10 Things To Know Before Getting Into Traditional Archery

Are you intrigued by the challenge of traditional archery? Have you been considering making it a part of your outdoor lifestyle or sports routine?

Archery is an exciting and rewarding activity. It’s fun to play it. But you should know the basics of any activity before taking a start and same goes with archery.

You should have knowledge about the bow, arrows and gear you would be using. Also you should be aware about theoretical knowledge of technique and basic archery terms. And how much budget you will be needing to take a start.  

Learning these essential points will help ensure that your journey into traditional archery is successful and enjoyable. Lets dive into 10 critical aspects that are essential for a beginner to know.

1-Definition: Traditional Archery

First let’s clarify the basic knowledge, you should know what traditional archery is and how it is different from other forms of archery.

Traditional archery simply means practicing to shoot with a simple bow and wooden arrows without any technical and modern accessories. It offers unique satisfaction that you can’t get with compound bows.

The challenge it provides is an exciting way to really test your own skills as an archer. All of the accuracy comes from your own strength, muscle memory and practice.

2-Starting with which type of Bow: Longbow or Recurve

Second thing is to choose a bow before getting into action. You have two choices either to start with long bow or recurve bow. Both comes in simple and basic design. Its up to you with which one you want to take a start.

I personally recommend taking a start from recurve bow rather than long bow. Long bows can be relatively difficult to handle and you will face more challenge in controlling your shot. That’s my personal opinion though, you can still take a start form long bow. Another tip here is to experiment with both bows, when you will practically test both, you will have a clear picture that which one suits you more.

“Long bow” from its name define itself, a straight bow with a string attached, when you will draw the string back, you will observe a “D” shape formed with your stretch. Mostly these bows are made from wood and are expensive as compared to recurve bows. On the other hand recurve bow has slightly curved limbs at end and that’s why it is named as “recurve bow”. This bow is mode advanced and new as compared to long traditional bows. The material used in recurve bows are wood and laminated carbon fiber.

3-Other Equipment’s Required:

Apart from selecting bow, you also need other accessories to get started as well. A basic list of items required for traditional archery is as below:

a)-Arrows

After bow, arrows are second most important essential requirement for archery. And for a beginner selecting appropriate arrows is necessary. A well built and quality arrow will enhance your performance.

Arrows are made form different material such as wood, aluminum, carbon etc. The basic ones are those made from wood followed by aluminum. Carbon arrows are top of the list with lightweight and supreme design but comes with much more money.

Apart from material, point weight and overall length is also influential for an accurate shot.

b)-Safety Gear

With any game, safety comes first and same goes with archery. You wont be needing much just an arm guard, archery gloves, chest protector and finger saver will do the job.

You can also opt for purchasing a quiver as it will be used to store your arrows and will protect them form unnecessary wear and tear, but it is optional not recommended.

No matter how experienced you become in your game, it is important that you always use proper and necessary safety gear when practicing or competing in archery.

With these pieces of gear, you’ll be able to shoot without fear or worry while enjoying your marvelous game!

c)-Bow String

A bow is useless without the string. It is an integral part in a bow, and it must also be of the correct length to ensure it functions efficiently.

Knowing your bow length is essential for purchasing the corresponding bowstring. As a general rule, bow strings are 3-4 inch shorter than size of bow. So, I would suggest as a precautionary measure always ensure you have an extra string on hand at all times, so in case if your bow string becomes short, you can adjust it.

4-Archery Terminologies

After getting basic knowledge about archery bows and equipment, you should also be aware of archery terminologies. There are a lot of terms but a beginner should be aware of the basic ones as listed below:

• Arm Guard: It is piece of metal or leather used for protection of arm.
• Chest Guard: It is a protective piece of cloth or nylon to prevent archers body touching the bow sting.
• Draw Weight: It is measured in pounds (lbs). It is the force required to draw (pull) the string back.
• Draw Length: This is the measure of distance when you draw the string to your anchor point.
• Anchor Point: The point from where you are comfortable releasing your arrow. Casual anchor points can be on face, near mouth etc.
• Group: A term used when you hit multiple arrows on center or near center.
• Limb: The top corners of bottom and top of a bow.
• Nock: The end point of an arrow.
• Quiver: It is used to hold or carry multiple arrows.
• Shaft: The central body of an arrow.

5)-Skill Set

To become an expert archer, you should posses some skills. Archery is often thought of as requiring just good aim, but the fact is there’s much more that goes into perfecting your form to make sure you consistently hit the bullseye. Everything from the way you’re standing and breathing can have an impact on your performance.

Being an archer isn’t about strength or having good form and equipment; it’s about the mental game. You need intense focus and concentration to excel, and this can be developed through various exercises.

Along with focus and concentration you also need muscle strength and a good understanding of the way to control it. Archery requires patience and discipline to master, but success relies on having the right combination of physical and mental skills. The more you train, the better you get at controlling these elements so you can make more accurate shots with your bow.

6)-Safety Measures

Although archery is considered as safe game but be careful it can causes serious injuries as well. So, I would recommend taking proper safety measures is necessary.

Use safety gear such as gloves, chest guard and arm guard to make sure that you avoid any possible injury.

The muscles used during aiming and taking shoots are not normally used in day-to-day activities and since these muscles are engaged during the activity, this often leads to soreness and aching throughout the body the next day, particularly in the fingers. You will feel it more in first few weeks.

To decrease this issue, warmups before practice as well as stretches after are a great and necessary part of improving one’s accuracy while reducing aches and pains post-activity.

7)-Initial Cost to get started

The overall cost depends upon various factors such as which quality of equipment you are using and how many accessories you have purchased as there are many other stuff you can purchase separately from essential equipment.

Just to give you an estimate, I am using pricing for normal equipment that is essential only and the prices may vary depending upon your area and brand.

Recurve Bow- Starts around $49

Aluminum Arrows (6 pcs)- Starts around $33

Archery Gloves- Starts around $10

Arm Guard- Starts around $10

Chest Protector- Starts around $11

So this is a basic estimate just to give you an ideas about cost. So by totaling above figures you can start archery form as low as $113. But bear in mind this is just a basic low entry level cost, if you purchase high quality and good accessories it can jump anywhere between $400 – $2000 or even more.

8)-Selecting Best Bow

As the key equipment in archery is bow so you have to make sure you choose the one that fits your body. If you choose a bow that is too heavy or too light, you might not feel comfortable shooting with it. So make sure you choose an appropriate one. The first thing to consider is to know the draw height. The method I personally prefer is the “Two Arm Wings-Span” method. There are two more methods to measure the draw height.

Read the article to know better:  How to Measure Draw Length?

9)-Time Required

If you start anything new, it takes time to master it and archery is no exception.

Archery requires dedication, focus and, above all else, a commitment to precision. Learning to master the fundamentals of archery can take time, but with patience and practice comes great rewards.

Over time, you’ll notice subtle differences in your form that will improve your performance significantly. Even small changes, such as adjusting your posture or focusing on the release motion, can have a big impact. There is no need to be discouraged if you don’t feel like an expert right away, continue to strive, you will succeed one day.

10-Technique

Correct technique is required if you want to achieve desired results in archery. That involves mainly release method, correct stance and correct posture.

Foot position should be roughly shoulder-width apart and squares up to the target with your feet, hips and shoulders in line.

You can adopt neutral stance as it is the most basic stance, with the body facing square towards the target, while a closed or open stance staggers the feet for extra support.

Sum Up

If you have decided to take a start in traditional archery, then that’s an excellent decision but it will take time and experience to build a great shooting skill.

Taking your time to select the best bow for you and familiarizing yourself with the proper techniques will make the process so much easier and enjoyable. Familiarizing yourself with various techniques such as shooting from various distances, building muscle strength, practicing release procedures, and honing in on accuracy should be part of your overall plan if aiming to become an excellent traditional archer.

Taking all of these factors into account will not only maximize your traditional archery experience, but it will also bring out the best in your skillset!

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