Anchor point?

[zedex]

Hi. I will be starting hunting with a bow next year but am looking for info on anchor points. Is there a perfect anchor point? I went to a bow shop last week and the guy was showing me the anchor point i should use which was my middle knuckle of my pointer finger right under my ear, where my jaw meets my ear. Using a caliper release.This did not feel right to me as i felt over extended. The draw was 30 inches and it felt way too long for me but the guy said this is my draw. I dunno. If i work out my draw using the full arm length measurement i get a measurement of 28 inches. Another guy tells me this is wrong and you should measure by holding arms in front of you as if you are praying fully outstretched and measuring from your adams apple to the tips of your fingers. That gave me 28.5 inches. I buy a bow based on these measurements and the bow shop tells me that the 28.5 draw is way too short for me??? I really dont know what to think. One guy tells me this one tells me that. So i figure a good anchor point will find my perfect draw length for me.
Any and all advice is much appreciated.

[Jagermeister]

Try drawing a bow with the shorter draw length. If you come up against the "wall" before you feel your at full draw, the draw length will be too short. I would say that the information given by the bowshop dude is somewhat ambiguous as your anchor point is dependent on your flexibility. The method that you described in obtaining the 28½ draw length is one of the most prescribed methods and in your case is probably correct.
Using a release will have a tendency to shorten you draw length. When selecting a release, bear this in mind.

[Ambush]

Did you go to an actual bow-shop or a place that also sells bows. Some times you will encounter people who want to be "experts".

An anchor point is something YOU will develope for yourself. It should feel natural and not forced or uncomfortable.

Many people struggle with draw lengths that are to long. Not many guys with 30" draw lengths. I'm 6 feet tall and my arms are longer than they should be. I shoot a very short release [Tru-Ball Short&Sweet] and my draw lenght is 29".

A good shop, or knowledgable friend should have you shooting properly in no time and it will feel right.

[BC4Bowhunter]

You yourself have to find your perfect anchor point as long as you can anchor consistantly in the same spot then thats the spot. A few shops try to sell long draw length bows just to get rid of them which is sad to see. 30" draw sound too long unless you are 6'6" then maybe. When I measure a person for draw length I use two method and usually the two methods give me the correct draw length+/- 1/2 "when used together.One method is the wing span method and the second is lip method where the person has their fist against the wall arm extended standing 45 dergrees to the wall and measure from the wall to the corner of the mouth while the person is looking at their fist against the wall. Hope that make sense. I measured quite a few people this way and seems to work very well. If you shooting with a loop you should deduct a half inch draw length because the loop will move your anchor point back. Hopes this helps

[zedex]

Hi guys. Thanks for the replies. The bow shop is an actual bow shop where he sells bows and all supplies. When i walked in he immediately said i was at least a 30 draw length and the bow i just bought a week previous was too short. My bow immediately went up on the wall and he pulled down one of his bows. So we spent some time trying some bows and the 30 inch seemed way too long for me. I was stretched out way too far as far as im concerned. It did not feel natural and i was truggling to hold and could barely squeeze the trigger as i was so far stretched. I am 5'11" .
Can you guys give me some anchor points for me to try. I always thought that the corner of the mouth was an anchor point but what do i know.
Thanks for the repies so far.

[BC4Bowhunter]

If you 5'11 your nowhere near 30" draw I'm 5'10"and I'm a 28" unless you have really long arms. You want the nock of the arrow to be at the corner of your mouth. The back of your jaw is usually a good spot ,or below the ear. You want to anchor on a boney spot on your face if you can

[Ron.C]

What length of release are you using? And is there a string loop on the bow? Those calculations and estimation about draw length don't take these into account and either of these. By themselves and especially when they are together may give you the feeling you are way overdrawn if you haven't accounted for them. I can shoot a 28" draw with my fingers, but once I add a loop and release" which I keep adjusted as short as possible, while still maintaining comfort, I have to reduce my bow's draw length to 26 3/4" to be able to feel comfortable.
Alot of it is personal preference and I myself anchor with the knuckes of my index and fore finger just on the lobe of my ear.
Another issue that will give you fits is if you don't have a bow with a solid wall, meaning when you get to full draw position on your bow, there will be no more rearward travel of the string. Many bows have a draw stop which is a peg mounted on the cam that makes contact with your limb, physically preventing the bow from being drawn any further. This is huge advantage to have for a new archer struggling to find a consistant anchor point.

There are alot of ways to shoot, and alot of different techniques. The key is to be consistent and repeat eveything exactly, every shot. What works for one guy may not work for another ie, some guys may like to shoot a very short draw when they are physically capable of shooting longer, or some guys may anchor or grip the bow in an odd manor, but they can repeat it shot after shot and shoot great. But if it's not comfortable, it won't work so just be open to listen to peoples suggestions, and try different things until you find what fits and works for YOU best.

[Onesock]

What kind of bow are you shooting. Compound or traditional?

[jessbennett]

If you 5'11 your nowhere near 30" draw I'm 5'10"and I'm a 28" unless you have really long arms. You want the nock of the arrow to be at the corner of your mouth. The back of your jaw is usually a good spot ,or below the ear. You want to anchor on a boney spot on your face if you can

ummmm....... im 5'10 my draw length is 30 ''.... i shoot a 29.5 inch bow with a loop. it just depends on the person.



if you feel over extended then theres a good chance that the draw length is too long for you. is your bow arm fully extended at full draw???? do you feel like you have to tilt your head backwards to look through your peep???? all signs of a draw that is too long for you. at full draw there should be a slight bend in your bow arm. if your draw length is correct, you should be able to draw your bow and settle in without having to"fight" to find your anchor and your peep.

[BC4Bowhunter]

[quote=jessbennett;380214]ummmm....... im 5'10 my draw length is 30 ''.... i shoot a 29.5 inch bow with a loop. it just depends on the person.



You must be built fairly broad in the shoulders or long armed to have a draw length that long. I agree it depends on the person but in my experience usually people under 6 ft have a draw length 29" or under, but there are exceptions of course. Best is to have maybe another person who is an experience archer or another pro shop measure Zedex draw length. Unfortunately I see many people shooting a bow thats too long for them.However if they can shoot consistantly all the power to them