CHOOSING A RECURVE BOW SET UP

Here at On Target Archery Products, I found fitting archers with their first recurve bows a very delicate task as there are many considerations to take on board. Getting the ro er set u for the archer!s strength, ability and as irations is the role of the dealer but it is crucial that the buying arties "es ecially when they are #none archer$ arents% understand how their concerns about erformance, durability and budget are taken into consideration in the choices made. In this article I will try to give some guidance so that arents and archers can understand how choices can be made. Left & Right handed / Eye do inan!e" &ecause archery is a shooting s ort, aiming is of great im ortance. It is usually recommended, if ossible, to kee both eyes o en while aiming. This allows for rela'ed facial muscles and less strain on the eye muscles which is a big deal when we can shoot u to ()) arrows a day sometimes * or + days in a row, However, when kee ing both eyes o en to aim at an ob-ect, one of our eyes will #dominate$ the other and dictate the movement of our arm towards the ob-ect. This is why if you are right eye dominant we will recommend you to shoot right handed, left handed for left eye dominant. Hand dominance and eye dominance are not always linked and it can ha en that right handed eo le are left eye dominant and therefore asked to shoot left handed and vice versa. .ost archery coaches will try to entice you to shoot according to your eye dominance as it is the best ossible situation for future archery greatness// However it a ears that some archers find shooting the o osite way of their natural hand a challenge. In which case, if agreed by your coach, it is O0 to disregard eye dominance and shoot with your natural hand, however this obviously means closing the dominant eye while aiming. 1e also can disregard eye dominance when an in-ury or handica revents shooting the referable way.
To check your eye dominance, ask somebody to stand 5m away from you, overlap your hands in such a fashion that you can create a little gap/hole between your thumbs. Raise your arms straight until you can see the person in front of you through the hole. If the person sees your right eye through the hole, you are right eye dominant and vice versa. Shooting right handed means holding the bow in your left hand and pulling the string with your right. If you cannot shoot with both eyes open for any reason, then you will close your left eye and aim with your right eye.

#$a% &ength The archer!s #true draw length$ is the distance from the nock groove to the throat of the bow handle2riser at full draw. The #A.O draw length$ also called #bow draw length$ is the #true draw length$ lus ( 3$. &e aware that most coaches and archers refers to the #bow draw length$ when using the term draw length, and it is also what we use to select a bow length for an archer. A beginner archer!s true draw length is difficult to ascertain because it is very much de endant on how good and settled their form is. It is not wrong to assume that a beginner!s draw length will increase by 4$ to ( 4$ in his2her first 5 months of shooting "mostly due to the settling of the front shoulder and a firmer chin anchor%. 6or youngsters it is com ounded by the fact that they could have a growth s urt at any time, so that the draw measured today will be invalid tomorrow/// 7nderstanding how your archer!s draw length can vary over time is an im ortant fact when choosing bow length, limb oundage and arrow length.

easuring your draw length !ou might have come across a method which suggests to measure your arm span and divide it by ".5 to indicate your draw length. This method is very crude and should be used as a mere appro#imation only. It is recommended to have an archery coach or an archery dealer do the measuring while the archer pulls a bow to full draw, they can look at the archer$s form and determine if he/she is pulling the correct draw length.

Bo% &ength The ro er bow length for an archer is de endent on his2her bow draw length "8ee table below%. If the bow is correct for the archer, the o timum limb ti curve is achieved at full draw which leads to ma'imum arrow s eed and accuracy. If the bow is too long, the arrows will go slower, if the bow is too short the arrows will go faster but the archer will e' erience a stacking feeling at full draw and the limbs could sustain damages over time. As youngsters can grow significant amounts in short eriods of time, it is tem ting for arents to get longer bows for them to grow into. In our o inion it is O0 to do so while the archer if still a beginner who will not be challenged at longer distances and as long as the conse9uences are understood by the buying arty. In com etition however, youngsters often cannot ull the necessary oundage which would allow them to consistently shoot the distances they should be shooting. In this situation, getting the ro er bow si:e from which your youngster can safely get the ma'imum arrow s eed is essential. ;)< bow ;=>5?< bow 5*>5)< bow 55< bow 5=< bow C?< bow 7 to *(< draw length *(@ to *)< draw length *+< to *5< draw length *;< to *=< draw length *C< to +?< draw length *D< and u .ostly beginner2wooden bows designed for youngsters. #8tandard$ si:es. .ost recurve manufacturers "Hoyt > 1A1 B 8amick B 8ebastien 6lute,%

Eecurve bows are made of a riser and two limbs. Often there can be several choices in riser and limb lengths which can make u the same si:e bow. .ost #standard$ si:e recurve bows come with *+$ or *;$ risers but now even *C$ riser are becoming available. Fimbs usually come in short, medium and long si:es "8ee table below%. In general it is referable to go for the set u which has the shortest limbs as they often rovide the fastest arrow s eed.
Ri'e$ Length ()* (+* (,* Fimbs 8hort 5)$ 55$ 5=$ Fimbs .edium 55$ 5=$ C?$ Fimbs Fong 5=$ C?$ C*$

%ow length& %ow length is the distance from the tip of the top limb to the tip of the bottom limb of a strung bow, measured along the length of the outside face. 'imb stacking& when an archer starts to pull an appropriate si(ed bow ,the weight loading on the fingers increases in a more or less constant manner until full draw. )hen pulling a short bow the weight loading increases in a linear manner at first but rapidly changes to increase e#ponentially close to full draw making it more difficult to reach full draw and potentially pull through the clicker.

#$a% %eight -.o/ndage0 1hen choosing the right oundage for a young beginner, there is a fine line between what is necessary to allow them to develo their archery form, what is re9uired for them to com ete in their age grou and what can hurt them hysically. Total beginners buying their first bow without revious training

It is of utmost im ortance that beginner archers start with a light oundage bow which can allow them to develo their form. If they struggle with the oundage they will never be able to rela' their u er body and achieve a osture conducive with good erformance. At the local club, all beginners, including adults, are taught on bows which have (= to *5lbs limbs. &eginners who have been shooting club gear and are buying their own Archers who have been shooting with club gear for a while have a better understanding of their hysical limits, but often have been shooting fairly low oundage set>u s designed to allow them to develo their form. 6rom e' erience choosing a limb oundage e9uivalent to double their age "i.eG *?lbs for a (? year old% is a starting oint for most D > (+ year olds, many women start at around *52*=lbs and men at +?2+*lbs. However one oundage does not fit all as two children of the same age or two adults can be vastly different in si:e and strength making it difficult to generalise. Here at the sho , we usually assess what oundage the archer seem comfortable with and then recommend to go *lbs more as this should assure that the archer is not growing out of his set to 9uickly while not overbowing Hom etitors Getting set u for a bow with com etition in mind or u grading to com etition gear has its own challenges. It ays to check what distances you are going to have to shoot in com etition, and what oundage would be re9uired to shoot that distance consistently2com etitively. In most cases we would advise against increasing the oundage by more than *lbs at a time, which means that it is essential to lan ahead if ma-or oundage u grades are necessary. How often can an archer increase his2her oundage de ends widely on the overall strength of the archer, the amount of training the archer is utting in and the 9uality of the archer!s form. Iisregarding those can result in overbowing which leads to decrease in erformance and in-uries, the more common in-uries being to the ulling shoulder. Getting your archery coach to advise on a suitable oundage is the best o tion. Here in the sho when looking for a suitable bow for an archer, we get him2her to draw the bow and we watch their bow arm, if it shakes while they are drawing or on anchoring, it usually indicates that the oundage is too heavy. Of course ulling the bow in a sho * or + times without even shooting an arrow is not even close to conditions when shooting (? ends in a row, so listening and trying to understand how the archer is feeling when they try the bow is very im ortant.
%ow *raw )eight . The poundage of a bow is determined by the +Strength, of the limbs and the length of the bow and is by convention measured at a "-, bow draw length whatever the length of the bow. anufacturers usually mark the limbs with " poundage ratings , one for a "., riser and one for a "5, riser. %ecause of the laws of physics the rule is to subtract / pound for each inch of increased bow length. 0ence a set of medium limbs which are rated "1lbs for a "., riser 2making a 11, bow3 will be produce "4lbs if placed on a "5, riser 2making a 1-, bow3. This means that if you are buying a second hand pair of limbs, be vigilant with the information provided. Those poundage ratings are not fully regulated and the manufacturers do not disclose on which risers the ratings have been done. )hen mi#ing and matching brands and products some discrepancies can occur between the stated poundage and the actual one. It is also worth noting that risers with International 'imb 5itting have a /67 weight ad8ustment range, therefore the position of the limbs bolt will affect the pulling weight. 9ctual *raw )eight. The poundage rating is done at "-, bow draw length, however the chance that your bow draw length is also "-,is minimal. If you are using a bow that is in the right si(e range, the rule of thumb is to add or subtract appro#imately two pounds for each inch your bow draw length is over or under the "-,. 0ere is an e#ample& if you have a 1-, bow with .6lbs limbs and your bow draw length is ":,, then your actual pulling weight will be around "-lbs, if your draw length is .6,

then you will pull .4lbs. %e aware however that if the bow is stacking 2too short for your draw length3, or too long, that rule is invalid.

Ri'e$ and &i 1 2/a&ity %udget archery setsG sets with wooden risers are great for the #weaker$ and #younger$ archers as they are much lighter than sets with aluminium risers. They are very com etitively riced and make great beginner sets for all ages. They do, however, have their limitations in com etition. 1ood is greatly affected by ambient humidity and tem erature and wooden limbs are not as efficient as other ty es of limbs. In general the keener the archer, the 9uicker they outgrow their budget set. Intermediate setsG sets with international limb fittings and glass limbs are a great introduction to com etition and can suit your archer for several years, es ecially if the limb oundage is u graded regularly. These sets offer the same tunability as high end set at a com etitive rice, however, it must be noted that not all limbs are e9ual. The ability of the limb to transfer its energy into the arrow de ends greatly on its com osition. In general terms wooden limbs are the least efficient, then Glass, then Glass2Harbon, then Harbon26oam,This ro erty is sometimes used to com ensate for lack of oundage, for e'am le at *)lbs a bow with wooden limbs would reach +?m while a Harbon26oam could get to );m using the same sight mark. "This is an e'am le only% There is often debate amongst archers to decide if it is better to buy the best riser ossible and then u grade the limbs or if to buy a reasonable riser and get better limbs. In our o inion, there are o tions covering different situations. If you are not on a restricted budgetG buy the best riser suitable and start with entry level limbs. Jou can then u grade the 9uality and oundage of your limbs as you become more Kbow fit! and your archery im roves. If you are on a tight budgetG utting more money into the limbs rather than the riser will give you a greater gain in erformance initially. If you are on a budget buying a second hand riser is worth considering as they usually stand well the test of time, for limbs however there is otential cracking or delamination, issues brought about by every day use, as well as the additional roblem that you don!t know how they have been handled or if they have been dry fired Arrows )hat typeG 6or beginners who shoot short distances "LM+;m% and are likely to shoot the ground or the archery stand , aluminium arrows are a erfectly reasonable choice. They are robust, erform well at short distances and are com etitively riced. The better aluminium arrows are slightly lighter and have a higher straightness stringency than beginner arrows and are suitable for early com etition. 6or com etition however, the idea is to shoot the arrows at the highest velocity ossible with the set u available. 7sing all carbon or carbon aluminium arrows is then a big advantage as the arrows are smaller in diameter and lighter giving you more s eed "&e aware that lighter arrows can be more affected by the wind%. Getting arrows which have the otential to fly faster can com ensate in some e'tent to a lack of oundage. )hat si(eG Arrows come in different si:es referred to as spine. Potentially there is only one correct s ine which will allow you to shoot the arrow straight out of your bowN all other s ines will make the arrow or oise and land to the left or right of the target. The correct arrow s ine for you and your bow is very im ortant for consistent flight and de ends on your actual ulling weight and the length you want to make the arrows "/ Oot the draw length%. )hat lengthG The arrow length which gives the best erformance is, at an archer!s full draw, from the nock groove to the lace where the arrow contacts the most forward ortion of the

arrow rest P ($. 6or archers who use a standard clicker this allows for the clicker to be aligned with the front of the bow. However, for fast growing youngsters and beginners with unsettled draw lengths using this method can lead to having arrows that become too short very 9uickly. Therefore, for beginners and youngsters who are not using a clicker, it is usually advisable to make the arrows between 4$ and ( 4$ longer than sti ulated above " otential added draw weight should be taken into consideration if the draw is to increase%. .aking the arrows longer than necessary means that the arrows are going to be very slightly slower. This is however a concession to make to allow for the arrows to last " otentially,% longer. 6or com etitors using a clicker it can get a little trickier. 8tandard clickers have to click on the riser or the riser e'tension, restricting the otential arrow length. If longer arrows are still desirable, one can look into a magnetic clicker which self clicks or e'tended clickers which mount on the sight bar. The effect on arrow s eed should however be carefully considered when looking at arrows longer than ($ over the recommended length.
9rrow Spine& the spine is a measure of the amount a ";, arrow, supported <, from each end, deflects when a /.;-lbs weight is placed in the middle 9rrow 'ength& %y convention, the arrow length is considered to be from the bottom of the nock groove to the end of the shaft 2e#cluding the point3.

A!!e''o$ie' Re't3 if you are a beginner or if you are getting your first bow, stick on rests with a hook style arm such as the Hoyt>8u er Eest are ideal. They cradle the arrow and offer a built in lunger2button and are of the highest standards. .ore advanced rests re9uire a se arate lunger2button and work better with a clicker. If you are not advanced enough to set your rest and lunger right, it will be of no advantage to use this set u . Sta1i&i'ation 'y'te G Qventually all recurve archers will shoot with a stabilisation system. Their ur ose is to steady the archer!s aim, create a better follow through, and to dam en vibrations. Adding a long rod as early as ossible is definitely the better o tion so that the archer can get the ro er #feeling$ of the bow from day one. However for younger and weaker archers it sometimes ays to let them get used to the weight of the bow alone before increasing it with a rod or a short rod can be used instead of a long one for the youngest archers. All rods on the market can be tailored to do the first two tasksN more e' ensive rods usually have much better dam ing ability. R>bars and side bars rovide the bow with vertical stability and can be used to modify the way bow feel in the hand. They should be avoided by beginners as they risk masking technical errors such as canting. In addition, beginners often do not have enough shooting e' erience to decide which configuration is ideal for them. C&i!4e$G every archery coach will try to kee you off the clicker for as long as they can// Although clickers are there to make your draw length more re roducible and therefore enhance your archery, if used too early or in a hase of erratic form they can restrict the rogress of the archer by binding him2her to the draw set by the clicker. 6or youngsters with growing arms it is of the utmost im ortance that the setting of the clicker is checked on a regular basis. S&ing3 finger or wrist slings are an essential accessory of the archer as they allow for the bow to move freely during the shot. .ost recurve archers use a finger sling but your coach might have a different idea. 8lings can be urchased or made easily with shoe laces. Although many beginners are taught without to sim lify the first lessons, it is essential to learn to use one before bad habits sets in.