The Intelligent Sport of Archery

Archery requires flawless hand-eye coordination and a steady hand. In this situation, a steady hand does not come from not drinking alcohol, but by being so strong that the archer is not straining to draw the string and hold it when taking aim.

Rapid fire archery necessitates fast reflexes. You could say that these qualities are required for other reasons in general life and that may be true, but archery is the one sport that requires them all.

Shooting a gun accurately takes some of these skills as well, but it does not need great strength and rapid fire is merely a question of pulling the trigger or even holding it back. It is true that when guns were developed, archers looked down on riflemen, because they did not require the same degree of training to be decent shots.

This is one of the main factors why guns took over from bows. It took 10-15 years to train a long bowman, but just a few weeks to train a rifleman. It was obligatory in England and Wales for all men and boys to train with their longbows at the village butts on a Sunday where they were supervised and taught by the local sheriff's militia.

The long bowman was a respected figure, because everyone knew the dedication and skill it took to be an accurate archer. This was not merely true in Great Britain, but in every country in the world (except Australia) as far as we know.

Evidence of archery, but not the longbow, has been found everywhere from Europe to Asia and some of it goes back 12,000 years, which is a long time for a bit of wood to last, particularly when a broken bow would often have been a household item which could be used on the fire as fuel.

Before the invention of the bow, huntsmen and warriors used the atlatl (or woomera, in Aborigine Australian), which is a long, grooved stick used to launch a one-metre long dart at almost 100 mph. There is evidence that the atlatl was being used by Homo heidelbergensis 400,000 years ago in modern day Germany.

The longbow and the flat bow were most frequently used in northern Europe where most soldiers walked into battle as only knights (nobility) had horses. On the other hand, in most other countries, where a lot of the fighting was carried out from horseback or from chariots, a shorter bow was used as it was less unwieldy and easier to move across the horse's neck to fire left and right.

The longbow and the flat bow were about six feet in length and had a typical draw weight of over 60 lbs but up to 100 lbs, which would send a three-foot arrow up to 1,000 yards.

The shorter bows were recurve bows and although lighter to draw, it took a significant amount of skill to hit a target whilst travelling at speed on the back of a horse or bouncy chariot.

There are two ways of aiming any bow: by sight and by intuition. In sight shooting, the archer aims down the arrow and lines it up with the target allowing for distance, wind, movement etc, but in intuitive shooting, the archer only concentrates on the target. Intuitive shooting may come after lots of sight shooting practice.

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The Meaning of Brace Height in a Compound Bow

Just about all popular pursuits and hobbies are full of jargon and technical terms that are specific to it. People who are heavily involved in these pursuits often take the terms that are used daily for granted. Archery and bow-hunting is filled with these kinds of terms, particularly when discussing the bows. One of the phrases used to describe a bow is the brace height. For those trying to buy a compound bow for the first time, trying to work out it's significance might be very confusing.

The following is a brief description of the brace height, what it refers to in a compound bow and what the significance is in terms of the bow's performance.

In the simplest terms, the brace height is the distance between the string when it's at rest and the deepest part of the bow grip.

The reason this measurement is always quoted as part of a bow's specification details is that it indicates the potential speed the bow can shoot an arrow. If a bow has a short brace height and a long draw length (the furthest distance the string can be drawn back) it tells you that the string will be drawn a lot more tightly than a bow with one that is longer. The conclusion to that is that the bow will be capable of shooting arrows at a greater speed.

There is a trade off with the speed capabilities of bows with short brace heights. In general, it is more difficult to shoot accurately using a bow with a short brace height.

Although compound bows with longer brace heights are not quite as powerful as those that are shorter, they are still highly desirable. This is because these types of bows offer more forgiveness when they are fired. For the newcomer to the sport as well as the occasional shooter it is very likely that the technique that is used to fire the bow is going to be less than perfect. A bow that has a larger brace height will not punish the shooter quite so severely and this means it will still be possible to shoot relatively accurately.

If you are new to the sport of archery and you're looking for a new compound bow, try to resist the temptation to buy the fastest, most powerful bow possible. Err on the side of accuracy and learn how to shoot properly before moving up in power. A brace height that is over 7 inches might be a suitable place to start.

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Finding the Best Crossbow in the Market - The PSE TAC 15i Vs. The Barnett Ghost 400

Finding the best Crossbow in the Market - The PSE TAC 15i vs. The Barnett Ghost 400

With the increasing number of crossbow models available in the market, it is necessary to compare the best brands and products. Currently, there are 2 leading products in the market, the PSE TAC 15i and the Barnett Ghost 400.

The PSE TAC 15i

In 2010, PSE released a new and exciting crossbow, the TAC 15i. This crossbow has a lot to offer. The accuracy it has is incomparable because it delivers astounding accuracy at 50 yards. The power it has also is something to be considered. At 402 Feet per second, the TAC 15i is simply amazing. In addition, it has several mechanisms such as the vibracheck backstops that help minimize vibrations making the crossbow more smooth to operate and quieter in release.

While most of the crossbows available require effort when cocking and loading, the TAC 15i has a cranking mechanism that requires only 12 lbs. of force to crank. This makes it easy for owners to load and fire it. The crank also functions as an unloader which eliminates the necessity to fire the crossbow to unload it. The design also has several mountings for additional parts such as scopes, flashlights and bipods.

On the downside, the TAC 15i crossbow is quite expensive and requires a special arrow that is specifically designed for the device. Moreover, it is not as compact as other crossbows available in the market as the TAC 15i resembles the AR rifle in size.

The Barnett Ghost 400

The Barnett Ghost 400 is a force to be reckoned with. With the patented Barnett ultra light laminated carbon riser, it is lightweight and easy to carry and aim. Because of its manner of construction, the crossbow is not only lightweight; it is also not top heavy. This helps hunters in aiming properly as well as adds accuracy in every shot.

The quality of the materials also decreases the vibration of the crossbow making it 30% quieter and smoother to release. Safety, especially for clients who are new crossbow enthusiasts is a much needed factor and the Ghost 400 offers amazing 5 to 1 safety features not available in TAC 15i. The crossbow delivers 400 FPS power and has anti dry fire mechanism which means that one cannot fire the crossbow without an arrow. The crossbow is not only powerful and accurate; its price is also competitively priced compared to TAC 15i which makes it a hot commodity especially for beginning bow hunters.

On the downside, the bow may be lightweight, but with a width of 24 inches, it is less compact than the TAC 15. Cocking the arrow isn't also as convenient as TAC 15i because the Ghost 400 requires a rope to accomplish this.

Conclusion

In reality several factors like safety. Cost and power and accuracy are put into consideration when buying crossbows. In terms of power, and accuracy, TAC 15i tops the list. However, the Ghost 400 is superb in safety and value for money. One thing is for sure though, the TAC 15i and the Ghost 400 crossbow will continue to dominate the market.

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Archery: Starting Off

Before it became a recreation activity, archery was used by our forefathers as a weapon for hunting and even in combat. With the developments in technology, sophisticated weapons can now be produced which has left archery impractical to be used in activities it was known for. Therefore, it has become a form of pastime or sport. It involves a bow, a string that is attached to the bow and arrows that are placed on the stretchable string to be shot. Previously, archery arrows were made of wood but as technology advances and more durable materials are invented, they can now be made of more durable materials such as fiberglass, aluminium or carbon fiber. The best material amongst these three is carbon as it is the lightest and flies the fastest with the least resistance.

If you are searching for a new hobby that is not so strenuous, archery is the one for you. It is actually quite an easy sport as all you need to do is pull the arrow placed on the bowstring and release it at your target. Despite the fact that this sport does not require great amount of strength, it definitely requires one to be fully focused to get good results. An archer must also have the correct stance in order to be able to shoot properly. The feet have to be shoulder-width apart and the body of the archer should be perpendicular to the target. One can determine his or her skill by examining the distance of their shooting range and the weight of the bow they carry. As you continue practicing, you can advance to higher levels of archery and join competitions.

This hobby can be an expensive one to take up so if you are experimenting with it, I suggest you do not buy a bow first. You should go to archery ranges where you can rent the equipment to practice. If you feel that this is the sport for you, you can pursue buying a bow of your choice. There can be many reasons and advantages why one should take up archery. A few examples can be that it is a unique choice as not many people take up archery. Therefore, you would always have an interesting topic to talk about when you meet new people. Another reason is that it does not require great physical strength as compared to other sports. However, you must have the required amount of upper body strength to be able to carry out the activity. As a hobby, you can try various forms of archery such as competitive, field where the person shoots targets in an open area, and bow fishing where the person shoots fishes in the water using a bow and arrows.

If you are keen on competitive archery, there are two forms, outdoors and indoors. The indoor form usually has a range from 18 to 25 meters while the outdoor is 30 to 90 meters. As it does not strain your body, it can serve as a stress reliever as well.

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Online Dating Made Simple - 3 Tips to Simply Using Online Dating Sites to Meet Women

online dating can be a really simple way for a guy who has run out of ideas to meet women to actually connect and interact with single women. You don't even have to be someone who has run out of ideas, you might just prefer using a platform other than the normal bar scene to meet a woman. However, as simple as it may be, a lot of men find that it ends up being harder than they had hoped it would be. Some will even feel that way before they even get started and hopefully, that does not happen to you. If it does, there are things that you can do that will simplify the process of using online dating sites to meet women.

Here are 3 tips that I think you will find makes it a lot easier to meet women on the internet:

1) Don't just opt for one site and one site only.

When you first start out, you may want to try using just one site to get a feel for what you are doing and how to make yourself stand out. However, you might find that the first site that you choose doesn't seem to have the selection that you are looking for, or that the number of women who are available in your area is just too little. If that is the case, then you may want to try a couple of other sites if you can. Kind of like going to one bar and seeing that it is dead and then deciding to make the rounds to a few other bars to see if they are more lively.

2) Do try your best to start conversations with women online.

Using a web based platform to meet women is no magic bullet where you are automatically going to just attract female attention. You are going to have to try and make things happen and that means that you need to be able to start conversations with women and see how it flows from there. Don't worry if you don't get it right on the first few women you try to connect with. There will be more.

3) Don't forget that what you really need to do is to make a woman want to get to know you in person.

It's great that you can use your computer to connect with someone and you can have some fun flirting with a woman online, but if you really want to see some magic in your dating life, then you are going to have to advance off of the computer and meet up face to face. Don't forget that.