In the world of competitive archery, everyone has always said longer axle-to-axle bows are more forgiving. With a lot of the bows getting shorter, I was wondering what makes longer more forgiving. Is this in fact true, let’s look at some things to figure out why or why not.
A longer A-to-A bow has more weight further from the pivot point thus making it harder to cant the bow and/or helping it balance better. Maybe even help keep it level during the shot.
Roving Marks
Roving Marks is perhaps the oldest form of archery competition and was practiced by Henry VIII. In this type of archery, the archers shoot to a certain mark, which is usually a post or a flag that is used as the target. From this particular mark, the archer will again shoot to another mark and again to another. Similar to Clout Archery, ropes or ribbons are used to score the arrows. The scoring system in the Finsbury Mark awards twenty points to arrows that hit the mark exactly, twelve points for arrows that hit within three feet of the mark, seven points for arrows that fall within the next six feet from the three-foot mark and then three points for arrows that fall within the next nine feet off the six-foot mark. The archer with the most points at the end of the marks is declared the winner.
Archery in Asia was highly developed and widely used in the past and up to the present; however it is not so much used in international competitions in our modern times. Centuries ago, the tribesmen of Central Asia were very skilled in shooting arrows on horseback. The Mongols made good use of it in conquering the Eurasian Steppe. These archers would ride on running horses while they shoot down their target then they would twist around in their saddles and shoot again after they have passed.
Archery Deer Drives
Personally, I truly enjoy participating in archery deer drives. It’s a good way to see old friends and meet some new ones. It also gives me a good chance of getting information about new equipment and strategies. Some of the deer drives we have are with just a few of my friends and family and some with an organized bunch of archery hunters from various clubs such as the Michigan Bow Hunters Association or a local club like Bend of the River Conservation Club.
Archery has long been used in warfare and hunting. A great amount of skill and practice is required to become a skilled archer. For this reason, archery is now considered a sport and an archery competition is held in many parts of the world. Taking part in an archery competition allows sportsmen to show off their skill and athletic prowess in an ancient ritual.