MY SECOND ENTRÉE..

Today, there are three main types of bow - the traditional longbow, the recurve bow, and the modern compound bow.

TRADITIONAL LONGBOW:

The preferred wood for longbows was traditionally yew, but today they may be made of several other woods, e.g. hickory or lemon-wood.

• Longbows do not put as much energy into the arrow as other bows, which is why they have to be more powerful. 
• In medieval times, draw weights could reach up to 150lbs, but today longbows generally rarely exceed 50lbs. 
• They are less accurate and more difficult to shoot than a modern bow, but more and more archers are changing to them today because they are fun to shoot, and you know that you are shooting in the traditional way.  
• You don't use any arrow rests with a longbow, as you support the arrow on your forefinger when shooting.

RECURVE BOWS:

• A recurve bow is so called because of the side-view profile; in contrast to the simple longbow a recurve bow has tips that curve away from the archer when the bow is unstrung.  
• This style of bow stores more energy than an equivalent straight-limbed bow, and therefore gives a greater amount of 'cast' to the arrow. 
• By contrast, the traditional straight longbow tends to "stack" - that is, as the string is drawn further back, the required draw force increases rapidly.
• Recurved limbs also put greater strain on the materials used to make the bow, and they may make more noise as they are shot. 
• Many beginners are confused by the shape that the bow should be before being strung - it should look like the bow pictured on the right.  

MODERN RECURVE BOW:

·         A typical modern recurve bow, as used by archers in the Olympics and many other competitive events, will employ advanced technologies and materials and will have been made by a professional company such as Hoyt, or Win and Win. 

• The limbs are usually made from layers of fibreglass, carbon and/or wood on a core of carbon foam or wood. 
• Carbon limbs will shoot the arrow faster for a given draw weight when compared with wooden limbs, but they are much more expensive.  
• The riser (the handle section of the bow) is generally separate and is normally constructed from aluminium or magnesium alloy. (Risers for beginners are usually made of wood or plastic). 
• An Italian manufacturer now also produces a very lightweight but expensive carbon fibre riser.  
• The limbs of the bow will fit into pockets on the ends of the riser, and will be held in place by the tension of the bowstring. 
• The modern recurve is the only form of bow allowed in the Olympic Games, and is the type most widely used by European and Asian archers.