Archery Safety and Procedures

1 whistle

shoot, all clear

2 whistles

get your bow and walk to the shooting line, straddle the line, bow on toes

3 whistles

walk to the target line and retrieve arrows

5 or more whistles

Emergency immediately stop what you are doing, put your bow on rack and move behind the waiting line

What should your stance be?

Feet should be shoulder width apart, shoulders and feet should make a “T” with the line of targets

How should you nock the arrow?

Keeping arrow pointed in a safe direction, nock arrow onto the string with the cock or index feather pointing away from the bow. Shaft should be on the arrow rest.

How do you set?

Put bow hand on the grip without clutching it, put draw hand fingers on string using either a “one over, two under” or a “three under” technique. The “three under” technique works best for beginners who need help keeping the arrow on the rest.

What should your pre-draw stance look like?

Extend both arms forward keeping the bow arm out of the way of the string and the draw arm elbow up

What should your stance look like when you’re drawing?

Pull draw arm steadily straight back USING YOUR BACK MUSCLES, keeping elbow up until you reach the anchor point. Keep the bowstring lined up with the center of the bow as you draw

Where should your anchor point be?

Draw string back until your hand is touching your anchor point- the same place you will draw back to EVERY TIME. Examples include: thumb touching your jaw, finger at the corner of your mouth, thumb touching behind your ear, etc.

How should you aim?

To shoot instinctively, look at what you want to hit and DO NOT LOOK AWAY. If you are consistently shooting too high/low, pick a new spot to look at. Example: if your arrows are consistently going too high, pick a lower spot on the target to look at.

How should you release?

While still looking at your target, open your draw hand all at once. Do not let the string roll off your fingers.

How should you follow through?

As you release and after, your release hand should travel backward toward your shoulder and you should continue to look at the target

what is 1?

arrowhead

what is 2?

shaft

what is 3?

crest

what is 4?

fletching (hen)

what is 5?

fletching (cock)

what is 6?

nock

what is 1

cam

what is 2

lower limb

what is 3

bow back

what is 4

bow face

what is 5

bow grip