ARCHERY Equipment

Archery - Photo: Pxhere

Archery is an ancient technique, with the main purpose, was used during battles but is still popular today.  There are many people who are fascinated by archery.  Today archery is mostly confined to the sporting arenas but there was a time when it played a very vital role on the battlefield. 

There are innumerable stories about great archers in the ancient civilizations of Egypt, India, Greece, and Persia. These archers are revered even today.     

Archery equipment consists of bows and arrows.  Studies have shown that the bows were developed in either early Mesolithic age or late Paleolithic age.  Earlier pines were used for making arrows but later different materials started to be used for the construction of the arrows.  

The archery equipment should be properly constructed and the material used should be of fine quality.  If the bows are not proper then the archer will face difficulties in mounting the arrow. The arrows should be such that it is easily mountable on the bows. If the arrows are not properly mounted then the archer won’t be able to properly shoot the target.

The bows commonly used are the longbow, shortbow, flatbow, recurve bow, crossbow and compound bow. Longbow, as the name suggests, is very long; the length of the bow is equal to the height of the user and in some cases even exceeds the height of the user.   

The limb of the Flatbow is wider and the cross-section is rectangular in shape. Shortbow is shorter in length; it is lightweight and has a short range. It was basically used for hunting purpose.  In crossbow, the limbs are mounted in a horizontal manner and not in a vertical manner. The compound bow is designed in such as manner that the archer is at his ease while mounting the bow. 

Shaft, arrowheads, nock, and fletching constitute an archery arrow.  Aluminum alloy, carbon fiber, wood, and fiberglass are used for the construction of the shaft. If the material is too heavy or too brittle then it should be discarded. 

The shaft should not be too flexible; it should be straight and easy to handle. At present arrows made of carbon, alloys are popular and are being widely used by the archers.  In fact, arrows used in popular sports events like Olympic are made of carbon alloys. 

Archery equipment should be such that when an archer shoots an arrow the target should not be missed owing to air pressure. So it is important that the arrowhead and the fletching should be properly designed using a fine material.

The arrowhead and the fletching provide balance to the arrows.  The fletching is generally made of plastic or bird feathers. Fletching is at the rear end of the arrow and it helps in the projectile motion of the arrow. 

While shooting the arrow the archer needs to have proper physical balance.  The posture of the body, the eye and the way the archer is holding the bow should be proper.  Proper archery equipment is needed for better archery.  Never comprise with the quality of the equipment. 

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