General Questions / Chat Zone

Reference aim off


Hi all,

Fairly new to archery, I've recently purchased my own recurve bow. I've found my reference aim to be considerably off compared to the club bows I was using. My reference aim was generally always on the target paper, however now it is not even on the boss. It is below the boss in mid air.
Now the club bows weren't always consistent size as was first come first serve but generally aim was on the target. I don't know if it has something to do with the bow or what but something is not right.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Sajid Khan
20th Mar 2017 11:47
Hi Sajid, my first thought would be to check your centre shot and / or a change in how you're releasing. One thing you can do is to ask one of the instructors (or an experienced archer) to shoot 2 or 3 arrows - that helps you to ascertain whether it's you or the bow! They best time to catch someone is either 2pm on a Saturday, or sometimes on a Sunday we have 'spare' coaches floating around.

To sort out centre shot you need to get a stabiliser and a pressure button (which means transitioning to a flip rest). The best guide out there is Simon Needham's book The Art of Repetition. I'd also have a read around online.

The most likely thing you're doing if it's you.. is sending off the arrow with a flourish! So if you're pulling your hand away from your face as you release this can lead to a big movement of the arrow away from the sight. Those are my first two thoughts. Best way to fix it is to buddy up with someone from the club and film each other for a few arrows on your own phones. Then you can look at your form and go from there. Hope that helps! Heidi
Anon
21st Mar 2017 6:20
Hi Sajid,

If your technique is still the same as before then I would say it's most likely the poundage of the bow that has changed? Since you have to aim lower with your new bow it means that the arrow trajectory is more flat because of more energy generated from a bow with a higher draw weight. The club bows are relatively weak and require you to compensate with a higher reference point.

If the draw weight of your new bow is the same as before, perhaps the nocking point on your new bow is lower than that of the club bows?

Hope this helps!
Anon
9th Apr 2017 8:42