Well, for me it's "If the bow is drawn and a accidental discharge happens will a suitable target/backstop catch the arrow"? Or will it fly into the woods, the pond, neighbors yard/house, street? One has to know what's beyond their intended target...even when shooting bows.

 

I would rather hit the dirt in front of the target than something over the target. Ideally you'd be pulling the bow back aiming at the target the entire time imo. It's become a trend to wave the bow up in the air and start really high above the head. It seems like a dead giveaway for hunting purposes and a bad habit caused by people drawing more weight than they can handle.

 

I would rather hit the dirt in front of the target than something over the target. Ideally you'd be pulling the bow back aiming at the target the entire time imo. It's become a trend to wave the bow up in the air and start really high above the head. It seems like a dead giveaway for hunting purposes and a bad habit caused by people drawing more weight than they can handle.

or more than they should handle

 

I'm interested to hear what constitutes a sky draw as well.

When I was a kid they taught you to draw pointing to the dirt in between you and the target then bring the bow to you. But those were recurves. I still do a mix of that with my compound. But I guess I'm not pulling huge weight on that either.

I was wondering what was the deal with the people on YouTube drawing from over their heads. And if it was the norm now or just some Internet fluff.

 

I always heard if your bowhand is over your shoulder your overbowed and skydrawing

 

When drawing back the string of his bow an athlete must not use any technique which, in the opinion of the judges, could allow the arrow, if accidentally released, fly beyond a safety zone or safety arrangements (overshoot area, net, wall etc.). If an
athlete persists in using such a technique, he will, in the interest of safety, be asked by the chairperson of the Tournament Judge Commission or the Director of Shooting to stop shooting immediately and to leave the field.

I try to draw with the arrow on the target bale. I have had a release fail and I have bumped my button while drawing and still hit the target. Lost some points but was not a zero.
Key takeaway is to keep it pointing at the target and not the sky above it.

 

What hockeyref just posted is World Archery rule 3.12.9.


NFAA rule (from a previous thread - I haven’t confirmed if this is accurate)
No archer shall draw a bow with the bow hand above the top of the head when drawing on a horizontal plane, or parallel to the ground.

 

The older top of the head nfaa rule has been revised to read more inline with US rules. The old rule sucked since it allowed the drawing hand to be belly button high as long as the bow hand was not above head level, which could send arrows into the next county, if allowed.
7. No archer shall draw a bow in any manner that if accidently released could fly beyond a safety zone or a safety arrangement over shoot area, backstop, etc. A warning will be given on the first instance. Second instance will require removal of archer from event.

If the OP was standing on a nfaa pro line, he'd have one of the lowest draws among them.

 

It can be subjective. I cringe watching people shoot at every tournament and several social media influencers. In my opinion there is a fine line between sky drawing and a high draw. Watch MFJJ and Chris Bee…they both draw higher than I would ever do but the line is not clear. They both appear to sky draw at times. I watch some as they attempt to pull low across their chest while their bow arm moves all over and they have to twist their head and upper body to get the bow back. To me they are more dangerous than a sky draw at most ranges.
For me it’s similar to muzzle safety. Keep the arrow as flat as possible down range as you draw and shoot. If you can’t…drop the poundage or hit the gym.

 

....I watch some as they attempt to pull low across their chest while their bow arm moves all over and they have to twist their head and upper body to get the bow back. To me they are more dangerous than a sky draw at most ranges.
For me it’s similar to muzzle safety. Keep the arrow as flat as possible down range as you draw and shoot. If you can’t…drop the poundage or hit the gym.

Haha I thought I was the only one who got irked by that

 

I like what hockeyref mentioned with the rule book. Try to get my NASP kids to do that, too. Even though there is a net, a high draw could go over the net, hit the wall, break a window or pierce wall padding for basketball. Schools are narrow-minded on things like that.

 

I've heard Chris Bee say, "this isn't sky drawing" but he draws pretty high to me. I'd be curious if some would consider my draw to be "sky drawing." I can draw with the bow straight out or even down, but I've read that starting high eliminates shoulder issues.

 

That's not sky drawing. As long as you start the draw cycle, level with your target, you're good. I personally raise the bow up and settle it into position, THEN start pulling

 

I wouldn’t consider how you're drawing as sky drawing, but I’m very concerned about what’s behind your target.

Obviously a residential neighborhood. Is your range 100% safe in case an arrow gets away from you?

 

Yes. I have 20yds of lawn, then 40yds of woods to my property line. It's woods beyond that too.

 

Even without knowing the actual wording of the rules around archery, it’s usually pretty easy to tell when someone is doing it. It’s almost always when someone is drawing low and across the chest because they can’t handle the draw weight.

It looks like any other strength based movement when the person is trying to move more weight than they are capable of moving. Everything breaks down.

 

You’ll know it when you see it…
I’ve seen guys almost give themselves a hemorrhoid drawing their bow…I just shake my head..there’s no reason for it. But it’s not me that’s liable for what happens to their arrow…some things have to be learned.

 

Hard to imagine your backstop being high enough in a neighborhood to catch this arrow if it was released at this point of the draw!

 

Hard to imagine your backstop being high enough in a neighborhood to catch this arrow if it was released at this point of the draw!

View attachment 7952925

Released at that point in the draw i think it might be in the woods at the end of his property, but you piqued my interest and i might try it to just to see. Easy enough to cut one loose on the rifle range to see. (I figure a 500 yard rifle range is a safe enough place to test this). Lol

 

If the arrow is pointing above the target at any point in the draw imo you're sky drawing to some degree. There is no reason to cock back the bow and point the arrow above the target. It's a habit to break for safety purposes.

Think of it this way... If anyone was pulling a bow that had a 10 pound draw weight, would they ever be rocking and waiving the bow around above their head, or cocking it backwards and all the crap you see online? No, of course not. It's completely inefficient and a whole bunch of unnecessary motion. It's a habit from being over bowed at some point when learning and continuing the habit to make drawing easier.

 

Chris Bee SPECIFICALLY said this is how to draw a bow correctly, because it takes pressure off the shoulders, and that it's NOT sky drawing in this video screenshot. But clearly if this release went off, that arrow is going straight into the ceiling. So IMO, there's a lot of confusing information out there.

Do yourself a favor... don't aim at anything you don't intend on shooting. That aim begins at the start of the pull

 

Chris Bee SPECIFICALLY said this is how to draw a bow correctly, because it takes pressure off the shoulders, and that it's NOT sky drawing in this video screenshot. But clearly if this release went off, that arrow is going straight into the ceiling. So IMO, there's a lot of confusing information out there.

Do yourself a favor... don't aim at anything you don't intend on shooting. That aim begins at the start of the pull

View attachment 7952927

I had a chuckle watching this. He clearly sky draws in his example of what is not sky drawing to him, then states that drawing straight back is too difficult. So he’s over bowed and doesn’t want to admit it! You should be able to comfortably draw straight back. How in the world do people kill animals with all of this extra movement!!

 

If the arrow points above the bale, you are sky drawing. I have seen releases come apart and send the arrow off the property. We have witnessed someone with poor trigger control touch them off early, that is why every indoor range had holes in the ceiling. At Indoor matches like lancaster there is a safety curtain, but beyond that is other athletic fields full of kids.

A high draw, means both arms are raised and arrow is still level with the bale.

 

There is no specific degree of angle to determine a high draw/sky draw, since the distance to the target bale and limb poundage will also determine the angle necessary for the arrow to reach the target. Basically, if I can stand behind you (which is the only correct position in USAA for judging a high draw/sky draw), and the bowstring is being drawn back while the point of arrow is aimed above the top of the bale, it is considered a high draw/sky draw. Many compound archers with heavy draw weights use the fulcrum type draw, and start out angled up at the ceiling without actually drawing the string back, then they lower their bow arm down and start drawing the string once the arrow point reaches the top of the bale. You can’t fairly judge if it’s really a high draw/sky draw unless you are standing directly behind the archer and see what they are seeing.

 

If your release ever fails during your draw, and the arrow goes above your target, that is what I consider sky drawing.
Severe sky drawing is usually done by people who are overbowed.

 

If the arrow points above the bale you are sky drawing… if that’s illegal then 95% of the line at an indoor pro am would be disqualified my self included. I only pull 60 lbs on my indoor bow. Guess I’m over bowed like all of the rest of them.

 

Illegal in a tournament and unsafe in a backyard are definitely not the same thing.

 

Simple...You're either doing it right or you're doing it wrong....It's not a "new trend".....It's been around forever...It doesn't take long to learn to draw correctly...you have to keep with it until it feels normal.

 

Illegal in a tournament and unsafe in a backyard are definitely not the same thing.

Sounds like you wanna be a referee at the Midwest Open in December! See ya there!

 

In the video: If that Dloop breaks, you operate the release by accident or a dog/child screams and you go off half cocked there's a goodly portion where that arrow is flying way high. To me, it's clearly a sky draw. Now, maybe it's safe given long enough backyard, but better to practice for something that's fine on a normal range as well (imo).

 

If you can't sit in a chair and draw your bow straight back- you are pulling too much weight. "Skydraw" is one of the best give-a-ways to game when hunting- close or distant movement. End of story !

 

Chris Bee is one of the most over bowed sky drawer have ever seen in 60+ years of archery!

 

I’m not a Chris Bee fan at all, but maybe you should message him and tell him he is doing it wrong?? Just a thought.

 

What hockeyref just posted is World Archery rule 3.12.9.


NFAA rule (from a previous thread - I haven’t confirmed if this is accurate)
No archer shall draw a bow with the bow hand above the top of the head when drawing on a horizontal plane, or parallel to the ground.

This applies to drawing, not that you can't have the bow hand high or above the top of the head. Many start high and come down to the target to draw. I hold straight on the target and draw.

 

I like how Chris Bee does it, and adopted it since my shoulders are not great and I needed a little extra oomph to get my back muscles really involved. I've had my release fail, and accidental triggering, but never had an arrow shoot high with his method. It starts high. but the draw happens flat for me - tip toward the target.