Archery

You can always find a mention of archery in literature, art, Greek mythology, language, warfare, Humanities, and much more. The bow was such a pivotal device back in the past, that many historians consider it almost as important as the wheel and fire.

Simply stated, the bow is a stringed projectile weapon designed to shoot arrows. It consists of a slender stave (the bow-stick) and a cord fastened to it at each end under a certain amount of tension. By drawing the string and the arrow back until the stave is bent, and then releasing the string, the impelling force of the bowstring shoots the arrow5. Though it sounds easy, many bows require as much as hundreds of pounds of force to bend the bow sufficiently and then incredible marksmanship to make the arrow fly true.

Bows are of two basic kinds: wooden and composite. The earliest bows were undoubtedly made from wood, probably simply cut from saplings and whittled into the desired shape and strung with animal gut. These earliest of bows developed into the short bow, longbow, and various other plain bows.

A major part to success in archery is learning the proper shooting technique. With the proper shooting technique, your accuracy will greatly increase.

First, you need to choose the accessories that are most comfortable. Basic accessories could increase accuracy, such as the arm guard and the finger tab.

Many errors in shooting techniques could be overdrawing a short arrow, items in pockets (such as a pen), poor stances, improper mental programs, bad follow through, poor anchor positions, poor vertical body alignments, and no mental focus.


First, practice holding the bow and learn the correct positions. Don’t worry about not hitting the target. Focus on the correct form and the follow through. Then, slowly develop your own mental program and positive mental habits. It is important for a good archer to stay focused and concentrate on their shots. So, you should practice and rehearse your mental program often. It will get you through the pressure and anxiety during your competition.



The bows of today differ mainly from those of yesterday in materials. Wood is still the most common material, but molded fiberglass, tubular steel, and plastics replace the more "natural" elements of design. Even the old gut bowstring is being replaced with linen, Fortisan, or Dacron cords.



Longbow—The longbow of today is quite similar to those used in history. It is made of a single piece wooden stave, string, and handgrip. Sometimes a sight is used.

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Recurve—Originally one piece bows, they are now usually made of three pieces, the risen and two limbs, which are of layered, laminated carbon. It is currently the only bow used at the Olympics.




Compound—This bow was originally used only for hunting, but has gained popularity for recreation. It has two pulleys positioned on the tips of the limbs, which allows the archer to hold the bow with less power than the amount it fires the arrow. It is usually smaller than the recurve with movable limbs that can be set to different strengths.