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Originally Posted by Zanda Hi Jerry I am a new archer, can you please define what you mean by Valley.....Im keen to learn all I can...thanks buddy |
Well, I'm not Jerry, but I'll jump in here if that's OK?
"Valley" refers to the flat spot that you feel at the end of the draw cycle. On round-wheel bows (generally, older bows) there is, at the end of the draw, a point at which the holding weight reaches it's lowest level. If you continue to pull however, the cams continue to rotate slightly (maybe another quarter inch of draw length) and the holding weigh begins to ramp up again. Drawn on a graph this would look like a V, hence the term valley.
Most modern bows have cams with a fairly hard draw stop, so it's just not possible to pull harder and make them roll-over more. This means the valley has really disappeared. Although the flat spot remains, the "length" of it varies from cam to cam (depending on the cam profile and nature of the draw stop). Some cams (Hoyt's spiral cam, or PSE's Hybrid Cam for example) have a very, very short "valley" and hard stop (or wall). This means that you have to keep plenty of back tension applied to hold the bow against the draw stops - relax and it will very quickly drag your draw back down causing people around you to laugh and you to change your underwear.
Which cam type you shoot is a matter of personal preference. I find that I shoot better with a hard cam (like the spiral cam) because it helps me keep back-tension going and keeps my draw elbow in-line. Other people prefer a softer cam (i.e. one with more valley or a softer wall) because it allows them to relax more at full draw.
Adam