Target Archery Overview
Overview & Frequently Asked Questions
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Contents:
Equipment
Copyright Note:
Some information from this section is taken from the Target Archery FAQ by
Stephan Melin
The
Recurve Bow
Unlike the "classical" English longbow which is D shaped when strung, the
ends of the limbs of a recurve bend forward again. The reason for this shape is
mainly increased efficiency of the bow. Currently there are two types of recurve
bow on the market these are:
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One-Piece Bows - These are fairly rare nowadays due to the take down bow (see below). The bow and limbs are one and cannot be separated (hence one-piece), and constructed of either fibreglass or laminated wood.
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Take Down - Like the name suggests the bow can be "taken down". The riser (handle) and limbs are separate items usually held together by two locking nuts, however there are some other methods now being used. The limbs are normally constructed of either laminated wood, a combination of wood and carbon fibre or carbon fibre and foam. The riser for most modern bows are now made from machined metal which is usually an aluminium alloy, however many of the junior or beginners bows have wooden risers rather than metal ones. I believe this is for two reasons; to keep the cost down (beginners bows generally cost around the £100) and to keep the weight down as wooden risers are generally lighter.
For competitions a metal riser with either of the three types of limbs is the most common setup. For women the average draw weight at full draw ranges from about 28 lbs. to about 36 lbs., for men from about 35 to 45 lbs. The draw weight printed on the limbs is the draw weight at a draw length of 26.25" to the pivot point (i.e. the deepest point in the grip) or the draw weight at a length of 28" to the back of the riser. These two ways of measuring the draw weight of the bow give approximately the same numbers. To determine ones actual draw weight add or subtract 2 lbs. for each inch more or less respectively (for more than 40 lbs. add or subtract 3 lbs.).
The Compound Bow
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The compound bow is different in a number of ways, the most noticeable in the size and number of 'strings' (cables). The idea of the compound bow is to reduce the amount of weight the archer is holding by using a system of cams and wheels acting as a pulley system. This reduction in "finger weight" means that the bow can be controlled more easily by the archer and possibly result in very accurate shooting (with the correct technique and a lot of practice of course! | |
For FITA tournaments there are only three restrictions:
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Currently arrows come in one of three flavours, aluminium, carbon with inner aluminium tube (aluminium-carbon) and all carbon. Aluminium arrows are generally the standard and are used from beginners to pro's. Aluminium arrows have become popular the last few years with indoor shooting, as you can purchase aluminium arrows with very large diameters. These which are known as line-cutters stand more chance of obtaining the archery extra points by breaking the scoring region lines rather than sitting on the wrong side of them.
The advantage of aluminium arrows is that even if one misses and hits something else (e.g. a stone) they just bend, it is relatively easy to straighten them again and tools are available for doing this. Ultra-light aluminium arrows can also be straightened, but unfortunately they are very prone to denting due to their very thin wall (in comparison to their diameter). For aluminium-carbon arrows however only two states are known: perfect or broken.
However don't get me wrong carbon arrows are great, I shoot them, the fly faster, and are much lighter allowing for greater distance with lower poundage bows.
Fletching and nocks For fletching there are two options: either plastic vanes or real feathers. I would not recommend using real feathers outside, since they suffer very much from moisture. For lightweight arrows aluminium-carbon it is generally recommended to use very light and small vanes. Their angle of attack should be very small (0.5 to 2 degrees) just to ensure that the air flow comes to the same side on each vane.
Stabilisers
Stabilisers are designed to help the archer steady the bow and keep a good balance through all stages of shooting, as well as dampen the shock to the archer and equipment. Stabilisers are generally made out of similar materials as arrows, the most common are all aluminium, carbon and aluminium and a new sort that is becoming more popular is multiple carbon rods with spacing weights (see picture below)
A common stabiliser setup is to have a long rod (picture above), v-bar and two side rods. Some older setups have TFC's (Torque Flight Compensators), which are basically designed to further increase the damping effect. However it is possible that they just add more weight!
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