You know, I wondered that myself when I bought them. I took the arrows, bow, everything with me to the shop at my local Sporting Goods store to have my arrows cut and get their help in tuning my bow. They tell me to put a nock in and draw the arrow back so that they can mark off where we should cut them. I do. They say I don't need to cut them. This is my first year with a compound so naturally I take their word for it. I start tuning my bow, it's shooting bullet holes, I'm sticking them in a 6" circle at 50 yards, and tearing vanes right and left. I may not NEED it, but it doesn't seem like much of a hinderance.