How far can you shoot an arrow?

In 2010 Zak Crawford, only 14 years old at the time, set a world record in the "under 35 lbs recurve" category of flight archery.

The previous record was approx. 350 meters, but Zak smashed that record when he shot a little over 500 meters with his bow in 2010.

However that was with a 35 lb bow - which he likely overpulled to approx 37 - 40 lbs in order to give it some extra umph during the release.

Overpulling a bow to give it extra distance capacity is pretty standard when doing flight archery. That extra couple of lbs of force behind the arrow can make a huge difference when you are trying to smash a world record.

However Zak's feat is minor when you consider that 500 years ago British longbow archers were reputed to be able to shoot over 1500 yards away (over 1370 meters). And still hit a large target, like an enemy ship. Shooting burning arrows at enemy ships from long distances was the height of British naval warfare before cannons became popular and eventually erased the need for archers.

British longbowmen at the time were pulling bows with 150 lbs or more - so approx. 4.3 times the power of the bow Zak Crawford used in 2010.

And their arrows were heavier. Therefore it makes sense that a modern archer with great physical strength - pulling a 200 lb bow and using super lightweight arrows - could shoot arrows significantly further.

Arrow fletching also makes a difference. For flight arrows you want the fletching to be very small.

Wind conditions also make a big difference when doing flight archery. A headwind (coming towards you) will slow your arrow down. A tail wind could help or hinder it.

Another factor is elevation. Shooting on a high plateau gives you an advantage because of the thinner air. Shooting at sea level however, the air is thicker and slows your arrows down more.

But what is weird is how modern flight archery competitions all have weight categories for the bows. Limitations effectively on how far people can shoot using a much weaker bow.

For example Dennis Riley in 1981 shot a 72.8 lb conventional flight bow 975.36 meters.

Why was his bow 72.8 lbs??? Because that was the weight limitation for the category he was shooting in.

In contrast Don Brown in 1987 shot a conventional flight bow in an "unlimited category" and shot it 1222.01 meters. But how many lbs was his bow? I cannot tell you. I cannot find a record of the poundage.

In 1979 Harry Drake shot a foot bow (another category that is unlimited) 1410.87 meters. Again, no record for the poundage of his bow.

See http://www.worldarchery.org/RESULTS/Records/Flight-Records/Men for other weight categories for men's flight archery.

So how far can YOU shoot?

Depends on the poundage of your bow, the weight of your arrows, the length of your draw (overpulling), the wind conditions and how close to sea level you are.

Please don't shoot at animals

We know some people out there think it is funny to shoot at animals, but seriously, that stuff is not funny.

Even just jokingly shooting at a pet could cause serious harm to the animal.

"Oh, I just wanted to scare him a little!"

Seriously. Not funny.

Assuming the pet doesn't get killed, it is still going to be a nasty visit to the vet.

And either way, if you get caught shooting at animals you will be charged with cruelty to animals.

If you want to hunt, go get a hunting license and learn to shoot at animals you will actually eat like deer, elk, moose, geese, ducks, etc. Get your hunting license, hunt during hunting season only, and do it properly.

Shooting at pets only gives archers a bad rep and makes the rest of us look bad because of your idiocy.

Traditional Longbow from Africa

Wherever you go in the world, the vast majority of longbows all have the same basic shape.

Traditional Archery in Brazil

Fashion Advice for Male Archers

Baggy clothes doesn't work well for archery. Here to tell us why and to give us some fashion tips for archers on how to dress is an article espousing the benefits of men's high fashion when doing archery.

Where Men’s High Fashion Meets Archery

By D. Eze

Archery has become more and more popular over the past few years. Something that was only associated with Robin Hood in pop culture has now become almost ubiquitous. From very popular Katniss Everdeen and her bow and arrow hunting from the Hunger Games to the almost as popular Arrow TV show featuring the comic book character Green Arrow, an archery aficionado, and his side kick Speedy; archery is practically taking over as the sport to try out.

Now you see kids (especially young girls) taking up the sport, there are more people at the archery ranges and people are taking more and more lessons. But, there seems to be just one problem. What should you wear?

You could go with the Robin Hood look of old leather jackets and woolen slacks, but that seem a little too extreme. Although authenticity is great, one should never be a slave to it. You could go with Katniss’ run down rags (for those of you who did not see the movie or read the books *Spoiler Alert* Katniss is from a very poor part of The United Stated of America), but it does not seem like it would be very comfortable or very stylish. You could go with the comic book and don spandex and a cap, but that also sounds uncomfortable (in more ways than one – not sure if you want to show everything off) and well kind of weird.

What should a person do in such a situation? Trying to take part of a happening and interesting trend but not sure what to wear to enjoy it fully.

Well, you could take a look at Kish Wear, a Toronto men’s fashion line, which provides comfortable clothing at affordable prices that will allow you to look as good as if you had just finished a GQ fashion shoot.

Having tried archery myself, I can tell you that being comfortable is paramount to being successful. There are 3 things that you must consider to be comfortable at the range: Climate, Freedom of Movement and Style.

Climate

Climate is always a given no matter what situation you are in. We all look at the Weather Channel or at our mobile weather apps to make sure that when we step out of the house we are prepared for the weather we will find outside. The archery range is not exception. You will be outside for the entirety of you archery practice so you better know what you will be facing while you are shooting. Also, if you are not prepared for the weather and you find yourself in cold, hot, windy or rainy conditions you will not be able to focus on the archery target at all. For instance, in Toronto at the archery range you are susceptible to any and all weather conditions. It is cold from late September to late March and hot from mid May to late August and moderate in between. You need to be prepared for all these conditions to get the best out of your archery season.

Here are some options that will keep you warm, cool or dry from Toronto high fashion menswear maker Kish Wear.

Wool Black Cardigan

The Wool Black Cardigan is warm and great for when the temperature dips.

Grey Brown Zipper Detail Jogger Pant

These pants are slightly thicker and more comfortable to allow you to keep warm when the temperature gets a little lower then you would like but you just cannot say no to the range.

Freedom of Movement

Freedom of Movement of you limbs is extremely important to every archer. You need to be able to have a steady stance, your arms must be able to firmly hold the bow in front of you and deftly pull back the arrow and bowstring. If your clothing inhibits any of these movements you will definitely not be able to properly shoot an arrow and you may put yourself or others in danger. Wearing close fitting clothing is best for archer practice and also happens to be a popular fashion forward trend.

Here are some possibilities that let you take advantage of high-end fashion and allow you the freedom of movement that is so necessary for all archers.

Brown Incotex Slim-Fit Trousers

These trousers are slim fitted to stay close to the body and thus not get in the way of shooting and a proper archery stance.

Italian V-Neck Cardigan

This light and fitted Italian V-Neck Cardigan is perfect to allow you the freedom of movement you need to take accurate shots.

Style

Style might seem like a strange requirement, but it is important that you feel at your best to focus on firing your arrows consistently and accurately. One of the main points of archer is to consistently shoot in a cluster, that is, shoot arrows in a small section of the target. If you are able to do that it shows that you are accurate, you are able to consistently reproduce an accurate shot and that you have successfully attuned yourself to the conditions such as your bow, your arrows, the weather and other people. If you are worried about what others think about your clothing how can you possibly concentrate on firing the best you can.

Style can be simply taken care of with a variety of choices at Kish.

Italian Wool-Blend Turquoise Hoodie

As an homage to Robin Hood and all the other archers of the olden days, why not try this wonderful turquoise hoodie that will keep you warm and let you blend in. This hoodie has two welted pockets to keep your hands warm, is semi-fitted and is made of comfortable fabrics.

The Toronto Archery Club on Meetup.com

Huzzah!

Finally, someone started a Toronto Archery Club.

Join at http://www.meetup.com/The-Toronto-Archery-Club/

Or the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/TorontoArcheryClub/