If you strive to shoot a compound bow accurately, then it is important to know your draw length. Generally speaking, this is around the same length as the arrows you use but that is just a general guide and there are better ways to measure it.
You should however bear in mind that it is also important to feel comfortable with your setup; Although this will help you to learn what your draw length is, you still might need to make changes to it. The length can be altered on most compound bows and if you are looking at buying used compound bows then you will almost certainly need to do this.
The following three methods will help you to measure this;
The easiest, but probably the most inaccurate is to take your height and divide it by 2.5. The result is your draw length. The problem with this is that not everyone is the same, and this method assumes that your arm span matches your height which isnt always the case.
You can get better results by holding out your fist directly in front of you while looking forward and then measuring the distance from your mouth to the front of your fist. This is more accurate because it is how you would normally be holding a bow. With that said, it also assumes that you know how to hold a bow properly and in some cases it might give misleading results.
Probably the most accuate way however is is to hold your arms outwards at shoulder length so your fingers are pointing in opposite directions. Have someone measure the distance between the tips of the two middle fingers. Once again, this measurement should be divided by 2.5. As you can see, this actually caters for different arm spans so is much more accurate, though you will need to get someones help.
These are 3 ways that you can use to measure your draw length. It helps to understand all of them because they all have their advantages. If in doubt, you can always get measured at an archery store who will be able to advise and guide you further .
It doesnt matter if you are buying used compound bows or a brand new one, these will point you in the right direction.
You should try to avoid changing your draw length to often as you will will be able to adjust your shots much more precisely once you have established a good contact point.