Bow

Shooting and target aiming has been present in our world for centuries. The basic ideology behind the shooting was the survival of the man. They used bows for hunting and food and violent purposes. They have seen a dynamic evolution from being made from woods and now available in the form of fibreglass and carbon fibre. Today a variety of bows are available for the archery competitions. Archery is a focused thrilling sport where the players are required to shoot on a specific board via their bows. The bows are an essential part of the competition whose designing and manufacturing should be precise enough.

The construction of Archery Bows

A bow is composed of the following parts -

• Upper Limb - It is referred to as the topmost limb.
• Lower Limb - The bottom section of the limb
• Nock - It is present in the upper limb, used to attach or detach the bowstring.
• Grip - The portion of the riser which provides grip to the archer while aiming.
• Arrow Rest - It is the smallest extension made over bow grip so that the archers can rest their hand while aiming. 
• Bow window - It is an extended riser which has the arrow rest present over it. 

The major part of any bow is the pair of limbs that are elastic and can easily be stretched out or in for shooting purposes. The basic ad ancient bows were made from wood and connected by a riser. A bowstring is present to connect both the limbs. When the archer pulls the string towards himself, it produces compression. The more the compression strength is applied; the arrows acquire the more velocity. The bows draw heavy arrows depending on the bows tensile. In modern times, the bows are usually made from laminated wood, fibreglass or from carbon fibre to prolong their shelf life and durability. The bowstrings are generally made from synthetic fibres such as flax, silk, Dacron, Kevlar and hemp although nylon isn’t preferred as it has much-complicated stretch.

The bow sight shouldn’t exceed its length by 2 cm although the optic sight pin can be extended by 2 cm. The bows should have a maximum length of 5 feet for an arrow with 27 inches length. 

• In American Flatbow competitions, the length of the bow should be 150 cm maximum for women and a maximum of 160 cm for men.
• In Recurve Traditional bows, the arrow rest present on the bow should be rigid and not adjustable. Any pressure switch isn’t allowed to add on the bow. But in the Compound (Unlimited) bow, the arrow rest may be adjustable, any movable pressure button, pressure point, or arrow plate may be used on the bow provided they are not electric or electronic and provide no additional assistance in aiming. The pressure point shall be placed no further than 4 cm behind (in) the throat of the bow handle (pivot point).
• The bowstring can have multiple strings with various colours. Archers are allowed to add a nocking point in the centre of the string for proper fitting. 
• The crossbow’s string latch shouldn’t weigh more than 95 lbs, i.e. 43 kgs. The strings can be made from non- metals.

Recurve Bow 

Horsemen used the recurve bows in ancient times. Today the recurve bows are used in the Olympic events. The bows have a distinct shape with curved limbs in the centre projected towards the archer along with the curved tips. This curving gives the bow more tensile and strength. The bows are used for primary teaching to the beginners. It has a fundamental design with only a string, an arrow rest, a bow limb and a riser to help balance the bow.

The modern recurve bows have a partition in the limbs so that they can be changed when not in use whereas the traditional recurve bows are present in one solo piece whose limbs cannot be detached. The traditional recurve bows are made from wood. Some of the examples of such traditional recurve bows are Turkish bow and Mongolian bow. 

Compound Bow 

The bows were invented in the mid-1960s. These are designed for a smooth withdrawal while shooting the arrows. It includes an innovative system of cables, pulleys and eccentric cams that assist Archer in placing a heavy draw weight at full draw. The cam is a spherical wheel placed on the top of the limb from where the drawstrings are attached. The lever of the pulley is designed in such a way that it increases the mechanical force and strengthens the shot. These are the most popular bows in the United States of America. 

Crossbow 

The crossbows were first emerged in China and were used in various wars and battles in the Greco-Roman and Medieval ages. The crossbows have a smaller bow that is horizontally attached to the muzzle. Bows are drawn through a crank mechanism; the string is attached to the trigger mechanism and locks in place until the archer shoots. The crossbows can have a short ranging distance to balance out more substantial weights. These bows are commonly used in target archery for their precision. 

Longbow 

The longbows were first used in 1298 AD as a deadly weapon in a battle. The bows have a more straightforward construction with a central curved piece and towering height. Although the velocity of targeting is comparatively lower than other competitive bows. The longbows are made from yew and wych elm woods and then laminated with various other materials to strengthen the use. 

Flat Bow 

It is also referred to as the American Flatbow. The flat bow is designed to have a broader and opened parameter with a narrow centre so that the archers can easily hold them. 

Kyudo (Yumi) Bow 

Originated from Japanese martial arts, Kyudo word refers to “the way of the bow”. The limbs have a spherical shape with a bamboo backbone. Kyudo bows are widely used in Japanese martial arts. 

Reflex Bow

The reflex bow is a kind of longbow with curved limbs which can easily be detached. Through reflex bow, the archers can aim at a raised surface with higher velocity and speed. 

The bows used in archery during the 9000 BCE were made from high-quality wood with Holmegaard design. The Stellmoore bow found in Germany in 8000 BCE were also some of the strongest and finest bows in the history used in the Second World War. In the 18th century, the Britishers revived the basic construction of the bows to make it more adequate to use. In the ancient era, bows were made from a single wooden piece with nylon strings. The durability of these bows was not up to the mark and was easily broken into pieces. 

There are plenty of changes induced with modern bows. The traditional bows are recreated to increase its efficiency and durability. The modern age bows are manufactured using metal and non-metals such as fine wood, fibre etc. The bowstrings have evolved to provide more tensile. There are specific changes offered to the bow grip for its easy access. These bows have a folding characteristic for easy transportation.