How to choose a bow and arrow set that suitable for you?

No matter what kind of bow a practitioner uses, after a period of exposure to archery, he or she will want to buy a set of bows and arrows of his or her own. There are two main reasons for this. One is that the bows and arrows provided by the archery hall can no longer meet the current needs; the other is that he or she wants to improve his or her archery level. So in this issue, we will briefly talk about the three major issues that should be paid attention to when buying bows and arrows.

Don't be obsessed with bows with large pounds

Many archers who have just started will want to seek higher pounds. The first reason is that with the improvement of technology, the archery distance of practice is also increasing. At this time, small-pound bows can no longer meet the current practice methods; the second is that the cost of buying bows and arrows is high, and they want to get it done in one step to save the cost of changing bows and arrows due to technical improvement. So I bought a bow with a large poundage, and after a few days of use, I put it away and never touched it again. What's more, some people have lost their interest in archery because of this. This is really regrettable.

Because of the labor-saving ratio, the poundage of the bow used by compound bow archers is generally higher than that of other bows
Excessive poundage can easily lead to deformation of movements, which not only affects the results, but also easily leads to muscle strain and damage to the body. In fact, you should buy a bow according to your ability. You should use 70% of your strength and leave 30% to correct your posture and aim. Archery is not a sport that blindly advocates strength. It is more about skills. Through your continuous running-in with the bow and arrow, your performance will be better improved.

Because of the variety of draw lengths, traditional bows and arrows should pay attention to the poundage at different draw lengths when purchasing.
Therefore, we recommend that the poundage you choose when buying a bow for the first time should be within 50%~70% of the maximum poundage you can bear. For example, the maximum poundage I can bear is 50 pounds, so the poundage of the bow I buy for the first time should be 25~35 pounds. Then, as you practice more and gain strength, gradually increase the poundage of the bow. As for the test of the maximum poundage, it is recommended to use the bows already in the archery hall, or borrow the bows of archery friends for testing. Be careful not to release it empty. There should be someone to guide you during the test. Safety first.

Choose the right draw length

Here is the meaning of draw length, which usually refers to the distance from the bowstring to the bow handle after the archer has fully drawn the bow. Due to the different structures of the human body, each person's draw length varies. Choosing a suitable draw length can more reasonably exert the effectiveness of the bow and arrow, choose the right arrow length, and help the archer find the right position and fix the archery posture.

On the issue of draw length, pay special attention to one point, do not exceed the limit of the bow and arrow. When buying a bow and arrow, remember to ask the seller about this data, and do not exceed the threshold during normal practice. If it exceeds, it is easy to shorten the service life of the bow and deteriorate its performance. In extreme cases, it may also cause the bow piece to break. This is also the reason why you should not open and draw other people's bows and arrows without their permission.

The arm span is the distance between the two middle fingers when both hands are open.
The current popular method of measuring the draw distance is to divide your arm length (cm) by 2.5 by 2.54, and the resulting number is rounded to inches. For example, my arm length is 172cm by 2.5 by 2.54, and the resulting number is rounded to 27 inches = 68.58 centimeters. Use this as a reference to customize and purchase your bow.

The deflection of arrows purchased should be reasonable

After buying a bow, you naturally need to buy arrows. When buying arrows, the most important thing is the deflection. The meaning of deflection can be simply understood as the degree of bending of the arrow. The higher the deflection, the easier it is for the arrow to be bent. The arrow usage principles of all bows have a common principle of "preferring hardness to softness". Reasonable arrow deflection can improve the density and accuracy of your arrows.

Instruments for measuring arrow deflection
If you use a bow with a larger poundage, after shooting an arrow with a higher radius, the serpentine movement of the arrow during flight will be aggravated, causing the arrow to deviate from the landing point; arrows that are too soft cannot fully absorb the energy generated by the bow limbs, so that this part of the energy acts on the bow limbs, which can also easily shorten the service life of the bow; using too soft arrows in extreme cases may cause the arrow to break before leaving the bow window due to excessive bending, causing harm to the shooter.

Schematic diagram of the deformation of the arrow when it is fired. The blue dot is the cross section of the bow handle
The calculation of arrow deflection for all bows is related to the poundage of the bow used. The higher the poundage of the bow used, the lower the deflection of the arrow. Different bows may have different deflections at the same poundage due to the material and length of the arrows used. Therefore, it is recommended to consult relevant professionals when purchasing and try to match the bow and arrow reasonably.

With the promotion of archery, more and more archers have joined the ranks of archery. Safe and reasonable archery is not only responsible for your own safety but also for the safety of others. There are many things to pay attention to when buying bows and arrows. Therefore, we recommend that you try to buy bows and arrows through archery halls or regular bow dealers and consult them.