Thursday, March 26, 2009

Behind the scenes..

Most of my archery knowledge has came from working in an archery shop and going through the ins and outs of the average day. Working here gives you an incredible amount of knowledge of products that are new and old. Every day there is something new to be learned, whether it be a new product or a new trick to setting up a bow. Not only does knowledge come from learning experiences, it also comes from customers that walk through the doors on a daily basis. The great thing about archery is the broad range of customers, just about any age group can do this great sport. Every day is something new, whether it be setting up a bow for a first timer, or helping the most experienced archer find the latest and greatest in equipment. There is always something to do in a great environment.

*Arrow spine*

Many people don't realize how important finding the correct arrow spine is. There are also a few people who have probably never even heard of this. Putting it in simple terms, spine is basically how much the arrow "flexes". When shooting a longer draw length and heavier poundage, you need a stiffer arrow, or in other words, an arrow that flexes less. To find out what spine arrow you should be shooting out of your bow, just about every arrow manufacturer offers a spine chart on their website. All you need to do is know your poundage, draw length, and point weight and they will give you the arrow that will be properly fitted for you. This is a very important step when trying to achieve better accuracy.

Grip.....often over looked!

Working in an archery shop is a great learning experience for the archery world. One thing I've noticed over the past year is the importance of how you grip your bow. There are a few tips that can really help you reduce torque put on your bow. To start with, you don't want to "bury" your hand into the grip. What this means is not putting your whole hand into the grip. Another important thing to do is to keep your fingers loose and relaxed. You don't want to be "gripping" your bow with pressure, this adds torque to the bow and will cause problems with tuning. Just keep your fingers relaxed, dont worry, the bow won't fall out of your hand. These two things can really help with consistency and lead to better arrow flight!