Do you ever have one of those days when your practice shooting just seems off? Did you check your brace height? It can change as you string and unstring your bow. Here is an easy way to check that it is right every time.
When your bow is properly set up at the correct brace height, put an arrow on the string. Mark a specific spot on the sight window where the arrow touches it. The spot selected could be on the front, back or even a line drawn somewhere on the bow; just make sure it’s something you will remember. Mark all your arrows in the same spot that corresponds to the spot you’ve chosen on the bow’s sight window. If your arrows are already crested, a Sharpie could be used to hand mark them; or you can crest your arrows with a pinstripe that matches your bow. Since some cresting machines will not allow for fletched arrows, a fine tip Sharpie might then be in order. In the photo above, the first gold stripe is lined up with the front of the sight window. With your arrows and bow properly marked, every time you string your bow, you may easily check for the correct brace height.
If the pinstripe or mark on the arrow needs to move forward, unstring your bow and twist the string to unwind it. Conversely, if your stripe is too far forward, unstring the bow and twist the string tighter. Of course, if you switch bows frequently the brace height may be different for each bow.
Traditional bows really do rely on that bow-string twist to maintain their brace height. That’s why I use a bow-string keeper when I store my bow. It really helps in maintaining that bow-string twist. A Bow-string keeper holds the open end of your string up on the bow when it it unstrung while the bottom string loop stays snug in the nocks of the bow.