Archery Info

Archery is the practice of using a bow to shoot arrows. Archery has historically been used in hunting and combat and has become a precision sport. A person practicing archery is archer, and one who is fond of or an expert at archery is sometimes a toxophilite. The greatest number of archers choose to shoot recurve bows, the modern version of the traditional Longbow.

Equipment

Types of bows
A longbow is a type of bow that is tall (roughly equal to or greater than height of a person), is not recurved, and has relatively narrow limbs that are circular or D-shaped in cross section. Typically a longbow is widest at the handle. Longbows have been used for hunting and warfare, by many cultures around the world, a famous example being the English longbow, during the Middle Ages.

A shortbow is a much smaller version of the longbow, while it doesn't go as far it can in some cases be lighter and better as a secondary option.

A compound bow is designed to reduce the force that an archer must hold, yet increase the overall energy stored by the bow. Most compound designs use cams or elliptical wheels on the ends of the limbs to optimise leverage exerted by the archer and to reduce holding force of the bow, at full draw, while maintaining the force through the draw.

With less force required to hold a compound bow at draw (often less than half of the bow's peak draw weight), the muscles take longer to fatigue, thus giving a compound archer more time to aim. For these reasons, the compound bow is sometimes derogatorily referred to as a "training-wheel bow". A compound bow must be adjusted so that its draw length is correct for the archer. The draw length is determined largely by the archer's arm length and shoulder width.

A crossbow is a variation on the general bow type. Instead of the limbs being vertical, they are mounted horizontally on a stock much like that of a rifle. The limb design can either be compound or a recurve but the basic concept of firing is the same. The string is pulled back manually or with a windlass and locked into place with a hook. The energy stored in the short limbs is comparable to the longbow but packed in smaller design that is also much easier to aim. Crossbows do not fire arrows like other bows. Instead they use shortversions, called quarrels or bolts.

A recurve bow is the only class of bow that is shot at the Olympic Games. Unlike the compound, its basic shape is still similar to that of a traditional longbow. Its defining feature is that the ends of the limbs curve forwards slightly, which increases the power gained from the bow and smooths the draw. Recurves are used primarily for target competition; archery on a flat, open field at circular targets.

Modern recurve and compound bows have are now often made from wood/fiberglass laminates or a combination of aluminum alloys and carbon fiber. Some archers today equip bows with sights, stabilizers and/or shock absorbers.
Types of arrows and fletching
Arrows are made of solid wood, fiberglass, aluminum alloy tubing, or carbon fiber shafts. Wooden arrows are prone to warping, and are not easily straightened. Fiberglass arrows are brittle, but are more easily produced to uniform specifications. Aluminum shafts were a very popular high-performance choice in the later half of the 20th century due to their light weight, and subsequently higher speed and flatter trajectories. They were easily straightened when bent, but are susceptible to being "robin hooded" if one arrow hit the back of another precisely. Carbon arrows are very light, and fly faster and flatter than aluminum arrows. They became popular in the 1990s.

The material and diameter of the arrow contribute to its stiffness, or spine. This must be matched to the draw weight of the bow to ensure accuracy.

Most bowhunters prefer aluminum or wood arrows to fiberglass or carbon arrows. Aluminum arrows are easily adjusted to fly straight when a broadhead is attached to them, and wooden arrows are simply cheap and expendable. Carbon arrows are hard to adjust so they fly straight when a broadhead is attached to them.
Feather fletchesFletching is traditionally made from turkey feathers, but solid plastic vanes are also used. Feathers will typically be 3-6" long, while vanes are often only 1-2". They are attached at the nock (rear) end of the arrow with glue, or, traditionally, some type of string such as silk. The fletching is equally spaced around the shaft with one (the cock) placed such that it is perpendicular to the bow when nocked on the string. Three feathers (two hens plus the cock) is the most common configuration, though four or five are used. The fletching is attached at a slight angle, to introduce a stabilizing spin to the arrow while in flight. Oversized fletching can be used to accentuate drag and thus limit the range of the arrow signficantly; these arrows are called flu-flus.
Types of arrowheads
Target points are bullet-shaped with a sharp point, designed to penetrate target butts easily without causing excessive wear on them. Field tips have a distinct shoulder, so that missed shots out of doors don't become as stuck in obstacles such as tree stumps. A broadhead is used in hunting, not target practice. It has, usually, two to four razor sharp blades that cause massive bleeding leading to a quick, humane kill. Blunts are occasionally used for types of target shooting when the goal is to knock something over, not penetrate.

Beursault
A traditional northern French and Belgian archery contest. Archers teams shoot alternatively at two targets facing each other, 50 meters away.

Popinjay (or Papingo)
A form of archery originally derived from shooting birds on church steeples. Popinjay is popular in Belgium, but little known elsewhere.

Roving Marks
The oldest form of competitive archery, as practiced by Henry VIII. The archers will shoot to a "mark" then shoot from that mark to another mark.

Wand shoot
A Traditional English archery contest. Archers take turns shooting at a vertical strip of wood, the wand, usually about six feet high and three to six inches wide. Points are awarded for hitting the strip.

Archery education
A relatively new program has developed in U.S. schools called the National Archery in Schools Program (NASP). In this students use Genesis bows (a compound-style bow without draw stops). This is similar to a physical education programmes, and students who want to can also go to state and national shoots to compete against other schools. Though started in the United States, it has begun to spread to other countries.

http://www.usarchery.org/ National Archery Association

http://www.gnas.org/ The Grand National Archery Society is the governing body for the sport of archery in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The Society serves nine Regional Societies.

International Archery Federation: The International Archery Federation (FITA, from French Fédération Internationale de Tir à l'Arc) is the sport governing body of the sport of archery. It is based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is composed of 134 national archery associations, and is recognized by the International Olympic Committee.

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