There are several types of bows including compound, crossbow, traditional or straight bow, and recurve. A compound bow has a pulley system using cams to assist the archer to produce high velocity, accurate shots for hunting. A crossbow is another type of mechanical bow designed for hunting and is designed similar to a rifle requiring the archer to cock the tension of the bow using a cable or other device. A straight or traditional bow is a often associated with Robin Hood and is a simple bow for traditionalist archers.
My focus for this website is the recurve bow, which is currently the only type of bow used in the Olympics. The recurve bow, which is a modern version of the straight bow, has tips that curve away from the archer when the bow is unstrung. When strung a recurve stores more energy than an equivalent straight limbed bow and therefore offers more thrust to project the arrow through the air to the target.
The competition recurve bow is a type of takedown bow, meaning it has many components that make up its composition and can be taken apart for easy storage and transportation. Besides the main pieces of the riser, limbs, string and arrows there many more parts that make up its structure including the sight, clicker arrow rest and stabilizer system. Most of these components are interchangeable between manufacturers and can be easily replaced should a single piece fail.
Part of an archer’s introduction into the sport should include a basic component knowledge, a comprehension of assembly and how they function. For a clear definition of all the various components of a bow check out my new “Anatomy of an Olympic Recurve Bow” page.
Cartel Doosung offer a wide variety of quality recurve bow components at very affordable prices. For complete listings of everything they offer, check out their website.
Jordan Sequillion 