Traditional Archery

When you hear the term “traditional archery,” you may find yourself wondering something like “isn’t archery already a traditional thing?” It’s a fair question, especially given that those not wholly familiar with modern archery likely imagine archery as they see it in the movies, with wooden bows and arrows during medieval combat or at really old school competitions during the days of Robin Hood. However, modern archery has broken from its traditional roots and has given itself wholly over to modern efficiency. Bows have traded their wooden bodies for carbon and aluminum frames, arrows, likewise, have traded in their wooden shafts for the same modern materials as bows, leather has been replaced by rubber, and traditional techniques for aiming and tuning have been exchanged for sights and stabilizers. Traditional archery hits the brakes on all of this exchanging and attempts to bring archery practitioners back to the roots of archery, where they can actually feel the bow fire, and where aiming is something more instinctual than technological.

So the real difference between modern archery and traditional archery is the equipment. The line between the two disciplines can become a little foggy when it comes to materials used. Most traditional archers are perfectly fine using bows made with modern materials (modern glues and fiberglass primarily) and modern techniques (such as the use of power tools). Others, however, prefer that their equipment, down to even the materials and techniques used to build it be natural. This will typically result in bows made from wood primarily with parts made of bone, sinew, rawhide, and leather that are bound in places by natural animal glue. The arrows likewise would consist of wood shafts, and bird feathers bound on with natural fibers and arrowheads made from knapped stone or flint. Bowstring too would be made from some sort of natural material such as hemp, linen, or silk using a traditional construction method, most commonly the Flemish-twist style of bowstring construction.

While there are some gray areas in regards to what is and is not “traditional archery,” there are some hard and fast lines. Traditional archery includes longbows and recurves, and even some crossbows, but anything with wheels and a pulley system is out. Compound bows are not considered a part of traditional archery. Also, anything with tuning accessories or modern sights is going to fall outside the range of what traditional archery encompasses. So even if you’re shooting a wooden recurve bow made with all natural materials, if it includes some sort of stabilizer or a modern sight of some kind then it’s not considered a traditional style bow.

Thankfully restrictions on arrows are not as stringent. Typically any arrow you could use with a modern bow, you can also use with a traditional bow, though wooden arrows tend to be kinder to wooden bows and they just look and feel more like the kind of arrow you’d use with a traditional setup. Strings, on the other hand, have to be made of a material that the bow can survive using. If the bow is made with modern materials, generally any kind of string material should be fine (typically it will be noted by the bow seller if it’s not safe for certain materials). However, if the bow is made from traditional materials, it’s likely you’ll need a particular type of string material to allow the bow to survive extend use. Typically these materials will have a bit more stretchiness to them than will modern materials which does reduce arrow speed by a little, but they don’t cause traditional bows to break during use, so it’s a fair trade-off.

The final difference between modern and traditional archery is how you aim. Those accustomed to modern sights will likely find this the most difficult part of traditional archery to get used to. Instead of lining up your peep sight with the appropriately colored peg on your sight, you have to look down your arrow shaft and determine from that exactly how to maneuver your bow to place your shot where you want it. Because of the fact that you’re to the side of your arrow, you have to adjust your shot to the right a bit for right handed archers and to the left a bit for left handed archers. This required adjustment is actually why you’ll sometimes see archers fire their traditional bow sidewise. This technique eliminates the need for the side adjustment and instead puts the slight skew of the shot into the arc, allowing for increased range, however the bow is much harder to pull back in this configuration and much more difficult to aim due to not being able to sight down the shaft, hence why many traditional archers shoot at an angel, mixing the benefits and drawbacks of the two styles.

Traditional archery, while often not as popular as modern archery is for competition, it is still a part of competitive target, field, and 3D archery tournaments. It is important of course to find out what equipment and aiming techniques your tournaments allow for their competitions. These types of competitions are commonly referred to as recurve and or barebow competitions, though names may vary.

No matter what the reason, and no matter just how traditional you want to go with it, traditional archery helps modern archers reconnect with the old world feel of archery and helps to remind every archer of our sports traditions and history.

Research for this article was conducted at the following sites:

- http://esdf.org/discover-archery/types-of-archery/traditional-archery

- http://www.artofmanliness.com/2010/11/04/taking-aim-a-primer-on-traditional-archery

Bowhunting

When a person unfamiliar with archery thinks about archery, there are a few images that may come to mind. For many the image of Robin Hood winning a target archery competition is what they think of. For others, the use of archers in medieval warfare stands out prominently. Neither of these images is wrong, but the most prominent image that comes to mind, I’d imagine, is that of a hunter holding a drawn bow aimed at some sort of game animal, most likely a deer. It’s the classic picture of what archery is and while, yes it did revolutionize the way people did warfare back in the day, archery has always at its heart, been about bringing dinner home for family and friends. This is exactly what bowhunting is.

Obviously, bowhunting is a compound word that fuses the term “bow” with the term “hunting.” Thus one can conclude that bowhunting is at its core the practice of hunting with a bow which is absolutely correct. Bowhunting is the use of archery equipment, whether that be a compound bow, recurve, longbow, or crossbow, to hunt something. No surprise there I’m sure. So bow-hunting really breaks down into two distinct parts, the “bow” part which is obviously the archery component of bowhunting and the “hunting” part which is its own set of practices and skills that combine with archery to help a bowhunter “bring home the bacon,” so to speak (although that can be literal if they’re hunting boar).

So first we take a look at the archery component. To be successful as a bowhunter you’ll need to be accurate with your bow, which means knowing how to figure out ranges, aim, and have proper archery technique. You’ll also need to know what kind of equipment you need and how to use and maintain it. This means it’s important to know in advance what kind of animal you’re attempting to hunt so you know the proper poundage to use and what type of broadhead to employ on your arrows. It’s also vital to use the appropriate weight of arrows with the right spine so that your shots are accurate, but still fast. Finally, it’s of the utmost importance that you go out with your equipment already in tune so that you have the best chance of hitting your mark. Although bows are nowhere near the volume of a gun and as a result you might (strong emphasis on the “might” here as game animals are still understandably jumpy) get a second shot, there’s nothing worse than doing all the work to sneak up on an animal only to miss and have it run off, or worse hit the animal, but miss the vital organs so that it runs off into the woods and dies slowly and painfully from your botched shot. So remember if you’re going bowhunting, know what you’re after, get the right equipment, tune the equipment, and practice with the equipment until you’re accurate.

Second, we have the hunting component. Now I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not personally an expert hunter, but I am familiar with the basic principles that go into it. To be successful you need to be able to conceal yourself (including the way you look, the sounds you make, and very importantly your scent), you need to be able to gauge ranges, you need to know the animals your hunting, and you need to have an abundance of patience. For the stealth aspect, there are all sorts of techniques available to the hunter. Camouflaged clothing is practically a necessity. Not only does it disguise your appearance, but the thicker cloth typically used also muffles any noises you make from moving. Face paints are also available that will further camouflage any part of you that isn’t covered by clothing and will typically cover up your scent as well. There are other options available as well for the truly committed such as scents to spread around the area to cover up your scent and attract the animals you’re trying to hunt, blinds to make it nearly impossible for the animals to spot you, and decoys and calls to make it look and sound as though there are already some of that particular type of animal present in the area making it seem safe.

Range-finding is a skill that all hunters need to know, but it is especially important to the bowhunter. While hunters who employ guns can typically get close enough to their prey to aim a flat (or level) trajectory shot, bowhunters hunting at longer ranges must actually arc their shots to get the extra range. This is why the range-finding is so important. If you don’t know how far you’re trying to shoot you won’t know to what degree to arc the shot and thus could easily miss. This leads the bowhunter to a dilemma. Guess at the range (or use a rangefinder), arc the shot and possibly miss, but not spook the prey by getting too close or get closer so you can use a flat trajectory shot, but possibly spook the prey off while doing so. It’s a difficult decision and it really comes down to what skills you put more faith in, but ultimately the terrain will play a deciding role. If the land is open a long-range shot may be the way to go, but if it’s forested or covered with some sort of obstacles, it may be better to use the extra cover to get closer. That said, it’s easy to see that range-finding skills give the hunter more options and thus more chances to successfully complete their hunt.

Of course, it’s also important for a hunter to know about the animal that they’re attempting to hunt (or multiple game animals if they’re looking to do some opportunity hunting). This knowledge is important for the hunter because it tells them where to try and place their shots. A shot that hits the hind quarter on a deer, will hurt and frighten it and it will run off and maybe even die from the shot eventually, but it will take a long time. However, a shot to the chest will likely hit either the heart or the lungs which will kill the animal quickly and prevent it from running too far off allowing the hunter to get to the animal and finish it off (if the shot didn’t already) to minimize its suffering. Those organs are not always in the same place from one animal to another and so knowing about their anatomy is extremely important. However, it’s not just the anatomy of the animal that is important to learn about. Knowing their diets, defensive tactics, and their environmental preferences will help a hunter know where to start looking for their prey, and knowing their footprints typical shape, size, and depth can tell the hunter not only where they went, but how big they are, how quickly they are moving, and how many of them are together to see if it’s even worth trying to follow them. This information can save a hunter hours of time and help them be better prepared for their eventual encounter with their prey.

The patience, however, is not something you can buy or simply look up, it’s a skill that must be learned and mastered for any aspiring hunter. The art of simply remaining still, undistracted by technology, absorbed in one’s own thoughts and the awareness of your own surroundings. It can take a long time to master, but it’s a valuable skill to learn, not just for the hunter, but for anyone. If you’re having trouble with this one, perhaps some meditation, yoga, or even prayer will help you get into the appropriate mindset to learn the lost art of patience.

Bowhunting takes us back to the very core of what archery is all about. It involves an immense amount of skill, a great deal of preparation, and even a bit of luck. Still in the end, even in this age of grocery stores and fast food, where our next meal is only a short car trip away, bowhunting is still around to help us feed our families, reconnect with nature, and rediscover ourselves.

Research for this article was conducted at the following sites:

-  https://www.bowhunting.com/bowhunt-101

- https://www.bowhunting.com

3D Archery

3D Archery is similar in many respects to the practice of field archery. Events take place on courses, which can be plains, woods, or a mix of both. A round consists of 40 targets at which an archer will shoot only 1 arrow each. Likewise, formats are also similar with there being both indoor and outdoor courses (typically depending on season) and marked and unmarked distance courses. There are, however, some differences to be noted as well. Most notable among these differences are the targets. Instead of the yellow and black circular targets common to field archery 3D archery employs foam 3-dimensional animal shaped targets. These animal targets are realistically painted and typically resemble common game animals to help them blend in on the courses, making them harder to pick out and aim at. The targets are comprised primarily of foam but have foam rubber target rings where the animal’s vital organs (heart and lungs primarily) would be located to help simulate a real bowhunting experience for those using 3D archery as a way to practice for hunting season.

The main organizations that host competitions for 3D archery are also different from field archery. While local clubs and organizations hold competitions worldwide in numerous formats, there are two major archery organizations that host competitions for 3D archery; the Archery Shooters Association (ASA) and the International Bowhunting Organization (IBO). While both organizations offer competitions that are similar, they do vary somewhat from one another.

3D archery competitions come in a few different formats; indoor, outdoor, marked distance, and unmarked distance and they break down into divisions for different styles of archery equipment ranging from full bowhunting setups, to Olympic style recurve setups, to traditional style recurves and longbows.

The major difference between these two organization’s competitions is scoring which is done cumulatively for both organizations. For both hitting outside the vital area is only worth 5 points, hitting just inside the outermost ring of the vital area is worth 8 points, and hitting inside the large circle in the center is worth 10 points. For IBO competitions there is a circle right in the middle of the 10 point circle that is worth 11 points, but the other three small circles on targets are counted as part of the larger circles they are inside (8, 10, and 10 respectively). For ASA competitions, however, the center circle is counted as part of the 10 point circle while the two circles on either side of it are counted as 12 point circles, and the fourth small circle located inside the 8 point ring is worth 14 points.

The two competitions differ also in that there are speed caps placed on some of the archery equipment. For ASA competitions a hard cap of 290 fps (feet per second) is placed on all setups and archers must have setups at or below this speed in order to compete. IBO competitions, on the other hand, have a 260 fps cap on some of its youth divisions, but no cap for adult competitions so long as arrows used for their setup weigh at least 5 grains for every pound of the bows draw weight. For instance, a 70# bow would need to shoot arrows weighing at least 350 grains.

There is some debate regarding the best format for 3D archery. Some believe that marked distances allow for a greater level of archery prowess to be displayed rather than competitions going to the best range-finders, while others feel that unmarked distances make the competitions more challenging by adding the additional challenge of doing your own unassisted range-finding, but ultimately the type of 3D archery you choose to practice and why you choose to practice that way is up to you as an archer to decide.

Research for this article was conducted at the following sites:

-  http://www.lancasterarchery.com/blog/3d-archery-explained

-  http://www.3dshoots.com/3d-archery.html

Field Archery

Field archery, despite what the name may imply, can be practice in more than just a field. This particular branch of archery can be conducted in a field, or if preferable in a forest or other wooded area. Courses often times will include both kinds of terrain and will nearly always feature terrain of various degrees of height and depth. Archers who practice field archery can use targets at marked distances or targets with unmarked distances. Targets are often somewhat obscured and can be either a standard foam target (typically with a yellow center and black outer rings) or a paper animal target. Field archery is a branch of archery in and of its own right, but it is often used by bow-hunters out of season to practice for the season in a more realistic setting than target archery would provide.

International competition formats for field archery can be practiced using barebow, recurve, or compound styles of archery and the World Games include official field archery competitions for both barebow and recurve bow styles. Field archers are tested in field archery not just on their raw accuracy, but also on range-finding, through the use of unmarked distance targets, on shot angling to adjust for shooting at targets either above or below the archer and on target finding through the use of shadow and obscuring obstacles. These extra skill sets are often referred to as “fieldcraft” by field archers.

Field archery competitions can be practiced by either individuals or teams comprised of 3 archers of the same gender (each practicing one of the three bow styles used in field archery).

For the World Archery Field Championships qualification round, archers shoot a total of 48 targets over the course of a two-day period, shooting 24 targets on both days. The first-day consist of 24 targets at marked distances and the second day consists of 24 more targets this time at unmarked distances. All archers shoot 3 arrows at each target with barebow shooters firing from positions marked with blue pegs (which are closer) and compound and recurve archers shooting from positions marked by red pegs (which are further away). The targets have a center ring in yellow worth 6 points, a second ring in yellow just around the center worth 5 points, and four additional rings in black worth 4, 3, 2, and 1 points respectively. Scoring for the qualifier is done cumulatively simply totaling the scores from all 48 targets. The 16 highest scorers advance to the first elimination round. Teams are usually chosen from the top scoring archers in each division, but coaches can opt for other archers if they prefer.

For individuals the first elimination round has each archer fire 3 arrows per target at 12 marked targets. The scores for each archer are totaled and the top 8 archers advance to the second elimination round. These archers shoot 3 arrows per target at only 8 marked targets. Scores are again totaled for each archer and the top four archers advance to the semi-finals. At this point the archers compete 1-on-1 with the victors of the two semi-finals matches going head-to-head in a gold medal match and the two losers of the semi-final matches competing head-to-head in a bronze medal match.

For individual competitions, tied matches are decided by a single arrow, single target shoot-off where the arrow closest to the center wins the match. If the first tie-breaker proves undecidable then the process is repeated until a victor emerges.

Teams work a little differently. 8 teams are chosen from the archers participating in the qualifier for the event. Once chosen teams compete head-to-head in quarter-finals, semi-finals, and finally a bronze medal and gold medal matchup.

The quarter-finals consist of each team shooting at 8 marked targets with each archer shooting 1 arrow at each target for a total of 3 arrows per target.

The semi-final and medal matches differ only in that just 4 targets are used instead of 8 as in the quarter-finals. All the head-to-head matches are scored cumulatively with the highest score winning.

For teams, ties are decided by a team shoot off with each archer shooting 1 arrow at the target for a total of three arrows per team. The team with the arrow closest to the center wins the tie. If closest arrows are too close to be called then the tie is decided by the second closest arrows. If this is still too close to decide then the third closest arrows break the tie. If all three arrows for both teams are equally close to the center as their counterparts from the other team then the process is repeated until a victor is determined.

So not only is field archery a fun way to relax and enjoy nature with family and friends, or even just a method to practice for hunting season, but it also offers organized competition for those still looking for the thrill that competing against one’s peers can bring.

Research for this article was conducted at the following sites:

- https://worldarchery.org/Field-Archery

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field_archery

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Target Archery

Target archery, as the name implies is focused on the practice of shooting at a set target and is typically shot from a predetermined distance. This is where many archers begin learning about the sport of archery and utilize target archery specifically to hone their accuracy, tune their equipment, and learn the basics of gauging distances. While it is a great stepping stone to other types of archery, target archery is its own stand-alone branch of archery and maintains a number of competitions with rules unique to this style of archery.

If you’re looking at possibly getting into target archery you’re probably wondering “what is target archery’s focus?” It’s a valid question. For the hobbyist practicing in their backyard, target archery may just be a fun casual way to stay practiced, keep equipment tuned, and maybe even try out new firing and aiming techniques. For the person looking to get into the actual sports version of target archery, however, the focus is on competition and there are several varieties to choose from.

Target archery is practiced both indoors and outdoors and utilizes recurve and compound style bows. While there are archery clubs in over 150 countries, no doubt with their own unique competitions, the three big competitions are the Olympic games which at present exclusively feature recurve target archery, the World Games which at present feature only compound target archery, and the Paralympic Games which host competitions for both recurve and compound versions of target archery.

As you may have already guessed the primary difference between recurve and compound target archery is the style of bow used, either recurve or compound respectively. The other major division in target archery is based on setting, either indoor or outdoor. While the primary difference is still fairly obvious there are some distinct technical differences that set the two competitions apart.

Indoor Target Archery: For indoor archery competitions both recurve and compound shooters shoot at targets set 18 meters away from the archer. The traditional style yellow, red, blue, black, and white targets are used with compound shooters firing at a 2 cm diameter 10-point ring and recurve shooters firing at a 4 cm diameter 10-point ring. For international competitions, the target color scheme is altered to include only yellow, red, and blue and targets are set up vertically (as though stacked upon one another) in groups of three. Archers in these competitions are only permitted to fire one arrow at each target at a time.

Outdoor Target Archery: For outdoor archery competitions, recurve archers fire at targets set 70 meters away from the archer while compound shooters have their targets set 50 meters away from the archer. Both styles of outdoor target archery utilize the traditional yellow, red, blue, black, white target with recurve targets having a 10-point ring 12.2 cm in diameter and compound targets having an 8 cm diameter 10-point ring. International competitions are no different for recurve shooters, but for compound shooters, targets are altered to only include the yellow, red, blue color scheme. This was done primarily as a result of the popularity of outdoor compound target archery. With so many participants target sizes had to be reduced in order that each archer could have their own target.

Finally, the aspiring target archer can choose from three different formats of target archery: Individual, Team, or Mixed Team target archery.

Individual Target Archery: Individual target archery consists of a qualifying round, eliminations, and finals where finalists are pitted against one another bracket-style (similar to basketball). The qualifying round involves 72 shots for outdoor matches, 60 shots for indoor matches, and matches are scored cumulatively at the end.

For indoor matches, only the top 32 scoring archers proceed to eliminations whereas for outdoor matches the top 104 proceed to eliminations and the top 8 jump straight to the finals.

Recurve matches utilize the set system for scoring. The archers shoot sets of 3 arrows each and whoever has the highest score for the set wins that set and receives 2 set points. If there is a tie on a set each archer receives 1 set point. The first archer to receive 6 set points wins and advances to the next bracket.

Compound archers, on the other hand, use a cumulative point system. Each archer shoots 5 rounds of 3 arrows each and the points from the 15 total arrows are totaled with the highest total winning and advancing to the next bracket.

In the event of a 5 set point tie or a cumulative point tie, the tie is broken with a single arrow shoot-off with each archer shooting a single arrow. The archer with the arrow that lands closest to the center of the target wins the tie breaker and thus advances to the next bracket. If the tiebreaker results in an additional tie the tie breaker is repeated until a winner is determined.

Team and Mixed Team Target Archery: Teams consist of three archers of the same division (or bow style), typically the three highest scoring archers from the qualifiers, though team managers may substitute archers if they wish. Mixed teams consist of only two archers of the same bow style one of each gender. These are typically the highest scoring male and female archers from qualifiers, however, team managers can substitute if they’d like.

Both teams and mixed teams are ranked for elimination based on the total combined rankings of all their members from the qualifiers.

For teams and mixed teams using recurve bows matches are scored using the set system. Like in individual target archery winning a set awards the team or mixed team 2 set points. A tie awards both teams or both mixed teams 1 point. Archers shoot 2 arrows each per round for a total of 6 arrows per team or 4 arrows per mixed team. The first team or mixed team to reach 5 set points wins the match.

For teams and mixed teams using compound bows matches are scored using cumulative scoring. Like with recurve teams and mixed teams, compound teams and mixed teams, shoot two arrows per archer per round. For compound teams (shooting 6 arrows total per round) and mixed teams (shooting 4 arrows total per round) there are 4 rounds and the team or mixed team with the highest cumulative total (from 24 arrows for teams or from 16 arrows for mixed teams) at the end of the 4 rounds wins the match.

Like with individual target archery, a 4 set point tie or a cumulative point tie at the end of a match is decided by an arrow shoot off with the archer closest to the center winning the tie breaker. The difference from individual target archery’s tie breaker is that each member of the team gets the chance to shoot an arrow at the target. If both teams have arrows equally close to the center than the tie goes to the team with the closer second closest arrow. If this does not decide the match, then they look at the third closest arrows. If a winner still cannot be determined then the tie breaker is repeated until a victor is decided.

While other target archer formats and competitions exist all around the world, the three major competitions and formats provide a solid baseline for what to expect when getting into the sport of target archery. Hopefully, the sport and some of its rules and nuances are made clearer for you and perhaps that added clarity will even encourage you to participate in a local archery competition and enjoy this amazing branch of the broad art of archery.

Research for this article was conducted at the following sites:

- https://worldarchery.org/Target-Archery

-  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Target_archery

Archery and the Holidays

The holidays tend to illicit images of pine trees wrapped in multi-colored lights, boxes of various shapes and sizes covered in decorative paper and sealed with a bow, and even snow covered hills just waiting to be slid down at near-reckless speeds on a wooden platform with rails or on a large plastic disk. What we tend not to envision however is, an archer holding their trusty bow with a nocked arrow drawn back and ready to shoot., however archery and the holidays have more in common then you might believe.

The holidays, at least for the traditional American family are all about family, friends, and yes turkey. Without these critical components the holidays just would not be the same. The same can be said for archery.

Archery is very much a family affair. While it’s certainly true that some archers stand alone in their families, more often then not archery is something that a family can and often does do together. According to a poll taken by the Archery Trade Association back in 2014 39% of America’s archers indicated their family’s interest in the sport as their number one reason for participating themselves. That’s two fifths of the archers in America, and that doesn’t even account for those that listed family as a more secondary or tertiary reason. Clearly family is of major importance both to the holidays and to the sport of archery.

Much like family, friends also play a huge part in archery and the holidays. The same poll mentioned above indicated that for 13% of the American archer population friends were their number one reason for participating in archery. Something about archery just is not the same without someone there to share the experience with and the same is true of the holidays.

Finally we come to the humble turkey; the final link between archery and the holidays. Historians disagree about whether or not turkey was served at the first Thanksgiving Day feast in 1621, however it is an undeniable fact that turkey has become a staple dish of the holidays today. According to a survey conducted by the University of Illinois, in 2012 68 million turkeys were consumed between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Clearly turkey is an integral part of the holidays. Likewise bow hunting for wild turkey can be one of the most challenging and thus one of the most rewarding experiences for the aspiring bow hunter. Many hunters report between 30% and 100% success rates on their turkey hunts, varying largely based on tactics it would seem (with the higher success rates being reported largely by blind hunters). However it’s not just the challenge of hunting turkey that makes them a huge part of archery, but also the fact that the primary feathers from the turkey’s wings provide some of the best natural arrow fletching available today. I’m sure the irony of the best arrow fletching being among the most difficult to take with a bow and arrow is lost on no one. Though it’s clear that the reasons for the turkey’s importance to archery and the holidays are different it is very much vitally important to both none the less.

At last we can see the connections between archery and the holidays. So while you’re celebrating this holiday season with your family, your friends, and your turkey, remember that while the holidays bring together these elements once a year, archery can fill the void and bring these elements together as well, all year long.