I'm really enjoying the growth in video coverage of archery events. The finals are my favorites to watch because you know everyone at that level knows how to shoot or they wouldn't be there. I've learned a lot about form just from watching them. Here are a couple of my favorite links:
http://www.youtube.com/user/archerytv
Field archery is by far my favorite. It's the ultimate test of equipment and skill. Someday I'm hoping America will have a course that comes close to ones seen here:
http://www.alternative2tv.com/flashvideo/multest/mainmenu.htm
About the road to better shooting.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Monday, January 2, 2012
Short Versus Long
It's shorter! It's faster! It doesn't shoot worth a hoot!
I'm sure you have seen that advertisement. Wait, I think they forgot the last part. Of course they did!
Seems that's all some manufacturers can say are those two things. But they never tell you about how hard or 'unforgiving' these bows are to shoot.
So what makes a particular bow design more or less forgiving? Well, three major things:
Axle to axle length
Riser design, length/geometry
And brace height
All a person has to do is look at a bow to know if it's forgiving. A forgiving bow is a bow who's design inherently minimizes any mistakes made by the shooter. An unforgiving bow can magnify the mistakes even to the point where it becomes almost inposible for an average shooter to group shots with it.
ATA(Axle-To-Axle) Length
If you were to try walking on top of a narrow wall, would you grab a short or a long pole to help balance yourself? A long one of course! It would be more resistant to any movement and help steady yourself. Same thing with a bow. The longer the distance between axles the more stable a bow is. What is short? 35 inches or less. A mid length is 36-38 and long is 39+.
Riser
There are two major things that affect riser design: length and geometry. A bow can have a longer ATA but if most of its length is from long, lightweight limbs it still may not be as forgiving as another bow with the same ATA but with a longer, heavier riser and short limbs. A longer riser puts more wight at the extremities of the bow making it have the stability of something longer. Advertising has compared it to a barbel with wights on the end as opposed to having the wights in the middle(short riser). This is the geometry that has driven the "parallel limb design" movement seen in the archery market. It's a legitimately good design that has increased the stability of bows of all lengths, but especially that of the shorter bows.
The next major design factor of risers is their geometry. There are 3 kinds:
Straight Riser. Pretty self explanatory. The limb pockets are in line with the grip on these and is a very forgiving of any twisting that may be put on the riser by poor grip or hand placement. Usually results in a medium to high brace height(distance from inermost part of grip to the string). Examples: PSE Mojo and Dominator
Deflex riser: Once very common, especially on target bows, this riser design put the limb pockets behind the grip, making it almost impossible to twist the riser with improper hand placement and resulting in a very high brace height (8''+). It's drawback is that the arrow spends very little time on the string to gather momentum(speed). Great for accuracy but extremely slow. That one thing has all but removed it entirely off the market. Examples: Hoyt Pro Elite, Mathews Apex
Reflex riser: This design puts the limb pockets ahead of the grip. This design can still be stable enough if not taken to an extreme (more than 1 3/4" ahead of the grip) but is still the least forgiving. By far the most popular design because it causes a lower brace height which produces more speed. And speed is what sells bows. Bows with extreme reflex are known as speed or 'monster' bows and usually have wrist-slapping brace heights 6'' or less. These bow are the least forgiving of any design. Examples: Mathews Z7, Monster, Triumph, Hoyt Alphaburner, PSE X-Force
Brace height(BH): Brace height is measured from the shallowest point on the grip to the string. Say you have 2 bows both set up at 29 inch draw but the first one has an 8 inch BH and the second has 6. The arrow will travel on the string for 21 inches on the first when shot. The arrow on the second bow will travel 23 inches, 2 inches more than the first, giving the shooter more time to affect the arrows flight after release making it less forgiving.
So if I still want a shorter bow, what should I look for?
A long, straight, or only slightly reflexed riser with parallel limbs and a higher (7"+) brace height. An 8" brace height would be best.
I'm sure you have seen that advertisement. Wait, I think they forgot the last part. Of course they did!
Seems that's all some manufacturers can say are those two things. But they never tell you about how hard or 'unforgiving' these bows are to shoot.
So what makes a particular bow design more or less forgiving? Well, three major things:
Axle to axle length
Riser design, length/geometry
And brace height
All a person has to do is look at a bow to know if it's forgiving. A forgiving bow is a bow who's design inherently minimizes any mistakes made by the shooter. An unforgiving bow can magnify the mistakes even to the point where it becomes almost inposible for an average shooter to group shots with it.
ATA(Axle-To-Axle) Length
If you were to try walking on top of a narrow wall, would you grab a short or a long pole to help balance yourself? A long one of course! It would be more resistant to any movement and help steady yourself. Same thing with a bow. The longer the distance between axles the more stable a bow is. What is short? 35 inches or less. A mid length is 36-38 and long is 39+.
Riser
There are two major things that affect riser design: length and geometry. A bow can have a longer ATA but if most of its length is from long, lightweight limbs it still may not be as forgiving as another bow with the same ATA but with a longer, heavier riser and short limbs. A longer riser puts more wight at the extremities of the bow making it have the stability of something longer. Advertising has compared it to a barbel with wights on the end as opposed to having the wights in the middle(short riser). This is the geometry that has driven the "parallel limb design" movement seen in the archery market. It's a legitimately good design that has increased the stability of bows of all lengths, but especially that of the shorter bows.
The next major design factor of risers is their geometry. There are 3 kinds:
Straight Riser. Pretty self explanatory. The limb pockets are in line with the grip on these and is a very forgiving of any twisting that may be put on the riser by poor grip or hand placement. Usually results in a medium to high brace height(distance from inermost part of grip to the string). Examples: PSE Mojo and Dominator
Deflex riser: Once very common, especially on target bows, this riser design put the limb pockets behind the grip, making it almost impossible to twist the riser with improper hand placement and resulting in a very high brace height (8''+). It's drawback is that the arrow spends very little time on the string to gather momentum(speed). Great for accuracy but extremely slow. That one thing has all but removed it entirely off the market. Examples: Hoyt Pro Elite, Mathews Apex
Reflex riser: This design puts the limb pockets ahead of the grip. This design can still be stable enough if not taken to an extreme (more than 1 3/4" ahead of the grip) but is still the least forgiving. By far the most popular design because it causes a lower brace height which produces more speed. And speed is what sells bows. Bows with extreme reflex are known as speed or 'monster' bows and usually have wrist-slapping brace heights 6'' or less. These bow are the least forgiving of any design. Examples: Mathews Z7, Monster, Triumph, Hoyt Alphaburner, PSE X-Force
Brace height(BH): Brace height is measured from the shallowest point on the grip to the string. Say you have 2 bows both set up at 29 inch draw but the first one has an 8 inch BH and the second has 6. The arrow will travel on the string for 21 inches on the first when shot. The arrow on the second bow will travel 23 inches, 2 inches more than the first, giving the shooter more time to affect the arrows flight after release making it less forgiving.
So if I still want a shorter bow, what should I look for?
A long, straight, or only slightly reflexed riser with parallel limbs and a higher (7"+) brace height. An 8" brace height would be best.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Something For Everyone
I have become almost exclusively a tournament archer, competing in indoor and outdoor spot, with field becoming by far my favorite. I enjoy 3D but do not aspire to compete at the top level in that arena though the skills would carry over, and hunting has taken a back seat. My goal is to share anything that made me a better shooter and plan to post for the experienced and beginning archer alike, though truthfully all archery information pertains to everyone at all levels and areas of the sport.
One thing I have learned is that there is a lot of hype and a lot of people who tell you what you 'need to do'. My advice is to get your information, as with anything, from people who have achieved what you want to achieve. I once bought a book from a well known and respected source that was rather thick and had "all the answers". It was the worst thing I did. Since then I have had to unlearn most of it. I have also learned that the more I learn about archery the simpler the sport becomes and that I perceived it as being far more complicated than it really is. It is more an accumulation of a small, logical things brought together to work as a frictionless whole.
If I were to sum up archery into a couple words it would be the art of letting the bow shoot itself. It has long been known that the average, quality bow, if tuned within reason when placed in a shooting machine, (hooter shooter) will stack arrows on top of each other at 70 yards. So we can safely assume that for the most part it's the shooter that needs the work. But because we are human and can never achieve the repeatability of a machine, there are different things a person can do to achieve 'forgiveness' of human error in a bow set up. A properly set nocking point, center shot, arrow spine, and cam timing are just a few of the things that can be adjusted to accomplish this.
Over time I would like to address these subjects and share what I have learned. I would also be grateful for anything you might have to add or if you have a another way of doing it, or something altogether different that I am not aware of. Questions are welcome also and might help inspire me.
One thing I have learned is that there is a lot of hype and a lot of people who tell you what you 'need to do'. My advice is to get your information, as with anything, from people who have achieved what you want to achieve. I once bought a book from a well known and respected source that was rather thick and had "all the answers". It was the worst thing I did. Since then I have had to unlearn most of it. I have also learned that the more I learn about archery the simpler the sport becomes and that I perceived it as being far more complicated than it really is. It is more an accumulation of a small, logical things brought together to work as a frictionless whole.
If I were to sum up archery into a couple words it would be the art of letting the bow shoot itself. It has long been known that the average, quality bow, if tuned within reason when placed in a shooting machine, (hooter shooter) will stack arrows on top of each other at 70 yards. So we can safely assume that for the most part it's the shooter that needs the work. But because we are human and can never achieve the repeatability of a machine, there are different things a person can do to achieve 'forgiveness' of human error in a bow set up. A properly set nocking point, center shot, arrow spine, and cam timing are just a few of the things that can be adjusted to accomplish this.
Over time I would like to address these subjects and share what I have learned. I would also be grateful for anything you might have to add or if you have a another way of doing it, or something altogether different that I am not aware of. Questions are welcome also and might help inspire me.
Just to start....
I have been shooting archery consistently since 1999 when my interest was sparked by a Peterson's Bowhunting magazine lying in a bathroom where my dad worked. Within a year I had convinced my parents to buy me a Mathews Feather Max that I could barely draw at 45 pounds. I shot the bow every day in the backyard year round even in the coldest part of winter. By the fall of 2000 I had shot my first doe. In succeeding years I harvested 1 or 2 deer with my bow every season.
But my love of shooting surpassed my love of hunting and I continually read and practiced to become the best shot I could be. My favorite archery shop suggested I sign up for an indoor 5-spot league at my local outdoor club. It turned out to be one of the best things I ever did. It was fantastic fun and was responsible for introducing me to a lot of the friends I have now. One of them was a Mathews pro who lived only a mile away from where I lived. Another friend I met was a student the well known archery coach Terry Wunderle. They talked me into going with them one day to the Wisconsin State Indoor tournament. The three of us would travel together and split expenses.
I remember the moment I first stepped out onto the line! The excitement was unlike anything I had previously experienced. To be standing in a line of almost a hundred archers and to have spectators in the stands above me watching (I felt anyway) my every shot, had my nervous system on overdrive. I still remember my first score, 298. My goal was to shoot 300, but after experiencing the nerves of competition I was quite satisfied with my score. But I promised myself that I would learn to overcome my nerves.
By now I was hooked and agreed to go to NFAA nationals in Louisville, KY. Then to the Stanislawski Open, a 30,40,50, and 60yard indoor shoot in Pennsylvania, 12 hrs away. It didn't stop there and still hasn't.
Soon I learned that my mostly experiance-learned skills would not be enough to perform at the level I wanted to be at: The Top.
So started my journey to becoming the best archer I could be. It has been a fun, enriching, and bumpy ride. And still is.
My goal with this is to share some of the things I have learned in my 12 years of shooting, share thoughts, field my own questions, and answer the questions asked by anyone who stumbles upon this blog.
But my love of shooting surpassed my love of hunting and I continually read and practiced to become the best shot I could be. My favorite archery shop suggested I sign up for an indoor 5-spot league at my local outdoor club. It turned out to be one of the best things I ever did. It was fantastic fun and was responsible for introducing me to a lot of the friends I have now. One of them was a Mathews pro who lived only a mile away from where I lived. Another friend I met was a student the well known archery coach Terry Wunderle. They talked me into going with them one day to the Wisconsin State Indoor tournament. The three of us would travel together and split expenses.
I remember the moment I first stepped out onto the line! The excitement was unlike anything I had previously experienced. To be standing in a line of almost a hundred archers and to have spectators in the stands above me watching (I felt anyway) my every shot, had my nervous system on overdrive. I still remember my first score, 298. My goal was to shoot 300, but after experiencing the nerves of competition I was quite satisfied with my score. But I promised myself that I would learn to overcome my nerves.
By now I was hooked and agreed to go to NFAA nationals in Louisville, KY. Then to the Stanislawski Open, a 30,40,50, and 60yard indoor shoot in Pennsylvania, 12 hrs away. It didn't stop there and still hasn't.
Soon I learned that my mostly experiance-learned skills would not be enough to perform at the level I wanted to be at: The Top.
So started my journey to becoming the best archer I could be. It has been a fun, enriching, and bumpy ride. And still is.
My goal with this is to share some of the things I have learned in my 12 years of shooting, share thoughts, field my own questions, and answer the questions asked by anyone who stumbles upon this blog.
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