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Among archers, those who shoot heavier draw weights send the arrow off faster

4 studies · 91 archers measured

ForContextAgainst201220142016201820202022202420262025, for, n = 612025, context, n = 612025, context, n = 272012, context, n = 32013, context
Each circle is a study: its position gives the year, its row whether it is for, against or context, its size how many participants it measured. Light circles are studies on other populations or without archers.

That more pounds push the arrow harder follows from the mechanics of the bow, and a machine test from 2013 measures it, with the same arrow gaining about 9 m/s from 40 to 50 pounds. Across different archers there is so far a single study that puts draw weight and speed together: across 61 archers at a 2025 World Cup stage, declared draw weight correlates with arrow speed at 0.854 and, in the regression, is worth about 4.6 units of speed per pound, while arrow length and arrow mass add nothing once the pounds are accounted for. The figure needs reading with two cautions. The first is that recurve and compound are analysed together, and bow type on its own correlates with speed at 0.787: much of the relationship is the difference between the two divisions, which have both more pounds and a different machine, so the study does not show that draw weight is the factor that matters most. The second is that the paper prints speeds in metres per second (a mean of 216.7 for recurve, 292 for compound), values that are plausible only in feet per second. In the same year 27 regional compound archers give a correlation of 0.634 between the "drawing strength used" and speed, but the paper does not say how it was measured, or whether it is the bow's draw weight or the archer's strength. It is a single association, confounded with division, and nobody has yet changed the draw weight of the same archer to see how much the speed rises: that is why the status is reported.

Also phrased as: "more poundage, faster arrow"; "draw weight makes the speed"; "arrow speed and draw weight"; "go up in poundage for a flatter trajectory"

In practice

Archers are told that the main route to a faster arrow and a flatter trajectory is to go up in poundage, before lightening the arrow or changing the string.

Evidence

  • 2012
    Context Archers Published later

    Three archers from the Malaysian national squad shooting at 70 metres, speed measured arrow by arrow with a radar behind the archer: 197.9 ± 1.0, 219.4 ± 1.8 and 220.3 ± 0.9 km/h. The authors put the first archer's lower speed down to lower string tension, but do not report the draw weight of any of the three: it is a one-line explanation, not a measurement.

    Influence of Muscle Activity on Shooting Performance in Archery: Preliminary Findings · Edin Suwarganda, Ruhil Razali, Barry Wilson, Ahmad Pharmy

  • 2013
    Context Equipment tests Published later

    A laminated Browning Wasp recurve mounted on a machine and shot at 40, 45 and 50 pounds, 30 shots for each combination of draw weight and arrow, speed measured with a chronometer at 20 m: the 23 g arrow goes from 45.5 m/s at 40 pounds to about 54.3 m/s at 50, while at 50 pounds the 33 g arrow is about 3 m/s slower. This is the mechanics of the bow, measured without archers and in an archaeology paper: it shows that pounds push the arrow, not how much they count against the rest of the set-up across different archers.

    The Adoption of the Bow and Arrow: A Model Based on Experimental Performance Characteristics · Steve A. Tomka

  • 2025
    For Archers Published later

    61 recurve and compound archers at the Shanghai stage of the 2025 World Cup, equipment and speed data from the competition records: draw weight and speed correlate at 0.854 (p<0.001); in the multiple regression with arrow length and arrow mass, draw weight is worth 4.61 units of speed per pound (standardised coefficient 0.84, t=4.69) and the model is significant (F=16.35). The two divisions are pooled, and bow type, which correlates with speed at 0.787, does not enter the regression; speeds are printed in m/s (recurve 216.7 ± 17.0, compound 292.0 ± 12.8), values consistent only with feet per second.

    Empirical analysis of the impact of bow parameters on arrow velocity: A study of World Cup archers based on energy transfer and aerodynamics · Feixue Rao, Jiasheng Lv, Haidong Chen, Peijin Li, Hao Huang

  • 2025
    Context Archers Published later

    In the same sample arrow length has no significant effect (standardised coefficient -0.33, p=0.077), and arrow mass, which on its own correlates with speed at 0.43, loses any effect once draw weight is accounted for (0.06, p=0.8): archers who pull more pounds also use heavier arrows, and the two correlate at 0.67.

    Empirical analysis of the impact of bow parameters on arrow velocity: A study of World Cup archers based on energy transfer and aerodynamics · Feixue Rao, Jiasheng Lv, Haidong Chen, Peijin Li, Hao Huang

  • 2025
    Context Archers Published later

    27 regional compound archers from Jakarta, 15 men and 12 women: the "drawing strength used" (a mean of 318 N in the men and 206 in the women) correlates with arrow speed at 0.634 (p<0.01), with mean speeds of 265 and 248 km/h. The paper does not say what instrument measured it or whether it is the bow's draw weight or the archer's strength, and it analyses men and women together, in a regional journal: that is why this line is context.

    Pengaruh Kekuatan Drawing, Stabilitas Lengan Penumpu dan Kecepatan Laju Anak Panah Terhadap Akurasi Tembakan Divisi Compound Jarak 50 Meter · Fitriadi Sandhi Nugroho Yudho, Iman Sulaiman, Johansyah Lubis, Sujarwo

Status history

  1. 2012 Not studied The first data on archers measure speed but not draw weight. Three archers from the Malaysian national squad, clocked arrow by arrow with a radar, range from about 198 to 220 km/h, and the authors put the first archer's lower speed down to lower string tension, without saying how many pounds any of the three was pulling. Among archers, the link between draw weight and speed has not yet been measured.
  2. 2013 Not studied A machine test, in an archaeology paper, measures what pounds do with the same bow and arrow: from 40 to 50 pounds the 23 g arrow goes from 45.5 to about 54.3 m/s. It confirms the mechanics, but without archers: among real archers, nobody has yet measured how much of the speed comes from draw weight.
  3. 2025 Reported The first study across archers arrives. Across 61 World Cup archers draw weight correlates with speed at 0.854 and, in the regression, is worth about 4.6 units of speed per pound, while arrow length and arrow mass add nothing; but recurve and compound are analysed together, and bow type alone correlates with speed at 0.787. In the same year 27 regional compound archers give 0.634 between the drawing strength used and speed, without saying whether it is the bow's draw weight or the archer's strength. A single association, confounded with division, and no test within the same archer: reported.

Related

Related articles

Research lines

Cite
APA

Campagna, M. (2026). Among archers, those who shoot heavier draw weights send the arrow off faster (Version 3). In Evidence Registry. Retrieved 16 October 2026, from https://matteocampagna.com/en/registry/equipment/draw-weight-arrow-speed

BibTeX
@misc{campagna2026_libbraggiovelocitafreccia,
  author = {Campagna, Matteo},
  title = {Among archers, those who shoot heavier draw weights send the arrow off faster},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Evidence Registry, matteocampagna.com},
  url = {https://matteocampagna.com/en/registry/equipment/draw-weight-arrow-speed},
  note = {Version 3; accessed 2026-10-16}
}

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