Recurve Archery

The Fundamentals of Recurve Archery

If you are into the sport of archery, then you would surely notice something about the modern competitions held. This is that the technique of recurve archery is commonly used in such competitions. What’s more, there are actually lot variations to the technique of recurve archery.

But whatever these variations may be, the same type of bow will be used in recurve archery, and this is the recurve bow, of course. When using this weapon for recurve archery, the archer must hold the bow in the hand that is opposite his dominant eye. This hand is then termed as the bow hand. The arm would then be termed as the bow arm. The opposite hand, which is the one on the dominant eye’s side, would then be called the drawing hand. This is for the simple reason that it is the hand that does the drawing of the string. Another term for this hand is the string elbow or the bow holder. People who have the right eye as the dominant one would be holding their bows in their left hand. They would also be facing the target with their left side. The drawing of the string and the releasing of the arrow would then be done with their right hand.

In recurve archery, it is a must for the archer to know the correct position when shooting. Firstly, the archer should make sure that his body is perpendicular to the target, as well as the shooting line. His feet should be apart, about the distance of the width of a shoulder. But advanced archers actually prefer the open stance. The leg that is positioned farther than the shooting line should be placed at half a foot, or even a whole foot, in front of the archer. Of course, choosing the stance for recurve archery should not really be based on just the level of skills the archer is at. The final say would actually be dependent on which particular stance the archer is comfortable with. This is the more important thing to consider here, not just the skill levels.

When drawing the string and arrow, it is important to hold them with three fingers of the drawing hand. These fingers are the index, the middle, and the thumb. The index finger is positioned at the top of the arrow, while the remaining fingers are at the bottom. Drawing the string should be done in one fast and smooth move.