What Do I Need?

Please don't buy any equipment just yet. There is no need to buy any equipment to experience archery. For every course that we organise, all the required equipment and safety protection is provided. We would recommend that on attendance to a 'have-a-go' shoot or on a beginners course, that you do not wear any loose or baggy clothing on your upper body. If you decide that archery is the sport for you and you wish to join the club, you would then be required to purchase the basic equipment. It is always worth while checking for any second-hand equipment in our online shop. As a general rule we would suggest that you always talk to an experienced archer, either within the club or at a retail outlet before making any purchases. Equipment can become expensive especially for junior members if careful choices are not made. An initial start-up cost for equipment will usually be around £150, however this can be considerably less if second-hand items are available. Remember ask for some advice from a club member before your part with you money when buying second-hand equipment.

The Bow - 3 Mains Styles

Longbow

Firstly the Classic English Long bow, this style of bow is that which is most commonly associated when speaking of a bowmen in the context of an English Archer. Normally constructed from a single stem of wood with notches at each end to keep the string in place. The handle grip is made from strips of leather bound around the shaped wooden timber. When removing the string from the bow, its curved characteristics disappear leaving only a straight shaft.

Recurve Bow

The Recurve or Olympic bow is the style you will most commonly see on a shooting line. A regular ‘take-down' recurve will normally consist of 3 parts, a riser (the handle) and 2 limbs (upper and lower). The riser can be made from a variety of materials, but it will normally be either a lightweight metal alloy or wood. The limbs are made by laminating several layers of material including wood, fibre-glass, ceramic, carbon fibre and carbon form.

Whilst unstrung the limbs of the bow curve away from the archer, so when strung there is a dramatic increase in power from the regular longbow. The name of the bow is taken from its characteristics in the shape and working mechanism.

Compound Bow

Easily distinguishable from the recurve bow, the Compound Bow is shorter in length, has pulleys situated at the end of each limb, and has more strings (usually 3). The bow operates using an off-centred pulley at each end, with steel cables passed around opposite ends connecting them. The free ends of the cables leaving the pulleys are then joined together via the bowstring. This unique mechanism provides the advantage of a high-powered bow that is easier to draw and hold at full draw.

The Arrows

The basic design of an arrow consists of a straight shaft with a number of vanes at the tail end to add stability in flight and a weighted point at the nose. Similar to the bows used in archery, there have been a great number advances in the manufacture of arrows. Modern materials in arrow design include fibreglass, aluminium, carbon, stainless steel, tungsten, plastic, rubber, mylar and polyurethane. However the use of traditional arrows made from brass, wood and feathered vanes is still commonly found.