Monday, June 22, 2009

The Basics of Shooting a Compound Bow

By Bart Icles

Learning how to shoot a compound bow is much different with shooting a longbow, recurve bow, crossbows, or target bows. Although there are several similarities in the shooting style of most bows, when it comes to shooting a compound bow, it differs very much in its holding weight when at full draw. Shooting a bow is more or less the same in stance and preparation, but the positioning of the arrow on the rest is the single difference between most of them.

The traditional recurve bow can be drawn to any length desired by the shooter, whereas with the compound bow can only be drawn back according to the desired and set draw length. It is designed to be shot from that specific length for many important reasons such as being setup at a specific draw length most appropriate for the shooters size, weight, and shooting class.

Archery has three major actions on the part of the archer: first is the act of drawing the bow, second is aiming the bow, and third is releasing the arrow. Stance and shooting technique plays a very important part in these actions, and can only be learned correctly by signing up or enrolling in archery lessons and learning from a certified archery instructor. Learning to shoot with the fingers is only recommended for first timers and for short periods only. Its better for a beginner to use either a bow shooting tab or a glove to get a true feel for the bow string. The key factor is to be consistent with each release to be able to maintain a stable flight of the arrow. Good arrow placements can only be achieved from constant practice, always bearing in mind to keep a good shooting form, a smooth release and follow through.

Majority of archers using a compound bow favor mechanical releases with its mechanical trigger attachments strapped around the archers wrist. The advantage of using these contraptions is that it eliminates any unnecessary torsion thus increasing overall shooting accuracy. Caution should be taken when using these trigger devices since they might possibly malfunction unexpectedly.

The key to achieving accurate shots using a compound bow is being able to hold the bow at full draw without any mental or physical hitches. Practice with holding the compound bow at full draw for longer periods of time than usual while aligning the sights on a target is highly encouraged. One's concentration is vital to the shooting of a compound bow, and only constant practice and training will help a beginner achieve this in the long run. - 16887

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