If you’d like to start practicing archery as a hobby but you don’t know where to start, we absolutely understand the feeling. A lot of people are really looking forward to grabbing a bow and begin shooting, but get overwhelmed by all the terms and equipment and measurements. You want to participate, but it all seems a little confused.
With that in mind, we introduce in this post to help you get started. It’s a way of introducing the “big ideas” of archery, and paving your way to the sport, little by little.
On this page, we’ll introduce all the basic and essential info you’ll need as a new archer. There’s plenty here, but by the end, you’ll have a very clear idea of how to start your journey with the equipment and basic knowledge that you’ll require.
First Things First: The Two Main kinds of Bows – Recurve bows and compound bows.
(If you’re an immediate or advance archer, you may have arguing with us—yes, there are plenty types of bows, including longbows, crossbows, composite bows, Japanese yumi bows, and so on. Don’t rush! We’ll get there. We’re talking about generalities in this part).
Recurve bows are the one you see in the Olympics that featured a sleek, graceful design and mostly used for target shooting, although some experienced hunters might use them for bow hunting. They’re the best option for new archers, because they’re not as complicated as the next type of bow, which would be…
Compound bows.
These bows are the chosen one of many bowhunters, because they allow shooting with incredible speed and force. Although there are plenty of people use compound bows for target shooting and competition shooting.
At the top and bottom of the bow, you’ll find rounded wheels that keep the draw string straight which known as “cams.” They are the elements of a levering system that consist of cables and pulleys that makes the bow to multiply (or “compound”) the force that pushing the arrow forward.
