Archery Tips: Techniques for New Archers

Equipment 🏹

When starting out as a new beginner to archery, you don’t need all the fancy things to get you going. As long as you’ve got a bow, arrows, arm guard and finger guard, you are all set. Once you’ve got the feel for it more, you can start to upgrade. Things that others use might not be the correct item for you, it is good to test out equipment first before committing to it.

Choosing the bow for you 🏹

When choosing the bow always make sure that it fits to you. Your strength and skill. There are multiple different bows out there that you can choose from so it is best that you choose the one that fits the skill. Whether is it barebow, longbows, compound or recurve. At the Abbey Bowmen we have many different archers who are always there if you have any questions.

What is barebow? Barebow is a form of archery where you don’t have any sort of modifications to your bow, for example a sighter. A sighter is where you have a lens and a little pin at the point of your bow. It helps when point the arrow to the correct spot on the target.

What is a longbow? A longbow is a traditional form of archery; these bows are made of wood rather than the metal bows that are more commonly seen today. Longbow archers also don’t use the added equipment found in barebow archery; the only difference is the type of bow that is employed.

What is recurve? Recurve changes the shape of the bow, making the limbs face away from the archer rather than towards. This way, the bow holds more power when releasing the arrow. These types of bows are more commonly used in professional competitions. Recurve bows can have additional special equipment connected to them, such as an arrow rest, pressure button, and clicker. These accessories help the archer achieve more accurate shots when shooting professionally.

What is a compound bow? A compound bow consists of a pulley system connecting the limbs and strings together, which enhances the strength and power of the arrow upon release. The bow stores more energy as it does not rely solely on the archer’s muscle power.

Tips about techniques

There are multiple things that can be helpful when first starting out that are good to remember as long as you keep up the practice of it, it will come to second nature. When starting you may think that you need to have a tight grip on the bow, you do not need to do this. Keep your hand relaxed around the bow, hold it enough that it feels secure. This will help you keep the bow straight and not have you hand twisting knocking your shoot off. If needed you are able to get a piece of equipment that can wrap around the bow and your hand to keep you steady.