KEEPING THINGS IN PERSPECTIVE
Andrew Smith decides what's really important
For many archers, being able to shoot twice a week is a luxury. However, regardless of how much time you have, pretty much all archers like to see improvement in their scores year on year. Even if you shoot just for fun and to relax, it is far more enjoyable to hit what you are aiming at more times than you miss.
Quite a few archers are of the opinion that all their equipment must be perfect to allow them to do their best, and will set aside many shooting hours and dark evenings at home perfecting their equipment and bow tuning. At the other end of the spectrum, there are archers that just throw their kit together and shoot – and achieve similar results.
So, which approach is best to get the most out of you and your equipment if you are limited to around two to four hours shooting time a week?
To put this article into perspective, we are looking at archers that on any given round are a fair way from shooting maximum scores, not top internationals looking to dig up a couple more points on a WA70. Also, everyone is different, and the mind is a very powerful element in your shooting confidence, as it can convince you that things are wrong – which then affects your shooting, but more times than not it is just an excuse.
Today, there are far too many sources of information available to archers about how to do everything. The problem is there is no one vetting the information imparted and much of the advice contradicts itself. So even after spending time fiddling, archers are still unsure whether what they have done is working the best it can. One constant and reliable source of help is your trusted archery dealer; it is no coincidence that the better archers on the shooting line at all levels regularly spend time discussing ideas and issues with the staff.
Here we will look at some of the popular misunderstandings, situations where for top archers it maybe worth a point or two, but to most archers it will not make the big difference expected, especially for the effort put in.
Bow tuning
First, let's recap why we bow tune. Tuning is all about finely adjusting the bow to improve arrow flight. The process is quite simple - we make a change and observe the result and its impact on the size of our groups. The trouble with this is always that the results of most of the changes made are so small that they are quickly cancelled out by form inconsistencies from shot to shot. So, the results are useless until you get to the level where you can shoot consistently, and you can clearly see the positive and negative effects of a change.
Also, you can only tune a bow to your ability, and a bow can only be considered "tuned" at the time you measure the results. Wake up the next morning with a hangover and if you shoot, your form will be less than perfect and so will
your bow tune. When this happens do you re-tune and have pre-set settings for hangovers, happy days, rainy days, cold days and hot and sunny days? Of course not. (And good form will always carry you through the days you don't feel so great).
A lot of archers confuse bow tuning with arrow 'bodging' - messing around with point weights, spring tensions, vanes, pins and wraps to manipulate arrows of the incorrect spine to fly straight after buying the wrong spine. The real solution is to accept the mistake, sell them on, and go and get the right ones.
If bow tuning is not a great way to spend your time, what is? The two secret ingredients to better scores are always your arrows and form. For most archers a standard bow set up will be enough to progress. Selecting the right spine shafts is a bit more difficult than it sounds, even when selecting aluminium arrows, as the arrow selection charts can be misleading or misread. There is no substitute for getting experienced help from those that do it all the time and can consider the ability of the archer and the equipment being used. Not all 30lb bows shoot as efficiently as each other and may require a different spine, even for the same archer.
All too often beginners are given any old arrows and told it does not matter at this stage. Maybe not in the first couple of weeks on a beginners' course, but when you have bought your own equipment, why hamper your progress and scores with arrows that cannot physically fly straight? Regardless of your ability, having correctly spined shafts is a minimum requirement for progress and better scores. Care is needed if you opt for one of the limb exchange programs offered by some retail outlets, especially if the arrows are not matched to your first set of limbs but selected with later growth in mind. As a guide, if you change your draw weight by more than 3lb, your arrows will most probably need changing – assuming they were right in the first place.
Making arrows
Arrow building provides great scope for wasting a lot of time – in my opinion time that could be better used at home getting fit or just doing a few bow exercises. Providing your arrows are well maintained, straight, with no nock or fletching damage and they are the correct spine that should be enough. Arrows do change over time, so it is a good idea to make notes and if an arrow starts to leave the group, replace it.
Again, in the context of this article spending hours weighing out glue, vanes, points and nocks so that each arrow weighs the same in the belief that that will make them all fly the same is misplaced, all you do is end up with different front of centre (FOC) values on all your arrows. It's time to stop worrying about the differences in grains between arrows. Ten grains might sound a lot, but in the real world of club archery it is minuscule. Likewise, the different drag coefficients some companies claim between different coloured vanes will not be noticed – if it exists at all. It may be controversial, but as spin-wing type vanes only start spinning after the arrow has cleared the bow, does it really matter if the arrows spin in the opposite direction? If you have vane clearance issues, the problem is not solely the fault of the vanes.
"The two secret ingredients to better scores are always your arrows and form."
Strings
It is a fact that different coloured strings of the same material do shoot differently, but so do two identically made single coloured strings, no string will be the same - even those pre-stretched and made on a machine. In my experience the best strings (and the ones I use) are made by hand by a great string maker. Archers are now worrying about left and right-handed strings, twist direction and the serving coming loose, again in my experience providing the nock fit is good and it is well made and tied off correctly it will give you good service. Most damage is caused by not packing it away correctly and regularly putting bends in the part of the string that has been served.
Absolute numbers
Archery has loads of numbers floating around - bracing height, tiller nocking point height, draw weight, draw length to name a few.
Archers seem to love these and become fixated by numbers and absolute measurements even though archery does not work this way, as every archer is a bespoke solution and many numbers are only really for reference in case of breakages. Maybe it is a way to quickly explain a poor day on the range to fellow archers that are sympathetic and can understand their woes. If your bow is set up correctly then the most important checks when stringing your bow are: your limbs and string are fitted the right way around, and your bracing height is the same each time you shoot. – even if it is not perfect at least it will be consistent, and the arrow will leave the string at the same point.
Bow draw weight
Don't turn your archery into weight training, if your bow draw weight is too heavy you will rarely grow into it, and the result will be that you just miss faster and probably give up shooting as the lack of progress will make you feel that you will never be any good. Of course, too light a draw weight will make your form lazy.
I appreciate that many believe if they don't take the time and effort at an early stage to sort out the minor equipment details then how will they know if the problem is them or their equipment? Likewise, the mental game comes in to play and archers that do not leave any stone unturned convince themselves that they have the best and it will be reflected in their scores. I also know that there are archers that enjoy spending hours on these things. But, in the end they are usually all distractions. Shooting and trying to make small improvements to form each time out, is always the quickest way to better consistency and higher scores.