Over the years I have seen a lot of changes in archery. Bows are lighter, faster, more efficient and look cooler than ever before. Arrows are lighter, stronger and straighter than ever. There are also a lot more things that an archer can tinker with. All of these are wonderful advancements. Another “advancement” with archery (and every other aspect of your life) that is sometimes debatable is the internet. While there is some useful information floating around out in cyberspace, there is also a ton of misinformation. Always remember, there is no one editing, proofreading or verifying anything on the web, archery or otherwise.
A lot of the information that you read on the internet is posted with some sort of agenda. Be it advertising, boasting or trolling. Read all that you want but gather your own information and make your own decisions. Archery is definitely no exception. Each company has it’s own fans. Those fans will tell you that their bow is
awesome and anything else is junk. This arrow is wonderful and that one is horrible. If you gather your own information and form your own opinions you will discover that the only major difference in most bows is ADVERTISING. Each manufacturer has it’s own style, it’s own look and it’s own feel. You owe it to yourself to try them out and get the bow that YOU like, not the one that some unidentified internet user told you was the best. I had a guy walk in off the street that had never shot a bow in his life asking for a certain brand of bow because “it is the best on the market.” What did he base his decision on? ADVERSTISING. He may have been channel surfing one day and stopped on a hunting show sponsored by a certain company and BAM! He’s hooked. Or maybe his buddy told him what to get. Who knows? What did he miss out on because he didn’t make his own decision? Maybe nothing.. But we will never know. I do know that if you line up 3 archers and they all shoot 5 different bows, they won’t all choose the same one. There are a lot of different bow manufacturers out there. There are subtle differences in all of them. The way it draws. The way it holds. How it feels on the shot. The amount of let-off. No one bow is going to feel best to everyone…if there was such a bow, all other companies would shut down and ride off into the sunset. I’ve always said that any quality bow on the market will shoot better than the archer can shoot it. By getting the bow that feels best TO YOU it will make your job much easier and consistent. The bow will always do it’s job. We archers are the ones that need all the help we can get. There are a ton of options out there, don’t let someone else decide what bow you are going to shoot. You cannot make a good decision without shooting a few arrows and judging for yourself which one feels best to YOU . See for yourself if what you read is true or just hype from an internet ad campaign.
Another potentially adverse effect of the internet is the multitude of “tuning” tips and various tinkering ideas that are out there. Again, some of these are very valuable. Some are pure garbage. If some guy posted a story on the internet about how he started using only wax from a certain candle made in Spain to wax his string and that he was only able to tune his bow with a purple and green string, someone would try it. They would pass it along and before long it would be the hot new tuning tip that you must use a purple and blue string waxed with a Spanish candle. I realize this is a ridiculous example but just be sure to take it all with a grain of salt. I was always taught that a properly set up bow will do it’s job perfectly every time….. do all the “tuning” with the shooter. Which, simply put, means leave the bow alone and learn to shoot better. Today all of the focus has gone to the equipment. If you are at a tournament and you ask someone how they shot 90% of them will reply “Man! My setup was rockin’ today! It worked great.” Or “I need to adjust my thingamajig and get a new so-n-so. This rig is not working” I miss the days when the replies where “I shot great” or “I really stunk It up.” Come in and lets get your bow set-up. Then it’s up to you whether you get the credit for a good shot or the blame for a bad one……. I’ve had a lot of both and I can promise you that the good ones are much more fun!
See Ya At The Range
