Archery

Medidas de um Arco.

Passo 1. Determinar para quem ser feito o arco.

Mulher
25 anos, principiante
164 cm de altura 64,56 inches
70 kgs. 154,18 pounds.

Indicam somar 1 polega a altura, o que daria um arco com 65,56 de comprimento.
As medidas padro so 64 e 66.
Para moas deste peso, indica-se um arco com 30 lbs de Draw weight (fora da puxada).
A Puxada padro (draw lenght) so 28. Mas, podemos pensar em 24 devido ao
comprimento do brao.
Brace height deve ficar entre 81/4 e 83/4.
Dimetro oficial da flexa: 9,3 mm

As you gain more experience shooting recurve bows, you will obviously gain strength and will
be able to handle more draw weight, at which point you can forget about everything you see in
the chart below and just go with what you think you can handle it wont be hard for you to tell
once youve shot a few hundred arrows. So the chart below is mostly suitable for beginners
who have never shot a real recurve before, or who have very limited experience with this form
of archery.

Archer's Weight Suggested Draw Weight

Small Children (70-100 lbs.) 10-15 lbs

Larger Children (100-130 lbs.) 15-25 lbs

Small-Frame Female (100-130 lbs.) 25-35 lbs

Medium-Frame Female (130-160 lbs) 25-35 lbs

Small-Frame Male (120-150 lbs) 30-45 lbs

Medium-Frame Male (150-180 lbs) 40-55 lbs

Large-Frame Females (160+ lbs) 30-45 lbs

Large Frame Men (180+ lbs) 45-60 lbs

 70" nao tamanho da lamina... tamanho do arco.

temos riser de 23", 25" e 27" laminas peq, med, grande.

um arco com riser 23" e laminas grandes fica com 68"

um arco com riser 25" e laminas medias fica com 68"
ai vc tem a ideia da coisa...

quanto maior a lamina maior vai ser o braceheight com o "parafuso colado", ou seja tem
algumas matematicas de performance nessas variaes de handle e lamina mesmo que o
arco final seja do mesmo tamanho.

sobre a Ki, e outros asiaticos, uma questo de conforto de como a corda encosta no rosto.
eles tem a tendencia de forar a corda bastante para "encostar no osso". se o angulo da
corda for menor, fica desconfortvel na quina da cara...

o tamanho do arco deve considerar a puxada e nao a altura da pessoa, via de regra...

A maioria das laminas so ranqueadas para uma puxada de 28"

Pra voce saber a potencia do arco vc precisa puxar com uma balana ou com uma drawboard regulada
para a tua puxada.

por exemplo, meu arco olmpico era com laminas de 36lbs, mas com minha puxada de gorila de 31" a
potencia real do arco era de 42,5lbs.

no caso de recurvos olmpicos, puxadas maiores, recomendam que o riser seja maior, por exemplo de
27" com laminas grandes.

laminas de qualidade no vo quebrar, mas aconselho no forar muito.

tambm apertar ou soltar os parafusos vao variar teu braceheight (distancia da corda ate handle) e
esse varia a saida da flecha e quanto o arco vai "absorver" tuas variaes (forgiveness)

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Some questions you might be asking yourself:

Q: What should the draw length of my recurve be?

Answer: pretty much all recurve bows are set for a draw length of 28. Even if your draw
length is 30 or 31, you will still be able to comfortably shoot a 28 draw length recurve bow,
albeit it may feel slightly heavier to draw.

Q: Should I get a right- or left-handed recurve bow?

Answer: this of coure depends on your hand orientation, which is determined based on the
hand you draw the bow with. If you draw the bow with the right hand, you need a right-handed
bow, and a left-handed bow if you draw with your left hand. orientation has nothing to do with
the hand you hold the bow in; only with the hand that pulls the string.

Q: What should the length of the recurve bow itself be?

Answer: you should strive for a minimum length of your draw length x 2. So if your draw length
is 30 inches, a 60 bow or longer will be ideal. While longer bows are generally more accurate,
keep practicality (transport, etc.) in mind as well.

Q: What should the weight of the recurve bow itself be?

Answer: as long as it weighs 3.5 lbs. or less, youll be fine. The only difference the bows
weight makes is in how easy it is to carry on long hunting trips. Bows for youth and women will
usually weigh closer to 2 lbs. If youre an adult male, dont worry about the weight.
 O punho
Reflex ou Deflex?

Esta sempre foi uma das perguntas mais intrigantes e discutidas. Qual tipo melhor?
Vamos analisar cada um dos tipos:

Para podemos definir o que reflexo e deflexo temos que imaginariamente traar uma
linha pelo centro do arco, isso quer dizer, traar uma linha imaginria da ponta do
punho de cima at a ponta do punho de baixo. Se a parte onde se segura o arco
estiver na frente dessa linha imaginria temos um arco deflexo (um arco com a forma
de um D), e estiver atrs da linha imaginria temos um arco reflexo (o arco tem a
forma de um R).

Desta forma temos arcos mais reflexo do que outros e menos deflexo do que outros.

O segundo ponto de interesse a especificao de cada arco.

Sempre se achou que um arco reflexo mais instvel na mo, isso quer dizer, quando
se puxa a corda por completo o arco tende a se inclinar com maior facilidade para o
lado do que um arco deflexo. Da mesma forma sempre se assumiu que um arco
reflexo mais veloz e um deflexo perdoa mais erros. Tambm sempre se assumiu que
o fato do arco reflexo se inclinar com maior facilidade devido ao fato que o ponto
onde as laminas esto em contato com o punho estarem na frente de onde o arqueiro
segura o arco. Bem, tudo isso errado.

Quando se desenha um novo arco, se for desenhar um arco para target, em primeiro
lugar se determina o tamanho do punho do arco. Um tamanho de 22 polegadas iria dar
uma janela bem confortvel e boa viso do alvo para distancias entre 20 a 90 metros.
Isso com um par de laminas daria um arco com um comprimento total de 44
polegadas, que geraria um brace height maior do que num arco reflexo.
J um arco reflexo tende a ser mais curto com um punho de 18 polegadas, o brace
height tende ser menor naturalmente.

Agora, a grande descoberta foi, que no o fato de o arco ser reflexo que o faz ser
mais instvel e sim o brace height (a distancia entre punho e a corda). Um brace
height menor faz com que a corda fica mais longe do ponto de ancoragem, a corda
est mais longe do arqueiro e portanto tem que ser puxada mais longe e isso aumenta
a distancia que a corda se movimenta at voltar ao seu estado de repouso.
Um brace height maior diminui a distancia entre corda e ponto de ancoragem.

Quando voc inclina o arco lateralmente o nico ponto de rotao so os pontos onde
a corda encosta nas roldanas. Imagine o punho e as laminas como uma unidade slida,
e enquanto voc inclina o arco voc fora as roldanas a empurrarem contra a corda. O
movimento exatamente quando a corda encosta nas roldanas.

Quanto maior for a corda entre a roldana e o nocking point (lugar onde a flecha
encosta a corda) mais estendida estar a roldana e com maior facilidade a roldana ir
empurrar a corda lateralmente causando uma inclinao (desvio) lateral do arco (uma
corda mais longa tem uma alavanca maior que uma corda mais curta). Se a distancia
de corda for menor, que nem no caso de um brace height maior, a presso da corda
sobre as roldanas maior e isso evita uma presso lateral gerada pelas roldanas em
cima da corda. O que vai determinar o torque do arco a quantidade de corda que fica
depois das roldanas. Quanto maior for a corda mais fcil ela influenciada e o arco
inclina com maior facilidade.

Tudo isso quer dizer, que se pode fazer arcos reflexo com um brace height maior do
que um deflexo, e vice versa. E um arco reflexo com um brace height igual a um
deflexo ir dar as mesmas vantagens que o deflexo.
A razo porque arcos tem diferentes brace height a velocidade. Quanto menor for o
brace height maior ser a velocidade do arco. O que vai determinar o arco e o brace
height o que voc precisa no arco. um arqueiro com uma boa tcnica de tiro no ter
nenhum problema ema tirar com qualquer tipo de arco.

O importante voc ser sincero com sigo mesmo com as suas prprias habilidades
para poder determinar o arco certo.

WHAT IS BRACE HEIGHT?

By: P.J. Reilly
Brace height. Its something every archer should know about, regardless of the bow they shoot, because it
affects us all.
But what is brace height? And why should we care about it?
Brace height is the distance between the string and the deepest part of the bow grip.

For modern compound bows, the brace height is going to be set by the manufacturer, and youll want to
stick to those settings to get peak performance out of your bow.
Manufacturers of recurves and longbows will recommend ideal brace heights for individual models, and
its then up to the archer to twist or untwist the bowstring to achieve the ideal brace height. You add
twists to the string to increase the brace height, and untwist the string to shorten it.
If you arent able to find the recommended brace height for your recurve, below is a chart of brace height
measurements generally accepted within the industry for bows of the specified lengths.

Brace height is critical in two areas arrow speed and bow forgiveness.
Generally speaking, a shorter brace height helps a bow generate more arrow speed. Lets say you took two
bows set at 70 pounds, with a 29-inch draw length, and one has a 6-inch brace height and the other 7
inches. If you shot the same arrow from both bows, the bow with the 6-inch brace height should shoot the
arrow faster than the other.
Notice the left bows short brace height as compared to the one on the right.
The bow with the shorter brace height pushes the arrow longer than the other.
A bows forgiveness relates to accuracy. A forgiving bow minimizes an archers mistakes, while an
unforgiving bow magnifies them.
Bows with shorter brace heights tend to be less forgiving than those with longer brace heights, because
the string is in contact with the arrow for a longer period. An archer therefore has to maintain perfect
form for a longer stretch, until the arrow is in the air.
Compound target bows intended primarily for precision, bulls-eye target shooting, for example, rarely
have brace heights under 7 inches. Eight-inch and 9-inch brace heights are not uncommon.

Conversely, compound bows made for hunting and 3-D target shooting, where arrow speed is more
important, typically have brace heights of 5-7 inches.

Target bows are slower, but more forgiving, while hunting and 3-D bows are faster, but less forgiving.
And its all because of brace height.

PROPER HAND POSITION IS CRITICAL

FOR A GOOD SHOT
By: P.J. Reilly
All good archery shots start with proper hand position on the bow.
Improper hand position viewed from the front. Notice the tight grip on the bow.

Proper hand position viewed from the front. Notice the relaxed fingers are not gripping the
bow.
What youll notice holding the bow like this is the grip will sit more on the meaty part of your thumb than
in the middle of your palm, like it would if you gripped it like a pistol.
Youll also notice that your knuckles should extend away from the grip at a 45-degree angle, rather than
sit vertical, parallel to the grip. This forces your elbow to turn out, which takes your forearm away from
the bowstring.

Improper pistol grip viewed from the rear. Notice how the knuckles sit in a vertical line.
Proper position viewed form the rear. Notice how the knuckles sit at a 45-degree angle.
If youre shooting a compound, and the string is frequently stinging your forearm, its probably because
your hand position is incorrect. Since the string travels farther forward on a recurve bow, recurve archers
can still have the bowstring hit their forearm with proper hand position, but its worse if they hold the
grip like a pistol.
The most important thing about this hand position is that, when you release the string, the bow should
only move forward, toward the target.

World renowned traditional Archer G. Fred Asbell recommends a test for determining if an
archer is over-bowed. While bending at the waist and aiming at the ground, an archer
draws the bow with the back of the bow hand just below the inside of the knee. If an archer
cannot do this easily, he or she is likely not strong enough to shoot that draw weight.

Archers shooting takedown recurve bows can usually get lighter limbs to drop some draw
weight. Those who shoot one-piece recurves or longbows are going to have to switch bows.
Heres a string that needs to be waxed. Notice how the string looks fuzzy.

Heres the string shown above after it was waxed.

Applying wax to a bowstring is simple. Most bowstring wax comes in a stick, like
deodorant. Just rub the stick up and down the string to apply wax, and then rub it into the
string by running your thumb and forefinger up and down the string. Use enough pressure
so that your fingers heat up. That will cause the string to melt between your fingers as you
work it up and down the string.
Applying wax to a string.

Rub your fingers up and down the string to spread the wax and massage it into
the string fibers.
When youre done, there should be no visible chunks of wax.
Do not apply wax to any serving material. The wax can work its way under the serving
material, causing it to slide and separate.
Be sure you dont over-wax your string. This can adversely affect performance.
PROPER SERVING
Closely inspect all of the serving on your strings and cables. Serving is thread thats tied in
over top of the string.
All bowstrings have serving in the nocking area. The ends of strings, where they attach to
the cams or the limb tips usually are served. Also, most compound strings and cables have
serving anywhere they touch a cam, roller guard or string stop.
You want the serving to sit in tight coils, neatly stacked one on top of the other, on top of
your string.
Any separation in the serving in the nocking area must be addressed ASAP. This can affect
accuracy.
Slight separation of the serving coils in other places isnt a pressing concern, but its only
going to get worse, and it will have to be fixed at some time.

Slight serving separation.

If the serving breaks, it must be fixed no matter where it is on the string or cable.
Broken section of serving.

This is the string shown above after the serving was repaired.
Your local archery pro shop can fix serving issues, or you can learn to do it yourself.
Reserving some area on compound bows, however, will require a bow press.
Be aware that serving thread comes in different thicknesses. Serving thickness is most
critical in the nocking area, since you want to use whatever thread allows for proper nock
fit.
STRING STRETCH
Recurve archers will want to constantly measure their bows brace height to check for
string stretch. The brace height is the distance between the throat of the grip and the
string. Over time, the brace height on a recurve can shrink if the string stretches
especially within the first few days after a new string is put on a bow.

Tuning Your Recurve Bow Part #1

Before you get started, make sure that all the items youll be using on your recurve
bow are instaled things like stabilizers, bow sight, string, quiver, and so on. You
want your bow to be as complete as possible because whenever you introduce a
new component you will likely need to make some tuning adjustments. This is a
critical step that in my experience is often overlooked by archers, particularly those
who are only experienced with a crossbow (which typically require very minimal
tuning, if any).
Our first step is making sure that all the parts of your bow are properly installed.
Lets start with the nocking point.

Perfect Nocking Point Location

Make sure to purchase a nocking point with your bow as they usually dont come
with the package, unless you are buying an entire recurve bow set with arrows and
everything included. When installing the point, make sure it is positioned
approximately half an inch above square.
Square refers to the imaginary line that extends from the surface of your arrow rest
and forms a 90 degree angle with the bow string when in its lose position. You can
use a T-square device to measure that precisely, though it can be done with just
the arrow if you take your time and do things accurately. See image below:

See that red vertical line that I drew? You want to place your nocking point 0.5
above it. You may need to adjust this ever so slightly, but well get to that later in
the tuning process.
At this point its worth mentioning that the nock on your arrow should have a proper
fit for the nock point on your string. As a rule of thumb, you want the fit to be tight
enough so that the arrow can hang freely from the string, with the nock/nock point
being perfectly capable of supporting the arrows weight. At the same time, the
arrow should be able to disengage if the string is given a strong tap (with your
hand) a few inches away from the nock.
Dont let this distract you; many people spend months upon months researching
the perfect arrows before they actually buy their recurve. Yes, the type of arrows
you use is really important. But it is also certain that no amount of research you do
will actually help you choose the perfect arrows for your bow; only practice and
time will help you determine that, as you will never know what the ideal arrows are
before you get to intimately understand the behavior of your particular bow. So my
advice is to simply get one or two different types of quality arrows, try them out with
your recurve bow, see how accurate they are, and then try to improve from there
once you gain some practical experience. Any other approach is just a waste of
your time.
Micro-Tune The Brace Height
By brace height we simply mean the distance between the deepest part of the bow
riser, and the string in its loose position.

The vast majority of recurve bows have a brace height somewhere between 7.5
and 9.75 inches. The brace height of your bow will dictate some of its behaviors,
such as how loud it shoots and how much pivoting your arrow will experience mid-
air. On most recurves youll be able to adjust the brace height by up to 1/2 in both
directions (either increase it or decrease it). How do you do that?
By twisting the string as you string your bow. The more twists you add at the tip of
the string, the more more flexed it becomes, hence pulling the limb tips slightly
away from the riser and increasing brace height. Similarly, if you want
to decrease the brace height, you will reduce the number of twists on the string.
The instruction manual that came with your recurve bow will include the
manufacturers recommendation as to an acceptable brace height range.
Your goal is to twist and untwist the bow string until you reach a brace height that
results in the least noise and vibration when an arrow is shot. Its a good idea to
ask someone to stand next to you and tell you when the bow is being the most
quiet, as it can be difficult for the archer shooting the bow to judge this properly due
to very close proximity to the string.
Step by step:
Simply string your bow, measure the brace height using a ruler, shoot 10 or so
arrows, then adjust the brace height by 1/8 of an inch up or down by adding or
removing a few twists. Make sure to measure the exact brace height after every
change made, note it down, and assign each setting a subjective noise rating
based on how loud it tends to be when shooting the arrows. At this point dont
worry too much about your shooting accuracy.
Once youve found the ideal brace height (which will differ depending on your bow,
string materials, and type of arrows youre shooting), its best to write the exact
height in inches onto the inside of the limbs of your bow, using a permanent
marker. This is a very important value and you want to always have it available on
hand.
Note: ideal brace height varies from bow model to another, and can even vary
slightly across two different bows of the same make and model. You should
therefore never rely on another persons suggestion regarding the brace height to
use, and always follow the procedure above to determine the appropriate height for
your setup.
 Centering Your Arrows
As you release the bow string from your fingers, the arrow will tend to wiggle to the left and
right as it clears the arrow rest. This is what causes archers paradox, and it can be clearly
seen in action on the 11 second slow-motion video below:

https://youtu.be/aNI9BG87qcI

Our goal when centering the arrows is to kind of make up for this bending motion that occurs
on release of the string. Otherwise our arrow would land too far to the side of where we were
actually aiming, even if we had the arrow point or sight aligned for the bulls-eye perfectly.

To center your arrows, you will need to adjust the cushion plunger or your bows arrow rest
assembly, so that when you draw the bow, the precise center of the arrow point is positioned
around 1/12th to 1/8th of an inch to the outside of the string, when looking at it from directly
behind the string itself. Take a look at the artistic image I drew below:

Assume that the image above represents what you see as you draw your bow, and if you were
to look from precisely behind the string. The red line represents the string, the black line is the
arrow rest, and the little green line is the point of your arrow. See how that point protrudes
slightly (1/10) to the outside of the string? It isnt positioned 100% perpendicular to the string,
otherwise the tip of the arrow would not have been visible from this angle (the string would
have obstructed our view of the arrow point). Here is another view:

The image above shows what we would see if looking at a drawn bow from an overhead
view. The red dot is the tip of the string (I couldnt figure out how to represent that, other than
with a small dot), the green line is the arrow pointed at the target, and the black line is the
arrow rest. On the image labeled wrong you can see that the arrow is perpendicular to the
string. On the right image though, the arrow tip is pointing a little bit to the left (the outside
on a right-handed bow; for a left-handed bow, it would need to point out to the right) of the
string.
 This concept can be a little difficult to explain in text or even on video. If its still unclear, please
take a moment and try to imagine yourself holding a recurve bow and then look at the images
above again and see if you can visualize what Im talking about. It usually helps. Your goal is to
adjust the rests side loading attachment or the plunger (if you have one) so that the arrow is
positioned 1/10 to the outside of the string.

Bare Shaft Accuracy Testing

Now that you have the nocking point installed properly, the right brace height determined, and
your arrows centered, we need to take a look at how your arrows are flying and how they hit
the target to determine if further tuning is necessary, and if you should get different arrows for
optimal performance with your setup.

To do that, you will need a few fletched arrows, as well as few bare shafts the arrows without
the fletchings. You can get some cheap bare shafts online, or you can just get regular arrows
and remove the fletchings manually, thereby making yourself a bare shaft.

Porpoising
This is the first thing well be looking for. Porpoising happens when the arrow alternates
between rising and submerging relative to its intended flight path. The image below
demonstrates this in action:

Side View
Its called porpoising because the arrow behaves mid-flight almost like a porpoise (a mammal
from the dolphin/whale family) does in water. If your arrow behaves as shown on the image
above, this means that the location of your nocking point needs adjusting. Here is how to carry
out the bare shaft test to solve this issue.

Step one: place a target 20 yards away and, aiming for a certain location, shoot two or three
fletched arrows.

Step two: standing at the exact same distance from your target and aiming for exactly the
same location as before, shoot two or three unfletched (bare shaft) arrows.

Now approach the target and take note of where your arrows landed exactly. There are two
things to consider:

1. If the bare shafts landed higher than the fletched arrows on the target, this means your
nocking point is installed too low on the string. You will need to move the nocking point a
little higher (start with 1/8), and then repeat the two-step bare shaft test described above.
Keep adjusting the height of your nocking point and testing until both your fletched and un-
fletched arrows land at exactly the same height on the target.
2. If the bare shafts landed lower than the fletched arrows, then the nocking point is
positioned too high, and you will need to move it down the bowstring until both your fletched
and un-fletched arrows land at exactly the same height on the target.
For this test to work, it is imperative that you always aim for the exact same spot when
shooting the fletched arrows and the bare shafts; that you stand at precisely the same distance
from your target each time you shoot; and that you use the exact same draw/aim/release
technique.

The goal is to make sure both the fletched arrows and the bare shafts (unfletched arrows) land
at exactly the same horizontal plane.

Below are images illustrating the above:

Important Note: at this point, you do not need to worry about both your fletched arrows and
bare shafts landing right next to each other. You simply want both of them to land in the same
horizontal plane, as this will mean you have successfully tuned your bow to avoid porpoising.
For both fletched and unfletched arrows to land right next to each other, however, you also
need to make sure that they are not fishtailing.

Fishtailing
Fishtailing is kind of the opposite of porpoising, where rather than the arrow dipping up and
down mid-flight, it will turn right and left. The image below illustrates this (pay attention to
image caption):

Overhead View
To diagnose and fix fishtailing, do the following:

Step one: as before, place a target 20 yards away, aim for a specific location and shoot two or
three fletched arrows.

Step two: using the exact same distance and aiming for the exact same spot on the target,
shoot two or three unfletched (bare shaft) arrows.

Approach the target and take a look at where your arrows landed.

#1: If bare shafts hit the target noticeably to the left of the fletched arrows, it means your
arrows have a stiff spine. Do one of the following, depending on your options:
1. Reduce the tension on the plunger spring or move the rest assembly closer to the riser,
thereby re-centering your arrows and moving the arrow points closer to the string.

2. If your do not have a plunger or a rest assembly, you can address the issue by using heavier
arrow points than what you are using. Say if yours are 100 grain, you can try 125 grain.
3. Try increasing the brace height a little and see if that helps.
4. If none of the above options seem to help, it likely means that you need to get arrow shafts
with less spine/stiffness than your current ones.
#2: If your bare shafts hit the target noticeably to the right of where the fletched arrows
impacted, it means your arrows have a weak spine. Do the reverse of what you did above:

1. Increase the tension on the plunger or move the rest assembly further from the riser so as to
re-center your arrows and move the arrow points further away from the string.
2. If the above is not possible, get slightly lighter arrow tips and see if that helps.
3. See if decreasing the brace height of your bow by 1/8 2/8 will help.
4. If none of the above tweaks help despite your efforts, it means that you must get new arrow
shafts with more spine/stiffness than what you have right now.
Please note: I created the images below assuming that you are using a right-handed bow. If
youre a leftie, everything will be reversed; unfletched arrows landing too far to the left will
indicate weak arrow spines, while unfletched arrows landing too far to the right will indicate a
stiff spine.

The goal at this point is to make sure that your arrows land as close to each other as possible,
by making the necessary tuning adjustments and changes as described above.

Proper Clearance
Clearance refers to the arrows capability to clear the bow without the fletchings on the arrow
making direct contact with the bow. Improper clearance significantly reduces shooting accuracy
and results in poorer arrow grouping, so its very important that we address it.

First, were going to need to determine if and where clearance issues are occurring. To do that,
you will need one of the following:

Dry foot powder (for Athletes foot); a good and cheap brand is Dactarin.
Talc
Dry deodorant (the kind that leaves annoying white stains on your clothes)
Try not to use dry foot powder in a can, as the layer of powder it creates is way too thick,
making it useless for our clearance test and also annoyingly difficult to wash off. What were
going for here is a substance that will stick firmly to your bow and arrow (more on this in a
 moment), though not so firmly that no trace would be created if you were to glide your finger
across the substance. The substance also needs to be clearly visible to the eye (non-
transparent).

Say you decide to go for the dry deodorant. You will want to apply a generous layer to the
following areas:

1. The part of the arrow shaft between the nock and the fletchings (though not the nock itself as
this wont help)
2. The fletchings
3. Two inches of the arrow shaft below the fletchings
4. Arrow rest
Now go ahead and shoot a fletched arrow, while being careful not to disturb or touch the layers
of substance you applied when drawing, aiming and shooting. Release the arrow, but make
sure you are aiming at a hefty-enough target thats capable of stopping your arrow without the
fletchings digging into it. The next step is examining whether there are any visible markings
that have appeared on the layer of dry deodorant.

The most common problem is arrow fletchings not clearing the rest properly. This will be
clearly identifiable thanks to the skid marks on the rest and the fletchings themselves. To
fix this, begin rotating the nock on your arrow in the smallest increments possible, making
sure to re-do the test after each nock adjustment. Repeat this as many times as possible
until the fletchings achieve proper clearance.
If the above doesnt help, you should try some lower profile fletchings, such as the
parabolics.
Make sure that youve completed the bare shaft test, and particularly that youve fixed any
porpoising issues you might have had, as an incorrectly installed nocking point can reduce
the fletchings capacity to clear the arrow rest.
As a last resort, try and re-center your arrows so that the arrow point becomes positioned
even further to the outside of the bowstring. This will likely cause the arrows to fly a little
stiffer, however thats better than shooting an arrow that does not clear the rest properly.
What If Nothing Works?
While the above will solve clearance problems in the vast majority of cases, sometimes nothing
seems to work. In which case, the most important thing to ask yourself is this: is the fletchings
inability to properly clear the bow having a negative impact on my shooting experience?

Sometimes its easy to get caught up trying to fine-tune everything to absolute perfection, and
this can make us forget the real reason were doing it so that we can shoot more accurately
and have more fun while doing it. There are cases were theory seems to be screaming This
Should Not Work! but for some reason it does work, and works just fine. So just because you
notice smudges on the dry deodorant does not always mean that your accuracy will be
affected; if you are consistently shooting tight groups at 30, 40, 50, 60, or whatever other
distances you think you should be doing fine at, then it means your bow setup is tuned just fine
(though theoreticians will disagree of course :).

If despite all of the above you still feel that youre not getting the most out of your bow and you
strongly believe it is a clearance issue, please leave us a comment below describing the type
of tuning youve done so far, and well do our best to help (we monitor comments daily).