Para recurve archery - draw weight

Sara_F

New member
I am curious if there is someone here who knows what the para recurve archers draw on average to reach 70m.

My reason for asking is that I have no one to ask over here. I usually get qualified guesses and the most recent is that I need at least a 40# bow to comfortably reach 70m at my DL 23". I have a weaker left side due to Cerebral Palsy and thus I have some doubts that I will pull this of physically in the long run.

When watching clips of the para recurve teams compared to the non para recurvers it seems that the para archers' arrows are more sensitive to wind. Could this mean that they are pulling lower weights in general?

I don't know if I'm grasping at straws here to find excuses not to build up my strength to be able to draw that 40# or more bow to compete at international level, but any facts you can give me will be helpful as I feel a bit lost. I need a goal to strive for, but it has to be a reasonable one.
 
D

Deleted member 7654

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Dunno if you can generalise. Some paras will have great upper body strength, it depends on their specific dissability.
Almost any bow (of modern materials) can make 70m if the sights are adjusted suitably.
I'd think the best approach is to find a maximum comfortable draw weight you can manage and then modify the sights etc if necessary to give you a comfortable shooting position/setup/anchor for that range.
I think you need to think outside the box and accept you may need to modify or adjust outside the usual limits.
I'd think you are probably the best person to work out what is required (in terms of comfort and manageability), you just need someone who is able to modify and adjust kit to suit if you can't do it yourself. (A hobbyist engineer with a decent workshop!)
Good luck in your quest.
Del
(A riser with an adjustable grip would be a fun thing to experiment with....unfortunately, not my thing as I have no metalworking facilities and I just make wooden self bows)
 

isledweller

New member
I know women in my club shoot 70m with cca 34# on fingers recurves, but be prepared for higher wind effect.
 

Rdr

New member
A lot will depend on your anchor point, your arrows and your form but I have shot 70m with about 24lbs on the fingers - The sight was all the way in and the limbs were "average". Ok the score was not brilliant particularly in windy conditions, but it's a starting point while you increase your strength and perhaps wait to buy some faster limbs.
 

roytherecurve

New member
More important than draw weight is the arrow speed which your bow gives you.
For your draw length a shorter bow (around 64") will give you more speed than an identical set up with a longer "standard" (66/68") riser/limbs combination (I know this would not be identical but bare with me) and would be easier to handle from a wheelchair if you need to use one.

Using shorter arrows does mean that they will be lighter and have less bulk and surface area than those that shoot with longer draws and you have the advantage that your arrows will have to be of weaker spines due to their length and be lighter still! (I only shoot 25" and draw 40 Lbs on the fingers!)
The only disadvantage with lighter arrows is that they will be affected by wind more but with more arrow speed, your arrows are spending less time in the air and to an extent this helps to cancel the effect of the wind.

Other things such as the speed of the limbs, arrow point weight and shaft weight are all contributing factors in gaining speed without having to ramp up the draw weight and high quality limbs may even mean you can lower draw weight and still get the same arrow speed than with lower quality, cheaper limbs if your budget allows.

There are lighter arrows on the market and I shoot ACG/Navigators which are about as light as you can get for the money. ACE's and X10's begin to get heavier but have other advantages such as better aerodynamic properties. Cartell triples have a super thin profile for their spine and are excelent for combating the effects of wind being so thin!

So there's lots you can do to reach 70Mtrs easily but drawing a heavier bow doesn't have to be one of them!..
 

Sara_F

New member
leg_iron: There are some people in the Swedish para team who are lobbying that I change to compound bow. I understand the benefit, but at this time I would like to give recurve a chance and see how it goes.

Rdr: A sound bit of advice as I haven't shot my present bow outdoors yet. I should probably make my next investment in arrows and focus on my form with the easy to draw limbs I already have. Which by the way is 26# OTF so it could be workable for now.
 

bimble

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there are a few on the British Paralympic Squad pottering about on the forum...

something you won't want to do is to overbow (shoot too heavy) yourself, it would be better to do things like bringing your sight in/using lighter arrows...
 

leg_iron

Member
Sara_F, do you shoot standing or sitting down? I sit using a basic perching stool & i did find shooting with a recurve sitting down quite hard at times because of the length of the recurve, in my case a 68" bow.
 

clickerati

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Hi Sara, I'm a para-recurver and shoot from a stool. I shoot a 68" recurve with 28.5" arrows and pull 38#. My advice would be to try fast limbs, ACEs with 80 grain points and experiment with building up the platform on your tab (if you use one) to help with your sight mark. We're all individuals, so you will need to experiment as best you can. I hope this helps x
 

Sara_F

New member
Sara_F, do you shoot standing or sitting down? I sit using a basic perching stool & i did find shooting with a recurve sitting down quite hard at times because of the length of the recurve, in my case a 68" bow.
I shoot sitting down using a keyboard stool at the moment. I don't have a problem with my bow being too long as I'm using a 64" bow and I'm only 5'2 (158cm), but I have to use something on the floor/ground where I can put the tip of my bow so I can rest my bow arm between shots.

At the moment I'm working on a new stool. I have found that using the saddle to a unicycle will work very well as it is curved and shaped to give support to your balance.
 

Sara_F

New member
Hi Sara, I'm a para-recurver and shoot from a stool. I shoot a 68" recurve with 28.5" arrows and pull 38#. My advice would be to try fast limbs, ACEs with 80 grain points and experiment with building up the platform on your tab (if you use one) to help with your sight mark. We're all individuals, so you will need to experiment as best you can. I hope this helps x
Do you pull 38# on your fingers or a 38# bow? (Sorry haven't really gotten into how you write archery terms in english yet...) In any case do you have much trouble with wind or rain?
 

Nightimer

New member
One factor is eye to jaw distance.
This effects elevation.
When I shot recurve I had 40lbs on my fingers also I have a "long" face,100yards was no problem.
My shooting partner shot a similar poundage with the same arrows as me, but he struggled at 100 yards due to his "short" face.
Limb quality really matters,in general you get what you pay for in terms of speed and ease of draw.
 

Sara_F

New member
Limb quality really matters,in general you get what you pay for in terms of speed and ease of draw.
Limb quality seems to me to be a bit more relative... If we speak in general terms and exclude Border limbs as they are sort of exceptions we have three ranges of limbs. Beginner (from ca €60), intermediate (from ca €100) and top of the line which usually includes limbs around €300. The intermediate and top of the line limbs comes in a larger variety of materials than the beginner ones. Thus, is quality reflected by price or materials? If we speak in general terms. Asking because I find getting the best limbs for my money a struggle. Also you can get "good quality limbs" at sales and there price is no longer a factor towards quality in the same way.
 

DavidH

New member
I shoot sitting down using a keyboard stool at the moment. I don't have a problem with my bow being too long as I'm using a 64" bow and I'm only 5'2 (158cm), but I have to use something on the floor/ground where I can put the tip of my bow so I can rest my bow arm between shots.

At the moment I'm working on a new stool. I have found that using the saddle to a unicycle will work very well as it is curved and shaped to give support to your balance.
There are some drum stools which have a sort of bicycle seat, I have the perfect one here

IMAG0621.jpg
 

clickerati

The American
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American Shoot
Do you pull 38# on your fingers or a 38# bow? (Sorry haven't really gotten into how you write archery terms in english yet...) In any case do you have much trouble with wind or rain?
Sara, I'm holding 38# at my draw length, but I could easily reach 70m when i shot 32#. I had fast limbs and experimented with arrows and point weight until I found what worked for me. We are all different and what works for one person, won't work for someone else. So while all this advice is great, you have to put it into practice to see what the outcome is for you.

I have a bicycle seat on my stool, which is a modified music stool. Just make sure whatever stool you use, it won't sink into wet or muddy ground and can be adjusted for uneven terrain.

Hope this helps :)
 

clickerati

The American
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There are some drum stools which have a sort of bicycle seat, I have the perfect one here

<img src="http://www.archeryinterchange.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1950"/>
Those legs wouldn't be good on sodden ground though
 

sight-pin

New member
I don't know if they're still available but some types of shooting sticks had a large round foldable steel plate to avoid sinking in soft turf.
 

Sara_F

New member
I have a bicycle seat on my stool, which is a modified music stool. Just make sure whatever stool you use, it won't sink into wet or muddy ground and can be adjusted for uneven terrain.
I was thinking of using a bit of plywood underneath to stop my stool from sinking outdoors. I will hopfully start to expriment with my archery equipment in earnest as soon as the snow melts and the ground dries up a bit. Looking forward to get all hands on and get to work! :cheerful:

Thank you clickerati for all the kind advise and patience with a newbe who probably has progresst faster than is good for her! The goal is set to being able to shoot ok scores at 70m by Aug 2013 at the next national para team camp...
 

Phil Reay

New member
There are some drum stools which have a sort of bicycle seat, I have the perfect one here

View attachment 1950
sorry. wouldn't work. as soon as the ground got damp, it would sink in. not only that but that is probably too low. I shoot from my wheelchair everytime they operate on my feet and shoot a 68" bow at 36lb and hit 100 yds with no trouble. i can see the problem if you are short. we have a young girl in our club that shoots a very short bow that will reach 70m but i don't suppose with that much accuracy. X10 arrows may help but they are expensive. Compound is one way to go but that's a different proposition altogether.
 
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