Archery And Bowhunting Blog

5 Tips To Improve Your Shot Accuracy In Archery

Well, not everyone with a bow and arrow can actually excel in archery. Shot accuracy plays a vital role in making you a good archer. You need to be positioned correctly to shoot bow and arrow accurately. But, there is a lot more to it than just the right position. Down below, we have mentioned a couple of ways that should help you achieve a good shot.

1) The beginning of the shot

In the beginning of the shot, if the body is straight and not moving, archer's shots will be steadier. If you play the cards right from the very beginning, you can be rest assured of a good shot performance.

The important points to be paid attention at the beginning of the shots in archery are:

The foot position
The leg alignment
The body position,
The placement of the bow shoulder
The placement of the bow arm
The archer's hand position.

2) The standing position

During the launch, everybody just concentrates on getting their hands on a bow and shooting the arrow, without paying much attention to the positioning of their feet and body.

The archer should stand at the shooting line bar with a slightly opened pose.
The toes of the archer's shoes should be aligned towards the target.
While standing on the shooting line, try spreading the feet longer and wider.

Archers must work on increasing the leg's toughness. The leg position must be a relaxed one, but at the same time, not to be bent. Keeping your body weight forth develops a harmony and it is suggested to wear shoes having a slightly higher heel to move your body forth.

3) A good bow arm

A good bow arm does not move upon execution of the shot, till the arrow has disappeared. Placement of the upper arm must be positioned inwards for proper adjustment of the shot. This indeed will cause the bow elbow to be positioned outwards. Having a well-tuned bow is hard as without having a proper structure, even the well-tuned bow would not perform with great efficiency.

4) Correct placement of string hand

As you clinch the string with your draw hand, the string is supposed to be placed right behind the first joint of the middle finger. The right string placement permits archer to form a sturdy hook with the draw hand. You must remember to keep the back of the string hand flat and vertical. Visually, examine the draw hand position in every shot that you shot. The back of the hand should be at ease and relaxed. The bowstring should be placed closer to the first joint of the middle, index and ring finger. You must raise the bowstring back more slowly and mellow the motion. This would keep the body in a better alignment and give a stronger shot.

5) The bow hand

The placement of the bow hand can be eased by putting a moderate amount of weight on the string, as the bow hand is indulgent and put into position. The thumb must be edged towards the target. You must ensure that knuckles of the bow hand should be at ease and placed at a certain angle to the bow riser.

To hit a perfect shot in archery, pay closer attention to the right movement of the legs and hand in order to hit bow and arrow correctly. And you’re done!

5 Reasons You Should Try Your Hands At Archery

If you are thinking about taking up a sport and are still undecided then Archery can be a suitable option for you to experience and explore. We play games usually to keep our body fit and refresh our mind, and as a fact, archery does provide us with these two benefits. The question here is ‘So do other sports, then why archery?”. Well, explore the following 5 simple reasons that we’ve got listed below for you!

Improves mental focus

The most important constituent of a successful person’s life apart from strength is the mental focus, something you can develop by playing Archery. There is no denying the fact that, if your mind is clear, you can concentrate better, and while you are playing archery, concentrating on your target is the primary factor. Mental focus is a skill which you can utilize in any area of life and what could be more fun than developing it while playing a sport like Archery?

Strengthens your core muscles

Apart from aiding you in improving your mental focus, Archery is a sport which really strengthens your core muscles. The idea behind archery is to hit a target from a distance with the help of bow and arrow. So here you need a good balance to make sure that you can target, for which you really need to keep your body still. Therefore, as you practice the sport, you will begin to work on your core muscles, which are the muscles around your pelvis and trunks, both of which are instrumental in balancing your body.

All weather sport

Speaking of the truth, a range of sports today is usually played under certain weather conditions. But with Archery, it’s not the same case. You can play it at your convenience, all you need here is a bow and arrow, and a target, and you are set. In archery, there are two seasons, indoor and outdoor, which means you get to play it all round the year. The indoor season allows you to play it inside – maybe in a club or hall, and it gets you to shoot targets from a distance of 18 meters on average. While in the outdoor season, there is no bar whatsoever in terms of distance between you and the target, as you get to shoot from various distances.

Lifetime sport

There is no bar in Archery as far as age is concerned. If you have learned it once, you can play it for a lifetime. There have been numerous instances of people playing it even being at an old age and achieving heart-warming accolades. One such example is Butch Johnson, who made it to the US Olympic Team five times, the last being at the age of 52.

Builds confidence

The fact that you are being able to shoot an arrow into the bull’s eye is more than enough to boost your confidence. This helps you to get motivated and you feel like you have accomplished something, which is surely going to build your confidence.

Archery is not just about bow and arrows. It requires skill, dedication and enthusiasm to achieve perfection. So what all are you waiting for?

Easy Ways to Grip Your Compound Bow Properly

Archery is all about having a complete and accurate hold over your bow. While it involves a lot many aspects, the grip forms an essential part of whole procedure. Your probability of hitting the bull’s eye to a large extent is dependent on the way you keep your hands onto the grip, how relaxed you keep and maintain the grip both during and after the shot.

Archery Bow torque plays a vital role and decides how consistently you shoot shots in Archery. If the bow grip is not properly placed, bow torque will play its role and you will end up shooting either to the left or right of the desired target.

How to Determine if Bow Torque is Actually the Main Culprit?

You can determine this by drawing your archery bow and determining if it twists in your hands. The bow will get twisted or turned due to the force of the bow. When the bow will be released, it will spring back to its original position, making your arrow miss the target.

How to Eliminate Bow Torque?

Take it simple. Relax your fingers and wrist. Place the grip in your natural pocket formed with relaxed fingers and wrist with the wrist at a 90-degree angle. You can discover this pocket along the lifeline near the thumb side of your palm. If you are unable to find this natural pocket, you probably are not keeping your fingers relaxed. Further, knuckles should also run down off the edge of the rise, making an angle of 45 degrees. Maintain poise throughout and keep your fingers relaxed so that you have a right hold over the bow’s grip.

Once the bow torque is eliminated, your archery bow will jump forward out of your hand once the arrow is released. But, you will get habitual of this and will slowly learn to maintain the archery bow in place, with a smooth release.

Consistently having a proper grip while you are shooting is an important part of archery. This determines the consistency and accuracy of your shots as well.

5 Awesome Olympian Experiences at the Games

Have you ever wanted to actually feel like you’re a part of the Olympic moment? Walking alongside the athletes and experience the Games from their perspective? Well, here is a small glimpse into what that is like. Social media platforms of the 2016 Rio Olympics are, more than ever before, trying to capture every moment to share with you what the Olympics are like. Here are five things you might not see through Snapchat or an Instagram filter.

1. Medal celebrations

Medals, are of course, a big reason as to why we all watch the Olympics. We want to see our favorites do well, or our home town heroes perform at their best. When they do, we see all the excitement on TV. However, there’s even more to the fun when you earn a medal for your country. Your medal is added to the total count and everyone could not be happier. The athlete, or team, will then go through many various interviews on multiple different outlets; which can also be very draining on the athlete’s mental state for the day. Athletes can get asked multiple times throughout the course of the games if they have medaled and when that answer is yes, usually everyone near them is ecstatic and wants to celebrate with you. Thus, you have quite a few parties to go to later.

2. Village life

As an athlete, you will fly into the host country with your sport’s team; archery, badminton, rugby, etc. You will then be directed towards where you will be living inside the Athlete’s village. From the view we have received of the village in Rio, athletes seem to be dispersed all over the towers. So nothing like, “USA is in building number 12”. Having that in mind, mingling between other athletes and sports is quite a unique and wonderful experience for any Olympian at the Games. Mingling with other Olympians and cheering for your team in the common rooms is an amazing time in itself and cherished for years after.

3. The Swag

That’s right. Athlete processing. Just to name a few items, athletes receive uniforms for almost any occasion they might be met with. Media clothing, competition clothing, podium clothing, lounging clothing. You name it, they have it. Most athletes who attend for their first time are told to bring only your essentials like toiletries and underwear… because they get a whole suitcase devoted to a month’s worth of wear for the Games anyway. Pretty sweet, eh? On top of this they get shoes for all occasions, a personalized Olympic Watch, sized for their Olympic Ring, and tables upon tables of signing their name on posters, and other memorabilia for USOC designated items.

4. Order of Ikkos

Any Olympian who wins a medal, of any color, has a ceremony to award the coach they select for the one that has helped them along their journey the most, basically. It is to recognize not only the athlete’s journey but the person who also dedicated the time to help another person selflessly in their pursuit for an Olympic dream. Very emotional and very cool to experience. Hands down.

5. Getting into any events you want: VIPs

Probably saving the best for last. You know those swimming tickets you just couldn’t get your hands on? Or maybe women’s beach volleyball which is known to always be sold out. Well, don’t be too sad but any athlete who wants to see an event…gets to see an event. There is always a section for athletes from other sports to come and spectate any other sport. Why? Well wouldn’t you want to cheer on your teammates as they went for the gold? It shouldn’t come as a surprise that all athletes are always in support of other athletes and their dreams. This is a great way for them to show their patriotism and root for their fellow athletes without being burdened to go buy the tickets themselves. Awesome!

So which one are you jealous of? Wish you could be a part of the action? We are pretty sure everyone does at this point. Rio does hold some hope for showing us common folk what it’s like to be at the Games through any form of social media. News stories and personal videos get blogged about every day, every minute, and every second of the games whether it’s from athletes or other spectators. So don’t fret! Sneaking a peak at your phone at work every now and then couldn’t hurt. ;)

Don't forget to look through our cases and backpacks, you might need them on the road to your dreams!

5 Ways to Enhance your Hunting Season - Trail Camera Edition

Everyone knows that to become a good hunter, it comes down to the preparation one puts into their season. Within this list, we will go over some of the more uncommon practices some people may not know about. Getting a leg up on that prize you have your eye on is always a good idea, so let’s get right into it!

Direction: North and South

This is a simple fact of not wanting your photos overexposed or washed out during sunrise and sunset. It would really defeat the purpose if your pictures weren't visible... As well as during the winter months, the sun will be low enough that you will want to point in a more southern direction. This is as simple as taking a compass or your smartphone with an applicable app, and getting the north/south direction absolute perfect.

Number each camera with respective SD card

This might be obvious for some people to overlook but many people don’t do it. This is useful when you have to handle several cameras on one property. Memory only goes so far, so it’s important to mark out where your cameras are on GPS in coordination with each numbered camera. Making it easier to also locate them later in case you forget a few. To easily mark them, all it takes is a permanent marker and write on either the bottom or the back of the camera body.

Now the SD card is just as important. You wouldn’t want to mix up the cards when you stick them in your pocket, return to your computer, and then learn that you have no idea which card went to which camera. Yikes! No one wants that nightmare, so don’t rely on the time stamps the SD cards may apply.

Inactive Stands

If you tend to have multiple stands over your properties, you can always try placing one on each inactive stands you haven’t used in a while. This will allow you to discover a animals in your area that you didn’t even know was lurking there! Then work your magic by trailing them and placing cameras in possible routes they might be taking. Then get in your stand at what you have recorded as the best time and get to work!

Time Lapse and Trail cameras together

This is one that helps you discover movement over a broader area. You will want to set up your time lapse cameras to cover areas like fields, food plots, and other known travelling paths. If you can though, set them to take pictures every 10-20 seconds over the first and last few hours of daylight. Sometimes you won’t capture a whole lot doing this method, but your camera will thank you in the extra energy saver it creates; lasting for weeks rather than mere days. After scouting for a few weeks, you can view the photos and determine the exact routes your prey are using. Then, set up a regular trail cameras to get images of specific hunts you are really trying to nab.

Rainy days are useful

Now, what is nice about rain is it eliminates human scent naturally and effectively. This means that the entire area that you cover while marching all over your property to check on your cameras will hide your scent for free. Thank you Mother Nature! Also, when rain washes away fresh scents from the air, it also makes new scents easier for animals to detect. So pay attention to the wind direction while you are out and about. You will still want to wear rubber boots and using odor elimination spray of course, but rain will help make your job a lot easier.

Did you find these five helpful? Let us know in the comments section below, and feel free to post your own helpful hints!

5 Wonderful Reasons to Share Archery with Your Dad

Father's Day is a special moment for all the archery families out there. It is a day we celebrate what we share with the man who has always been there for us. Teaching us right from wrong, what the love of shooting our first arrow is like, and how to shoot for the stars and dream of what we can achieve. Thank you to dads everywhere.

Learning Life Lessons

There are times in life where parents get chances to really teach their children what they want them to learn in life. Archery provides some of those lessons between a child and father. To keep striving for your best, to never give up, and that your father is there to guide you every step of the way. He will be there to teach you how to shoot your first arrow, to climb that tree stand even though you’re afraid of heights, and even being there for your first deer in that “great circle of life” talk. Dads are the best at teaching us about life.

Memories

The times we share with our dads are priceless. From the time we shot our first arrows, maybe totally missing, to our big moments winning championship titles. Your first hunting stalk together, or week long camping trips together. So remember, whether its memories with your children or memories with your own father, make them count.

Sharing Lingo

Let’s face it, archery has its own language. Talking shop with your dad can be an awesome time. Especially in the middle of a store, restaurant, driving, hunting blind, and everywhere in between. You can finish each other’s sentences, have ideas for what might work for each other’s bow setups, or insist that this scope has more clarity than the other.

Friendly Competition

Not everyone can say that they are striving for greatness with their archery hobby. But in a way, a dad can offer a sense of competitive love and encouragement. So if you ever find yourself wanting to achieve more, you can always ask your father to help you. They will have a kind and teasing way of doing it too. Perhaps making bets with ice cream for the winner as well as exchanging chores for the loser. All as a fun way to encourage and always strive for your best.

Unending Support

Dads are always in our corner of the ring for any occasion. Whether you are his proud son or beautiful daughter, a father will always be there to support you. You have dreams of making hunting videos, do it. You have a dream to make it to the Olympic Games, go for it. Dad will always have your back and encourage you to push yourself further than you would have ever imagined.

Dads, we really appreciate all that you have done for us over our lives with you. Thank you for the time to teach us to love archery. We love that we can share it with you too!

5 Great Archery Inspired Cakes for Any Occasion

We know that a lot of special occasions are on the rise during this time of the year, so let us help with some archery inspired cakes for nearly every occasion. Here are our top 5 picks for awesome archery cakes that everyone can enjoy!

Brave

For young girls all around the world of all ages, Disney tends to have a way with inspiring them all. This cake doesn’t do anything less than that for young female archers. The connection between a parent and their child, especially when you share something as special as archery with one another. Do you have a daughter who just loves to shoot? Then this is the perfect birthday cake. It also sets up a great theme for the party!

Hunting/Camping Cake

This camping cake is perfect for any outdoors adventurist. Complete with animals and Mother Nature herself, anyone would be excited to get out in the woods and feel like you’re really there. Delicious and all of the pieces are edible….except maybe the animals. But then again, the real ones taste better anyway.

Engagement Cakes

They symbolize what brought together the happy couple. In this case, clearly it was archery that captured their hearts. Also complete with a cat….we can’t seem to figure out why cats and archery are linked so often but it is awesome none the less! The leaves look so perfect that you don’t even want to touch this wonderful looking stump.

Hunger Games

Yes, we said it. It may be a little overdone but anything with a bow, fire, and a willingness to fight the odds is enough for anyone to celebrate with cake! Katniss could have served this to her fellow district fighters and would have won so much faster. Everyone needs some fighting spirit cake! Great for sports teams!

Archery cupcakes

Who says you need a full on cake to enjoy the awesomeness of a baked good?! You can then fight over your favorites, whether it be one with a bow or one with arrows in it. Either way, everyone gets their own personal fun-sized mini cake! Since they are smaller, you might have to go back for a second….third…maybe fourth.

We can’t wait to try these and hopefully you do to. Whether it is a DIY project to do with the family or order one for a special occasion, archery themed pastries are the coolest thing ever! Feel free to comment below on your favorites!

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5 Essential Life Skills Archery Teaches Us

Archery is so much more than bows and arrows. It is what helps us get through our day. From being able to accomplish a goal, strive for that perfect group, or finally getting that prized trophy you’ve been looking forward to all season. Life teaches us quite a lot, but it is archery that helps give direction in our lives. Here are five life skills that you may, or may not, have realized your favorite sport gives you to succeed in life.

Determination

It might sound cheesy but it’s true. Many archers find themselves striving for that one last shot at perfection before going home each day. We develop this passion over time for the sport and it becomes so ingrained that it spills into other areas of our lives; in school, finding a job, proposing a plan, coaching a team, and so on. As it is with archery, you want to strive for excellence in all that you do. Applying that determination to multiple aspects of one’s life can greatly increase the chance for success.

Time management

Simple, yet very necessary for today’s fast paced world. As with a lot of sports, you understand that your practice time is precious. You want to spend it wisely and have enough time for it. So what does that lead to? Making sure everything else in your life is, to a degree, planned out. You can only get better at archery through practice, but this is also true for other things in life. Like planning a speech for a class, or getting a presentation ready for work. All having to deal with time management. Who knew archery could be so helpful, right?

Problem solving skills

Remember that time when you had to spend a few hours re-tuning your bow? Or maybe even figuring out how to get your bow working after travelling to a tournament and TSA seemed to break an important piece of your equipment? You had to think your way around the problem. Tinkering, if you will, with the possibilities of what could work or not work. The same is applied to other areas in life. Since archery has very specific problems that are associated with it, one can make even the most difficult of problems become easier with “out of the box” thinking from having to deal with archery problems.

Patience

Some of you might be thinking, “well I certainly am not as patient with shooting a bow as some people.” And I will agree with you. It’s ok to not have the greatest patience in the world. No one is perfect. But that is exactly what is happening when you practice archery. Everyone learns that they are not perfect. Some might take a little longer than others to figure out this revelation, but nevertheless it happens. After which, a new change starts to emerge. Patience brings about the willingness to improve, ask questions, trust, and wanting to help others succeed too. As much as people would not like to admit it, this is the key to help others become aware of… others. To help think about, and care, what others are doing in life. To live is to share in the struggles and triumphs with one another. One of the biggest attributes to being a part of this world. That’s right, we got pretty deep there. But it’s true.

Attention to detail/multitasking

Lastly, archery brings us the ability to look at the details. Since there are so many thoughts going on in our minds at the peak of the shot process, this is something that can’t be overlooked. Not many sports or activities can provide the same amount of information flow and detail orientation that archery can. You can have 10 things going on at once inside your head and they all have to do with the one action that you are about to take. Shooting an arrow. This can lead to us being able to multitask in several different environments. Some people have to make a checklist for the day’s duties. However, sometimes your archery brain can take over and give you a sense of direction for the day without having the need to write it down. It’s like having a brand new super power!

So whichever your case may be, let it be known that archery can have a seriously helpful influence in your average day to day activities. Strive for perfection, but also know that archery is fun too. So no matter what bow you are shooting, remember that you are ingraining new skills for all parts of life.

Best Practices You Must Follow in Order to Ensure Your Safety in Archery

Safety is the most crucial element that should be looked at while practicing a sport and Archery is no exception. You never know when the arrow hits you and it will be too late for an archer to apologize. To ensure safety, the archer must be very careful, where they are hitting and at which direction they are targeting the bow and arrow. Most importantly, they must be careful and check before targeting if somebody is crossing by their lane.

1) Age group

Keeping the safety factors in mind, children below the age group of 16 must be escorted by an adult. Young children or amateurs may get injured, by running here and there, by not watching out, where the archer is targeting.

2) No Alcohol

Alcohol is strictly banned for all age groups as it is the main source of damage and could lead to a major injury by an archer, not being at his/her mental state.

3) Archer must be attentive

An archer must be attentive enough while shooting the target and should be aware of the direction of his bow and arrow. They must be aware where they are shooting and not end up shooting on other lanes or distracting other archers. Fights and quarrels should be avoided at all costs especially when the archer is practicing. It would cause a lot of damage to them and they will be banned from entering the premises.

4) Archery range work force

Archery range authority has been giving instructions to deny service to anyone who goes against any rule made by the organisation. As for any damage that occurs on the field, the workforce will be held responsible for letting the damage happen to the injured person. Further, archer won’t be allowed to practice again on that range.

5) Listen to the instructions carefully

Before starting archery, there is always an instructor, who is instructing archers of what to do and what not in order to avoid any injuries and for safe play. If an archer is intelligent enough, he or she must be attentive so that they can enjoy the game comfortably without injuring themselves.

6) While pulling arrows

While pulling the arrows out of the target stand on one side and before pulling it ensure that nobody is standing directly at the back. Also, make sure, you don't target arrow towards the sky, as you never know, towards which direction will it fall & it may end up hurting somebody.

Keep these factors in mind in order to ensure that you are safe in Archery. It might sound like a simple game of bow and arrow, but you never know what happens next. Archery undoubtedly is one of the safe games, and by following these best practices you can boost your safety manifold.

Factors That You Must Consider When Buying a Bow

Buying a bow and arrow is no child’s play. You need to have proper info about the concerned aspects before making the right choice in order to excel in Archery.

A few points that you need to consider when buying a bow include:

The size of the bow: how big or small should it be?
How do you shoot? Whether, you shoot with your right or left hand?
The draw-length
The draw-weight: Assuming that beginners generally choose to go for recurve bows, for a lady 24 to 28 lb is suggested as a suitable draw weight. However, for men archers, recurve bow weight of 28 to 32lb is highly recommended.

How to Select a Proper Bow?

Selecting a bow of a bearable weight is recommended in Archery, as mentioned above. A comfortable bow will allow you to shoot at the target comfortably and at a good distance. It will also allow you to sustain a good posture, which is also known as a Form.

On the other hand, selecting a very heavy bow can lead to ruining your body structure. Since you would get involved in intense training sessions, wrong bow weight can interfere with your health, making the circumstances difficult.

Many bows come with flexible weight. In such bows, the draw weight can be adjusted upwards from the rated weight by about 10%. And therefore, 30 pounds at limbs can be tailored to around 32 pounds. You may need to purchase a new set of limbs if you decide upon increasing your draw weight, even when you are playing with tailored limbs. Also, keep in mind, the weight mentioned above are the weights, to be carried on your fingers at full draw. The actual weight is dependent upon, how far you're able to draw the bow.

Bows and arrows are said to be measured with AMO requirements and are related to the weight of the draw. The draw weight recommended for the beginners bow, used with the suggested aluminum arrow would just permit the person to shoot 80 yards or for that matter, for a lady to shoot about 60 yards.

It's recommended, that the bow size should be chosen as per the user's draw length, but on the other hand, the draw length is largely dependent on the height of the person as well. And thus, you can achieve a particular bow length by trying out the different combinations of limbs and handle. You can choose to have a smoother draw sensation by going for longer limbs and shorter handle. But this will then interfere with the arrow’s speed. Similarly, the longer handle and shorter limbs would provide you with faster speed.

Consult with your coach properly before you pick up the bow and arrow for archery. Bow and arrow are the basic equipment of the game, and it is very necessary that you choose them properly.

5 Tips To Improve Your Shot Accuracy In Archery

Well, not everyone with a bow and arrow can actually excel in archery. Shot accuracy plays a vital role in making you a good archer. You need to be positioned correctly to shoot bow and arrow accurately. But, there is a lot more to it than just the right position. Down below, we have mentioned a couple of ways that should help you achieve a good shot.

1) The beginning of the shot

In the beginning of the shot, if the body is straight and not moving, archer's shots will be steadier. If you play the cards right from the very beginning, you can be rest assured of a good shot performance.

The important points to be paid attention at the beginning of the shots in archery are:

The foot position
The leg alignment
The body position,
The placement of the bow shoulder
The placement of the bow arm
The archer's hand position.

2) The standing position

During the launch, everybody just concentrates on getting their hands on a bow and shooting the arrow, without paying much attention to the positioning of their feet and body.

The archer should stand at the shooting line bar with a slightly opened pose.
The toes of the archer's shoes should be aligned towards the target.
While standing on the shooting line, try spreading the feet longer and wider.

Archers must work on increasing the leg's toughness. The leg position must be a relaxed one, but at the same time, not to be bent. Keeping your body weight forth develops a harmony and it is suggested to wear shoes having a slightly higher heel to move your body forth.

3) A good bow arm

A good bow arm does not move upon execution of the shot, till the arrow has disappeared. Placement of the upper arm must be positioned inwards for proper adjustment of the shot. This indeed will cause the bow elbow to be positioned outwards. Having a well-tuned bow is hard as without having a proper structure, even the well-tuned bow would not perform with great efficiency.

4) Correct placement of string hand

As you clinch the string with your draw hand, the string is supposed to be placed right behind the first joint of the middle finger. The right string placement permits archer to form a sturdy hook with the draw hand. You must remember to keep the back of the string hand flat and vertical. Visually, examine the draw hand position in every shot that you shot. The back of the hand should be at ease and relaxed. The bowstring should be placed closer to the first joint of the middle, index and ring finger. You must raise the bowstring back more slowly and mellow the motion. This would keep the body in a better alignment and give a stronger shot.

5) The bow hand

The placement of the bow hand can be eased by putting a moderate amount of weight on the string, as the bow hand is indulgent and put into position. The thumb must be edged towards the target. You must ensure that knuckles of the bow hand should be at ease and placed at a certain angle to the bow riser.

To hit a perfect shot in archery, pay closer attention to the right movement of the legs and hand in order to hit bow and arrow correctly. And you’re done!

5 Reasons You Should Try Your Hands At Archery

If you are thinking about taking up a sport and are still undecided then Archery can be a suitable option for you to experience and explore. We play games usually to keep our body fit and refresh our mind, and as a fact, archery does provide us with these two benefits. The question here is ‘So do other sports, then why archery?”. Well, explore the following 5 simple reasons that we’ve got listed below for you!

Improves mental focus

The most important constituent of a successful person’s life apart from strength is the mental focus, something you can develop by playing Archery. There is no denying the fact that, if your mind is clear, you can concentrate better, and while you are playing archery, concentrating on your target is the primary factor. Mental focus is a skill which you can utilize in any area of life and what could be more fun than developing it while playing a sport like Archery?

Strengthens your core muscles

Apart from aiding you in improving your mental focus, Archery is a sport which really strengthens your core muscles. The idea behind archery is to hit a target from a distance with the help of bow and arrow. So here you need a good balance to make sure that you can target, for which you really need to keep your body still. Therefore, as you practice the sport, you will begin to work on your core muscles, which are the muscles around your pelvis and trunks, both of which are instrumental in balancing your body.

All weather sport

Speaking of the truth, a range of sports today is usually played under certain weather conditions. But with Archery, it’s not the same case. You can play it at your convenience, all you need here is a bow and arrow, and a target, and you are set. In archery, there are two seasons, indoor and outdoor, which means you get to play it all round the year. The indoor season allows you to play it inside – maybe in a club or hall, and it gets you to shoot targets from a distance of 18 meters on average. While in the outdoor season, there is no bar whatsoever in terms of distance between you and the target, as you get to shoot from various distances.

Lifetime sport

There is no bar in Archery as far as age is concerned. If you have learned it once, you can play it for a lifetime. There have been numerous instances of people playing it even being at an old age and achieving heart-warming accolades. One such example is Butch Johnson, who made it to the US Olympic Team five times, the last being at the age of 52.

Builds confidence

The fact that you are being able to shoot an arrow into the bull’s eye is more than enough to boost your confidence. This helps you to get motivated and you feel like you have accomplished something, which is surely going to build your confidence.

Archery is not just about bow and arrows. It requires skill, dedication and enthusiasm to achieve perfection. So what all are you waiting for?

Easy Ways to Grip Your Compound Bow Properly

Archery is all about having a complete and accurate hold over your bow. While it involves a lot many aspects, the grip forms an essential part of whole procedure. Your probability of hitting the bull’s eye to a large extent is dependent on the way you keep your hands onto the grip, how relaxed you keep and maintain the grip both during and after the shot.

Archery Bow torque plays a vital role and decides how consistently you shoot shots in Archery. If the bow grip is not properly placed, bow torque will play its role and you will end up shooting either to the left or right of the desired target.

How to Determine if Bow Torque is Actually the Main Culprit?

You can determine this by drawing your archery bow and determining if it twists in your hands. The bow will get twisted or turned due to the force of the bow. When the bow will be released, it will spring back to its original position, making your arrow miss the target.

How to Eliminate Bow Torque?

Take it simple. Relax your fingers and wrist. Place the grip in your natural pocket formed with relaxed fingers and wrist with the wrist at a 90-degree angle. You can discover this pocket along the lifeline near the thumb side of your palm. If you are unable to find this natural pocket, you probably are not keeping your fingers relaxed. Further, knuckles should also run down off the edge of the rise, making an angle of 45 degrees. Maintain poise throughout and keep your fingers relaxed so that you have a right hold over the bow’s grip.

Once the bow torque is eliminated, your archery bow will jump forward out of your hand once the arrow is released. But, you will get habitual of this and will slowly learn to maintain the archery bow in place, with a smooth release.

Consistently having a proper grip while you are shooting is an important part of archery. This determines the consistency and accuracy of your shots as well.

5 Awesome Olympian Experiences at the Games

Have you ever wanted to actually feel like you’re a part of the Olympic moment? Walking alongside the athletes and experience the Games from their perspective? Well, here is a small glimpse into what that is like. Social media platforms of the 2016 Rio Olympics are, more than ever before, trying to capture every moment to share with you what the Olympics are like. Here are five things you might not see through Snapchat or an Instagram filter.

1. Medal celebrations

Medals, are of course, a big reason as to why we all watch the Olympics. We want to see our favorites do well, or our home town heroes perform at their best. When they do, we see all the excitement on TV. However, there’s even more to the fun when you earn a medal for your country. Your medal is added to the total count and everyone could not be happier. The athlete, or team, will then go through many various interviews on multiple different outlets; which can also be very draining on the athlete’s mental state for the day. Athletes can get asked multiple times throughout the course of the games if they have medaled and when that answer is yes, usually everyone near them is ecstatic and wants to celebrate with you. Thus, you have quite a few parties to go to later.

2. Village life

As an athlete, you will fly into the host country with your sport’s team; archery, badminton, rugby, etc. You will then be directed towards where you will be living inside the Athlete’s village. From the view we have received of the village in Rio, athletes seem to be dispersed all over the towers. So nothing like, “USA is in building number 12”. Having that in mind, mingling between other athletes and sports is quite a unique and wonderful experience for any Olympian at the Games. Mingling with other Olympians and cheering for your team in the common rooms is an amazing time in itself and cherished for years after.

3. The Swag

That’s right. Athlete processing. Just to name a few items, athletes receive uniforms for almost any occasion they might be met with. Media clothing, competition clothing, podium clothing, lounging clothing. You name it, they have it. Most athletes who attend for their first time are told to bring only your essentials like toiletries and underwear… because they get a whole suitcase devoted to a month’s worth of wear for the Games anyway. Pretty sweet, eh? On top of this they get shoes for all occasions, a personalized Olympic Watch, sized for their Olympic Ring, and tables upon tables of signing their name on posters, and other memorabilia for USOC designated items.

4. Order of Ikkos

Any Olympian who wins a medal, of any color, has a ceremony to award the coach they select for the one that has helped them along their journey the most, basically. It is to recognize not only the athlete’s journey but the person who also dedicated the time to help another person selflessly in their pursuit for an Olympic dream. Very emotional and very cool to experience. Hands down.

5. Getting into any events you want: VIPs

Probably saving the best for last. You know those swimming tickets you just couldn’t get your hands on? Or maybe women’s beach volleyball which is known to always be sold out. Well, don’t be too sad but any athlete who wants to see an event…gets to see an event. There is always a section for athletes from other sports to come and spectate any other sport. Why? Well wouldn’t you want to cheer on your teammates as they went for the gold? It shouldn’t come as a surprise that all athletes are always in support of other athletes and their dreams. This is a great way for them to show their patriotism and root for their fellow athletes without being burdened to go buy the tickets themselves. Awesome!

So which one are you jealous of? Wish you could be a part of the action? We are pretty sure everyone does at this point. Rio does hold some hope for showing us common folk what it’s like to be at the Games through any form of social media. News stories and personal videos get blogged about every day, every minute, and every second of the games whether it’s from athletes or other spectators. So don’t fret! Sneaking a peak at your phone at work every now and then couldn’t hurt. ;)

Don't forget to look through our cases and backpacks, you might need them on the road to your dreams!

5 Ways to Enhance your Hunting Season - Trail Camera Edition

Everyone knows that to become a good hunter, it comes down to the preparation one puts into their season. Within this list, we will go over some of the more uncommon practices some people may not know about. Getting a leg up on that prize you have your eye on is always a good idea, so let’s get right into it!

Direction: North and South

This is a simple fact of not wanting your photos overexposed or washed out during sunrise and sunset. It would really defeat the purpose if your pictures weren't visible... As well as during the winter months, the sun will be low enough that you will want to point in a more southern direction. This is as simple as taking a compass or your smartphone with an applicable app, and getting the north/south direction absolute perfect.

Number each camera with respective SD card

This might be obvious for some people to overlook but many people don’t do it. This is useful when you have to handle several cameras on one property. Memory only goes so far, so it’s important to mark out where your cameras are on GPS in coordination with each numbered camera. Making it easier to also locate them later in case you forget a few. To easily mark them, all it takes is a permanent marker and write on either the bottom or the back of the camera body.

Now the SD card is just as important. You wouldn’t want to mix up the cards when you stick them in your pocket, return to your computer, and then learn that you have no idea which card went to which camera. Yikes! No one wants that nightmare, so don’t rely on the time stamps the SD cards may apply.

Inactive Stands

If you tend to have multiple stands over your properties, you can always try placing one on each inactive stands you haven’t used in a while. This will allow you to discover a animals in your area that you didn’t even know was lurking there! Then work your magic by trailing them and placing cameras in possible routes they might be taking. Then get in your stand at what you have recorded as the best time and get to work!

Time Lapse and Trail cameras together

This is one that helps you discover movement over a broader area. You will want to set up your time lapse cameras to cover areas like fields, food plots, and other known travelling paths. If you can though, set them to take pictures every 10-20 seconds over the first and last few hours of daylight. Sometimes you won’t capture a whole lot doing this method, but your camera will thank you in the extra energy saver it creates; lasting for weeks rather than mere days. After scouting for a few weeks, you can view the photos and determine the exact routes your prey are using. Then, set up a regular trail cameras to get images of specific hunts you are really trying to nab.

Rainy days are useful

Now, what is nice about rain is it eliminates human scent naturally and effectively. This means that the entire area that you cover while marching all over your property to check on your cameras will hide your scent for free. Thank you Mother Nature! Also, when rain washes away fresh scents from the air, it also makes new scents easier for animals to detect. So pay attention to the wind direction while you are out and about. You will still want to wear rubber boots and using odor elimination spray of course, but rain will help make your job a lot easier.

Did you find these five helpful? Let us know in the comments section below, and feel free to post your own helpful hints!

5 Wonderful Reasons to Share Archery with Your Dad

Father's Day is a special moment for all the archery families out there. It is a day we celebrate what we share with the man who has always been there for us. Teaching us right from wrong, what the love of shooting our first arrow is like, and how to shoot for the stars and dream of what we can achieve. Thank you to dads everywhere.

Learning Life Lessons

There are times in life where parents get chances to really teach their children what they want them to learn in life. Archery provides some of those lessons between a child and father. To keep striving for your best, to never give up, and that your father is there to guide you every step of the way. He will be there to teach you how to shoot your first arrow, to climb that tree stand even though you’re afraid of heights, and even being there for your first deer in that “great circle of life” talk. Dads are the best at teaching us about life.

Memories

The times we share with our dads are priceless. From the time we shot our first arrows, maybe totally missing, to our big moments winning championship titles. Your first hunting stalk together, or week long camping trips together. So remember, whether its memories with your children or memories with your own father, make them count.

Sharing Lingo

Let’s face it, archery has its own language. Talking shop with your dad can be an awesome time. Especially in the middle of a store, restaurant, driving, hunting blind, and everywhere in between. You can finish each other’s sentences, have ideas for what might work for each other’s bow setups, or insist that this scope has more clarity than the other.

Friendly Competition

Not everyone can say that they are striving for greatness with their archery hobby. But in a way, a dad can offer a sense of competitive love and encouragement. So if you ever find yourself wanting to achieve more, you can always ask your father to help you. They will have a kind and teasing way of doing it too. Perhaps making bets with ice cream for the winner as well as exchanging chores for the loser. All as a fun way to encourage and always strive for your best.

Unending Support

Dads are always in our corner of the ring for any occasion. Whether you are his proud son or beautiful daughter, a father will always be there to support you. You have dreams of making hunting videos, do it. You have a dream to make it to the Olympic Games, go for it. Dad will always have your back and encourage you to push yourself further than you would have ever imagined.

Dads, we really appreciate all that you have done for us over our lives with you. Thank you for the time to teach us to love archery. We love that we can share it with you too!

5 Great Archery Inspired Cakes for Any Occasion

We know that a lot of special occasions are on the rise during this time of the year, so let us help with some archery inspired cakes for nearly every occasion. Here are our top 5 picks for awesome archery cakes that everyone can enjoy!

Brave

For young girls all around the world of all ages, Disney tends to have a way with inspiring them all. This cake doesn’t do anything less than that for young female archers. The connection between a parent and their child, especially when you share something as special as archery with one another. Do you have a daughter who just loves to shoot? Then this is the perfect birthday cake. It also sets up a great theme for the party!

Hunting/Camping Cake

This camping cake is perfect for any outdoors adventurist. Complete with animals and Mother Nature herself, anyone would be excited to get out in the woods and feel like you’re really there. Delicious and all of the pieces are edible….except maybe the animals. But then again, the real ones taste better anyway.

Engagement Cakes

They symbolize what brought together the happy couple. In this case, clearly it was archery that captured their hearts. Also complete with a cat….we can’t seem to figure out why cats and archery are linked so often but it is awesome none the less! The leaves look so perfect that you don’t even want to touch this wonderful looking stump.

Hunger Games

Yes, we said it. It may be a little overdone but anything with a bow, fire, and a willingness to fight the odds is enough for anyone to celebrate with cake! Katniss could have served this to her fellow district fighters and would have won so much faster. Everyone needs some fighting spirit cake! Great for sports teams!

Archery cupcakes

Who says you need a full on cake to enjoy the awesomeness of a baked good?! You can then fight over your favorites, whether it be one with a bow or one with arrows in it. Either way, everyone gets their own personal fun-sized mini cake! Since they are smaller, you might have to go back for a second….third…maybe fourth.

We can’t wait to try these and hopefully you do to. Whether it is a DIY project to do with the family or order one for a special occasion, archery themed pastries are the coolest thing ever! Feel free to comment below on your favorites!

While you're here, feel free to browse around at any of our premium bow cases and backpacks!

5 Essential Life Skills Archery Teaches Us

Archery is so much more than bows and arrows. It is what helps us get through our day. From being able to accomplish a goal, strive for that perfect group, or finally getting that prized trophy you’ve been looking forward to all season. Life teaches us quite a lot, but it is archery that helps give direction in our lives. Here are five life skills that you may, or may not, have realized your favorite sport gives you to succeed in life.

Determination

It might sound cheesy but it’s true. Many archers find themselves striving for that one last shot at perfection before going home each day. We develop this passion over time for the sport and it becomes so ingrained that it spills into other areas of our lives; in school, finding a job, proposing a plan, coaching a team, and so on. As it is with archery, you want to strive for excellence in all that you do. Applying that determination to multiple aspects of one’s life can greatly increase the chance for success.

Time management

Simple, yet very necessary for today’s fast paced world. As with a lot of sports, you understand that your practice time is precious. You want to spend it wisely and have enough time for it. So what does that lead to? Making sure everything else in your life is, to a degree, planned out. You can only get better at archery through practice, but this is also true for other things in life. Like planning a speech for a class, or getting a presentation ready for work. All having to deal with time management. Who knew archery could be so helpful, right?

Problem solving skills

Remember that time when you had to spend a few hours re-tuning your bow? Or maybe even figuring out how to get your bow working after travelling to a tournament and TSA seemed to break an important piece of your equipment? You had to think your way around the problem. Tinkering, if you will, with the possibilities of what could work or not work. The same is applied to other areas in life. Since archery has very specific problems that are associated with it, one can make even the most difficult of problems become easier with “out of the box” thinking from having to deal with archery problems.

Patience

Some of you might be thinking, “well I certainly am not as patient with shooting a bow as some people.” And I will agree with you. It’s ok to not have the greatest patience in the world. No one is perfect. But that is exactly what is happening when you practice archery. Everyone learns that they are not perfect. Some might take a little longer than others to figure out this revelation, but nevertheless it happens. After which, a new change starts to emerge. Patience brings about the willingness to improve, ask questions, trust, and wanting to help others succeed too. As much as people would not like to admit it, this is the key to help others become aware of… others. To help think about, and care, what others are doing in life. To live is to share in the struggles and triumphs with one another. One of the biggest attributes to being a part of this world. That’s right, we got pretty deep there. But it’s true.

Attention to detail/multitasking

Lastly, archery brings us the ability to look at the details. Since there are so many thoughts going on in our minds at the peak of the shot process, this is something that can’t be overlooked. Not many sports or activities can provide the same amount of information flow and detail orientation that archery can. You can have 10 things going on at once inside your head and they all have to do with the one action that you are about to take. Shooting an arrow. This can lead to us being able to multitask in several different environments. Some people have to make a checklist for the day’s duties. However, sometimes your archery brain can take over and give you a sense of direction for the day without having the need to write it down. It’s like having a brand new super power!

So whichever your case may be, let it be known that archery can have a seriously helpful influence in your average day to day activities. Strive for perfection, but also know that archery is fun too. So no matter what bow you are shooting, remember that you are ingraining new skills for all parts of life.

Best Practices You Must Follow in Order to Ensure Your Safety in Archery

Safety is the most crucial element that should be looked at while practicing a sport and Archery is no exception. You never know when the arrow hits you and it will be too late for an archer to apologize. To ensure safety, the archer must be very careful, where they are hitting and at which direction they are targeting the bow and arrow. Most importantly, they must be careful and check before targeting if somebody is crossing by their lane.

1) Age group

Keeping the safety factors in mind, children below the age group of 16 must be escorted by an adult. Young children or amateurs may get injured, by running here and there, by not watching out, where the archer is targeting.

2) No Alcohol

Alcohol is strictly banned for all age groups as it is the main source of damage and could lead to a major injury by an archer, not being at his/her mental state.

3) Archer must be attentive

An archer must be attentive enough while shooting the target and should be aware of the direction of his bow and arrow. They must be aware where they are shooting and not end up shooting on other lanes or distracting other archers. Fights and quarrels should be avoided at all costs especially when the archer is practicing. It would cause a lot of damage to them and they will be banned from entering the premises.

4) Archery range work force

Archery range authority has been giving instructions to deny service to anyone who goes against any rule made by the organisation. As for any damage that occurs on the field, the workforce will be held responsible for letting the damage happen to the injured person. Further, archer won’t be allowed to practice again on that range.

5) Listen to the instructions carefully

Before starting archery, there is always an instructor, who is instructing archers of what to do and what not in order to avoid any injuries and for safe play. If an archer is intelligent enough, he or she must be attentive so that they can enjoy the game comfortably without injuring themselves.

6) While pulling arrows

While pulling the arrows out of the target stand on one side and before pulling it ensure that nobody is standing directly at the back. Also, make sure, you don't target arrow towards the sky, as you never know, towards which direction will it fall & it may end up hurting somebody.

Keep these factors in mind in order to ensure that you are safe in Archery. It might sound like a simple game of bow and arrow, but you never know what happens next. Archery undoubtedly is one of the safe games, and by following these best practices you can boost your safety manifold.

Factors That You Must Consider When Buying a Bow

Buying a bow and arrow is no child’s play. You need to have proper info about the concerned aspects before making the right choice in order to excel in Archery.

A few points that you need to consider when buying a bow include:

The size of the bow: how big or small should it be?
How do you shoot? Whether, you shoot with your right or left hand?
The draw-length
The draw-weight: Assuming that beginners generally choose to go for recurve bows, for a lady 24 to 28 lb is suggested as a suitable draw weight. However, for men archers, recurve bow weight of 28 to 32lb is highly recommended.

How to Select a Proper Bow?

Selecting a bow of a bearable weight is recommended in Archery, as mentioned above. A comfortable bow will allow you to shoot at the target comfortably and at a good distance. It will also allow you to sustain a good posture, which is also known as a Form.

On the other hand, selecting a very heavy bow can lead to ruining your body structure. Since you would get involved in intense training sessions, wrong bow weight can interfere with your health, making the circumstances difficult.

Many bows come with flexible weight. In such bows, the draw weight can be adjusted upwards from the rated weight by about 10%. And therefore, 30 pounds at limbs can be tailored to around 32 pounds. You may need to purchase a new set of limbs if you decide upon increasing your draw weight, even when you are playing with tailored limbs. Also, keep in mind, the weight mentioned above are the weights, to be carried on your fingers at full draw. The actual weight is dependent upon, how far you're able to draw the bow.

Bows and arrows are said to be measured with AMO requirements and are related to the weight of the draw. The draw weight recommended for the beginners bow, used with the suggested aluminum arrow would just permit the person to shoot 80 yards or for that matter, for a lady to shoot about 60 yards.

It's recommended, that the bow size should be chosen as per the user's draw length, but on the other hand, the draw length is largely dependent on the height of the person as well. And thus, you can achieve a particular bow length by trying out the different combinations of limbs and handle. You can choose to have a smoother draw sensation by going for longer limbs and shorter handle. But this will then interfere with the arrow’s speed. Similarly, the longer handle and shorter limbs would provide you with faster speed.

Consult with your coach properly before you pick up the bow and arrow for archery. Bow and arrow are the basic equipment of the game, and it is very necessary that you choose them properly.