Choosing the Best Archery Equipment for Beginners

Archery is an Olympic sport, which requires great deal of accuracy and precision to be successful. When a person is just starting out, it can prove to be a difficult task to choose the right equipment. When you plan to buy your equipment, the first thing to remember is not to buy cheap stuff, because that's never reliable.

It may break very easily, it does not give the desired accuracy, and it can also hurt you or anyone around, due to the poor material used.

There are two forms of archery―the first one being target archery, which most of us are familiar with, as it is an Olympics sport. In this form, the person has to shoot a given number of arrows at a target kept at a certain distance. The other form is field archery.

This form is seen on a course of targets which are set out in rough country woodlands. The distance between the archer and the targets are not marked, hence, the archer has to rely on his own judgment and instinct. Sometimes, animal targets are also included.

The most important equipment that you will need is a bow. You will have to consider the weight and length of the bow―this is important because you should be able to pull the string with ease. An important tip is to make sure that the length of the bow suits your height the best.

If you pick up a bow which you are not able to pull, or one that has too long a draw string, then you will not enjoy the sport, and you may take longer to learn than anticipated. When you have become adept with the technique, you can upgrade the bow to one with a heavier draw.

There are five types of bows which are available in the market. They are long bows, recurve bows, composite bows, compound bows, and traditional bows. Each of these have their own functions, advantages, and disadvantages.

After the bow comes the arrows. The length of the arrows have to match the draw length of the bow you have. Arrows come in various lengths, and they are normally designed to accommodate either longer draws or shorter draws.

Hence, if your bow has a longer draw, you will need to pick up arrows designed for longer draws. Like there are different types of bows, there are also different types of arrows.

There are the basic target shooting arrows, which have a blunt arrowhead made of plastic, metal, or rubber. Arrows that are used for hunting and war combat have heads made of metal, with usually two, three, or four wings which meet in the middle to form a sharpened tip. At the same time, the metal can also be sharpened more or less, depending on what the archer requires at that point of time.

Apart from the bow and arrows, you will also need a quiver to keep all your arrows and other equipment in place. The quiver will ensure that you do not lose or damage any of your equipment, and no one around you will be hurt with the arrows. It is recommended that you choose something which is durable enough to withstand the extreme wear and tear the quiver will go through.

A safe bet is to take an friend or an acquaintance along who is an experienced archer. Nothing teaches better than experience, which you will see once you get into this lovely sport.