A few questions about archery?

Question

so im gonna be moving to the country soon and id like to get into sports archery(if there is such a thing). i havent used a bow since middle school so im sort of lost on the art. what advice would you give to a beginner like myself to get into the sport? i dont really care to get into the professional arena of archery but id like to be good at it. eventually id also like to hunt with a bow so any advice on that would be great. also, what websites or national chains should i look at to buy the equipment? any help is great, thanks.

Answer 1

YOU WILL NEED TO DECIDE IF YOU WANT TO GO WITH A COMPOUND OR TRADITIONAL. YES CABELAS IS A GOOD PLACE TO START BUT FOR TRADITIONAL GO TO 3RIVERS.COM THE BEST ADVICE ON THE WEB

Answer 2

Listen to targetbutt, he's been doing archery for many years, plus he coaches Olympic-style archery.

On aiming: Do not "aim between the double image", as someone else suggested. Depending on the distance to the target/style of bow, the arrow could actually need to appear to be pointed off to the side of the target. The ONLY time you will be aiming straight at the center of the target is if you happen to be looking straight down the arrow and you are less than 20 yards from the target.

Ghillie suits: Never wear them when bowhunting, they will catch the bowstring and ruin the shot! Unless, of course, the loose, hanging bits of the suit are held down tight against your body...which defeats the entire purpose of the ghillie suit. Deer and elk, and all those other animals, don't really care whether you wear camo, anyway -- and Howard Hill and Fred Bear didn't need a ghillie suit.

Pulling the string back: When you pull it back too far, you risk breaking the bow and injuring yourself. NEVER pull it back "as far as you can".

Targets: Take a large cardboard box and fill it with other, folded-down cardboard boxes -- then shoot through the box so the arrows go through all those layers of cardboard. Pack it tight enough and even broadheads will darn near bounce off..... You can also fill a burlap sack with plastic bags and use that as your target.

The very best place to get good in-person archery advice is an archery store. Not Cabela's or Bass Pro, or the other Big-Box "sporting-goods" places, even though they "happen" to include archery. Go to the REAL archery pros at the nearest archery store where ARCHERY is the focus, instead of just another of many departments. Once you find what you want/need/like, then you can go to Cabela's, etc to see if they have a better price.

Make bluddy sure your arrows are made for both YOU and YOUR BOW! This is something I cannot stress enough. No, it sn't because it'll put more money into someone's pocket, it's to make sure your arrows are as accurate as they can be. Without properly made arrows, even the "best bow in the world" is just a bow.

Last, go to the website below -- it'll help you learn good archery technique no matter what type/kind/brand bow you use.

http://sagittarius.student.utwente.nl/ar...

Answer 3

Try to find an archery store with a knowledgeable owner who can help you out with local info and telling you what kind of things you'll need.  When it comes to buying your first bow, you might get a good deal by getting a gently used one from such a store or the internet.  You can buy bows and arrows at cabelas, but if you don't know how to string the bow, or how to assemble the arrows, you're still going to need to find someone who knows what they are doing.

Answer 4

One trick I've learned about archery is that when you are aiming with both eyes, you'll see some things doubled. The trick is not to close one eye, but to aim in between the doubled object. For example, if you focus on the target and the bow turns double, have both bows on either side of the center of the target. Or if you focus on the bow and the target is doubled, aim in between the doubled center of the target.

Also, pull back as far as you can, make sure the arrow is in the right place, and practice!

Answer 5

The most important thing for a beginner archer is to start with a light bow.  Heavy bow will force you to use the muscles you use everyday, which for most people will be the shoulder muscles and the bicep.  This is very bad for archery, because while they are strong, they're built to make large movements, not the smooth fine movements required to shoot.

Once you get yourself a 20lbs bow, then the next thing to worry about is the anchor.  All the aiming in the world won't help if the anchor is not consistent.  The anchor starts first with your head position.  You need to place your head so it is consistent spatially relative to the target.  The easiest way to do this, is to just stand straight and look at the target, keep the head straight.  Your head should be locked in place at this point.  Take extra care to keep it in place while you draw the string.  Then the second part of the anchor is locking the back of the arrow relative to your head.  Some people would touch the drawing index finger to the corner of the mouth, some will touch the thumb to the cheek.  As long as it's consistent, you're good to go.  Here's another reason for light bows.  With a heavy bow, you won't be able to feel this fine touch between your finger and your face.

Now of course, if you want to shoot a compound then that anchor part is not that important, since you have a peep sight.

Here's a website filled with archery resource

http://www.archery-engineering.co.za/dow...

For buying equipment

http://3riversarchery.com

http://www.lancasterarchery.com

http://www.altservices.biz <- this one is in the UK

Answer 6

Yes there is such a thing a "sports archery" or competitive archery.

As for advice, the one thing you should do is practice, practice, practice. All you need to do is save up about $50 go into the nearest sporting goods store and buy an archery target. Then I would recommend looking

Cabela's for a decent bow and high quality arrows. It'll be expensive, but if you really want to do this it will be worth it :D

As for hunting, you might want to consider a ghillie suit for camouflage.... and make sure to buy high quality broad heads... you don't want to be using some dull flimsy hunk of metal do you?

-Good Luck!