Above 40% of maximal pulling strength, a heavier draw weight goes with lower scores
1 study · 15 archers measured
The summary today
The idea comes from a single study, and that study does not reach statistical significance. In fifteen male recurve archers, from sub-elite to elite, maximal pulling strength measured in the aiming position averaged 532 newtons and bow force 196, around 37% of the maximum; when the bow exceeded 40% of the maximum, the mean score over 150 arrows at 18 m tended to fall, with r squared 0.43 but p = 0.054. The authors call it a trend, and the registry keeps it as context rather than as supporting evidence, so the status is not studied: the two-page abstract does not explain how the 40% threshold was chosen or report an analysis that estimates it, and with fifteen people of very different levels part of the relationship may be the gap between levels rather than an effect of draw weight. In the same paper the finding that holds up better is a different one: the more steadily the shoulder girdle holds a force equal to the archer's own draw weight, the higher the score (r squared 0.45, p < 0.01), which is why the authors suggest taking maximal strength into account when choosing the draw weight. Nobody has yet changed the ratio between draw weight and strength in the same archer to see what happens to the score.
Also phrased as: "draw weight and maximal strength"; "draw weight relative to strength"; "overbowed"; "what share of your strength the draw weight should be"; "the 40 per cent rule"
In practice
Archers hear that the right draw weight is not measured in pounds but against their own strength, and that beyond a certain share of their maximum the bow starts running the archer instead of the other way round.
Evidence
-
2011
Context Archers Published later
15 male recurve archers, sub-elite to elite, mean score per arrow over 150 arrows at 18 m indoors, maximal pulling strength measured in the laboratory in the aiming position: maximal strength 532 ± 117 N, bow force 196 ± 16 N. When bow force exceeded 40% of the maximum the score tended to fall (r squared 0.43, p = 0.054), without reaching the threshold. In the same abstract the strongest predictor is shoulder girdle steadiness while holding a force equal to the archer's own draw weight (r squared 0.45, p < 0.01), while body sway on the platform does not predict the score. These are correlations on fifteen people, with many uncorrected comparisons; the 40% finding does not reach statistical significance, which is why it is context.
Biomechanical Predictors of Recurve Archery Performance · Martin H. Rose, Niels Dall, Kaare Seidelin, Bente R. Jensen
Status history
- 2011 Not studied The first and only study to set draw weight against each archer's maximal pulling strength, fifteen male recurve archers from sub-elite to elite, finds that when the bow exceeds 40% of the maximum the score tends to fall, with 43% of the variance explained but p = 0.054, above the significance threshold. Mean bow force was 196 newtons against a maximum of 532, around 37%. A trend that does not reach significance, in a single small study, is not enough to count as supporting evidence: it stays as context, and the claim stays not studied.
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.
- Draw weight and score in the research: how much do the pounds matter?What studies have measured on draw weight and score: a small effect tied to skill level, top archers' draw weights over time, speed and control.
- Bow arm tremor in archery: why it happens and how to reduce itBow arm shake at full draw is two movements, a slow sway and a fast tremor. What the studies measure, where the tremor comes from and how to reduce it.
Research lines
Where there are no studies on archers, every decision starts from a written hypothesis and is checked against the data over time.
See the full assessmentCite
Campagna, M. (2026). Above 40% of maximal pulling strength, a heavier draw weight goes with lower scores (Version 2). In Evidence Registry. Retrieved 16 October 2026, from https://matteocampagna.com/en/registry/physical-training/draw-weight-above-40-percent-maximal-strength
@misc{campagna2026_libbraggiosopra40percento,
author = {Campagna, Matteo},
title = {Above 40\% of maximal pulling strength, a heavier draw weight goes with lower scores},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {Evidence Registry, matteocampagna.com},
url = {https://matteocampagna.com/en/registry/physical-training/draw-weight-above-40-percent-maximal-strength},
note = {Version 2; accessed 2026-10-16}
}
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