep up the good work.

[@miketree7715]

One of your best yet! Another reason for wanting to move up is when shooting at unmarked distances. In NFAS Field Archery shots are taken from unmarked pegs. A faster arrow will have less affect on badly estimated distance as the trajectory is flatter.

[@Andarthiel]

This is a good explanation of the reasons most people upgrade their draw weight. I recently had an issue where I was trying to shoot 50 and 60 metres in my first competition. My sight was all the way down on the horizontal rail and I actually had to move my aim over the target to actually hit it. I am using 24 lb limbs and one of the coaches at my club told me to get heavier limbs to avoid this problem (by about 4 lbs).

[@viktor12ru]

good topic! I was just wondering about it... Good advice.

[@vagnerrr]

Some thoughts on dealing with the budget constraints when moving up in draw weight. 1) If you are a novice archer and your club as a bow rental agreement then it may be worth doing that for the first year. Usually direct equipment rental from a club ( or via an arrangement with a supplier ) comes with the ability to swap out the limbs during the rental period. So you can follow NUSesei's advice and go for nice small 1-2# increments. 2) When it comes to purchasing your own kit spend a little more money on the riser ( the middle part ) the higher end risers on the take down bows normally have the ability to "wind up" the limb strength by around 10% so if you are starting with a 25-30# bow that's an extra 2.5-3# weight which you can add in really small increments over several weeks. Then you can purchase new limbs that are maybe 1-2# heavier than your new maximum and wind the riser right back again so your jumps in limb weight can be 5-10# each time but you only have to handle at most a 1# increase in one go.

[@stm12p]

exactly what my local club advised me to do, "just to save a shit load of your money" they said. it seems it is wiser to invest to a high end riser.

[@6string4]

im older i hunt with a 65 at 28 but when i practice every day i use 40 to 50 way easier to get really good form .then after hundreds of shots for form ill draw the hunting 65 so my form is so dialed in all i have to do is shoot my hunting bow if you go 15 meters with a 40 not much diffrence with 65 where it stands out the change i say is 25 meters to 40 meters then the drop wont be that much causes its heavier carry the load i dont shoot much passed 50 meters hunting you get close to your game deer ect keep up the good work NUSENSEI i like hearing how you shoot nice to see forms or styles from other people and enjoy archery i was lucky to grow up with archery my mom worked for fred bear and as a kid fred would tell me stuff about archery hes a hero in my town grayling mi

[@mwbgaming28]

That's one of the benefits of a compound, you have very fine adjustment of the draw weight

[@Digitalfrosch5]

Your ability to explain these subjects right to the point amazes me. Keep up the good work!

[@hotchihuahua1546]

NU , This is probably the best and one of the most important criteria for any new archer and old archer who is getting back into the sport ! I was 15 when I started with a 52# recurve and compound bows didn't exist ! I am 67 today and still enjoy the sport and weight will make or break you from archery if not careful ! Many of my older friends have shoulder problems today due to this and it cant be over emphasized ! I choose to hunt with a 60# compound with 80% let off and use a 34 # recurve for 3 D as I find it much more fun for me ! keep those shoulder muscles toned my friend or you will pay the price ! My advice is to start at low poundage get your form right and move up, I wish I had been given that advise when I first started as I think I could have been a better archer today! 😂

[@rijodel]

I use to compete (shooting at 70 m, 60m 50m and 30m) with a 25# Yamaha Black Widow, for years and I was very accurate. The tournaments lasted all day. I could shoot the whole event without getting tired. My opponents with 40# bows (or more), were very tired and ended up missing the target (good for me), especially at the end of the competition. Why change?

[@mina86]

Because how else can you get your arrow through your enemy’s armour! /s

[@clemj7928]

I think it is because it is more accurate against wind as the arrow is moving faster. otherise I dont know

[@variksenmarja7534]

But thats not how i make my peepee feel better when my thing is larger than the guys thing next to me.

[@alexanderflack566]

Personally, I find that heavier arrows from a heavier bow (to keep arrow speed reasonable) work better in wind. Also, such a setup is far more ideal for hunting. However, if your muscles are aching after 200 arrows, you're probably shooting a bow that is too heavy for you (I say 'probably' because exceptions exist for things like injuries; if your muscles ache every time you shoot 200 arrows at a single sitting, though, you ARE overbowed). Personally, as someone who is fascinated by historical archery, I would like to eventually work my way up to being capable of using bows of draw weights typically seen on battlefields (part of the reason is that I would like to do realistic tests of their capabilities; I've found that most such tests I've seen use either armor or bows/arrows/shooting technique that are not historically accurate).

[@theamazinggoldfish8713]

I went from a 25# bow (bought online) to a 50#, to much, for 60 arrows at a time. You have done it the right way. Enjoy your shooting.🤗

[@charlesdenman9052]

Informative. Thanks. Archery is an ideal physical and mental exercise in this pandemic.

[@Australian_Made]

😁😇

[@MartinTetik]

Great video, thanks a lot for many information. you may have mentioned few things 1) you can adjust the draw weight on your tiller usually by -5 to+ 10℅ 2) you need to thing about the actual draw weight not about the one printed/written on limbs (I once bought stronger second hand limbs top class and due to its way better smoothness it wasn't any heavier than the cheap ones at the end of draw cycle) using the tiller adjustment and usually going for higher quality limbs you can do step like 4-6 pounds on limbs and save some money doing small steps by 2 I currently use 32# Hoyt f7 seriously thinking about 36# Border cvh for next summer season (north part of the world here) hoping this 4 pounds jump will be OK.

Thats very true and I'm missing this in the video. Basicaly with 2 pairs of limbs you can move from training limbs to competitve limbs while saving a lot of money. 30lb pair and 40lb pair can cover draw weight from 26lbs to 45lbs

[@sevenrats]

I bought my first bow at 40lbs. When I first tried it I thought "holy crap, that's hard!' So I bought some 30lbs limbs. Much better. I shot the 30lbs for a couple of weeks and realized it felt really easy. So I went back to the 40lbs limbs. I just realized that you need to draw back with authority! Don't baby it! Use all the large muscles in the back! Then let it fly. I never before realized how much of a strength sport archery really is.

[@PatriksMotorVlog]

My progression as a fairly stong fully grown man shooting six days a week for those of you who want an example (freestyle/olympic recurve): *Started at 16# and after a few weeks jumped to 24# with no problems (only shot once or twice per week here). *Jumped up to 34# after a couple of months which wasn't the best idea because I had constant pain in my back muscles for two weeks and didn't start to shoot decently for over a month but after that it was fine. *After around 5-6 months I went to 42# thinking it would be the same as last time but this really was a mistake. I didn't get any pain except some normal soreness but my accuracy went to shit. Now it's three months later and I'm still not as accurate as I was in the spring but I'm finally starting to get there. My advice is to go for 4-6# increase and don't rush it. You'll get there eventually :)

[@nanaxoomy]

I'm a beginner archer. I choose barebow archery. According to your standar, I guess I am not an average person. I started at 20 lbs and now my instructor tell me to moving up to 22 lbs. Other ppl has 28 lbs draw weight, 40 lbs .... but it is okay for me. I enjoy archery so I will enjoy the process

[@kaizen5023]

perfect attitude! enjoy!

[@DavidE-yk4en]

lighter bow helps with building good forms cuz the amount of tolerance is quite limited. 30lbs is more than enough for most indoor matches

[@stevehatfield117]

I'm at the turn in my life that I want to try a Recurve bow again. Since shooting my Compound bows, I had a Heart attack and Quadruple bypass. Also, I haven't made any Testosterone for over 20 years. I've also came off Prescription Chemical Dependency very recently. My compound bows are setting at 48 to 52# with let-offs from 5% to probably 35%. I consider the 5% let-off bow to be really a 50# short longbow with pulleys. An "anchor-point" is a difficult thing to achieve -- gotta go down in draw weight. OK I have a 40# "Turkish Recurve", that I bought about 60 years ago. It's too short to get an anchor point, reliably. My draw length is about 29 inches; long limbs are smoother to 'overdraw' at the upper end. I'm seeing and understanding the reasoning in 20 to 30# draw weights. [CONTROL] I bookmarked MANY of your videos for future reference. Maybe you'll see my new comment on this October 8, 2016 video, (I hope).

[@kaizen5023]

Consider a 20lb bow for practice, I have been using one to clean up my form and it is a real joy to shoot it for hours. Get some small diam. carbon arrows and be surprised how fast they are!

[@Synergymonkey]

Consider trt?

[@PetterBruland]

Some idiot came to the range yesterday, with a 100 lbs compound bow, and shot the arrows entirely through the foam block and into the wall behind. Started at 45, waaaay too much, went down to 34 for 2 months, and now I'm at 38, and its very comfortable. I'll stay here until I have a super grouping, then work out the step up to 40+ for hunting. Still lots to learn, not rushing anything.

[@szymonp.8550]

I'm 21 novice archer and started with 35 lbs. It's good enough for me as a person practising calistenic for 1 year

[@skeezixcodejedi]

Great video, thanks!

[@Killerean]

I have chosen my draw weight to 24lb. That is i think a good idea for multiple reasons here in Czechia. 1. Czech law specifies 150N+ (33.5lb) bow to be a D class mechanical weapon. That brings limitations to backyard shooting, because rules apply from here. Below this draw weight as I understand the law, you're ok. 2. Despite the fact I'm reasonably built guy, lifting a bucket of water horizontally 100 times is not as easy as it may seem. My fingers, despite the glove, have been pulverized. My shoulders got tired pretty soon, but because it's a light bow I can keep going. 3. In my opinion, it's significantly easier to detect form flaws with a lighter bow that won't immediately injure me. Currently I'm solving my long middle finger issue, because it likes to hang on to the string longer than the rest of my fingers. 4. If I miss (and I did) my field tips have rather small penetrative strength from a 24lb bow. At 6 meters, I won't get through both sides of a light summer shoe (I was wondering so I tested that). So if I incidentally shoot my arrow somewhere to hell, I know it's unlikely to get very far, much less to kill somebody.

[@jeffslade1892]

A little strange as when I was a club member here in the UK years ago they had 28 lb practice bows for beginner ladies/youths and 44 lb for beginner gents, indoor and outdoor ranges. A 150N bow is very light. The instructors found I did not draw correctly, not stable, until someone handed me a 75 lb hunting bow. This is unusual. Partly natural disposition and having done heavy lifting work on vac jobs when younger, back muscles. Having an interest in longbow I later found I could shoot 120 and 150 lb bows with some ease. One of the club members made them, they are not off the peg. The reason for such draw weights is the ability to shoot very much heavier arrows with 4 oz or even 6 oz heads on 1/2 inch shafts the length of a football pitch. Not so much for penetration as massive impact. Heavy bows are uneasy, you aim before the draw and draw and release in one movement without holding. Longbow competitors do not routinely use bows that heavy, nor would I. Lifting buckets of water will strengthen the wrong muscles, drawing a bow will strengthen the right ones; the action is uneven on each arm, one pushes the other pulls, but it's the back doing the work pulling the shoulders. To strengthen fingers, play guitar (seriously). Try using a tab instead of a glove to ensure a smooth release. Regarding penetration though, I had a 28 lb practice bow shoot a blunt pile (target) arrow clean through a wooden shed, the fence behind it, through another shed and the fence behind that and finally embed in a tree. All bows are dangerous weapons to be used responsibly and can certainly be as lethal as any firearm.

[@stewartrobertson2337]

great stuff, i just started shooting at 48 and use a 25 pound bow, it's plenty strong enough, !!!, Stewart..!!

[@leonwong2391]

Draw weight ego, well said haha!

[@garyhiggins6718]

Hi David, I have been shooting off and on for 50 years I could pull 36 pounds all day quite easily! Then I got Sepsis, spent a fortnight in Intensive care in a coma, lost a leg and now I can barely manage 20 pounds, and I am not even sure if my crippled hands can even hold a bow! Ther.e are lots of reasons to re.gard drawweight a,s a fluid thing!😫😊

[@Larrypint]

Gut Besserung

[@Australian_Made]

Glad to hear you are still here, and still keen for archery. 😊

[@alantitter7879]

I originally started out with a 34# draw bow and shooting every week over 2 years, I went up to 36# and eventually 40#. as I shoot barebow with a short riser 23" the 40# bow gives me a reasonable sight window at 60 meters.unless I moved to sighted recurve, a lower poundage bow gave me a sight window that i could not use out at 60 meters. as I shoot 200 arrows or so a session I gather the 40# draw is suitable for my needs

[@vfc1860]

Great video again. I shoot 44# with my thumbring and Turkish bow and I shoot #60 with my selfbow or composite bow using Mediterranean release. I can shoot these for and hour or two. I like a bit of a workout and feel I should move up by 50# but Im getting older.

[@alexanderflack566]

If you want to use war archery techniques (and it sounds like you do), I would check out Justin Ma's channel, specifically his video about drawing heavy weight bows (kzbin.info/www/bejne/i6eqcox4gs2Vgbs ). A lot of it comes down to technique more than strength, if you're willing to use a traditional style (which tend to be less precise than modern shooting techniques, because draw weight was a lot more important to them and worth sacrificing some accuracy for).

[@meranoid]

I don't know what it's like in other countries but here in germany nearly every archery shop offers a renting system where you pay an annual or 6-monthly fee for your bow or just the limbs. During that renting period one can also change the limbs free of charge or sometimes a small fee. That's ideal for beginners to start with a low draw weight and move up 2-4 pound every 3-4 months. I did that when I started archery with 13 and again when restarting after a nearly 6 year break. Nearly every beginner I know uses that system for the first 1-2 years.

[@dimasgomez]

That would be great. Unfortunately most countries don't have it.

[@clemj7928]

that sounds awesome. we dont have it in the us

[@clemj7928]

that sounds awesome. we dont have it in the us

[@Travelswithgirlbear]

Wish that was done in the US

[@simonsas1492]

Thank you, lots of useful information *o*

[@AJB2K3]

I get alot of flack for using a 26lb bow but my problem is consistency. I struggle to maintain grouping as I struggle to support the bow after a few ends.

[@kaizen5023]

Tell them to sod off, it's not a weightlifting competition or a pissing contest. Just tune them out and focus on your form and your shot process... and consider getting new shooting partners if the are really giving you flack.

[@jasonscott8844]

I hunt in south western Victoria and started with a 80 pound single Cam compound bow but use a 60 pound double cam compound now as it looses an arrow allot faster and more accurately than my old 80.

[@jasonscott8844]

When I started shooting my 80 I couldn't even draw it properly. Took a couple of weeks of trying before I could pull it past the let off. Now I can snap off 20 or 30 shots before I start to have difficulty drawing it.

[@jamesgretsch4894]

Five pound increment is a good way to go. That’s what I have been doing and it works out well. I think I’m going to top out at 40.

[@kieranbouffard503]

Started shooting maybe a week ago and I had a 20# bow and my dad gave me his old 55# bow and yeah I use that one

[@kenmare16]

Very informative. Aother thing to consider is beyond a certain age or after a period away from archery or due to injury it may be a good idea to move down in weight. Could be a reason to retain your low draw weight limbs or bows?

[@sovernsectwarren]

I believe a 5# increase a year is very reasonable (while maintaining complete bow control) as long as one shoots a lot on a consistent basis and lifts weights to some degree to strengthen their back muscles. I don't think anyone maxes out on what draw weight they can pull unless they believe that there is such a thing as "maxing out". Howard Hill worked his way up to a 170# bow and was known for shooting an 80#+ bow in his 60's shooting 150-200 arrows in a single session without any difficulty.

[@NUSensei]

I think of "maxing out" as the peak of what you can accomplish given what you currently commit to, with consideration to how time you dedicate to training and your physical foundations. Similarly to the draw weight increase, many people overlook the need to shoot daily and assume that they can simply move up to a heavy draw weight because, physically, they should be able to.

[@sovernsectwarren]

I agree 100%. Most people simply do not shoot enough and on top of that they do not do any heavy bow work or lift weights that target their archery muscles.

[@sovernsectwarren]

It depends on what your goals are. If you shoot 150+ arrows in a single session a 10+ pound jump per year will hinder you more than help you. If you are shooting English Warbow's and shoot less than 50 arrows in a session or shoot once or twice a week than a 10 pound jump a year is fine. I personally want maximum bow control and joints take more time to grow than muscle so I limit myself to only a 5 pound increase a year.

[@petrokemikal]

I love my 25 pound bow probably even more than some of the higher draw weight ones I have.. Its only downside is, If you have a sight on it and your shooting 30, 40 meters you will max out how far the sight can come down before it actually might hit the fletching on the way out.. But for close range backyard rounds, which is where I do 90 percent of my shooting, its pretty perfect really..

[@JuliusRhys]

Great video as always NuSensei, another idea regarding draw weights is how do you come back to shooting when you haven't shot for a long time. IMO that's pretty relevant to us who have things to do besides shooting everyday. Do we power through and use our heavy limbs till the muscles "come back" or do we use light poundage limbs and work our way up again?

[@NUSensei]

A bit of both. Form and technique should take precedence, so getting the right feel for shooting well is generally the way to go. Once you are confident in your form, shoot your heavy bow.

[@mikurusagawa6897]

I bought 38# as my first bow, but as somewhat chunky boy I don't regret that purchase, because I could try to shoot at slightly longer distances without much issue

[@saurlex1368]

I started with 26 pound limbs, (have about a 30inch DL) and I struggle after about 50-60 arrows, I'll look to go up once my endurance increases.

[@akulinsk]

Very helpful. Thx.

[@megaman992]

Ive taken 20# increases, but only after a year of working with the bow. I’m on 60 but I will likely be stuck there as my practice is so inconsistent that I don’t often get too much improvement. That being said, I’ve found oddly enough that I can’t shoot too well with my 20, I shoot slightly better with my 40, but of all I shoot best with 60. I do plan on going hunting sometime, and I shoot compound.

[@leeprice133]

I currently shoot 30# and when shooting barebow I'm able to get sight marks with the point on the target face all the way up to 60m (although I do have a slightly longer than average draw length so probably pulling closer to 33# at full draw)

[@lirengao275]

Hi Nusensei, I'm a newbie in archery, recently joined a club and is feeling that maybe the Olympic style is my thing. So I am considering buying my own bow. I can use 24 pound now without much shaking. I can understand that around 25 pound is enough for like 30 meters or so, and the form, the shooting process and the consistency is the key point. The problem is that when I am browsing the websites of those "pro" manufacturers like W&W or HYOT, their limbs just tend to be provided at 28~pound, most start from 30. So I assume that I should exercise more to raise my capable draw weight to at least 28 pound. As a background I understand that this question is somehow combined with gear choosing. I think I'll mostly end up buying only one bow in my life - too many things to worry about money. So I guess a mid level or advanced level bow is what I'd like to invest into for this one single purchase. Sure if I keep practicing, I believe that 30 pound will eventually be too light for me but as you said, it should be good enough for my purpose. My concern is, first I cannot use 28 pound limbs now so buying them now is not a good idea. How should I buy my first bow? Leave those fancy "pro" limbs and by some other pairs to start the fun first? Or use the training equipment my club provides until I am strong enough? Thank you.

[@agnostic47]

" I can use 24 pound now without much shaking." Any shaking is too much shaking.

[@mesho3620]

can you make a video about sight panic and how to solve it

[@vahidki186]

Thanks for information

[@9thStateEagle]

Excellent video. I think I will buy a 25 lbs bow when I get paid next week and then go up by 2-5 lbs every month if I'm consistently accurate and controlling.

[@theamazinggoldfish8713]

Nusensei also suggest (if available) going to an archery club to try out poundages and types of bows you would enjoy in the long run. In the long run it will save money and prevent frustration.

[@PlutoProtogen]

i hav eone of those excersize bands, the rubber ones im gonna work with to work on muscle building, its light enough its not super strenuous but it adds resistance to work on it, i can simply adjust the weight by moving my hand up the rubber band

[@thomasnikolaou8331]

Starting up with 30# after five months moved up to 50#. I bought then a 40# which was feeling awesome, then it broke so I moved back to 50#. Now I'm shooting 45# for some months.

[@sgtsanga747]

I have a 55# compound bow but unless I go out hunting I just have it set at 30# for practice

[@ambrosekillpack4841]

Compound bows offer a little more leeway because they have what's called a let off. This is where your draw weight becomes really light at the end of the draw cycle. So you are actually only holding a fraction of the weight that the bow will dump into the arrow when you actually release.

[@Shaker4x4]

What I think you were trying to suggest, was whilst 10# increase jump is ok in the lower weight bracket when being budget concious, then over 35# should only be 5# increase jumps for most adults, or if combining weight training to build muscle, 30# - 40# jump perhaps, then 5# increments thereafter, particularly as draw weight gets closer to becoming demanding on personal structure, and compromising form? Trying to sum up what you said.

[@-fazik-3713]

Also it is worth mention that the ILF system will allow You to change Your draw weight in some degree (10%) so You need less sets of limbs.

[@jonathanrogers9961]

Based on my goals my draw weight is simple. I have 2 goals, to hunt and be able to shoot a war bow. To hunt in my state the minimum is 35lb. I went with 40lb just in case my draw length and or brace height lowered things a bit. Also it will allow me to work on technique and form as I have not shot a bow in over 10yrs and that was compound. As to my second goal I hope to be able to shoot a 120lb regularly, with good technique, and with enough accuracy to hunt. With that said I know it is going to take a long time to get to war bow weight, i plan to just go slow and take my time, and go up in small increments.

[@stonksrgud7645]

most people dont even go beyond 60 in their entire lifes, 120 is a humongus ask and i doubt you will ever reach that if you have average genetics

[@h0tkoko]

I agree. I shoot target butts for fun and I agree a #30 lb bow suits me nicely. I rarely shoot my Black Hunter #45 lb bow for one I find it heavy to draw and second, the arrows go through the target butt at 10 meters.lol

[@kennethng4805]

I have been doing archery for 2 weeks. I shoot 4 times a week. Each session is about 2-3 hours. I have a coach for that. I started off with a 25# LH ELB, then I moved on to a LH 30# compound bow without a sight on the first day. On the second days, I started to use the 30# cound bow to shoot a smaller target (20-cm in diameter) at 15 yards. After a while, LH 50# compound bow with a sight to shoot at 20-cm target at 15 yard. After, getting only 9's and 10's, I moved to shoot at a 18 yard target, then 20 yard. Now, I am shooting at a 20-cm-diameter target from 25 yards and get mostly 10's and 9's. I am still not getting tired. (Thanks to over a decade of moving, pulling and lifting patients as a paramedic and training in firearm shooting.) Should I move onto using a heavier setting for a farther target? I hate to damage my arrows, they have been scratch each other.

[@dragonsarchery]

I moved up just this month from 26 to 34 to 36 and to 44 in draw weight

[@FPChris]

I bought 36# at first. It was too much. I got a 25#. Love it. I was shooting for hours at a time at 10 yards. I tried to move to 32# and I could shoot it but it was a workout. I went back to 25# for now. I may look for a 28# set of limbs then progress to the 32# again at some point.

[@FPChris]

Forgot to mention I had open heart surgery a year ago and I'm trying to rebuild my strength.

[@consume_vegetables]

I'm running a 32-34" draw weight. Would you recommend it for a 70 meter target?

[@markburban9573]

The one reason i recently had to move up draw weight was realising my arrows were way too stiff & I needed at least another 4 pounds. So i ended up jumping up 6 pound limbs (because that's all the store had in stock) so in order to cater for such a jump i made sure i shot my bow with tiller bolts all the way in for a few weeks; & then wound them out as far as safely possible before attaching the new +6 pound limbs. Still felt the extra weight alot for the first week; but it's been about 3 weeks now & it's all starting to feel normal again. :) & best bit is my arrows are now perfectly tuned & it's showing in my scores.

[@Australian_Made]

💗😁😁😁😁😁😁

[@theamazinggoldfish8713]

I am stepping up in weight by changing to a beginners compound (leader accessories 55#) bow. It still looks like my top archery 50# recurve, but the 70% let off helps so much with aiming. P.S. I would have shot at the annoying bird! Lol 😂

[@Lost_Hwasal]

I practice about 5 hours a week, is that pretty low in terms of building up to a higher draw weight?

[@calmarcalmar]

Ha, new to archery - and probably only going to shoot sometimes.. in the wild.. a few times a year. However I was using a theraband (latex) hooked on a scale.. and it seems I can easily get #40 onto it. With actually holding the elbow pretty much up.. and then 'circle' it back the head down.. When I want I can also bring #60 onto the scale. (well 190cm and 120kg - draw is about 30" I guess. Since I can actually - as it seems on the gymnastic-band-test easy #40 - I might go with a #45 anyway.. what will be #50. It's just more fun seems to me :P .. maybe a #40.. but not below (with the "30 that would result in a #45). It's just a fun-shooting sometimes .. not more. That's what I plan to buy - had never a bow in my hand :P Either way, you are a very very agreeable - very informative guy NUSensei! thank you very much! Very helpful on so many issues related to that archery thing :)

[@ollifoxbow9123]

Thank you for this clip and your helpful content in general. As you mentioned archers who do not shoot take-down bows have a problem related to budget limitations if they want to increase draw weight by small increments. So, I am a selfbow longbow archer and I would say I am doing quite decently on my 45 pounds. As I want to get a more realistic notion of what it feels like to shoot a medieval bow, I want to increase my draw weight to 70 to 75 pounds. What approach do you suggest for this context?

[@kaizen5023]

Do a lot of seated rows at the gym and buy used bows on ebay.

[@eriklommen]

ive been using a 35 pound horsebow for 8 months , and i still cant hold it longer than 5- 10 seconds without terrible tremors, Its not a super problem for me because i shoot instinctive and release almost instantly after the draw, my question is, i dont feel like i got stronger even the slightest bit, and still have the same performance, (in terms of drawing, not accuracy etc) as 8 months ago. P.S i shoot 3 times a week for 3 hours per session.

[@angelgutierrez374]

Started about 2 months ago at 22lbs and I'm now on 24 My long term goal is at least 40lbs because I'd like to go hunting one day I am having having hard time picking my first bow only because the draw weights are so high on recurve hunting bows for ethical reasons and I'm just not there yet and I'm not a fan of compounds,I prefer the more traditional feel

[@cristianrojas4969]

Simple question: I shot in a competition of 60 arrows (18mt, 80cm target) two months ago and made 553/600 points. Last week in other similar competition (18mt, 60cm target) made 519/600. In the next I must shoot at a 40cm target and need to do 500 out of 600 points (my goal). Should help to raise my actual 30 pounds to 32?

[@LifeAsAPotato]

I would say go up by 2 pound increments

[@jan-stevenmerson8445]

Hi thank you for your videos, I am 66 and getting into Archery, and I learned alot listening to you. What is your draw weight

[@Joker-yw9hl]

I don't know about his main bows or his Olympic recurve but I know his Samick Polaris is 25, Southwest Spyder is 45, and he generally varies it up I think

[@shengloongtan229]

I think you need 66 pound draw weight

[@joebeck2619]

What is an affordable recurve bow that you can grow with to increase draw weight over time. My ultimate goal is to do traditional archery hunting

[@redsquarejay]

I want to go from a 35 to a 45 because I want the arrow to have for strait line speed for longer distances and to feel the power

[@bmaluginthevanishingman6034]

I shot my PSE 20 lb promax for 2-day shy of the year I got me a TideWe 45lb.. after doing a year I think 45 was perfect for me

[@jtepsr]

can you give me advice on arrow weight selection. my draw length is 24 1/2, i shoot a 35lb recurve or long bow. i only shoot 3d. i have tried 1000, 1200, 1400 spine arrows. the longest distance i shoot is 30 yards. should i try heavier or stick with these light speed demons

[@Master-Shannon]

One acronym, RSI. With a high elbow draw you are likely relying on infraspintus and teres major muscles rather than “getting your back into it” as a “English Long Bowman” would. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qWrHap6dhrR9hZI These muscles being small with a dominance of fast twitch fibres will fatigue easily. Therefore, if you increase weight you need to drop repetition and gradually increase reps slowly as the progressive muscle overload states.

[@rashahashim1156]

I have been using a 28 weight bow for about 4 years now and I decided to move up to 34 , it has been a week now and it's hard and causing me pain in my shoulder and arms. Any advice to improve myself!?, thank you 🌸

[@DJOldManTrouble]

Around minute 9 you argue that normally the groupings suffer when you increase your draw weight. Perfectly reasonable and surely true for most people. With me it is a little different. I used to shoot state-level in my teens, then stopped, and now - in my forties - got infected with archery again. Just as anyone who starts over I started with relativly light bows, 24, 26 and 28lbs. All the time I struggled because, while my results where not THAT bad, nothing felt right. My technique and the feel for the shot, one of my biggest advantages as a teen, where completely gone. The sight wandered all over the place, I felt no backtension, the release was disgusting (because of lack of backtension). Then I tried a 36lbs-bow and - you guessed it - bazinga! The frontend bones in the arm finally rested where they should, I felt the pull and tension in the back and everything aligned as it should. Long story short: sometimes a higher draw weight can be beneficial - especially when you just need the feeling back.

[@DJOldManTrouble]

p.s. no linmbs for hire in autralia? here in germany and europe you can rent them until you rech your final draw weight.

[@DJOldManTrouble]

p.p.s. great channel! rock on! ;)

[@sovernsectwarren]

That makes sense as a higher draw weight is also more forgiving and it will be easier to get a cleaner release with. Higher draw weight limbs are also harder to torque and are thus more forgiving, there will also be a naturally flatter arrow trajectory and wind will effect your shot less. I've heard other people talk about how a lower draw weight causes them to shake more as well and I can see how to an extent.

[@DJOldManTrouble]

yupp! plus, in my case, i think that maybe my muscles needed a stronger stimulus to remember what they were supposed to do. with "too little" weight they had control issues.

[@sovernsectwarren]

That's what I was thinking when I read your comment. With too little weight you can become lazy and not really engage your muscles that much or even engage the wrong muscles. With a heavier draw weight you have to engage those muscles 100% or let the bow down. There's less of an in between area with the heavier draw weights.

[@Kryoclasm]

Lots of good advice. I have a quick question if you have time. I am new to archery and will be getting my own bow in the next couple of weeks. I have found that I can shoot a 25lbs club bow for an hour and a half, 100 ish arrows, before my consistency starts to drop. I will be getting a 25" riser with long limbs. Do you think getting 25lbs limbs is a good starting point or should I try 28lbs? Thank you for any comment.

[@tyrael280]

start at 25lbs if you measure 25 was best

[@dick-gs9tb]

I got back into archery last summer after a twelve year hiatus. Ignorant as I was, I just grabbed my old 38 lbs limbs and started shooting 72+ arrows each session. Two weeks later my draw shoulder hurt like a son of a bitch and I had to take a couple of weeks off. Went down to 30 lbs, then moved up to 36 lbs in January, 38 lbs in May, and as of July I'm pulling 44 lbs. At 44 I can handle 72 arrows plus warm-up pretty well, but a 1440 round is out of the question and I have been having some shoulder issues again. I'm now on a one-week break and will move back down to 38 this weekend. From this experience, I think an optimal rule of thumb would be to only move up in draw weight once you can shoot the 144th and final arrow at 30 metres as comfortably and controlled as the first one at 90. You might build your strength more effectively if you're a bit more aggressive in moving up in weight, but your shooting will ultimately suffer in the meantime.

[@brightmal]

I've just moved up from 30 to 38#, and everything is fine except my fingers. I had to switch from my glove to my Dad's multi-layer tab, but my forefinger is still feeling it. I think it'll take a while to get used to that. Unfortunately my Dad hasn't got 34# limbs for that riser, which would be optimal.

[@jupitersscourge]

For me it's always been my ring finger that gets hurt the most for some reason. How are you holding your string?

[@brightmal]

Split finger. When I use a glove there's some discomfort on both the forefinger and middle finger on the release. With the tab, there is less to start with, and then it kicks in for the hold, rather than the release. I think its largely cause I've just gone up in draw weight, and then didn't shoot for nearly 2 weeks. My over all physical condition is so poor that if I don't shoot every few days I tend to feel it somewhere. There is a bonus to this though. As my right shoulder is doing better, and I can hold my compound more, so I'll be shooting for a bit with the recurve, then switch to my compound when my finger gets too sore. That's a win.

[@laghaim9999]

I see training tool called Prairie Innovator Bow Trainer, which is a stick with multiple streching band with draw weight 20 - 130 lbs. Is it wise to make "big jump" by using this training tool?

[@NUSensei]

Yes, this is one of the tools you can use to increase your strength and condition yourself to heavier bows.

[@x3roxide]

best to do small jumps and increase the reps. safer that way and will benefit your endurance. I started at 46# and ended up at 75# within a year. unfortunately, this tool does have some gaps in its draw weights (for example at a draw length of 29" you cannot find anything between 53# and 66#, so I did more reps and held it for 5 seconds between let downs) It is also important to ensure a warm up with comfortable light weight before continuing the training. starting cold with heavy weights is not a good idea and could lead to injury.

[@RichardsModellingAdventures]

Also consider you may need new arrows if you go up in weight.

[@mattludford5291]

Something I've always wondered, why do elite tier limbs like Hoyt Quattro come in 20lbs? I've not seen many beginners with $500 to drop on limbs.

[@NUSensei]

Though I don't imagine they are hugely popular as "first" limbs, I guess they might be used for junior shooters or exclusively short-distance shooters, such as indoor competitions.

[@nochindeluxe]

Matt Ludford Keep in mind that some competitive archers will keep some low poundage limbs around when they want to work on a specific part of their technique. A university coach at my club said her archers drop as low as 16# to work on form. That still doesn't really answer the question of why you would need such expensive limbs for that though :p

[@TheOriginalCFA1979]

Ego? "My 20# limbs are more expensive than your 20# limbs and that makes me/them better," even if there's no appreciable difference in quality (or need for the difference in quality when it is there). Look at guitar companies, most will have guitars ranging from $300 to $30,000, and while the $3,000 offering might be 10 times better than the $300 offering, the $30,000 one will be almost exactly on par with, or very slightly better than, the $3,000 one. But people will still by the ungodly expensive one, because it's "$27,000 better." In other words, people with money to waste will buy it because the price implies its somehow better, even if it's not, even if they can't figure out why or how it's better, even if when they try it they don't think it's better. After all, it's "$27,000" more, so it has to be "$27,000" better. TL;DR If you build it, they will come; if you over price it, they will believe it's for a reason.

[@Shaker4x4]

I don't know about expensive being on par, or close to something in the middle, or similar. It's like audiophiles listening to speakers that are slightly more responsive than the under-brother counterpart. A bow limb may have more resilient materials that snap back faster, thus offer faster, more accurate flight, than a cheaper limb of less resilient material with less speed, but same draw weight. I'm no expert, but logic would dictate that an [audiophile], or professional archer is seeking that competitive edge, sometimes, it's money well spent when they win that next championship.

[@adamforbes1019]

I have a 25lb Samick Sage that I train with. I have had professional coaching since the start of my taking up archery. I have good proper form, and that's becoming muscle memory. My question is if I continue to practice form and release with the 25lb Sage at the shooting range, but train with a bow training band (Saunders) at home every day, will I be able to move up in draw weight much faster by exclusively training with, and progressing with the trainer at home? I feel like if I continually go up in poundage using the training bands while simultaneously train in archery at the range with my 25lb bow, I will be able to move up in weight faster, and be able to make much larger jumps in limb weights, without sacrificing form (due to actual shooting training with a lower pound bow).

[@NUSensei]

Indeed. Light draw weight focuses on form. Training bands focus on strength.

[@a3lorenzo]

How do you actually "go down" on your draw weight? If that's possible? I can't seem to find any explanation in Google. Do you just buy a different set of limbs? Strings?

[@kimw12394]

Same!!

[@CaronDriel]

As someone who wants to get into english longbow tradshooting and has an end goal of being able to shoot a 150 pound draw weight bow well, this was an excellent video. I know this is an old video and you probably won't see the comment, but do you have any sources you recommend for tradshooters, NuSensei? Particularly on KZbin. Your content is excellent for learning general knowledge, but I know you don't specialize in trad.

[@kaizen5023]

Clay Hayes channel for trad barebow