subject: Bows And Arrows [print this page] The ancient skill of archery has been practiced throughout the past and the present in many cultures around the world. The modern bow is far more superior than the ones used by the hunters, warriors and military of days gone by. Archery has been and still is the skill of firing an arrow from a bow at a target, but is now mainly used for recreational purposes.
It's believed that the bow and arrow have been used for around nine thousand years, starting around 7000 BC. The oldest bows that have been found to date were discovered in Denmark in a swamp. Archery became highly developed by many cultures in the past until firearms were developed, and this eventually saw their demise till the times of more recent days.
There are many types of bows to be found and there is a similar end to all the different types of construction of these. All bows have a flexible limb, to which a string is attached. The string is pulled back, creating mechanical energy, which fires the arrow when released. There are two basic categories of bows - one where the string is pulled back by the archer with his own strength, and one where the archer has mechanical help.
There are however many more classification within these two categories, especially where the archer has to pull the string. The flat bow has wide flat limbs, with a rectangular cross sections. The longbow, which is very popular today, is narrow limbed and tall with a D shaped cross section. The cable backed bow allows the draw weight to be adjusted by changing the tension on the cable, using cords at the back section.
The most popular bow offering mechanical assistance to the archer is the compound bow. The goal is to allow the archer to more easily hold the string at full draw for a long enough time to aim. This is accomplished with elliptical wheels or cams and each end of the limb. Compound bows, when adjusted correctly, are capable of creating sixty pounds of draw using only about twelve pounds of force.
When using a bow, arrows are also needed. These can be made from a number of different types of materials such as wood, aluminum alloy, fiberglass, carbon fiber and a composite type material. Arrows are made up of four parts, the shaft, the point, the fletching and the nock. The shaft is a long, straight rod, with its length depending on the height of the archer. The point is a sharp tip at the front of the arrow, capable of piercing the target. The fletching is usually three feathers or similar material, helpful in stabilizing the arrow's flight. The nock, at the back of the arrow has a groove to fit the bow string.
The modern bow string is quite often made of materials like dacron which have a high strength. A traditional type of bow may use linen or some other material.
Protective gear is commonly used by archers who shoot a lot. In order to protect the front arm from being snapped by the string, most archers wear and arm guard, also called a brace. Finger tabs can prevent injury to the fingers from constantly pulling on this very strong string.
Many people, including children as young as five years old get their first taste of archery in Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts. There are also many places around the country to try archery. Check out this archery program Orange County or this archery classes San Diego. The most common form of the competition is target archery, where a target is shot from various distances. Target shooting can be done at an indoor or outdoor archery range. This type of hunting and recreation is now a recognized international type of sport.
