When you were a child, your favorite pastime was playing Indians? Hooking feathers on your head and armed with some kind of bending vine and short branches in the form of arrows, you rushed around the yard after your friends in the same ridiculous form, but were terribly happy about your game? As a little older, did you associate the image of Robin Hood with his bow with freedom? And in adolescence, you envied Odysseus to the utmost for the fact that he was the only one who could pull the mythical bow? Then your future was predetermined from the smallest, and now, looking at this section, you will understand how long you dreamed of doing archery. But nothing, in principle, stops you.
Elegant but insecure
For anyone who wants to professionally practice this elegant, but still potentially unsafe sport, it is worth not only finding suitable courses for themselves, choosing a coach, but also acquiring the weapon itself. The head of the section will also tell you how to choose a sports bow, but you still need to know some basics yourself. And now, armed with such a volunteer mission, we will educate you today.
Problem of choice
Initially, you need to decide what kind of bow you want. Like Odyssey, Robin Hood and the Indians all combined, that is, classic? Or is it still blocky for a start, with which it is easier to shoot and to hit the target easier?
Classic bow
Shooting from a classic bow occurs due to the muscular strength of the archer, which the bow accumulates in the potential energy of the bent arc. By releasing the bowstring, you transform energy into arrow power. That is, a shot from a classic bow occurs exclusively due to the straightening of the shoulders, which the archer bends, pulling the bowstring. It is the shoulders that are responsible for the strength and speed of the arrow of a conventional bow.
The downside of a classic bow is the fact that during long-term storage or transportation, you will need to disassemble the bow every time, remove the bowstring. But, whatever one may say, it is classic archery that is one of the sports brought to the Olympic Games.
General form
Typically, the classic type is a wooden longbow that does not use composite or plastic materials. It is not equipped with all those "primabas" that the compound bow is equipped with for convenience and accuracy - clickers, plungers, sight. It is more difficult to shoot with this type of weapon, but it is a more professional bow.
Compound Bow
The compound bow is more powerful than the classic bow. The speed of an arrow fired from this kind of bow is three or even four times greater than that launched from a classic one. The main difference is that if the strength and speed of the arrow of a conventional bow depends on the straightening of the shoulders, then in the compound bow only strength depends on this. The initial speed of the arrow depends more on special blocks - eccentrics. They are located at the upper ends of the arms and are interconnected by a cable system for synchronous operation. The bow itself will help you calmly aim and shoot after you have pulled the bowstring yourself. At the very end of the stroke of pulling the bowstring, blocks, eccentrics, provide the moment of disappearance of the effort to keep the bowstring in combat tension. That is, you no longer hold the string. They pulled, took aim and released. Nothing complicated. At the very beginning, this is a very important tool for everyone who has not yet filled his hand and has not mastered the accuracy of the sight. This specificity of the compound bow makes it a very accurate weapon.
Composite bow
It is very rare before in block bows it was possible to find any part made of wood, and now it is even more so. The main materials of which the handle is made are alloys of light metals such as aluminum or magnesium. The main material of the shoulders is carbon.
Indian unpretentiousness
Compound bows are less whimsical. If a classic bow needs to be allowed to "rest" periodically, then the design and materials of this type of weapon are created in such a way that nothing could cause your disarming. Even with long-term storage or transportation from the bow, it is not necessary to remove the bowstring and cables, disassemble. You, just like that Indian, are always ready for battle. Only they didn't have a bow as powerful as yours :)
Accessories
Compounds, another name for a compound bow, even have such an optical sight - a diopter scope with a lens, front sight, protective hood and level! Of course, a classic bow cannot boast of this. In terms of characteristics, the compound bow resembles a weapon of mass destruction. After all, he even has a trigger - a release ... So neither your tired arm muscles, nor fingers shaking from tension can spoil the upcoming result.
Some bows also have an arrow tray. That is, you no longer need to hold it with your hand so that it does not fall out or go to the side. Now you install the arrow, and it lies on its comfortable shelf, and when you release it, you do not burn your fingers with the shaft.
Material question
But do not forget about the cost of the issue. Usually, good quality classic bows are much cheaper than compound bows. But if the differences between classic and block bows are only in the materials from which they are made (wood and composite materials), and there are no accessories that are assigned to non-Olympic weapons by status, then compound bows will be significantly cheaper.
As a conclusion
Based on what you want from your purchase - professional sports or just play with an archer, you should choose the type of bow. For beginners, it will be much easier to get comfortable with a compound bow. Among other things, any bow will also serve as an elegant gift.
