Archery 101 - Advice & Techniques

[Laurelin]

For my first post I would like to say that I am by no means an expert and there are many ways of shooting a bow, but with the encouragement of a few fellow archers I am posting lots of info for you. Additionally, if anyone has things to add to what is posted by all means let us know! ;) But we would like to ask to post all your questions, suggestions etc. in Concerning Bows and Archery (http://www.warofthering.net/forums/vbulletin225/upload/showthread.php?t=6302) thread in order to keep that thread alive... :grin:

Since this thread has gotten fairly large, I decided to link various points of interest in this first post as a list of contents. This should help ya out to find the info easier. ;)

A list of Internet Links (http://www.warofthering.net/forum/vbulletin225/upload/showpost.php?p=468086&postcount=26)
Archery Glossary (http://www.warofthering.net/forum/vbulletin225/upload/showpost.php?p=404920&postcount=9)

Various Bow Types (http://www.warofthering.net/forum/vbulletin225/upload/showpost.php?p=431961&postcount=20)
Anatomy of bows and arrows (http://www.warofthering.net/forum/vbulletin225/upload/showpost.php?p=404928&postcount=12)
How to choose a bow (http://www.warofthering.net/forum/vbulletin225/upload/showpost.php?p=404818&postcount=3)
Equipment needed for traditional archery (http://www.warofthering.net/forum/vbulletin225/upload/showpost.php?p=404813&postcount=2)

How to shoot - Part I (http://www.warofthering.net/forum/vbulletin225/upload/showpost.php?p=404822&postcount=4)
How to shoot - Part II (http://www.warofthering.net/forum/vbulletin225/upload/showpost.php?p=404841&postcount=5)
Aiming and Drawing Techniques (http://www.warofthering.net/forum/vbulletin225/upload/showpost.php?p=404923&postcount=10)
Archery Practice Tips (http://www.warofthering.net/forum/vbulletin225/upload/showpost.php?p=404925&postcount=11)

How to keep the bowstring from slapping my arm? (http://www.warofthering.net/forum/vbulletin225/upload/showpost.php?p=404848&postcount=6)

Flemish Bow Strings (http://www.warofthering.net/forum/vbulletin225/upload/showpost.php?p=454197&postcount=22)

All about Arrows - Part I (http://www.warofthering.net/forum/vbulletin225/upload/showpost.php?p=469626&postcount=30)
All about Arrows - Part II (http://www.warofthering.net/forum/vbulletin225/upload/showpost.php?p=469628&postcount=31)
Fletching Information (http://www.warofthering.net/forum/vbulletin225/upload/showpost.php?p=430953&postcount=19)

Kyudo Archery - Part 1 (http://www.warofthering.net/forum/vbulletin225/upload/showpost.php?p=540731&postcount=40) - Pictures
Kyudo Archery - Part 2 (http://www.warofthering.net/forum/vbulletin225/upload/showpost.php?p=540734&postcount=41) - Techniques

--- Edit ---
All of the archery technique pictures can be reached in
Laurelin's Gallery (http://www.warofthering.net/photoforum/showgallery.php?ppuser=2094&cat=500) in the Photo Forum... Feel free to comment them either over there or in Concerning Bows and Archery (http://www.warofthering.net/forums/vbulletin225/upload/showthread.php?t=6302) thread!

[Laurelin]

So you want to start learning archery... what do you need? Well here is a list for you:

Finger tab or Glove - for protecting your fingers from the bowstring
http://www.warofthering.net/photoforum/data/500/2094fingerprotection-med.jpg

Stringer - for bracing and un bracing your recurves or other bows to prevent damage to the bow
(go to this site to see it used)http://www.archeryexchange.com/information/info_pages/beginnersetup/stringer.shtml
http://www.warofthering.net/photoforum/data/500/2094stringers-med.jpg

Arm bracers - to prevent bowstring from stinging your forearm (the lacings go on the outside of your arm as shown)
http://www.warofthering.net/photoforum/data/500/2094bracers-med.jpg
http://www.warofthering.net/photoforum/data/500/2094bracer-med.jpg

Arrows (carbon, aluminum or wood - really your preference)
http://www.warofthering.net/photoforum/data/500/2094arrows-med.jpg

String silencers - optional, hunters use them but if you like your bowstring quieter then you can use them too!)
http://www.warofthering.net/photoforum/data/500/2094silencer.jpg

Quiver (hip or back) - for your arrows

Bowhand glove - if you're shooting a shelfless bow you'll want one of these to prevent the fletches of the arrows from cutting into your bowhand

A good bow with a bowstring - recurve, longbow, Yumi, horsebow...your preference

String wax - to help your bowstring last longer

Chest guard - optional, this is to keep from getting stung by the bowstring

A Target - something to shoot at (orc, urukai, foam target, etc.)

:archer: More to come! :archer:

[Laurelin]

Thoughts on choosing a bow...

You should keep the poundage light so you don't "over bow" yourself. If the bow is too heavy for you then you could injure yourself or simply loose interest because it will be too difficult for you to draw the string back. Depending on how strong you are, I would start with a 25-30 pound bow for a woman and 45-50 pound bow for a man. It doesn't matter if you want to shoot longbow, recurve, horsebow, Yumi or some other type of bow, but I would suggest a bow that is longer in length rather than shorter. These bows are easier to draw at heavier weights. My first bow was a Martin X-200, 30 pound bow when one draws the string at 28 inches (approximately the distance from the front of the bow just above your hand to your anchor point). If you draw 25 inches normally (for example) then the weight would be approximately 2-3 pounds less per inch. The X-200 has a very smooth draw (doesn't feel heavy and hard to draw all of the sudden) and is somewhat forgiving if you botch up your release. The X-200 is a laminated recurve, 60 inches long. This is a very good beginners bow and isn't horribly expensive either.

A note on “bow stacking” - I shot a 50# bow that hurt my elbow and another one that didn't. From what I understand, when the angle of the bow to the bowstring nears 90 degrees the pounds stack up exponentially. So... a bow that is really long or highly recurved won't reach 90 degrees easily (unless your draw length is like 32 inches or something - with your anchor point at your shoulder) and therefore doesn't stack. Having a bow like that might allow you to shoot heavier poundage than one that does stack. Make sense? I hate bows that stack quickly. It hurts us precious.

I’m short... Can I still shoot a bow that’s really long? Well, for what it’s worth, I have a bow that is 6 foot in length and I'm only 5'9" so I say get what suits you. Food for thought - The longer the bow, the less draw weight stacking due to the angle between the bow and the bowstring.

:archer:

[Laurelin]

How to shoot a traditional bow Part 1... from Cuiel's lessons

"Hm...first thing we learnt was how to stand...kinda like the first position in ballet hehehe...to make our body form a T but with legs a bit parted...and then bend the draw-arm towards our chest..pretty basic but some still forget and stand like potato-sacks. Next of course not to let go of a drawn string if there's no arrow on it. I had to learn how to twist my arm out of the strings path so to speak, in order to avoid being whipped by it when I let the arrow fly. Any of you guys experience that? My coach said it’s due to sloppy ligaments around the elbow, and needs some work to the muscles to compensate for that. I also had to learn how to correct the angle of the elbow on the draw-arm, I had a tendency to pull it up.

We learnt that the main thing early on was to get the hits gathered as much as possible, not necessarily to hit centre target. Only when we achieved a collective hitting point and it was still off target would we be allowed to adjust the aim on the bow.

After shooting some at 7 meters range we learnt how to hold the bow correctly, like not gripping it firmly but kinda more pushing it away from ourselves with loose fingers while drawing the string. I then learnt that opening the angle between where my feet was placed was good....gee that sounds weird! I mean positioning the feet not parallel to each other, but twisting the front foot, (like I have back feet hirrhirr!), a bit forward in the shooting direction. Hm did that make sense? Well. Then we shot with eyes closed...like lift, pull, aim, close eyes and shoot. Dunno what it was good for but anyways.

We moved backwards a bit, 10 meters, and learnt about how to be relaxed in the wrist and fingers of the draw-arm when letting go of the string....like fingers just becoming all loose instead of moving the wrist/hand. Then we learnt about finding an anchor point...a place in your face to use as a reference each time you draw the string...right side of face for right-handed and vice versa...draw hand should land below the chin, by the corner of the mouth, string against the nose. By drawing the string to the same point each time each shot is more like the former one, and so will your hits be.

Next was breathing technique...and these last three proved important for my hits. Breathe with the stomach, not with the chest. (This is important no matter if you practice archery or not, I know all about that!) Lift bow while breathing in...draw string while breathing out, but don't let all your air out until you've aimed...then let the rest of the air go and shoot. Makes for a very fluent movement and I save a lot of strength by doing this, because the period of time I've got the string drawn is much shorter. AND I get more concentrated, much more focused about what I'm doing.

We learnt about anchor points, opening up the angle of where we place our feet and loosening the grip on the bow, then generally just went ahead and shot, the two hours passed so quickly I didn't even look at the time

Third practice yesterday, shot with eyes closed and hit all target, think perhaps I should stop looking when I shoot! Learnt about breathing right and letting go of the string without a tense wrist. Keeps getting better and better!"

:rose: Thank you Cuiel for submitting your knowledge!

:archer:

[Laurelin]

How to shoot a traditional bow Part 2

1. stand with feet should width apart, your weight evenly distributed (there is debate on weather or not you should place more weight on the front foot or the rear foot so try all three and see what works best for you)
2. nock an arrow on the string
3. hold bow but not too tightly
4. raise bow and draw string back to your anchor point, keeping your elbow in line with your shoulder (anchor your sting hand at the shoulder, chin, mouth, jaw, ear - your choice)
5. hold for 1-5 seconds or until you feel you're ready to hit the target
6. loose the arrow by relaxing the fingers
7. and follow through by NOT moving until the arrow has hit the target (if you move your string hand away from your face or move your eyes to follow the arrows flight, you will NOT hit your target accurately!)

Did you hit your target where you intended? Good! Do another one just like it. ;) Did you not hit where you intended? Hmmm... Here's some thoughts to consider:

Stance - You should stand side-on to the target, with your feet about shoulder-width apart pointing along the shooting line. You should not point your feet or your knees towards the target. Once you have the feet sorted out, you must pay attention to your upper body. The only parts of your body that should move when you shoot are your arms and your head. You should not rotate your torso towards the target, nor tilt your neck at all.

Gripping bow too tightly - When you are at full draw, the tension in the string will force the bow to align itself in a certain direction. When you release, this tension vanishes and the bow aligns itself in whatever direction the position of your hand suggests. If these two directions aren't exactly the same, the bow will rotate slightly and give the arrow a kick to the side. You can tell when you're doing this, because the arrow will wiggle from side to side ("fishtail") while it's in flight, and your horizontal grouping will be poor. You should also notice that when you draw, the bow twists in your hand from its original position. If this is happening, try to loosen your grip by using your index finger and your thumb mostly and keeping the other 3 fingers loose.

Your anchor - It is vital that you draw the string back to exactly the same place every time, or you'll never get a consistent grouping. If you're using your chin to anchor (for example), you obviously need to make sure your chin is in the same place every time. An easy way to get your head at a consistent angle is to let the string rest against the tip of your nose while you're at full draw. This is called a double anchor (basically its 2 reference points for you to line up such that you will be more consistent).

Your release - is your bowarm moving to much during and after the shot? Are you creeping just before loosing the arrow? (creeping is arrow creeping forwards during aiming just prior to loosing the arrow) "Standard advice for dropped bow arms is to set up early, and to maintain aim throughout the shot - the sight should be on the target and stable, but not held rigidly when you release, and you should be watching the arrows into the centre. Shooting 'on the move' is verboten - spend time practicing coming up to a stable aim position without shooting the arrow, then extend that into a good rhythm like 'up... back... aim... off!' taking about 3-7 secs in the aiming period. You can go longer or shorter, but resist going shorter if trying to overcome 'snap shooting'. " For creeping, "generally, the solution is to make sure that the bow arm is fully extended forwards and held there, that the draw is fully extended and the load is transferred onto the back and shoulder muscles, leaving a relaxed wrist and hand, and to adopt a 'stretch the arms and straighten the fingers' approach to loosing. The result should be a natural backwards movement of the string arm after the shot, but that must happen naturally as a consequence of the draw, not deliberately in isolation. "
Ref - http://users.ox.ac.uk/~archery/old/mistakes.html

Your equipment - bow string brace height isn't set right distance between the riser and the string), arrows spine is too stiff or not stiff enough, arrow's tips are too heavy, bow's limbs are twisted (very bad!), or simply your mind is elsewhere and can't concentrate.

Its almost more important that you're in the right frame of mind. A good shot comes from within. If you are in the correct frame of mind you will be able to produce the same shot every time. You can feel the shot and know it will be good even before the arrow leaves the bow.

:archer:

[Laurelin]

String Slap Problems

I figured this one deserves a post all on its own. Whether you hit your forearm or inner most shoulder area, its likely to leave a beautiful red spot and sometimes arm bracers and chest protectors don't quite cover it (pun intended). lol

There are several reasons for getting bit by the bowstring. One of course is that you locked your elbow out and inadvertently put it in the strings way. Ouch! "The solution? Relax the left arm a bit and rotate the elbow slightly clockwise for right handed shooters and counterclockwise for left handed shooters, so it sticks out to the left (right handed) or the right (left handed) a bit. You'll probably find that it's harder to stay at full draw in this position, but your muscles will soon adapt to the increased strain." An easier solution is simply to cant or tilt the bow slightly which will achieve the same effect.

According to this website - "On the bow arm contact problem, bending the arm significantly is a good short term fix, but untenable as the bow weight goes up. I prefer to rotate the bow arm, usually clockwise for a right-handed archer without an inverted elbow. You end up with your bow hand rotated 45 degrees or so from a 'thumb vertical' position, making it easier to rotate the elbow out of the string path. A prerequisite is usually a good bow shoulder position - a shoulder rolled forward or carefully inserted in the left ear generally leads to some string contact. Shoulder set slightly down and back is the usual aim. Check it by leaning against a wall or drawing a bow. If the shoulder pushes up to your ear, it's mis-set. If it is genuinely solid (doesn't need holding in place) or tends to push back and down a little, you should be well set up. For a personal view; I suspect the problem often isn't in the bow arm at all, but in truly awful beginners looses that send the string hard left. Strings never go straight, but the inward swing is less dramatic with a clean loose.

For bow arm setup, you want a stable bow arm set-up that doesn't interfere with the string. That usually means bow shoulder either just extended straight or held gently down and back (never up and forward), bow hand position rotated about 45 degrees clockwise from the 'thumb vertical' position (for right-handers) and hand not wrapped all the way round the bow (you can't get all four fingers tightly round a typical bow grip with this hand position). Arm should be fully extended but not usually forced to 'lock' (unnecessary hard work). You should be able to see plenty of clear space between the arrow line and your arm if you glance down from a pre-draw position. If you can't, try rotating the arm until you can. This bit is best practiced with a light bow or leaning against a wall - most people are too strained with their normal bow weight at full draw. Finally, get your bow arm set up before you draw and don't move shoulders and elbows unnecessarily during the draw."
Ref - http://users.ox.ac.uk/~archery/old/mistakes.html

Cuiel offers this advice - "As I mentioned earlier my coach told me about the slack in the ligaments in my elbow, causing my elbow and lower arm to actually obstruct the string when I let it go, and that this is almost genetical! Aparantely Korean archers have this a lot of the time! You can actually work your muscles to compensate for this slack. She told me to stand facing a wall, position my palm firmly against the wall with my fingers pointing upwards and my arm fully stretched out, and then twist the elbow and lower part of my arm inwards, without moving my hand, to move it out of the way of the string. If you repeat this exercise the muscles that controle this area gets stronger and eventually it will become an instinctive movement when shooting."

:archer:

[Liv_Tylers_Twin]

Wow, where was this last post before I got my archers arm?! :rolleyes:

:) Excessively helpful!! Thankyou so much, Luin!! notworthy

[Laurelin]

:blush: You're welcome Liv. There will be more coming as soon as I organize my thoughts better. ;)

[Laurelin]

Glossary of terms
Anchor: The point at which the archers string hand comes to rest when the arrow is fully drawn

Armguard/ armbracer: A leather or plastic pad to protect the arm from the slap of the bowstring

Arrowshelf: The ledge at the base of the sight window where the arrow rests

Back: The front, or outer surface of the bow; the surface facing the target

Backing: The reinforcing material bonded to the front surface of the bow; this is usually fiberglass on modern laminated bows

Backset: A longbow design where unbraced limbs angle backward, away from the shooter

Belly: The side of the bow facing the archer

Bow arm – The arm that hold the bow during shooting

Bow length: The length of a bow, commonly measured from nock to nock along the back of the bow

Bow stringer: A device which aids the archer in stringing and unstringing his bow

Bow weight: The number of pounds of energy required to pull a 28-inch arrow in a given bow

Bowyer: One who makes bows

Brace: A strung bow is braced. To brace a bow is to string it

Brace Height: The distance between the braced bowstring and the low point of the belly of the grip

Broadhead: A sharpened steel arrow point with one or more blades used in bowhunting

Cast: A bows cast is its capacity to propel an arrow; the better the cast the faster the arrow and the flatter its trajectory

Center -shot: The cut out section in the bows upper limb just above the grip. In a full center-shot bow, the drawn arrow points straight ahead, instead of being angled to one side

Chest guard – protects clothing and upper chest from string slap

Cresting: The painted bands on the arrow shaft, just forward of the fletching

Crowned: The peaked or rounded profile of an arrow shelf designed to enhance arrow flight

Deflex: A deflex bows limbs, at the fadeouts, angle toward the shooter

Deflex-reflex: A design where the unbraced limbs deflex forward toward the shooter then reverse attitude, reflexing backward away from the shooter

Draw weight: The same as bow weight

Face: Same as the belly

Fadeout: the tapered feathered end of the riser enveloped by the limb composites

Field point: target archery arrow points

Fistmele: An ancient term for brace height

Fletching: The feathers or plastic vanes on an arrow

Follow through – is the motion/lack of motion you make after loosing an arrow until or slightly after the arrow has hit its target

Gap shooting: An aiming technique

Handle: Same as riser

Laminations: The layers of laminated bow limb. Usually consist of wood and fiberglass

Limb: The measurement from the end of the fadeout (end of the riser) to the string nock along the back

Limb tips: also called nocks

Nock: a)The grooved portion on the arrows rear end b)to nock an arrow is to place it on the bowstring c)on the bow, the grooves on both ends, into which the bowstring loops are placed

Paradox: Paradox is the tendency of an arrow to fly straight ahead, although it is pointed to one side on the bow. This is accomplished by a series of diminishing bends of the shaft, which ultimately straightens out in flight

Release: (also called loosing the arrow) when you shoot the arrow you release the bowstring

Riser: the handle section of the bow

Shaft: center section of an arrow, between the tip and nock

Shelfed bow: a bow that has an arrowshelf for shooting

Shelfless bow: a bow that does not have an arrowshelf for shooting

Serving - nylon monofilament used to increase the diameter of a bowstring and to protect against chaffing/fraying.

Static Limbs: these limbs do not move or flex during or after shooting an arrow

Syhas (sihas): the static limb name for the limbs of a horsebow

Working Limbs: these limbs will move or flex during and after shooting an arrow


Archery Dictionary - http://members.aol.com/tradbowmd/archdict.htm
:archer:

[Laurelin]

Aiming and Drawing...

On Aiming, there seems to be a couple of different thoughts: Gap shooting and instinctive shooting. There are probably more, but I'm only going to describe these two.

Gap shooting is where you use the arrows tip as a reference for aiming at a target. Then you estimate the gap between the arrows tip and the spot you want to hit and adjust your bow arm accordingly.
http://www.warofthering.net/photoforum/data/500/2094gap2_1_.jpg

In instinctive shooting there is no figuring of yardage and gap are required at a conscious level. The mental ruler falls away from the aiming process. What's left is an archer raising his bow by feel and delivering a shot into the bull’s-eye.

On drawing your string back there are three main way in doing so: 3 under, split finger or thumb release.

The most traditional is split finger release.
http://www.warofthering.net/photoforum/data/500/2094splitfinger-med.jpg

Here's the 3 under release.
http://www.warofthering.net/photoforum/data/500/20943under-med.jpg

And finally the thumb release which is typically used in Asian style shooting. Oh, and you're supposed to use a thumb ring with this release which I don't have. :blush:
http://www.warofthering.net/photoforum/data/500/2094thumbrelease-med.jpg

Click on the link below and then the video link at the bottom of the page to see the Hungarian style of shooting which is similar to the Asian style. I believe it also shows some horseback archery as well.
http://www.atarn.org/magyar/magyar_link.htm

:archer:

[Laurelin]

More tips and tricks from http://www.stickbow.com:

Strength Training and Endurance
"I picked up an endurance technique from Don Rabska, in his article in Archery Focus. Don is an active Olympic style archer, coach, and engineer at Easton. Don talks about 'long drawing times', draw the bow back to anchor and hold at full draw for 20-60 seconds. The key is to never stay static, rather, continue pulling with your shoulders and back muscles. The arrow should not be drawn more than 1/2" past your anchor. When doing this exercise, build up to about 10 repetitions per session. An occasional check by looking in the mirror to make sure you are staying active in this drill is helpful. I use a 30 second timer to measure the intervals. If your bow poundage is too heavy to do this drill, start with a lighter bow and work up to your bow. Focus on using your back muscles."

Practice tips
Mental practice is perhaps the lost element in modern day archery. We are so intent on shooting the spot, that we spend all our time shooting. We neglect working on mental imagery, and concentration. Granted, archery is very physical, the archer in first place is usually the archer who had his best mental game that day. The same thing goes for hunting at that moment of truth when that bull is one step away from a perfect broadside shot, our mental game has to be operating. There are mental programs out there, and many more books on the subject. I like to work on mental imagery, visualizing fluid shots. I also visualize my arrows hitting the spot. Another good exercise is done while shooting, staying in the present and not dwelling in the past. The past arrows I shot are gone, good or bad, they are over. The only shot I focus on is the shot at hand.

Shooting practice
"Why do you shoot the bow and arrow? To hit the target. Right? I invite you to shift the emphasis from hitting targets to shooting good shots, while working on your shooting form. The first thing to do is take the target off the bale. If you have a target bag or 3-D animal put a blank piece of cardboard up or an old piece of fabric. Get the bale at shoulder height .

Standing about 4 ft. from the bale nock an arrow, come to full draw, make sure your arrow is pointing at the bale. At full draw close your eyes and shoot the shot, hopefully your arrow is in the bale. Shoot a few more with your eyes closed to get comfortable with this concept of shooting without being able to see.
Shoot the next 12 arrows in the 'eyes closed' mode. Get a sense of how the shot feels. Notice the different elements of your shot. Although there are thousands of elements in your shot, certain elements will stand out to you. I notice my stance, setting my hand into the grip and my other hand on the string, raising the bow up as I focus, anchor, and follow through. While shooting with your eyes closed observe yourself going through the various steps before, during, and after the shot.
The shot can feel different when your eyes are closed, for most of us it not only feels different, it is different. With your eyes open shoot the blank bale. If the shot does not feel similar, go back to eyes closed for a few more shots and then try eyes open. Keep working on it till both types of shooting feel very similar.

I use 'eyes closed' and 'blank bale' for learning and reinforcing certain elements of my shot, warming up, and trouble shooting. Shooting with my eyes closed removes many of the distractions which may hinder my shot. Unencumbered, I can develop a simple and consistent shot. I can also work on individual elements of my shot. In a given session, I may just work on hitting a solid anchor. I like taking a few warm up shots with my eyes closed, whether it is before a tournament, or heading out for a day of hunting. When I am trouble shooting my shot, I will often go to the close bale and start with the basic shot, and the basic elements.

This type of shooting accomplishes many things. Switching my emphasis from hitting the target to shooting good shots has made a big difference in my shooting. In the upcoming articles we will work on transitioning from shooting blank bales to shooting targets.

Up till now, the whole emphasis has been on shooting a shot that feels right both in the mind and body. That is what we want to accomplish while shooting a close bale with eyes closed and shooting a blank bale with eyes open.

Now I invite you introduce another element into your shot. With the same emphasis on the shot shooting a blank bale at 4 feet in mind, pick a piece of straw in the bale and focus on it as you shoot your shot . As you come to full draw focus on the spot, as you anchor think focus, focus, focus. With your same familiar tempo shoot your shot as you focus on that piece of straw. Practice this focus until you feel comfortable. Don't be distracted by where your arrows are going. Focus on a piece of straw and shoot that shot you have learned to love. If the shot doesn't feel right, close your eyes and shoot. When you've established your shot, then go back to picking a piece of straw. The focusing is an element of your shot, yet the emphasis is still on shooting with consistent form.

After you get the hang of focusing on a spot, put up a target. Pie plate, 3-D animal, whatever, pick a spot on the plate or the target and do the same exact exercise at 4 feet. Pick a spot and focus on it shooting your familiar shot with the same tempo you had when the bale was blank. As you feel very comfortable with that, move back a couple of yards. As you gain confidence and your groups are tight, move back a bit more and work on the same thing at a new distance. If you feel like you are losing your sense of the shot, move closer till you re-establish your feel and tempo. In a week or two you will be shooting at your hunting distances and shooting on target. Whatever style of shooting or aiming you do, this approach will make your shot more consistent and allow you to focus on the whole shot."

:archer:

[Laurelin]

The anatomy of a bow:
http://www.warofthering.net/photoforum/data/500/2094bowanatomy-med.jpg

The anatomy of an arrow:
http://www.warofthering.net/photoforum/data/500/2094anatomyarrow-med.jpg

:archer:

[TrueSwordsman]

When I suggested a guide for archers I did not expect this! Laurelin you strike me as the type of person who gives all or nothing to everything you do. I am very pleased and a bit overwhelmed. I will have to empty my archery glass of knowledge and start from scratch to soak up all this information and negate all of my bad habits.

[Laurelin]

:blush: Thanks TS. :blush: lol Its you're fault TS... you came up with the ideas and from those ideas... well, you see what happened! ;) I just didn't want to give you only a little bit and leave so much unexplained. There's more I need to post... I'm still working on it. I just hope you guys find this useful. ;)

[Liv_Tylers_Twin]

I'm finding it excessively helpful!! :thumbs: You're awsome!!!! :)

[Steve the Great]

Hi ya LTT,
I'd like to ask you (and other members too) to try posting your questions, suggestions and acknowledgments ;) to the other Archery thread... We (well... Laurelin) started this thread with the idea of collecting useful pieces of info about archery and wanted to keep clean as far as possible... So feel free to use the Concerning Bows and Archery thread for talking instead this one... :grin:

Thanks,
StG

[Laurelin]

Just a quick note to let all know I have more updates coming soon. ;) I'll post them as soon as I am able.

[Cuiel Rilwen]

:o there's more! I can't wait. Laurie! :cool:

[Laurelin]

Ok here's more for you... Let's talk about arrow fletching!

One can have a straight fletch (more for compound archers - also they might use vanes which are solid plastic feathers) or a helical fletched arrow (traditional archers - use die cut turkey feathers or hand shaped turkey feathers). What that means is if you look at the arrow from the nock end, you will see the fletches being perfectly straight down the shaft of the arrow for a straight fletched arrow or spiraled slightly for a helical fletched arrow. Traditional archers really need to use helical fletched arrows. With helical fletching the feathers should be slightly spiraled... either in a left or right helical formation. Here's a view from the side:
http://www.warofthering.net/photoforum/data/500/2094helical-med.jpg

Info on use of real turkey feathers:
To get very technical, there is debate as to which one (the feathers from the right wing of the turkey or the left) is best for a left/right handed archer.
http://www.warofthering.net/photoforum/data/500/2094wing.jpg
There have been some past writings that suggest that right handed shooters should shoot left wing and that left handed shooters should shoot right wing. The theory behind this advice is that the arrow should spin away from the bow riser. Actually, it doesn't really matter and the choice is really a personal one. I currently have the remnants from two different sets of arrows in my back quiver. One set is fletched with left helical, the other with right helical. I really cannot tell any difference in how they fly or in how they are wearing. The one critical thing is that you do not mix left and right feathers on the same arrow or you'll have a funky flying arrow. :p

As long as a traditional bow shoots helical fletched arrows, you will see much better flight from your arrows than if it is fletched straight (compound bows have so much power and a different arrow rest that they don't need the stabilizing of helical fletching). Traditional bows need this to stabilize the arrow in flight since it shoots off of one's hand or a shelf where the arrow must actually go around the riser of the bow. If you shoot a straight fletch, you will see the arrow kick wildly at the nock in a fish tail (side to side) or porpoise (up and down) as it flies to the target.

You can have your arrows fletched by someone or buy a fletching jig and do it yourself. If you do it yourself, make sure you always fletch left wing feathers with a left wing fletching jig and right wing feathers with a right wing fletching jig. You can use a straight jig for either left or right wing feathers and then adjust the offset to the left or right (assuming that your fletching jig has this adjustment).
http://www.warofthering.net/photoforum/data/500/2094fletchjig.jpg

There are several sizes and shapes one could use too (parabolic, shield, magnum and who knows what else).
http://www.warofthering.net/photoforum/data/500/2094fltchsp.jpg
This really depends on personal preference and what works best for your pound bow, the weight of your arrow and whether or not you'll be shooting in tournaments or hunting. "Remember that the purpose of the feathers is to provide drag on the nock end of the arrow which stabilizes the arrow in flight. Feather sizes for hunting arrows generally fall within the size range of 4" to 5 1/2". I would say that the most common size used for hunting arrows is 5". (No scientific survey here, just my own observations). Feathers can be fashioned in numerous shapes." (hence Legolas's fletches) For smaller pound bows and lighter arrows, like my bow for example, I use 3 inch parabolic fletches. The reason why is that anything bigger for a 30# bow with light aluminum arrows would cause my shooting range to suffer. I would watch my arrow fly and land short of my target. It will literally drop tip first into the dirt. Hunters tend to have heavier bows and heavier arrows. They would need a 4-5 inch fletch. The shape is really your choice. I like shield cut, but for my 30# bow they don't make shield cut precut for me to buy.

Links:
Extreme Feathers (http://www.extremefeathers.com/index.html)
True Flight Feathers (http://www.trueflightfeathers.com/index.htm)
:archer:

[Laurelin]

Types of bows - there are many different types of bows. A few of those are as follows in the picture from top to bottom: Longbow, Longbow with deflexed tips, Recurve, and Mongolian bow.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/archerelf/archery/bowtypes.jpg

Of the traditional variety there are shelved
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/archerelf/archery/shelfbows.jpg

and shelfless
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/archerelf/archery/shelflessbows.jpg

:archer:

[Sorrowman]

Laurelin, I understand that you make arrows, and you use modern tools.Nice,but not 4 me :p .I use only medieval style arrows,don t know why, but makes me feel ancient...I apreciate the qualities of the modern ones,but I can t buy(find) parts such as :insertion, the tip(I forge them)wings(I kill crows)shafts(the forest rulz)...anyway I broken my bow few days ago,and another one(ash tree made) is about to take shape...

[Laurelin]

Hi Sorrowman, I had answered your post in the Concerning Bows and Archery Thread. ;)

A word about bowstrings... there are a couple of types in tradional archery. One is continuous loop and the other is flemish. It would seem that most traditional archers prefer a flemish bowstring probably for its ease in making at home. There are many different types of string material you can use. Generally, B50 Dacron or DynaFlight/FastFlight is used today. Most use Dacron. Only certain bows can use DynaFlight because of the stress it puts on the limb tips. Check with your bow manufacturer before using DynaFlight or you could break your bow. When in doubt...Dacron is the way to go.Flemish Bowstrings (http://www.flemishbowstrings.com/)

A flemish bowstring is actually several strands of string, usually two different colors, twisted together with loops at the ends. The bows at Arms of Valor (http://www.armsofvalor.com) use flemish strings. Flemish bowstrings are fairly easy to make. Are you curious about making your own? Give it a whirl. You'll need a string jig, which are pretty cheap and of course B50 string in whatever color that interests you. Check out this link (http://www.lerduen.dk/bowstring/bowstring.htm) or this link (http://www.public.asu.edu/~roblewis/Archery/makestring.htm) for instructions on making a flemish string! Here's a nicer piccie of a string jig.
http://www.warofthering.net/photoforum/data/500/2094string_jig.jpg
A quick note about flemish bowstrings though. Flemish bowstrings are twisted and will stretch, therefore you must adjust your brace height regularly or you'll see that your arrows aren't flying as well due to energy loss in the stretched string.

Adjusting your brace height isn't too terribly complicated though. It’s pretty easy actually!
http://www.warofthering.net/photoforum/data/500/2094braceht.jpg
The brace height is the gap between the bow where you place your hand and the spot where you place your and is measured using a bow square.
http://www.warofthering.net/photoforum/data/500/2094bow_square.jpg
To adjust it, you place the string on one end of your bow and twist the other end several times, then place it on your bow and brace it such that you can shoot it. Draw the bow a couple of times to stretch the string, and then take your bow square to measure the distance between the string and the bow. If it’s not right, unbrace your bow and repeat the process. The more you twist the bowstring (usually clockwise if you’re looking down at the end that’s off the bow), the more you increase the brace height of your bow. The more you untwist it (usually counterclockwise) and it decreases the brace height. Not only can brace height be used to adjust for string stretch, but brace height is a way of fine tuning your arrow flight after you've resolved the big issues like which arrows to use and how to release, etc. You can adjust your brace height anytime you like. Most bows come with a "recommended range" for the brace height so ask your bowyers about it if they didn't tell you.

After a string is made it is usually served. The serving would be wrapped around the bowstring only in the area where one would place an arrow.
http://www.warofthering.net/photoforum/data/500/2094serving.jpg
Serving simply extends the life of a bowstring and makes the string thicker such that an arrow's nock fits better and flies nicer off of the string. Can you shoot without one? Of course! There are a couple of things to consider though. Bows with a small draw weight, such as 25-40 pound bows, will use less amount of string to make a Flemish bowstring. Without a serving, the bowstring may be too thin for an arrow to properly nock onto the string. Serving the bowstring can fix that by making that part of your bowstring thicker. Simply put, your arrow will fly MUCH better if the arrow’s nock fits snuggly to the string. Loosely nocked arrows fly horribly. The other thing to consider is that serving the bowstring will help protect it from chaffing and fraying from continual nocking and releasing of arrows. Generally most serving is about 4-6 inches long and only in the center of the bowstring.

After a string is served one would place a nock over the serving where one places the arrow to shoot. The purpose of the nock is so you know where to put your arrow every time for consistency. I use a metal nock currently, but I am switching over to a string nock to see if it helps me or not. String nocks versus metal nocks? Well, they claim that a string nock won't slow your bowstring down as much, but I think it’s more about personal preference. I shall let you know what I see when I try it. ;)

Other little thoughts...if you wax your flemish bowstring with stringwax from the tip to the serving it will keep your bowstring from fraying and help extend its life too. Just make sure you don't wax the serving. I made that mistake. lol Its not a horrible thing, its just that if you wax the serving your fingers/gloves/fingertab will not slide smoothly off the string until that wax has worn off. You want a smooth release or your shot will be off. Believe me, you'll notice a difference. Its all those little details that get ya. lol

:archer:

[IronHills Dwarf]

Just wanted to let everyone know Laurelin's guide now has a slightly more permanent home at Middle-earth Warfare. See it here (http://me-warfare.atspace.com/contrib-archery_101.html). I'll updated it as she adds more info. :)

[Laurelin]

:blush: Aw thanks IHD! :smooch: I'm still working on my arrow update and hope to have something completed soon. ;)

[Cuiel Rilwen]

Hehehe...getting famous sweetie! :)

[Laurelin]

:blush: Nah! lol Ok, here's an update list of all my archery links (and I've organized it this time, scary huh? lol)

Archery Supplies
• 3 Rivers Archery – http://www.3riversarchery.com
• Missouri Trading Company - http://www.missouritrading.com/bows.htm
• Traditional Archery Supply - http://www.traditional-archery-supply.com
• Cabela’s - http://www.cabelas.com
• Old South Traditional - http://www.oldsoutharrows.com
• Eagle Archery - http://www.eaglearchery.com

Making Bows
• Bingham Projects - http://www.binghamprojects.com/features.htm
• Ancient Archery - http://www.ancientarchery.com/Bows.htm
• The Bowyer’s Edge - http://www.bowyersedge.com
• The Ferret’s Board Bow - http://residents.bowhunting.net/sticknstring/brdbows.html

Woods & Tools
• Rodney Wright Archery - http://pages.infinit.net/rwright/woodlaminates.html
• Lie-Nielson - http://www.lie-nielsen.com/index.html?cart=10894726405189341
• Rockler - http://www.rockler.com/index.cfm?cookietest=1&
• Traditional Woodworker - http://www.traditionalwoodworker.com
• Woodcraft - http://www.woodcraft.com
• Woodzone - http://www.woodzone.com/index.htm

Laminates
• Rodney Wright Archery - http://pages.infinit.net/rwright/woodlaminates.html

Glues
• Smooth On - http://www.smoothon.com
• Glue Guru - http://www.glueguru.com

Materials
• American Composites - http://www.acmanet.org/industry/index.cfm
• Gordon Composites - http://www.gordoncomposites.com/index.htm

Arrows
• Bow Hunting Stuff - http://bbrothersc.zoovy.com
• Anatomy of Arrows - http://thunder.prohosting.com/%7Emfoster/archery/arrow.html
• Ancient Archery Arrows - http://www.ancientarchery.com/Arrows.htm

Fletches
• Extreme Feathers - http://www.extremefeathers.com/index.html
• True Flight Feathers - http://www.trueflightfeathers.com/index.htm
• Fletching Info - http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Olympus/9100/fletching.htm

Shafts
• Crafting Wooden Shafts - http://www.rfd.cc/ta/woodies
• Beman Carbon Arrows - http://www.beman.com
• Easton Archery - http://www.eastonarchery.com
• Black Hawk Arrows – http://www.blackhawkarchery.com

Strings
• BCY Fibers - http://www.bcyfibers.com/index.php
• Brownell - http://www.brownellco.com/pages/archeryMAIN.html

Flemish
• How to - http://www.rfd.cc/ta/flemish
• How to - http://www.lerduen.dk/bowstring/bowstring.htm

Continuous Loop
• How to - http://www.rfd.cc/ta/endless/estring.html
• Making a jig - http://www.rfd.cc/ta/endless/ejig.html

Asiatic Bows & Information
• Asian Traditional Archery - http://www.atarn.org/frameindex.htm
• Horsebows - http://www.horsebows.com
• Krackow - http://www.krackow.com
• Kyudo/Yumi Bows - http://www.kyudo.com
• Saluki Bows - http://www.salukibow.com
• Asahi American Kyudogu - http://www.kyudo.com/asahiam.html
• Indiana Yumi & other states - http://www.kyudo.com/ikr.html
• Korean Archery - http://www.hwarangarchery.com
• Traditional Korean Archery - http://www.koreanarchery.org
• Scandinavian Archery - http://www.traditional-archery-scandinavia.com/englisch/englisch.html
• Eagle Archery - http://www.eagleclassicarchery.co.uk/rep.htm
• Grozer Bows - http://www.grozerarchery.com/index_m.htm
• Seven Meadows - http://www.sevenmeadowsarchery.com/artisan.html

Bowyers
• Ol Adcock Custom Bows - http://www.bowmaker.net/index2.htm
• Black Rhino Bows - http://www.bows.net
• Black Widow – http://www.blackwidowbows.com
• Martin – http://www.martinarchery.com
• Restless Spirit Bows - http://www.restlessspiritbows.com
• Northern Mist Longbows - http://www.exploringthenorth.com/bowman/steve.html
• Bowstick - http://www.bowstick.com/index.html
• Rudder Bows - http://www.rudderbows.com
• Trad Bow Norge - http://www.klaa.no/tradbow (Norweigian Tradbow site)

General Archery
• BP Outdoors - http://www.bp-outdoors.com/archery.html
• The Archery Exchange - http://www.archeryexchange.com/index.shtml
• Jackson’s Archery Links - http://home.att.net/~sajackson/archery.html
• Archery Links - http://www.thesafepath.org/archery.htm
• Ancient Archery Info - http://www.ancientarchery.com

Books
• Horse Feathers - http://www.horsefeathersranch.com
• Primitive Archer Magazine Online - http://www.primitivearcher.com/index.shtml


Forums
• Archery World - http://archeryworld.com/bows/forums/index.tpl
• Trad Gang – http://www.tradgang.com
• Leatherwall - http://www.bowsite.com/bowsite/tf/lw/threadsx2.cfm
• Stickbow Target Archery - http://staf.trinitylongbowmen.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi

Educational
• Stickbow - http://www.stickbow.com
• Basic Gear - http://www.centenaryarchers.gil.com.au/basic2.htm
• Archery Mistakes - http://users.ox.ac.uk/~archery/old/mistakes.html
• Bow Arm Help - http://users.ox.ac.uk/~archery/information/how_to___/paul_s_archery_masterclass.html
• Tenzone - http://www.tenzone.u-net.com/index.htm
• How to: Back Quiver - http://www.rfd.cc/ta/backplan
• How to: Hip Quiver - http://www.rfd.cc/ta/hipster
• Dictionary - http://members.aol.com/tradbowmd/archdict.htm


Kyudo - Japanese Archery
• Shibata Article - http://www.zenko.org/yumi_talk.htm
• Shibata Family - http://www.zenko.org/lineage.html
• Kyudo FAQ's - http://www.student.utwente.nl/~sagi/faq/kyudo.shtml

Organizations
• National Field Archery Association - http://www.nfaa-archery.org
• IBO - http://www.ibo.net
• ATARN (Asian Traditional Archery) - http://www.atarn.org/frameindex.htm
• International Horse Archery - http://www.intlhorsearchery.org
• Indiana Kyudo Renmei - http://www.indianakyudorenmei.org
• Korean Archery - http://www.koreanarchery.org

[IronHills Dwarf]

Not going to get famous from being on my site methinks... lol

Nice collect of links though, will update when I get my laptop back (in the shop again... for the same problem..... again.... we are not pleased :angry: )

[Cuiel Rilwen]

:o :o :o Thank you thank you thank you! :whoohoo: Some collection! *Goes to have fun with new links*

[Laurelin]

Sorry to hear about the PC problems IHD.. Seems everyone is plagued with them right now. Even I am having troubles (hopes its just a bad power supply). Enjoy the links all.

I'm still working on arrows and will have something hopefully by weekend. ;)

[Laurelin]

Heheh... are you ready for this? You asked for it. :grin:

Concerning Arrows… ah yes, the age old question of what arrows to shoot from a bow. Well, this is a difficult question to answer as all bows and people are created differently. I shall do my best to shed some light on how to choose an arrow or two for your bow. First I’d like to pay homage to My Husband, The Traditional Bowyer’s Bible, Volume Two, Easton Archery, and to Stickbow.com as well as the many hours of help from my fellow archers in Indianapolis/Greenwood. Whether you choose to shoot wood, aluminum, or carbon arrows the important thing is getting the right spine weight for your bow. Simply put, spine weight of an arrow shaft is what makes an arrow weak or stiff for your bow. For simplicity sake, the shorter an arrow is, the stiffer it is. The longer it is, the weaker it becomes. By stiffness and weakness, I mean the arrows ability to bend and flex around the handle (riser section) of the bow as you shoot it. This becomes critical and more difficult to match arrows for shelfless bows (bows without an arrow rest) due to not having a shelf in which to shoot the arrow. Shelfless Longbows are by far the most difficult to match to arrows over any other bow type! Shelfed bows also vary in their difficulty. The more “center shot” a given bow is, the easier it is to shoot and match arrows to it. Center shot is the area that cuts into the handle section for the arrow to shoot from and if it is more towards the center of the handle it is easier to match arrows.

When a bow is shot there is a situation that occurs called “Archer’s Paradox”. In order to explain this I shall use a direct quote from The Bowyer’s Bible:
“…the force of the string upon release begins driving the arrow forward. That force (the poundage of the bow) causes the arrow to first bend inward against the side of the bow, then the arrow flexes back in the opposite direction, then back to the original bend, and so on. It is a left to right fish-tailing that takes place every time an arrow is shot from any bow.”

Obviously the more center shot the bow, the less fish tailing effect you’ll have. Now this is different than the fish tailing you’ll see if your arrow isn’t right for your bow though. Archer’s Paradox happens so quickly that the eye rarely picks it up. With a shelfless longbow, the string and arrow are not lined up perfectly with the target and when you shoot it, the arrow must bend around the riser of the bow. Therein lays the difficulty in sorting the arrows out.

Ok, here are a couple of things I’ve found that are helpful in sorting out arrows for shelfed and shelfless bows. Once you’ve decided to try a given arrow, you should shoot it from your bow unfletched (that is without feathers, bare shaft) and at the full length which is normally 30 inches. Ideally, you’ll want to do 3 fletched and 3 unfletched for comparison. Deciding on your tip weight is a matter of trial and error. Field point tips come in several different grains, starting from 70 at a given diameter and up to 190 grain for the biggest diameter and heaviest point. Obviously, you’ll want the lightest tip that will shoot well from your bow so the arrow will shoot flat and the distance will be greater. If you intend to hunt, you’ll want to set things up much differently. Anyway, for target shooting, first, shoot the 3 that are unfletched. See how they hit the target. If the nocks of the arrows are to the left once they’ve hit the target, then the arrow’s shafts are too weak for your bow given your draw length. If the arrow’s nocks are to the right, then the arrow’s shafts are too stiff. If it’s too stiff, you’ll need to try another arrow or add weight to the arrow tip. Perhaps a heavier grain tip will weaken it just enough. If it’s too weak, you can shorten the arrow or add weight to the nock. Some arrow nocks allow the adding of weight to the back end of the arrow specifically for that purpose.

Once you’ve gotten a bare shaft arrow to fly well (no porpoising or fish tailing), then shoot them again bare shaft and shoot them with fletches. At this point, (hopefully you’ve grouped the arrows; bare shaft together and then fletched together) look to see where the fletched arrows landed on the target in relation to the unfletched arrows. If you see the unfletched arrows to the right of the fletched arrows then the given arrow is still just a little weak. Try shortening the arrow shaft by a ¼ inch at a time until all the arrows group together. If the unfletched arrows are to the left of the fletched arrows then they are too stiff. Try adding weight to the tip by going with a heavier grain. Basically, if you find a bare shaft that is flying well for you it becomes a matter of fine tuning which I’ve described above, some luck and a whole lot of trial and error. Picking the right shaft in the first place is the biggest challenge. With shelfless bows, it is recommended to go with a weaker spined arrow (hence why I shoot an 1816 Easton with a 125 grain tip at 28 ½ inches because all that adds up to roughly 800 grain spine deflection which is fairly weak spined lol ). This is to help with the Archer’s Paradox as a weaker spine bends easier than a stiff one will. Also the wider the handle section, the weaker the spine of the arrow will be needed as it has further to bend than a narrow handle section.

Other things to consider before shortening your arrows would be adjusting your brace height (the distance between the handle and the bowstring). Try different size fletches. The longer the fletch, the more it stabilizes the arrow in flight, but larger fletches do add weight to the arrow and therefore will reduce its distance in flight. Also, string type makes a difference. If you are using Dacron or string silencers or fastflight and the number of strands in your string…it all makes a difference in fine tuning your arrows and your bow. Here’s a small cheat sheet:
Brace height: increase = stiffens, decrease = weakens
Tip weight: increase = weakens, decrease = stiffens
Nock weight: increase = stiffens, decrease = weakens
:archer:

[Laurelin]

Arrows Part 2

A word about Easton Archery’s Charts… I have found their charts useful almost after the fact. What I mean is that I’ve tried a variety of arrows for a given bow, bare shaft of course and then fletched and found an arrow to work well. After I found that arrow, I went to the chart to see where it falls in the spine deflection. This all gets very technical and well beyond me at times. Hubby understands this stuff much better (darned engineers! lol). Anyway, now that I know what my spine deflection is for a given arrow, I can look on the chart and see if there is another arrow in the same or near spine deflection… In theory, they BOTH should fly well from my bow. Why would I want another arrow? Well, think if you’re using aluminum and maybe now you want to go to wood or to carbon. Since you know the spine deflection, you can go to the appropriate chart to cross reference it. You can also go to one who crafts their own wood arrows and tell them I need 800 grain spine deflection, for example, for my arrows. They should know what that means and therefore will be able to make you proper arrows for your bow.

Ok, that’s great…but what do I do if I don’t know what my spine deflection is? Well, Easton has a shaft selector that is free that helps you sort that out.
Shaft Selector (http://www.archeryoutdoors.com/shaft-selector-guides/TargetShafts/Step1.tpl)
The first step is to choose recurve. Unfortunately they don’t have Longbow so choose recurve. Then, choose the draw weight of your bow. Bare in mind that most bows are a given draw weight at a 28” draw length, so you’ll need to add or subtract about 3 pounds per inch to get the actual draw weight. For example, if I have a bow that is 50 pounds at a 30 inch draw, but I only draw back to 27 inches then I need to subtract 9 pounds from 50 which would put me at 41 pounds. You’ll want to calculate it this way or you’ll end up with arrows that are way too stiff for your bow. Then put in the length of your arrow, which is “supposed” to be roughly one inch longer than your draw length, but this is not a hard and fast rule. Next you’ll see a chart with a bunch of numbers. You’ll want to look at the Size column. Those numbers are what you’ll need to order your arrows from a dealer. I would only recommend ordering one or two at a time until you know for sure that is the proper arrow for your bow (fly’s well). What I have personally noticed for me is that the Easton charts tend to be too stiff for any of my shelfless bows, which makes sense given the bows that the chart is setup for - compound. So I always start out with the bottom number on the chart (1916 for example) and perhaps look for one slightly weaker yet. Right now, my Easton arrows are XX75 arrows that I use to shoot out of my Mongolian bow. Specifically, I shoot 1816 with 125 grain field point tip which makes my spine deflection roughly around 800 grains. Yeah…it took an engineer (my hubby) to figure all that out. I am blonde after all. ;)

My arrow is doing this _____. Why?

Porpoising? Check your nock on your bowstring, adjust up or down until the porpoise goes away. For shelfless bows, you might want to consider leaving your nock alone and using tape on the handle section to mark where your arrow crosses the riser. Just move your hand up and down the riser to get the best arrow flight instead of moving the nock. It’s much easier to adjust one variable than to adjust two. Hand placement on a shelfless bow is important and putting your hand in the same place every time is critical. Having the riser marked where the arrow should go is easier than marking where your hand goes. The arrow is flatter and easier to align. ;)

Fishtailing? Brace height may be too low, too high. Spine weight of the arrow is usually the main issue though!

Weird noises? – If you’re hearing a whacking sound on a shelfless bow upon release then your brace height is way low. Twist the bowstring to adjust it. Try 6 twists at a time (roughly ¼”).

Hand shock? – You shoot the bow and it feels like someone hit the palm of your bow hand? Yeah, brace height again. You’ll want to shorten the bowstring by twisting again. Just remember that you want the lowest brace height that feels good and makes the arrow fly the best. Lower brace height makes the arrow fly faster. You can also wear a padded glove, like a bicycling glove or a weight lifting glove. Or you can make your own if you like and perhaps quilt the palm of it with thin foam and overlay it with soft leather for a more traditional look. This will help pad the palm of your hand and protect it from feeling bruised. ;)


Fletch cuts?
The very tip of the vane/fletch (not the nock end but the shaft end), take a razor or blade and trim that smooth against the quill. Then add a healthy drop of fletch glue where you just shaved. No more cuts. You see the quill is sharp where the feathers are short so shaving it and gluing it down makes it smooth across the hand. Let it dry and then run it across your skin to see if it "catches" or simply "glides". Compare it against your other arrows. You should see a huge difference.
http://www.warofthering.net/photoforum/data/500/medium/2094owie.jpg

:archer:

[Randiriel of Wilderland]

:whoohoo: WOW!! Great job, Laur!! notworthy I bow to your expertise! notworthy I may have some questions later..after I have a chance for this to soak in..Hannon le (thank you) for all your hard work on this!! :thumbs:

[Laurelin]

Thank you, though I'm far from being an expert hon! notworthy If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask away in the Concerning Bows thread. ;)

[Stormcrow]

Hey! :wave: Where can I buy a bow? A bow from LOTR style, not a compound. I would love to have Legolas' bow! It is so nice! Either one of them. Mirkwood or Lothlorien! They are simply exquisite.

[Cuiel Rilwen]

You can buy them at Arms of Valour (http://armsofvalour.com/miva/merchant.mv?Screen=SFNT&Store_Code=AOVL&Affiliate=Fatty). I got Beleg Strongbows Black Bow myself, several of the archers in here own the Lothlorien bow! I love my bow yesss preciousss...very nice weapon and lovely to shoot!

[TrueSwordsman]

So Cuiel, you are happy with your bow of Beleg? Glad to hear that it arrived safely.

TS

[Stormcrow]

I wish I had the Lothlorien or Rivendell bow! What are they like? Does anyone actually use them?

[Cuiel Rilwen]

So Cuiel, you are happy with your bow of Beleg? Glad to hear that it arrived safely.

TS

I am very happy with it thanks and I've been thinking I should mail you and tell you! :) All went well with the transport too! It's absolutely beautiful and I love shooting it, and I'm getting good tutoring from a mate who's shot traditional for years! Looking into making my own arrows just now!

Tho we should prob stop chatting inside this thread...after all it's only for Laurie to post in. :blush:

[Laurelin]

I have both styles of the bow that Legolas shoots in the movies. I did a review (http://www.warofthering.net/articles/article_4586.php) on both of them. Both are from Arms of Valor. ;)

[Laurelin]

Kyudo Archery Photos (instruction and more info to come)

http://www.warofthering.net/photoforum/data/514/Kyudo2.jpg
Here's my first attempt at shooting a yumi bow. I was in Japan this past May and my friend found an archery range in Kyoto. The range is small and one sits to shoot, tucking one leg underneath and the other hanging down into a hole where the bow's limb tip goes. These are 7-8 foot bows and very lightweight draw. Which is good, since you draw back past your ear! :elfeek:

http://www.warofthering.net/photoforum/data/500/Kyudo1.jpg

Here's my friend and I. She actually has decent form here compared to me, if you ignore her bowarm. Poor dear friend got string slapped to death. Her arm was purple. :blink:

http://www.warofthering.net/photoforum/data/500/medium/yumiarcher.jpg

I'd have paid money to see this competition before going to the archery range. I would have learned a lot ahead of time. This tournament was held at the Imperial Palace. The lady you see here is in the warm up area. She's basically shooting 10 feet or less from the target. The idea here is not for a bullseye, rather she is focusing on form and since she's so close, she won't miss. Oh...and in this picture, she's at half draw too.

http://www.warofthering.net/photoforum/data/500/medium/yumiarcher2.jpg

Here she is again, but at full draw before loosing the arrow. Its like watching a ballet to see Kyudo archery. Its a mediation. The arrow is drawn part way and held (see previous piccie) then drawn to the above and held again for some time until she is ready to loose it.


Much different than English/Western shooting. We draw and shoot fast comparatively. We also use our fingers...they use their thumb (thumb release), glove is optional at the range, but competition requires one. In Hungarian archery a thumb ring is used rather than a glove. AND the arrow sits on the thumb side of the bow and not the index finger side. The other interesting bit is that once the arrow is loosed, they loosen their grip on the bow itself. The bow rotates around by the momentum of the arrow. The finished result is that the bowstring that started out by the inside of your arm is now resting on the outside of your arm. Wild, huh?

http://www.warofthering.net/photoforum/data/500/medium/yumi_bowyer.jpg
Here's a picture of a famous family of bowyers. This man is either the son or grandson of Kanjuro Shibata. Shibata is like the icon of Kyudo.

[Laurelin]

I found some info that really explains it. I'll copy and paste it here, but all credit must be given to Wikpedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyudo) and those that wrote this.

Kyudo (The "Way of the Bow") is the Japanese art of archery.

Purpose of Kyudo
In its most pure form, kyudo is practiced as an art and as a means of moral and spiritual development. Many archers practice kyudo as a sport, with marksmanship being paramount. However, the highest ideal of kyudo is "seisha seichu", "correct shooting is correct hitting". In kyudo the unique action of expansion (nobiai) that results in a natural release, is strived for. When the spirit and balance of the shooting is correct the result will be for the arrow to arrive in the target. To give oneself completely to the shooting is the spiritual goal. In this respect, many kyudo practitioners believe that competition, examination, and any opportunity that places the archer in this uncompromising situation is important, while other practitioners will avoid competitions or examinations of any kind.

Kyudo equipment
The yumi (Japanese bow) is exceptionally tall (standing over two meters), surpassing the height of the archer (kyudoka). Yumi are traditionally made of bamboo, wood and leather using techniques which have not changed for centuries, although some archers (particularly, those new to the art) may use synthetic (i.e. laminated wood coated with glassfiber or carbon fiber) yumi. Even advanced kyudoka may own non-bamboo yumi and ya due to the vulnerability of bamboo equipment to extreme climates.

Ya (arrow) shafts were traditionally made of bamboo, with either eagle or hawk feathers. Most ya shafts today are still made of bamboo (although some archers will use shafts made of aluminum or carbon fibers), and ya feathers are now obtained from non-endangered birds such as turkeys or swans. Every ya has a gender (male ya are called haya; female ya, otoya); being made from feathers from alternate sides of the bird, the haya spins clockwise upon release while the otoya spins counter-clockwise. Kyudo archers usually shoot two ya per round, with the haya being shot first.

The kyudo archer wears a glove on the right hand called a yugake. The yugake is typically made of deerskin with a hardened thumb containing a groove at the base used to pull the string (tsuru).

The kyudo archer will typically begin a practice session by shooting at a straw target (makiwara) at very close range (about seven feet, or the length of the archer's strung yumi when held horizontally from the centerline of his body). Because the target is so close and the shot most certainly will hit, the archer can concentrate on refining his technique rather than on worrying about where the arrow will go. After warming up, the archer may then move on to longer distances; shooting at a target called a mato. Mato sizes and shooting distances vary, but most matos typically measure thirty-six centimeters (or 12 sun, a traditional Japanese measurement equivalent to approximately 3.03cm) in diameter and are shot at from a distance of twenty-eight meters.

Kyudo technique
All kyudo archers shoot right-handed, so that all archers face the higher postion (kamiza) while shooting.

Unlike occidental archers (who draw the bow never further than the cheek bone), kyudo archers draw the bow so that the drawing hand ends up behind the ear. If done improperly, upon release the string may strike the archer's ear or side of the face.

Immediately after the shot is released, the bow will (for a practised archer) spin in the hand so that the string stops in front of the archer's outer forearm. This action of "yugaeri" is a combination of technique and the natural working of the bow. It is unique to kyudo.

Kyudo technique is meticulously prescribed. The Zen Nihon Kyudo Renmei (ZNKR, All Japan Kyudo Federation), the main governing body of kyudo in Japan, have codified the hassetsu (or 'eight stages of shooting') in the Kyudo Kyohon (Kyudo Manual). The eight stages of shooting defined by the ZNKR are: ashibumi (placing the footing), dozukuri (forming the body), yugamae (readying the bow), uchiokoshi (raising the bow), hikiwake (drawing apart), kai (the full draw), hanare (the release), and zanshin (remaining body / mind, the remaining focus of physical and spiritual expansion after the release).

My pictures of the yugake:
http://www.warofthering.net/photoforum/data/500/IMG_0038.JPG

http://www.warofthering.net/photoforum/data/500/IMG_0036.JPG

http://www.warofthering.net/photoforum/data/500/IMG_0035.JPG

[Stormcrow]

Thankyou for posting those pics Laurelin! It was a pleasure viewing them. You have excellent posture with a bow! I feel sorry for your friend, the string slappage would have hurt. I think her posture needs a tad work. Your pictures are great! Thankyou again, for posting! :)

[Laurelin]

Thanks Storm. ;)

[Elvenrider]

Ah Laura! I've skimmed through this article, and found your bowstringing portion and found that the way you said to NOT string a bow, is the way I do it.....I got it *Ahem* her yesterday and now know that I MUST get a bowstringer...how much do they cost . Also does the bowstringer thing stay on the bow or does it come off when you string it.
Also, how dire is my situation?

Ummm...another thing...My dad has to string the bow for me for it is too strong for me...and he goes to work in the morning and so he strings it then...is it a problem to keep it strung all day and at night unstring it??? Oh and would getting a bowstringer allow me be able to string it?

[Laurelin]

Hiya Elven! Bowstringers are not very expensive and they are well worth it. Yes, you should be able to string your bow by yourself, depending on the weight of your bow (if its 30-40 pounds you should be ok until you get stronger). Otherwise if you're planning on shooting later in the day, go ahead and have your dad string it. Then when he comes home after you're done shooting, have him unstring it if you can't get it yourself. The biggest thing about stringing a bow without a stringer is to ensure that the limbs don't twist when putting the string in the notch. Twisted limbs hurt the bow and can hurt you badly too!

Go to 3Rivers Archery for stringers. They have a large selection for both recurve and longbow. Here's one for recurve (http://www.3riversarchery.com/ListProduct.asp?offset=6). Its only $12.00 USD.

[Elvenrider]

....twisting? could you ellaborate?
Oh and thank you very much.

[Laurelin]

The limbs could possibly twist when stringing it without a stringer since the pressure on both the upper and lower limb are not equal through the riser. Imagine if you can the upper limb turning towards the right and the lower limb to the left - very slightly - as you struggle to get the bowstring in the notch. That subtle twisting can hurt the integrity of the bow permanently, making your shots uncontrollable.

You're welcome. :)

[Elvenrider]

Oh ok. Well when you string the bow (I have no familiarity with a stringer) does the stringer stay on or does it come off when it is done?

[Cuiel Rilwen]

It comes off. :)

[Laurelin]

lol I did forget to mention that didn't I? :p Yup, what Cuiel said. ;)

[Elvenrider]

Oh ya, its ok laurie. You helped enough, cuiel wanted to jump in and get some credit

[Cuiel Rilwen]

Ofcourse I did! lol And I got it didn't I? ;)

[Elvenrider]

Oh yes of course. Your Welcome {credit applied}

[Laurelin]

lol *shakes head at the two of them*

[Elvenrider]

lol ya I know...we're just giddy

[Cuiel Rilwen]

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! And we're spamming! I better give myself an informal. :(

[Elvenrider]

haha (oops)

[Beriagôn]

Well it seems like you all know about the spam thingey:nono: ...GET A GRIP!

Ellers blir æ grim....or else I`ll get grim (fore you non Norwegian people) funny, the word "grim" is a descendant from the ancient norse language, and we all still use it:) ...the same with "beald"-brave...etc...:whoohoo: (I`m so psyched right now....*blame the beautiful sweet taste of coffie....)

[Cuiel Rilwen]

Shall I spam some more then...and take the blame for you being psyched on coffee...seeing as I was the one buying you the very thing for x-mas? lol

No I'll be good. :angel: Vil ikkje at du ska bli grim! *smiles innocently*

[Gil Galad]

iv often wondered why is the Kyudo bow shaped like that ( much longer above the grip , then below)
Is it due to the timber that grows there or some other reason?

[Randiriel of Wilderland]

:lmao: well..if coffee does that to you ..Beriagon...maybe I should drink more of it and see if it affectes me like that...:-/ hmmmm...never has before ..tho....:-/:huh:
Cuiel...are you sure that that is plain coffee?? Or is it a special kind that is produced near you...*whispers* If it is...send me some! :lmao:
Hope that you all have a wonderful New Year! entdraught :cuddles: and that you all have plenty of chances for :archer: practice...:smooch:

[Elvenrider]

Thank you you too. I have good news to report. I've gotten I nice Longbow stringer for 9 dollars. I can now string it and unstring it when I like without my dad having to do it.
Thanks Laura. It's much better and easier to do. yes! :archer:

[Laurelin]

Sheesh...two moderators spamming me thread! Behave you two! :p *tsks* lol I agree with Randi... I think there's more in that coffee than Beriagon is telling us. ;)

:yahoo: Elvenrider! Much better eh? ;)

Ahem...back on topic, thanks to Gil! :) Kyudo bows...well...I don't have the answer to that just yet, but lemme lookie and see if I can find one. I'll do some research and see what's out there. If I remember correctly, the limb shape has to do with increasing arrow speed without having to shoot an extremely heavy bow, but let me research it and get back to you. ;)

[Beriagôn]

well it might.....just might have been a Irish special...lol
what pundage did the kyudo bows come in?....(now high if I remember well)

[Laurelin]

lol As long as it was tasty. :p

Well... they don't actually go off of poundage. They do something rather odd. Like my Kyudo bow is 15 for example which is a mid range bow. The professionals shoot 18-22 and beginners shoot 10-13. lol It hasn't anything to do with weight but maybe brace height? :huh: I'm not entirely sure. Its hard to find information on it that's in English.

[Cuiel Rilwen]

Sheesh...two moderators spamming me thread! Behave you two! :p *tsks* lol I agree with Randi... I think there's more in that coffee than Beriagon is telling us. ;)

What???! Are you implying I gave him "spiced" coffee for x-mas? :elfeek: lol

How interesting tho with the Kyodo's...maybe Gwaihir can assist you in translating the way of determining bow wheight or whatever meassurement is used?

[Laurelin]

Either that or he spiced his own coffee. :lmao:

*face palms* I hadn't thought of that. lol Yeah she's be great for that wouldn't she? :duh:

[Elvenrider]

I thought it was spiked....not spiced? lol

[Laurelin]

Spiced works too. :p

[Cuiel Rilwen]

Whatever it was I didn't do it! I promise!

:wicked: Mwahahahahahahaha!

Did you find Gwaihir and ask her yet?

[Laurelin]

I haven't seen her lately. :(

[Elvenrider]

Well. no one else has posted in a while so.....ummm darn...uh...Laura whenever I shoot Right before I pull back I tell myself, ok relax and hold it back and aim right. But I always just let it go before I'm ready...any way you can think of to counter this??

[Laurelin]

Well.... lol Sounds to me like you're anticipating the bowstring release. Do you jerk your bow hand a bit too when you release? Its common to do....though not helpful for the shot. ;) This is something you'll have to play around with a bit since not every person reacts the same with things. If you can pinpoint the exact moment that you anticipate the shot, then relax your mind and not your fingers... You shoot gloveless/tabless, right? Try taking a deeper hook on the string with your fingers. Take a look at the position of the string on your fingers and if its too close to your finger tips, go back towards that first crease in your fingers more. Try it there and see if it helps. Also when releasing, make sure you relax your (how to say this without confusing you...) shoulder/back muscles while drawing your arm and fingers back towards your ear in a smooth motion. Meanwhile, keep that bow hand rock solid still. lol Piece of cake, right? I know I know... Lots to remember and think about. Work on one issue at a time. If you're releasing to soon, let's fix that one first then work on any other issue that might be hindering you. I hope this helps a little. :)

[Elvenrider]

Yes, thanks many times! Yes that sounds good to hold it in that knuckle. And I think the main thing would be to keep that bow hand steady on release. Whenever I did Hold on an extra bit I shot bullseye (what I was aiming for)

[Laurelin]

Well that's awesome!! Bullseyes are perfect so it sounds like you have the right technique. Its just keeping that going. lol Easier said than done. :p

[Elvenrider]

Yes very easier said than done.

[Kiré Hiril Dunadain]

i think im going to buy the bow you suggested the Martin X-200. i have just been going to a range and renting a bow for an hour because i didnt know what type to get. thanks for your help!

[Laurelin]

Aww, I'm glad I could be of help! :blush:

[Elvenrider]

oh cool...is that the recurve???

[Laurelin]

Yes! Martin X-200 is a nice recurve of decent price. ;)

[Elvenrider]

oh oh
Well martin is a very reliable brand. I have martin stick longbow since last christmas...so I've had it for 10 months and it's held up quite well.
Very nicely made...just...its an amazing bow....you should find happyness in a martin :)

[Laurelin]

Very nice! :thumbs:

[Laurelin]

Here's some great pix and info from our Elfdaughter!

Sorry about the rubbish photo skills - it was cold, incredibly windy, and I had no-one to take the photos for me...


1. Brace the bow against your right foot. I do this left-handed, even though I'm actually right-handed, but I find it easier this way. Right-handers might find it easier to swap feet and hands.

http://www.warofthering.net/photoforum/data/500/medium/Stringing2.jpg


2. Run your left hand up the bow, pushing the string up as far as it will go.


3. Keep pushing with your left hand while supporting the bow in the middle with your right. You may find it easier to apply some pressure upwards using your right hand. Push the bowstring up until it fits in the nock. Ensure it fits in the nock securely.

http://www.warofthering.net/photoforum/data/500/medium/Stringing.jpg


Correct longbow posture: slightly different to recurves. Sorry about the blurriness of the first pic, I think the wind shook the camera:
http://www.warofthering.net/photoforum/data/500/medium/DSCF2228.jpg
http://www.warofthering.net/photoforum/data/500/medium/DSCF2225.jpg

[Eosaidan]

i got that same recurve bow. they work great. btw thanks for the tips

[Erethon]

Mae Govannen! I have put some ideas on 'string slaps' together which may be helpful, enjoy :grin:

Getting slapped on the bow arm by the string is not a pleasant experience apart from the fact it messes up your grouping. Having had some recent personal experience of this problem I thought the following points might be of interest.

The main culprit in your bow arm getting slapped is usually the brace height so let us start with an understanding of what brace height is.

Brace height is the perpendicular distance between the string and the pivot point of the bow (usually the deepest part of the grip on a Recurve). It is measured on a strung bow, which has no extraneous pressure on the limbs or string.

The brace height determines the point at which the arrow disengages from the string on the bow’s power stroke. As this happens while the arrow is also flexing from side to side the optimum brace height is the point at which the arrow disengages when the sideways flex is at its least amount of deviation (arrow as close to straight as possible). This allows the nock to disengage the string with little or no sideways pressure giving a nice clean release. When the forward momentum and sideways pressure are in harmony the ‘twang’ the bow produces is quiet (it sings a beautiful song). The more these two are in disharmony the harsher the shot sounds.

Something to remember though is when a shot is released the string does not simply stop moving when it reaches brace height. There is still some forward movement (towards the bow) as well as sideways movement because of rolling off the fingers (with a finger release) and the arrow nock is exerting sideways pressure. When the string begins to rebound a lot of the sideways energy is still present.

When a bow is at full draw, a triangle is formed with the bow hand on the bow at the apex. One side of the triangle runs down the bow arm, the other runs down the arrow (which is also the string axis) and the base line runs across from the bow shoulder to the draw hand. When the arrow is released the string travels toward the apex of the triangle as it drives the arrow forward, and gets closer to the bow arm as the triangle narrows. Any sideways movement of the string must ideally take place in the widest part of the triangle to avoid the string making contact with the bow arm. If the brace height is too low the arrow will only disengage from the string near the apex of the triangle. The sideways motion imparted to the string up to that point will be enough for it to bridge the gap and contact the bow arm. Raising the brace height will move the disengagement point toward the broader ‘base’ of the triangle which then generally gives the necessary clearance for the arrow to disengage at the optimum point.

Brace height is adjusted by unstringing the bow and twisting the string ‘up’ or ‘down’ depending on whether you are raising or lowering the brace height. However, some words of CAUTION; do not increase the brace height beyond the manufacturer or bowyer’s upper limit. Increasing the brace height pre-stresses the limbs exponentially, if the upper limit is exceeded the limbs can break rather spectacularly with a real risk of serious injury when the bow is drawn. The second word of CAUTION is, if the string begins to knot up as you twist it, the string is too long to begin with or brace height is not the problem. Seek advice! Do not use this method with a Flemish string as it uses the twists imparted to the string to stay together. Seek specific advice!

Adjusting brace height requires patience and should be done just a little at a time (3 or 4 turns) until the optimum is reached. Bear in mind though that the problem may not be exclusively brace height, there are other factors which will have to wait for another post. There are a number of reference works which are very helpful in doing troubleshooting and one of the best is ‘Reference Guide for Recurve Archers’ edited by Murray Elliot which can be downloaded (998Kb) from http://www.archersreference.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk . Although it is a guide for recurves the tuning and setup tips and tests will still be extremely useful as the principles apply to bows (excluding compound).

The most important thing though is to analyze the problem, break it down into symptoms and then change one thing at a time until you find the solution. It is not always just a single factor that causes a problem.

Take care :archer: