need some help with my recurve
 

hey folks.... this is my first post in this part of the bowhunting forum....

i just figured out the string length for my recurve... and i don' t even know the measurement right now. i don' t really know anything about this bow except that its a homemade bow.... i bought it at an auction... i was wondering if anyone here could help me with my shooting... i have found my anchor point but i can' t figure out how to aim after that... do i learn this through experience by shooting the bow as much as possible or is the some other way to figure out my aiming distance wise...? i guess what i' m asking is how do i figue where to aim at different distances... is the a certain area to look through in my sight window? any help would be greatly appreciated[:-] oh yeah... does my signature show up at the bottom....

RE: need some help with my recurve
 

Outdoorsman:

At this stage in the game I wouldn' t concern yourself with aiming. What you need to do first is spend a lot of time close to your target butt, under 10 yards. From there you need to develop a solid foundation of good form. If it' s possible, find an experienced traditional archer in your area to help you with the basics.

When you' ve developed some consistent form you can then decide what type of aiming method you intend to use. There' s a couple different avenues you can take and obviously each has their own school of thought and there' s variations of each one. Instinctive Shooting; basically, you only focus on what you want to hit and don' t incorporate any reference point into your sight window to align with the target. Gap Shooting; You align the point of your arrow either above, below, or " point on" the target depending on your distance from the target. Sights; I' m sure you know what this entails. While you don' t generally see many shooting with sights in traditional archery, it' s still a personal preference. As I said, there' s also slight variations from each technique such as indirect aiming (essentially gap shooting), string walking (really unadvisable for hunting situations), and sighting down the shaft.

Like I said, don' t concern yourself with aiming or hitting you mark right now. Concentrate on the basics and develop your form. After that, you' ll have to decide which method suits your needs the best. For the record, your signature does not show up! Good luck.

RE: need some help with my recurve
 

For right now, to give you some sort of visual aid/aiming reference, place a rubber band around the riser. It will help you from getting too frustrated before your insticts kick in. When you start to have confidence in your anchor & shooting, it' s easily removed without ruining an old recurve. Just ordered another bow off Ebay, where the hecks that mailman????
John

RE: need some help with my recurve
 

As far as aiming...just point the arrow at the target. If the bow is made well and the arrows are tuned it' ll fly straight. However good form is neccessary for consistent flight. So like Brain said, keep it ten and under and work on form. If you' ve shot a compound you probly have good form already, but work on form anyways ' till you' ve adapted well. Concentrate on things like a consistent anchor, solid bow arm, good back tension, and a smooth, clean release. Like Brian said, there are different ways to accomplish these things, but that' s the basics of good form. After you get your from down you' ll have most of your accuracy right there. It' s my belief that accuracy with a traditional bow is mostly good form and the rest a matter of lining the arrow up and learning how the arrows fly out of your bow. It' s not a machine and there are no magic buttons, but have fun and be patient and you' ll love the exhiliration of hitting what you want to with a traditional bow.

Brandan

RE: need some help with my recurve
 

Get very close to the target, trying to draw the same way each time. don' t worry as much about where the arrow hits, but rather, drawing the same way each time. With your recruve, it is better for you to not " grip" with your whole hand on the riser, but to use the " V" between your forefinger and thumb. This creates less torque on the bow. As you draw the string, just let the pressure of your draw hold your bow in the well of your " V"

If you find a standard three fingered draw (1 on top of the nock, 2 under) somewhat awkward, try a " three under" draw. In either case, draw the string until you can touch the corner of your mouth with your middle finger. Make sure your draw arm is in-line with the arrow, that your elbow is not pointed up or down, but straight, almost an extension of the arrow.

Also, cant the bow a bit if you are shooting from the shelf, so the shelf looks more like a " V" than a backward " L" when you draw. This allows the arrow to rest in the shelf, providing a more secure launch. Simply look where you want to shoot as you release. As long as you aren' t flinging arrows off the target, don' t worry about where they hit.

When your arm tires, or begins to shake when you draw, TAKE A BREAK, prehaps even for the day. If you continue shooting while fatigued, you will certainly develop bad habits.

It is a matter of doing it the same way each time. Good form is developed and takes time. Most of all, be PATIENT, simply enjoy shooting arrows. As the arrows group more consistently, then back up a step or two, and do the same thing. Continue this pattern until this becomes second nature.

HAVE FUN!

RE: need some help with my recurve
 

thanx guys keep it coming... and yeah i have a compound bow... and i kinda kant the bow naturally when i shoot... i' ve always liked to shoot recurve.... and this is the kinda response i expected outta this room thanx alot guys but pleeze don' t stop.... i' m always willing to learn on subjects such as this;)

RE: need some help with my recurve
 

Sometimes it' s helpful in the beginning to prealign the arrow with the target, holding the bow and arrow fully extended toward the target and sighting down the arrow shaft, then drawing straight back while concentrating on the place you want to hit. This will usually allow the arrow to at least hit the butt if not the center. Once you' re hitting consistantly in one spot you can start to feel where the bow arm needs to point in order for the shots to go where you' re looking.

In terms of form, emphasize the push of the bow hand toward the target and throw out your chest to engage the back muscles in completing the draw. Hold the anchor but avoid looking at the arrow since this will probably cause you to " look it off" target. Then continue the draw while relaxing the fingers.

In time prealignment will sort of naturally drop away. You' ll simply raise the bow, draw and release without really thinking about it.

You might or might not already have a good technique from compound shooting. Unfortunately, some compound shooters shoot with a significantly bent bow arm that would actually be rather bad form with a traditional bow. If this is your case, you might need to emphasize entending the bow arm even more. Prelignment might help with that actually.

RE: need some help with my recurve
 

I agree that developing good form first is the best way to start. As was already said, get close and concentrate on a good solid anchor and form. You must be consistent in everything that you do. It is the key to consistent accuracy, just like with your compound. Make sure that the arrows are properly tuned to the bow and your accuracy will improve on it' s own, even without conscious effort of aiming.

There are several very good books by different authors who use different styles of shooting and aiming. My suggestion is to beg, borrow or buy a few of them and play with what works best for you.

I guess it all boils down to how much time you devote to your shooting and what actually feels best to you as you shoot. Do what feels best to you and you will naturally start to develope your own shooting style.

Most of all, have fun with it.