Archery education - equipment

A lot of the hits I get on this blog come from Pinterest (win!). I love being able to see when people repin my stories and pass them around. One of the pins that has seen some of the action is my “Intro to archery”. Since this was more of a personal story than an informative article I thought I would use this post to give a little bit of instruction, just in case that is what people were seeking. You may notice I have also added “Archery” to my list of blog topics, so if you are a budding archer or bowhunter you can see all of the related articles with one click.

Now, let me be clear in saying that I am in no way a professional. I picked up archery a few years ago and practice as much as I can. The only "forma"l training I have is from James and his dad, who know certain tips and tricks of the trade from years and years of hunting. I wanted to share some of the tips they have passed along to me that have helped the most. 

They are both excellent teachers and I think they enjoy being able to train me, just as much as they enjoy shooting.  I am lucky to have such patient and enthusiastic instructors. In fact, I find archery even more rewarding when I shoot with them because they celebrate every improvement I make and cheer me on. I think this is a big part of why I enjoy archery so much. Also, a little healthy competition never hurt anyone, and one of these days I am going to outshoot them in a competition... so the pupil becomes the master... (I’m coming for you, Babe.)

One of the first things I learned when I was fitted for my bow is that equipment matters. I have seen several friends miss targets (at 7 yards... Phil!) because of faulty or old equipment. It doesn’t matter how sharp you are if your bow strings are shredding or if your draw length is off. So make sure when you decide that you want to be an archer you go to a specialty shop and get set up right. We usually go to Scott King’s archery shop on Bardstown road, for all of you locals. 

My little Matthew's bow.

They will measure you and set your draw weight (how hard you can pull the string back) and length (how far your arm pulls back the string) right there. They will also let you practice shoot as much as you need to in order to pick the right bow. I have a very light Matthew’s bow. It was in this shop that I found out I was left eye dominant. The simple fix for this is using a bow upside down, basically. Most of the tools out there are for right handed/right eyed shooters. My sights are attached upside down on the bow and it works just fine for me. 

Some of the things you might want to pay attention to are: the weight of the bow, the grips, the let-off.  The weight of the bow may not seem like much of a deal, but I promise if you plan on practice shooting or going on 3D shoots that having one that is light will make a huge difference. If you are struggling to hold up a heavy bow repeatedly your arms will get tired, your posture will slack, and your shots will be off. The grip on the bow is important, too. This is basically personal preference. I have small hands and my bow is a ladies/youth bow so it feels comfortable. When you pull the weight of the string on your bow back it "locks" once it reaches your full draw length - this is your let-off. The let-off takes the full stress of the draw weight off of your arm while you are fully drawn. Having a high let-off will help, especially if you have a lot of draw weight.

I definitely think it is worth the investment to purchase good, quality, equipment that you are comfortable with. It will make the experience that much better! I imagine there is nothing worse than hauling a too-heavy awkward bow around the woods, having sights that you can’t see or arrows that aren’t measured and cut correctly.