Flight Archery: A Challenge of Strength and Skill
Flight archery is the only type of archery wherein no targets are used. The objective of this type of
archery is to shoot the arrow as far as you can. Far from what some archers think (that this is the easiest
form of archery), flight archery requires certain skills at bow handling.
One of the greatest advantages of this type of archery is that it does not require any certain type of
bow. You can practice flight archery with any available bow that you have. Flight archery has rules
though that cater to the different bow types. It has rules for the use of the recurve bow, the longbow, the
compound bow, and the crossbow.
According to some flight archery enthusiasts, there are five facets to this sport, and these are the
following:
- The bow
- The arrow
- The tuning of the bow
- The place of practice
- And the technique
The Bow
What is essential with the bow is to get the most efficiency. Efficiency here is being able to get the
most energy (resulting to the farthest arrow flight) from the bow. What is usually adjusted are the bracing
height and the draw length. The weight of the bow also affects the flight of the arrow, so all the standard
parts of the bow play an important role. If an archer uses a compound bow, the cams, the friction, and the
cable guards are things to be adjusted. Some recurve and compound bows have been developed specifically for
flight archery, but these are a bit pricier because they have a limited market.
The Arrow
Since distance is the main consideration in flight archery, the arrows used here should be lighter than normal
arrows. Arrows should also be more aerodynamic to cause lesser friction as they fly through the air. To
achieve better aerodynamics and reduce friction, fletches should be smaller. But having smaller fletches
means lesser stability. Most flight archers make their own arrows. These are customized to be around 3
to 4 mm in diameter. The best center of gravity to achieve greater distance would be at the front or middle
part of the arrow. Fletches are usually kept to a 6-8 mm maximum size.
The Tuning of the Bow
In flight archery, it is vital to keep the arrow tuned with the bow. The arrows should be properly spined
to fit the bow in the best way possible.
The Place of Practice
To be the best flight archer, as it is to be the best in any other sport, constant practice is necessary.
To be able to train in flight archery, one should have the right place to shoot. It goes without saying that
this should be an open space several hundred yards in length. And it should be safe. This means that
people should be kept away from practice area.
The Shooting Technique
Technique is more appreciated in flight archery than in target archery for the simple reason that distance is
the criterion judged. In this sport, the arrow should leave the bow as straight as possible because a
straight release equals longer flight distance. This is where releases come in. To attain straight
arrow flight, strips of rubber or leather are used. These are handheld releases making it different from
target archery releases.
These are the basics of flight archery. This isn’t just a sport of strength. Flight archery is a
sport of both strength and skill.
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