Archery - A how to guide
A how to guide on Archery. Looking at how to master the many aspects needed to make that perfect shot.
16-FreestyleRecurve
Freestyle recurve or commonly known as Olympic style as it is the only archery style present at the Olympics.
15-Barebow
The Barebow bow
There are three main divisions of Archery: Barebow, Freestyle recurve and Compound. Following Australian rules there is also Longbow.
14 - Stringing the bow
In the last one of these we assembled the bow so now we need to turn it from a stick and into a bow.
12 - Drawing
Drawing a bow or pulling the string back (you don't need pencils for this) uses both arms equally. The bow hand is pushing the bow away as much as the string hand is pulling the string back. It can be compared to stretching a rubber band.
11 Shot Sequence
When learning archery (even when you have done it for a long time) it can seem as if there are too many things to think about and remember. The important thing to keep in mind is that you only need to think about one thing at a time. Break the shot down into individual movements.
10 - Mirror Practice
The only way to improve in this sport is to practise and a little often if far better than a lot but in frequently. Archery is about 'feel' or knowing when your body is correctly set-up. That 'feel' can take a long time to develop but only takes a short time to lose. So practise often. When you can't make it down to the range than practising in front of a mirror is the next best thing.
09 The grip
Getting the grip right is key to consistent shooting. Slight changes in how the bow is held can make large differences to where the arrows land.
08 - The Release
One of the most common and understandable faults seen is the archer straightening their fingers to release the string. This plucks the string causing the arrows to land left and right.
07 - Safe arrow removal
Getting shot with an arrow doesn't happen as far as I know. The majority of accidents in target archery happen when collecting arrows. From what I've seen, the back of the arrow is the dangerous bit!