Less is more (pain)?

[steve58]

This seems to go against expectations and I wonder whether anyone else has had the same experience. This year shooting indoors has made my right shoulder (I'm right handed) quite sore despite using a lighter bow (43lbs indoors, 53 out). Has anyone else had the same experience? Does anyone have any theories as to why this might be so?

[vertek]

The only thing I could think of is are you drawing faster?.

[gino]

because it's a lighter poundage are you holding the bow at full draw for longer?

[robtattoo]

Funnily enough I have exactly the same problem when I shoot recurve. 60 arrows at 38# & I'm buggered! Yet I can spend all day on a field course or practicing in the garden, shooting well over 100 arrows from my 72# flatbow & feel fresh as a daisy. I can only think that it must be down to the length of time spent at full draw, aiming.

[phillc]

The length of time at full draw may affect you

Also if you get some one to video you indoors and then outdoors when you compare them, the positions are very different the angle of aim is much lower for indoors and you may just be in a position that causes the shoulder pain maybe your shoulders go out of alignment slightly when aiming lower .
I have just changed to compound and I notice the difference on a three spot face between the top and bottom.

[grantwomack]

My guess would be that you are not using your back as much to draw the lighter weight bow, thus placing more strain and weight on your shoulder. The best example of a way to compensate for higher poundage is a picture I took of Mark Stretton at a longbow event we happened to see at Richmond Castle one day:

You can clearly see the forward balance he uses to help compensate for the very high poundage of the bow he shoots (somewhere in the vicinity of 150#, I believe). It helps to ensure he uses the much larger and capable back muscles, rather than the non-load-bearing muscles in his shoulders.

[robtattoo]

I think you've hit my particular nail on the head Grant. I do struggle to transfer 38# to my back, whereas my flat bow is being pulled with my back, almost from the outset. Half of my prblem is that I'm a strong bugger & my body struggles to 'see the need' to transfer 38# to my back (if that makes any sense at all) Do you know of any way that I may be able to compensate for this? (wthout switching to heavier limbs)

p.s. Congrats on the Comonwealth Silver, Kudos dude!

[Kae]

Originally Posted by robtattoo

do struggle to transfer 38# to my back, whereas my flat bow is being pulled with my back, almost from the outset. Half of my prblem is that I'm a strong bugger & my body struggles to 'see the need' to transfer 38# to my back

I'm exactly the same Rob.
I use the same weight limbs indoors and out (finance is another factor, lol), because when i've tried lower poundage bows my body doesn't work right, lol.
I find 48# comfortable and I have a rock steady draw, bow arm ect, but I find 36# uncomfortable and my form quickly falls to pieces.

I suppose the only way to get around this is to re-learn putting the weight back onto your back. Or to think about it conciously as you shoot.

Kae.

[steve58]

Thanks everyone! Glad to know I am not alone, was beginning to feel like a bit of a muppet, getting injured on the lighter bow! I have just been shooting the heavier one in the back garden and feel much more comfortable, despite the extra effort. Thinking back to the start of the indoor season I remember thinking I didn't know how to shoot the lighter bow any more. When I thought about it I realised my body wasn't recognising the messages that the shot was ready to loose, which probably meant I was hanging on longer. Will shoot the heavier bow tomorrow night at the club and see how it goes.

[kernowtom]

for this interesting and helpful thread. I came back to shooting recently after a season off and am struggling to regain form (and it wasn't that great before:-) I thought it was sensible, especially indoors, to move back to one of my lighter bows until I was back in form. It is only now that I am thinking that maybe part of the problem is that I just don't shoot the lighter weight in the same way as I was shooting my heavier (and very much faster) bow before... hmmmm ... .....