Elite archers shoot a draw weight far below their maximal drawing strength
4 studies · 76 archers measured
The summary today
Two small studies of experienced archers point the same way: the bow asks far less than the arm can give. In fifteen elite and sub-elite recurve archers maximal voluntary force in the aiming position was 532 newtons and bow force 196, on average 37 per cent; in the same group, when the bow exceeded 40 per cent of maximal force, the score tended to fall, with a result at the edge of significance (p = 0.054). In eight experienced archers with FITA competition experience arm force ranged from 255 to 795 newtons and their bows from 178 to 215: from the published pairs the bow takes between 27 and 81 per cent of that force, 44 per cent on the group means, and only one archer goes above two thirds. These are two small cross-sectional measurements, taken with different instruments, and one of them is a conference abstract: the direction is clear, the precise figure is not. In beginners too the bow sits around half of their strength, between 41 and 53 per cent as calculated from the means, so a low fraction is not a choice that sets the elite apart.
Also phrased as: "shooting with strength in reserve"; "draw weight well below maximum"; "percentage of maximal strength"; "how much of your strength the bow should take"
In practice
It is said that the right draw weight is one you control with margin to the last arrow, well below what you could pull just once.
Evidence
-
1967
Context Archers Published later
49 university beginners: draw weight measured at the draw length was 21.24 lb in the women, against a maximal pull of 40.06 at the start of the course and 45.76 at the end, and 30.55 in the men against 69.46 and 74.59, that is between 41 and 53 per cent as calculated from the means. They are beginners with bows assigned by the instructors, not elite archers.
Relationship between Perception of Pull and Draw in Archery · Helen M. Eckert, Dorothy M. Wendt
-
1990
For Archers Published later
Eight experienced archers with FITA competition experience: pulling force of the arm, measured with a dynamometer in the position of the drawing arm, from 255 to 795 newtons; their own bows from 178 to 215 newtons. From the pairs in the table the bow takes between 27 and 81 per cent of arm force, 44 per cent on the group means (48 as the mean of the individual fractions), and only one archer goes above two thirds. The fraction is calculated by the registry from the published figures.
Muscular Activity of Different Shooting Distances, Different Release Techniques, and Different Performance Levels, with and without Stabilizers, in Target Archery · J.P. Clarys, J. Cabri, E. Bollens, R. Sleeckx, J. Taeymans, M. Vermeiren, et al.
-
2010
Context Archers Published later
Four women from the Turkish national team draw 16.9 ± 0.1 kg, about 37 lb: it is the absolute side of the comparison, with no measurement of their maximal strength.
Shooting Dynamics in Archery · M. Emre Erkek, Cevdet Tinazci
-
2011
For Archers Published later
15 male elite and sub-elite recurve archers, maximal voluntary force measured in the aiming position: 532 ± 117 N, against a bow force of 196 ± 16 N, about 37 per cent on the means. When the bow exceeded 40 per cent of maximal force the score over 150 arrows at 18 m tended to fall (r² 0.43, p = 0.054). It is a conference abstract, not a full paper.
Biomechanical Predictors of Recurve Archery Performance · Martin H. Rose, Niels Dall, Kaare Seidelin, Bente R. Jensen
Status history
- 1967 Not studied The first measurement to bring strength and draw weight together concerns beginners: in 49 university students the bow they were assigned takes between 41 and 53 per cent of their maximal pull, and the pull they judge comfortable about two thirds. On elite archers there is nothing yet.
- 1990 Reported The first figure on experienced archers: in eight archers with FITA competition experience arm force ranges from 255 to 795 newtons and their bows from 178 to 215, so the bow takes 44 per cent of that force on the group means, as calculated from the published figures. It is a single small study, with force measured by an arm dynamometer rather than at full draw: reported.
- 2010 Reported An absolute figure is added: four women from the Turkish national team draw about 17 kg. Without their maximal strength it does not say what fraction that is, and the status stays reported.
- 2011 Reported Fifteen elite and sub-elite recurve archers give the most direct measurement: maximal force in the aiming position 532 newtons, bow 196, about 37 per cent, and beyond 40 per cent the score tends to fall. With two studies pointing the same way one might think of corroborated, but they are small, cross-sectional, taken with different instruments, and one is a conference abstract: the status stays reported.
Related
Related articles
- How long you can hold the bow at full draw: seconds, maximal strength and draw weightHow much strength it takes to hold the bow at full draw, what holding time says about your score, and how to read draw weight against maximal strength.
- Women and archery: score, strength, the menstrual cycle and competition anxietyScore, strength, the menstrual cycle and competition anxiety: what studies have measured in male and female archers, and how much the results weigh.
- Which bow to buy when you start, and when to buy itWhich bow to buy when you start archery: why wait, the take-down recurve, draw weight, arrows, and the FITARCO, World Archery, FIARC and IFAA rules.
Research lines
Studies describe groups of archers, and your own numbers show how far the finding applies to your shooting.
See the full assessmentCite
Campagna, M. (2026). Elite archers shoot a draw weight far below their maximal drawing strength (Version 1). In Evidence Registry. Retrieved 16 October 2026, from https://matteocampagna.com/en/registry/equipment/draw-weight-fraction-of-maximal-strength
@misc{campagna2026_libbraggiofrazioneforzamassima,
author = {Campagna, Matteo},
title = {Elite archers shoot a draw weight far below their maximal drawing strength},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {Evidence Registry, matteocampagna.com},
url = {https://matteocampagna.com/en/registry/equipment/draw-weight-fraction-of-maximal-strength},
note = {Version 1; accessed 2026-10-16}
}
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