The Science of Archery

Tracing the Development of the Original Long-Distance Weapon

Jul 1, 2009 Steven Slater

Since its inception, the bow has functioned on the same physical principles. Advances in materials continue to be the rules by which archery science is played out.

In today’s world of firearms, cannons and cruise missiles, the concept of a stand-off weapon is something that we take for granted. The soldier can fire his weapon from a distance thereby reducing his enemy’s ability to retaliate. The hunter can shoot his prey from across a field to negate the danger of being in close proximity to a wounded animal.

The device that first elevated man above the rock-and-spear throwing days is the bow and arrow: launcher and projectile. The bow originated as a more efficient means by which to kill live game for food and clothing.

The Longbow as Medieval Artillery

The Longbow is the most rudimentary of bows. Its function during the Middle Ages and today is indistinguishable from the weapon used by primitive hunters thousands of years earlier, the main differences being in better craftsmanship and more carefully selected raw material. However, its historical importance to the political and military geography of Europe, as we know it today, cannot be underestimated.

This effective weapon could be made by hand, was cheap, simple and inexpensive enough to be owned by the proletariat (unlike high-priced swords and armor which were accessible only to the noble classes). In this way, the Longbow had an equalizing effect among the populace of the time; a peasant brandishing a handmade Longbow could kill a nobleman carrying a sword from fifty yards off.

Medieval English Longbows may have been available to anyone, but mastering their use was another matter. The bowstave used in the English army measured approximately six feet from end to end and shot three-foot arrows. A trained archer could loose a brace of about ten arrows every minute in battle. A contingent of bowmen was the medieval equivalent of a machine gun.

The Introduction of the Recurve Bow

The Recurve bow is the direct modern descendant of the Longbow. It differs only in material refinements (metals, fiberglass, laminates, plastics, string materials, etc.) and the design feature from which the bow derives it name.

The “recurve” refers to a forward taper at the end of each of the bow’s limbs. This feature distributes the force of the draw more evenly along the length of the bow and allows the bowstring to be held more securely in place.

Like the its predecessor the Longbow, the force required to draw back a Recurve bow increases in direct proportion to the draw length. In other words, the further back the bowstring is pulled, the more resistance the bow exerts (this straightforward physical rule, following Newton’s first law of motion, was to remain unchanged in archery until the introduction of the Compound bow).

Another development found on the Recurve bow is portability. Often the Recurve’s limbs can be detached from the bow’s central handle piece (called a “riser”) to make for easier carriage.

The invention of the “take-down bow” was also a great opportunity for the introduction of new materials. Now a bow’s limbs were no longer required to be composed of the same material as the handle.

The limbs of a modern Recurve are typically composed of highly flexible materials such as fiberglass and syntatic foam, while the riser may remain utterly rigid. The composition of a Recurve’s riser is usually a cast synthesis of two or more strong, light metals, such as magnesium and aluminum.

The Modern Weapon – the Compound Bow

The Compound bow is the most powerful and accurate type of bow to date. It operates via a system of cables and pulleys called “cams” to increase the bow’s delivery of force to the arrow exponentially to the draw weight.

These cams are also designed to deliver a percentage of “let-off” at the end of the draw length. This reduces the bow’s holding weight (the force required to hold the bowstring at full draw) to less than half of the draw weight (the force required to pull it pack). This feature is especially valuable to bowhunters who often must “hold draw” while they wait for their prey to move into a vulnerable position.

The Compound bow is designed around two concepts: precision and silence. As such, all manner of sighting devices and vibration absorption gadgetry may be seen attached to it.

Sighting systems usually involve the use of small brass pins placed in a small rack attached to the riser at varying heights. By peering through a small sighting hole fastened to the bowstring, an archer can superimpose the appropriate pin (20-yard pin, 30-yard pin, etc.) on a target downrange to achieve an accurate hit.

The copyright of the article The Science of Archery in Card/Board/Lawn Games is owned by Steven Slater. Permission to republish The Science of Archery in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

A line of archers with recurve bows