Correct Bracing Height: the bow maker should state a recommended
range, normally measured to the front of the bow, or perhaps to the arrow
rest/button point (if the bow has one), when the bow is strung but ‘at
rest’. If the range is unknown, for most bows 8 to 9 inches is probably
a good start-point. At the correct height, the bow should sound pleasant
when shot (more of a ‘boom’, than a ‘whip crack’). Generally, it should
be in the top ½ of the recommended range, as arrow clearance is
better with a higher brace height. (NB if you suspect your fletchings are
catching, try a thin layer of spray-on talcum powder on the bow to check).
If your bracing height is too low you can often adjust it by adding twists
to your bow string: in any event a string should have at least 20 twists
to its length. As many as 40 twists can be made with no detriment to the
string’s life. Once the brace height is established, always check it on
set-up, with either a ruler or purchased gauge.
To carry out bare shaft tuning, you need to shoot consistently:
concentrate on making good shots rather than hitting a specific target
while you are tuning. Firstly fix a temporary nocking point on your string
within the range stated above, using dental floss or sticky tape. Then
use good straight fletched arrows, plus one from which you have removed
the fletchings (& cleaned any glue/rough area where they were situated).
Pin an aiming mark centrally on a target without a face (a ‘calling card’
is ideal), stand about 10/15yards back, and shoot for a while with the
fletched arrows to ‘settle in’ and make sure you are grouping your arrows.
Do not worry if your arrows land to the left or right of the mark. (If
you do not usually use a sight, you might find it best while tuning to
use a temporary sight, e.g. foam draught excluder and a large headed dress-making
pin). You are then ready to tune, so do not alter your sighting from then
on during tuning. As you only have a ‘makeshift’ nocking point, remember
to keep checking it throughout the process to ensure it does not accidentally
move. Firstly, shoot one fletched arrow, and then the bare, and see where
the bare lands compared to the fletched. If it is hitting high or low,
it is adjusted by changing the nocking point: if the bare arrow hits consistently
higher than the fletched, then raise the nocking point; if the bare arrow
hits lower, then lower the nocking point. Make any necessary adjustments
by 1/8 increments to start with, ‘fine tuning’ by 1/16" increments if necessary,
with the objective of setting your nocking point so that the bare arrow
consistently hits the target at the same height as the fletched. If you
find that the bare arrow consistently hits high of the fletched, then you
are probably not getting good arrow clearance, i.e. some part of the arrow
is catching the bow or arrow rest as it leaves the bow (you can check this
with a thin layer of spray on talcum powder). Raising the bracing height
of the bow may give better arrow clearance. If not, and it is catching
the arrow rest, try a different make of rest.
If you make any changes to your archery equipment (arrows, fletchings,
string, bracing height etc) you should always do the bare shaft test to
check nocking point, so you may wish to leave that one arrow permanently
bare.
If the pattern seems a combination of line and curve, concentrate on
adjusting the arrow stiffness first, keep trying tuning, and see what happens:
archery isn’t always simple, as there are lots of variables! Happy tuning!!!
Finally, if you are having trouble tuning your bow, do not despair,
and do not rush out and buy new equipment - especially if you are new to
archery: shoot a bit more first: get a consistent style – variations in
shooting technique affect arrow flight, as does draw length (yours may
alter as your technique improves), or you may, for instance, decide to
change bow or type of arrow used in a year or two anyway. A few sessions
on the flat level marked distance butt, trying for consistent arrow grouping
can improve your technique and confidence (it may be more boring than going
round the woods, but good if you have little time or if the woods are a
bit slippery). Also, talk to other, especially more experienced, archers
at the club: they may be able to advise on technique, or otherwise help:
for example, they may have a different spine of arrow they will let you
try to see if it is more suitable for your bow. There are also many
archery books available: some general, and others concentrating on specific
aspects, e.g. different bow types, bow tuning, instinctive archery, or
technique and performance.
Overall Consistency is key: even if your style is not ‘textbook’, consistency will improve your scores (or at least mean more arrows on target and not lost in the undergrowth).Nevertheless, there is much to be said for good technique: archery becomes easier with the bow doing the really hard work. Good technique is difficult to put into words in such a small space, but here are some hints:
STANCE (Where
terrain/obstacles allow), for stability and consistency, stand ‘tall’ sideways
to the target, feet just less than shoulder width apart, weight balanced
evenly, legs straight but not rigid, and feet firmly on the ground (never
on your toes).
BOW-HAND The pressure of the bow when shooting should be on the pad of muscle at the base of the thumb between thumb and first finger, as this gives the best ‘line of pressure’ along the arm. If you need more string clearance along your arm rotate the wrist slightly. When shooting the wrist should remain firm throughout the shot, but your grip on the bow should be ‘loose’ as too firm a grip can cause muscle tension, affecting the bow and causing inaccuracy. However, do not ‘grab’ the bow when you release the string, as this affects arrow flight, (a bow-sling removes any fear of dropping the bow).
STRING FINGERS AND RELEASE Hold the string in the top crease of the first three fingers, but do not hook your fingers round the string: hold it as far towards the fingertips as practicable, with the 1st finger above the arrow, and the 2nd and 3rd below. Do not squeeze the arrow nock. When you draw the bow all 3 fingers should take an equal load (more consistent, and more comfortable in the long-term). When you release, the string should be able to pull itself off your fingers as soon as they relax sufficiently: you release the arrow more by relaxing your hand, not by consciously letting go the string by unhooking your fingers. After the arrow has been loosed, try to hold yourself and the bow up in the shooting position, while keeping your eyes on the target until the arrow lands: this prevents premature movement either of the bow or you – resist watching the arrow: if you do, you may move and affect its flight.
BOW SHOULDER & ARM, AND THE DRAW At full draw the bow shoulder should be down and in line with the other shoulder. The bow-arm should be extended, slightly bent at the elbow, and may be rotated outwards slightly to prevent the string hitting the arm. The drawing arm elbow should be pulled back as far as possible to get the forearm in line with the arrow – when correctly done there will be a straight line from the drawing arm’s elbow, through the wrist and the length of the arrow, so when the arrow is shot the force exerted by the string is in a direct line, so the arrow flies straight from the bow. When you are at full draw, the ‘load’ of the bow should be transferred to your back muscles, so when you release, your draw elbow moves back behind your head in line with the arrow.
ANCHOR POINT A consistent anchor point must be used, as it locates the string (and therefore the rear of the arrow) consistently relative to the bow for every shot. This must be done for both ‘left and right’ and ‘vertically’: ‘Left and right’ by always lining up the bowstring against the same line on the bow, or along the line of the arrow; ‘vertically’, by ensuring consistent hand contact with your face, either under the chin, or to the side of the face (more about this next time, along with aiming techniques). You should also try and always draw the arrow to the same length before release: the edge of the bow nearest the target is a useful guide (‘freestyle’ archers only may use a mechanical device such as a ‘clicker’).
Face Anchor Point As stated last time, a consistent face anchor point is a must for accurate archery. In addition, NFAS rules do not allow ‘face-walking’ or ‘string-walking’ techniques (ie where you use different anchor points to aid sighting at different distances), so you must find a consistent face anchor point that works for you: however, ‘where?’ is up to you.
Commonly used is the ‘freestyle’ or ‘centre’ anchor point, of under the chin, with head tilted sideways, and string touching centre of chin and nose. This can give better long distance ‘sight marks’ for those with low poundage bows, but does not feel comfortable for everyone, and may not suit spectacle wearers.
Alternatives are various ‘side of face’ anchor points, utilising the side of the chin, mouth or nose: whichever method you use, keep it simple and easy to do, and use it consistently: common variants are:
full ‘side of face’, with the head turned, the string to the side of the chin, the string touching the corner of the mouth, and the tip of the first finger under the jawbone.
otherwise, locating the tip of the forefinger at the corner of the mouth or nose may be comfortable.
Compound bow archers shooting with release aids must also have a consistent anchor point. Again, ‘where?’ is up to you, although your equipment (eg style of release aid, or use of peep sight may both dictate and/or simplify your choices).
Rounds/Scoring
Game Round’ (also called an Animal Round or Big Game round), with animal faces, each having kill and wound zones. Each target then has 3 pegs – you shoot one arrow from each until either a kill (inner zone) or wound (outer zone) is made. 1st peg: kill 20 points, wound 16 points; 2nd peg: kill 14, wound 10; 3rd peg: kill 8, wound 4.
Woodsman can also easily be shot on the 'Game round' faces. Here you shoot one arrow from each peg until you score a kill (if you can!) Scores are 5 for any wound, plus 30, 20, and 10 for a kill, from 1st, 2nd, and 3rd peg respectively.
Similarly, the ‘East Midlands’ Round can be shot on the 'Game Round' faces,: shoot one arrow from all 3 pegs, and score 10 for each kill and 5 for each wound.
Other rounds, which you may see at tournaments, are explained in the NFAS rules: all are straightforward to shoot/score, but need different target faces, with scoring zones rather than just kill and wound zones.
Strict NFAS rules are that all arrows must be clearly identified as the archer’s (“marked with name, initials or insignia”). Arrows should also be numbered (or marked with bands), 1,2,3 etc., then shot in ascending order. This means if you thought you missed the target, or missed the kill/wound zones, but find you had hit when you reach the target, you can properly be awarded the correct score (most often to your advantage, as the further the peg, the higher the score).
In all cases, a ‘line cutter’ scores the higher score of the 2 zones cut.