Archery Guides for Beginners

Page 2 of 2 · 50 articles, newest first

A bowhunter in camouflage kneeling in sagebrush with a compound bow whose bow-mounted quiver holds several arrows

How Many Arrows Should You Take Bowhunting?

How many arrows should I take hunting? There's no rule: what bow quivers hold, day hunts vs backcountry trips, spares for stump shooting and arrow checks.

Updated October 6, 2026 · 4 min read

Two curved sections of an ancient Egyptian composite bow made of birch wood and horn, on a white background

Guides

A Short History of the Recurve Bow

Recurve bow history from Bronze Age composite bows to Fred Bear's fiberglass bows and the Olympic recurve, and why no one can name an inventor or a date.

Updated October 6, 2026 · 5 min read

Simplified top-view diagram of a cocked compound crossbow labelling the butt stock, safety, grip and trigger, string latch, flight deck, bolt, limbs, cams, riser and foot stirrup, with the power stroke marked between the latch and the string's resting position

Guides

How Does a Crossbow Work? Recurve, Compound, Reverse

How does a crossbow work? The parts, how the latch and trigger release the string, what the power stroke is, and how recurve, compound and reverse-draw differ.

Updated October 6, 2026 · 5 min read

A line of people in medieval costume aiming wooden crossbows on an open shooting field at a festival

Guides

Is a Crossbow Considered Archery?

Is a crossbow considered archery? In some hunting laws yes, in others no, and target archery's governing body leaves it out. How each one draws the line.

Updated October 6, 2026 · 4 min read

Diagram of arrow spine numbers on a ruler: under Easton's static test a 300 shaft bends 0.300 in, a 350 bends 0.350 in, a 400 bends 0.400 in and a 500 bends 0.500 in, so lower numbers are stiffer; an Easton 1816 aluminium shaft bends 0.759 in, and aluminium codes like 2213 give diameter in 64ths and wall thickness

Guides

Arrow Spine Numbers: 300 vs 350 vs 400 vs 500

Arrow spine 400 vs 500, 300 vs 350: what the numbers on a shaft mean, why lower is stiffer, and how aluminium size codes like 2213 differ.

Updated October 6, 2026 · 5 min read

A wild turkey gobbler in full strut with his tail fan spread, standing in tall grass at a South Dakota wildlife refuge

Guides

Turkey Shot Placement With a Bow

Turkey anatomy for bow hunting: where the vitals sit, aim points for broadside, strutting-away and head-on birds, and the legal checks for head and neck shots.

Updated October 6, 2026 · 5 min read

Diagram of outdoor and indoor archery targets with the centre of the face 130 cm above the ground, with the boss angles and other face heights from World Archery and Archery GB rules

Guides

How High Should an Archery Target Be?

Archery target height explained: the 130 cm centre rule for outdoor and indoor competition, face sizes by distance, and sensible heights for a backyard range.

Updated October 6, 2026 · 4 min read

Diagram of a static spine test: an arrow shaft on two supports 28 inches apart bends under an 880 g (1.94 lb) weight hung at its centre, and the deflection in inches times 1000 gives the spine number

Guides

How Arrow Spine Is Measured: The Static Test

How arrow spine is measured: the 28-inch, 1.94 lb static test Easton and ASTM F2031 describe, how the number is read, and why dynamic spine differs.

Updated October 6, 2026 · 4 min read

Simplified side views of a strung recurve with its limbs bent back and brace height marked, next to an unstrung recurve with relaxed limbs, plus a list of times to unstring: end of the day, heat, limb-bolt adjustment and travel

Guides

Can You Leave a Recurve Bow Strung?

Can you leave a recurve bow strung? For a session, yes. What makers and coaches say about storage, heat, travel and limb adjustments, and when to unstring.

Updated October 6, 2026 · 4 min read

Two European crossbow bolts from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, with short wooden shafts, iron heads and two wooden flights

Guides

Bolt vs Quarrel: What Crossbow Arrows Are Called

Crossbow bolt vs quarrel: what each word means, where they come from, why makers now say 'arrow', and how medieval bolts differed from bow arrows.

Updated October 6, 2026 · 4 min read

Simplified diagram of Holless W. Allen's patented compound bow with eccentric pulleys on the limb tips, the patent's filing and grant dates, and a schematic draw-force curve showing lower holding weight

Guides

Who Invented the Compound Bow? A Short History

Who invented the compound bow, and why? Holless W. Allen's 1966 patent filing, the 1969 grant, and how his pulleys led to today's cams and let-off.

April 7, 2025 · 5 min read

Many arrows with coloured fletchings grouped in the centre of a target face

Guides

How to Choose Arrows: Spine, Length, Weight and Spine Charts

How to choose arrows: what spine means, reading a spine chart, measuring arrow length, arrow weight and FOC, fletching, and bare-shaft tuning to confirm it.

Updated June 26, 2026 · 9 min read

A kyudo archer holding a tall yumi in a temple dojo beside a rack of Japanese bows at Engaku-ji, Kamakura

Guides

The Japanese Yumi: Length, Draw Weight and Kyudo

The Japanese yumi: why it is over 2 metres long and gripped below centre, the draw weight of Japanese bows in kilograms, and how kyudo differs from archery.

Updated October 6, 2026 · 5 min read

An instructor helping a young archer at a beginner archery session beside a rack of club recurve bows

Guides

What Type of Bow Is Best for Beginners?

What's the best bow for beginners? Choose by goal: a light takedown recurve for most learners, a compound for hunting. Plus why fit matters more than type.

Updated October 6, 2026 · 5 min read

A collared peccary, or javelina, standing side-on on sandy ground in Saguaro National Park, Arizona

Guides

Javelina Bowhunting: Spot, Stalk and Shot Placement

Bow hunting javelina: why peccaries aren't pigs, how poor eyesight and a keen nose shape the stalk, how state seasons work and where to aim on a small animal.

Updated October 6, 2026 · 5 min read

Judges and archers at the target checking line-cutter arrows at a competition

Guides

How Archery Scoring Works: Target Faces, Rings and Match Rules

How archery scoring works: ring values and colours, target face sizes, line cutters, X counts, the recurve set system, compound matches and shoot-offs.

Updated September 14, 2026 · 8 min read

An adult archer at full draw with a recurve bow on an open grass archery range with a distant target

Guides

Can You Teach Yourself Archery?

Can archery be self taught? Yes, with limits. How to learn safely on your own, use video feedback, and when a few coached lessons pay for themselves.

Updated October 6, 2026 · 5 min read

Several people of different ages shooting recurve bows from a grass shooting line towards target bosses at a park archery range

Guides

Is Archery Worth Getting Into? Honest Pros and Cons

Is archery worth it? The honest pros and cons, how long it takes to learn, what drives the cost, and why a club taster session is the best first step.

January 7, 2025 · 5 min read

A row of recurve archers standing side by side on the shooting line at an outdoor club range

Guides

Archery Range Safety Rules and Whistle Commands Explained

Archery range safety explained: whistle commands, shooting and waiting lines, collecting arrows safely, equipment checks, and what the Fast call means.

Updated April 10, 2026 · 10 min read

Archer drawing a recurve bow without sights at a 3D animal target in an open meadow

Guides

How to Choose Your First Recurve Bow: A Beginner's Guide

How to choose a first recurve bow: takedown vs one-piece, draw weight, bow length for your draw length, riser types, eye dominance, and essential accessories.

Updated February 6, 2025 · 11 min read

Explore other topics

Close-up of an archer's drawing hand with a leather finger tab on the string at anchor

Training

Archery technique and training articles covering stance, anchor point, release, aiming methods, practice routines, and fixing common form problems.

Browse

Indoor archery range with arrows in floor stands at the shooting line and target faces on the wall

Gear

Plain-English explanations of archery equipment: bows, arrows, sights, rests, stabilizers, releases, and accessories, and how to pick the right specifications.

Browse

Olympic recurve archer at full draw with a red competition riser and sight at London 2012

Reviews

Research-based archery product reviews and buying guides that explain specifications, intended use, and trade-offs, clearly separating facts from opinion.

Browse

Two modern compound bows with cams, cables, stabilisers and sights standing on grass

Comparisons

Side-by-side archery comparisons: compound vs recurve, carbon vs aluminum arrows, and other decisions explained with the key differences that actually matter.

Browse

Crowd-filled stands at the Olympic archery venue at Lord's Cricket Ground, London 2012

News

Archery news and updates: competitions, rule changes, notable equipment releases, and developments in the sport.

Browse

Archery shop wall lined with compound and recurve bows, arrows and accessories

Equipment

Every article organised by the gear it covers: recurve and compound bows, arrows, sights, rests, releases, targets, protective gear and bowhunting.

Browse