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Introduction to Archery
Archery could be a fun hobby to have, and is also a
well known sport. In archery you would use a bow and arrow to hit a
specific target. Just as in any other type of sport the equipment
can vary on the person and the competition. Archery has been a
sport in the Olympics for a long time. The sport of archery has a
lot of history surrounding it, especially that bows and arrows were
once used in hunting and fighting. Today, we use archery as a
precise sport that requires strength, skill, and expertise. There
are different types of bows, different types of arrows and some
basics of Archery that you can learn about.
Archery Bows –
There are two main kinds of archery bows: the
recurve bow and the compound bow. The recurve bow is normally used
in the Olympics. Its ends curve out away from the archerer, instead
of remaining straight. The compound bow does not have ends that
curve out away from the archerer. There are many more parts to a
compound bow than in a recurve bow.
Archery Arrows –
Archery arrows can also vary, however the all
mostly have the same main components. There is an arrowhead or
point, the shaft, the crest, a vane, the fletching, and the nock,
in respective order from the tip of the arrow to the nock. Archery
arrows can be made from wood, aluminum, or aluminum and carbon. In
the Olympics the bows on a recurve can travel up to 150 miles an
hour, and a compound bow can travel up to 225 miles an hour!
Target Archery Basics –
When shooting an arrow at a target, the target
usually has the same components in all the target archery
competitions. On the target itself you will notice that it has ten
different circles. The score you can earn with your hits depends
entirely on where you hit the target with your arrow. The largest
score you can earn is a ten, which is achieved by hitting the
middle circle. Then the scores go down one point for each circle
outside of that middle circle – 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, and zero
for not hitting the target at all. Judges in target archery will
record all of the scores including tens and Xs for hitting the
middle circle and all zeros for the purpose of creating a tie
breaker should a tie occur between two or more competitors.
Indoor and Outdoor Archery –
There are also different sports for indoor and
outdoor archery competitions. Each one has their own measurements
from how far away from the target you must stand, as well as
different amounts of arrows you can use. In outdoor archery women
stand 70, 60, 50, and 30 meters from the target. Men stand 90, 70,
50, and 30 meters from the target. In outdoor archery you will
shoot a total of 144 arrows.
In indoor archery you will usually be expected to
stand 25, or 18 meters from your target. You will also shoot 60
arrows in indoor archery.
There is a lot to be learned about the variety of
sports of archery and the hobbies surrounding archery. Archery is a
wonderful sport filled with excitement, fun, skill, and
history.
The first habit of a highly successful competitive
archer is that she is ready for anything, including the unexpected.
You might, for example, want to have packed with you extra clothing
in case the weather turns foul. Surprises during competition can
wreck your concentration, so you need to be prepared to deal with
the unexpected in order to keep your focus at its highest level. Be
self aware enough to be able to pinpoint your mental errors as well
as technical flaws. Think positively and concentrate on nothing
else except your shorts. You will want to have a mental stream of
consciousness that you have created for yourself that automatically
tells you what to imagine or conceive of. You want to enjoy
yourself and your competitions.
You will need to know your draw strength and the
draw weight that you want your longbow to be. If you don't know
these things already then go down to your nearest archery shop and
they'll help you determine what these are. Longbows can be huge. A
modern Tournament longbow has a draw weight of up to 60 pounds and
a Medieval replica longbow has a draw weight of up to 75 pounds!
You would have to be quite experienced or at least have an unusual
level of arm strength to be able to pull that back. So you want to
start with a longbow that is much less "weighty", something that
has 20-30 pounds of draw weight. Longbows can be and often are
custom designed.