Archery, anyone can take part (Archery Equipment)

Member Name: sax_man_al

Product:	Archery Equipment
Date:	16/08/09 (23 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Diversity, ranging from bendy sticks to carbon fiber

Disadvantages: You can get lulled into spending lots of money unnecesarily

Chances are that your first introduction to archery will be at a fair, village show, or whilst on holiday. This was probably with some pretty basic equipment, but hopefully you shot OK with it and got a taste for it just like me!

If you do want to carry on with archery then go to a local club, they will have equipment and expertise to make sure you learn to shoot safely and get the most enjoyment from the sport. The first few sessions are free, and then a years membership will cost around £80 this includes insurance cover and they will lend you equipment too. You can spend this much on football boots so it's not that expensive.

------Beginner------

When you start shooting at a club they will usually have equipment that you can borrow to learn with. This will almost certainly comprise of a wooden riser (the handle bit) and wood/fiberglass laminated limbs (the springy bits). With the latest technology the wooden riser is now being replaced by composite materials which may offer some added performance, but I don't think they look as nice!

Usually at this stage you may use a sight, which you can line up with the centre of the target or gold, and this is where your arrows will hopefully also go. The key to archery is consistency, if you are consisten every shot all your arrows will group close together, and thus hopefully all be in or near the gold!

To protect your fingers from the string a small piece of leather is used called a tab, these come in a variety of forms to aid consistecy but simple ones are just fine. To stop your clothes catching the string you will also use a bracer/arm gaurd which also protects your arm should you stick it in the way of the string when shooting!

I nearly forgot, arrows!! I've done it before too, get to the shooting line at a competition, reach down for an arrow, and, urm, ooops, arrows! They may look like sticks but in fact these are probably more important than the bow itself. There's a saying that any old bendy stick can make a bow, but it takes a very special piece of wood to make a good arrow. This holds more truth than at first seems, and judging by the prices you can pay for top level arrows you can see the effort that goes into their design and manufacture!

To start with you'll have basic aluminium arrows, or, if you are lucky some basic carbon fiber ones! But don't dismiss these as being rubbish as you can shoot well with these you just have to be consistent! You'll keep your arrows in a quiver, generally not Robin Hood style on your back, but down by your side hanging from a belt where they can be easily reached.

------Intermediate------

When you get to this stage you will have noticed that there are a number of different archery 'styles':

Longbow, the traditional 'bendy stick' made of various woods, ash, yew (very traditional) or laminations of various woods. Longbow arrows are also wooden with feather fletchings (you can't use aluminium or carbon arrows with a longbow as they are too light and you may damage it).

Recurve, a 'normal' bow with a sight, and stabilisers, clicker (to make sure you draw the bow (pull the arrow back) consistently).

Barebow, a 'normal' bow with no extra rubbish! As you might guess, I shoot barebow!

Compound, a bow that has pulleys to make it easier to use a more powerful bow, a scope for aiming, stabilisers and a trigger for releasing the string, the ultimate in technological voo-doo!

Anyhow, by the time you get to buying your own bow most people choose to shoot recurve, which you can also use as a barebow if you just take off all the gubbins. Also, be warned, when you get your bow you will shoot worse than before! Yes, worse! But don't worry, you'll quickly improve, and overtake your previous scores.

There are a wide range of bows available. Most risers are made from a strong aluminium alloy, which has been machined to offer strength, rigidity, lightness and to prevent vibration. There are a number that also now incorporate carbon fiber to increase the strength and improve performance. These bows usually have universal fitting limbs but be careful as Hoyt have slightly changed the way they do 'universal'.

Limbs, most people will stick to a reasonable priced set of limbs, and will have built up the necessary strength to start pulling a heavier (stronger) bow. These can be still made from glass fiber laminated with wood or foam. Carbon foam laminates are available, but are generally suited more to an experienced archer. As you carry on shooting you will get stronger, so may have to buy a second set of limbs, so the expense of carbon limbs would be hard to justify until you are stable.

Aluminium arrows are usually the thing to go for still, and will perform very well. These have to be of a specific spine rating (stiffness) to work well with you and your bow, the only way to check this is to seek advice from a reputable archery shop or get advice from your club.

Other bits: There are plenty of good sights, mostly aluminium, and they come on a bracket which allows them to extend out the front of the bow, this can improve accuracy. You may want to get a clicker, this makes sure you draw length is consistent, and can be helpful, although it is not an excuse for poor technique. You chould have your own quiver, in which you can keep all sorts of goodies like score book, arrow puller, and to which you can attach your medals! Tab, most people will use a platform tab, which allows you to securely position your hand under your chin when holding the string back. Pressure button, this helps with the position of the arrow against the bow, and controling how it flies from the bow.

------Advanced------

By this stage you will have been shooting for several years so probably know most things already. You may decide to change bowstyles and experiment at this point, or continue as you have been doing.

More expensive equipment such as Carbon foam limbs, and carbon fiber arrows will now be something that can help you to carry on improving your performance. The biggest input however will be your time, it takes a lot of regular practice and effort to get really good. At university we used to practice for two hours three times a week! Most clubs meet once or twice a week though.

------Costs------

Very basic fiberglass bow kits for 'garden fun' can be had for around £50

Starter kits, as described above for a beginner cost around £150 when you move on you can sell these on easily, or you may be able to get them off other people in your archery club as they progress.

An intermediate riser can be £100-£150, with the limbs coming at £100 too, and arrows around £40 for 8.

Advanced equipment can set you back £800 for the bow, and anything up to £360 for 12 arrows., and about £300 for a sight, stabilisers and other bits These costs however are the extreme top end and are by no means a necessity!

My new bow cost £300 and is a carbon fiber riser and carbon foam limbs, my arrows were second hand at about £75 for 12 and I still use them 7 years later, with these I can shoot in the top 5% of archers that shoot barebow.

For the first 7 years of my archery I used a wooden riser bow and won numerous competitions and set many new north wales and british university records. That bow cost me £90, and I used to beat people with several hundred pounds worth of gear so don't think equipment is the be all and end all!

Good luck, have fun and enjoy your venture into archery, be warned though it's addictive!

Summary: Effort and practice are worth more than expensive equipment