Little things = good arrow flight

       We've been discussing how the arrows and bow interact with each other, stiff arrows moving the bow around slightly, flexing less and staying on line.  How using a relaxed casual style of shooting allows for this.  I've mentioned how simple and good arrow flight can be achieved by a fairly wide range of arrow spines.  There are however, some small details that are what make it all work together.  This discussion isn't to make things more complicated, but to explain a little how certain little things can affect arrow flight and what to watch out for.

      When we discussed arrow spine groups being for the most part around six pounds variance, most shooters can shoot six pounds and not know the difference if their form is correct and they allow the bow to move slightly to the side if needed.  How much is this movement?  Much less than is probably perceived.  When target archers tune their arrow rests for arrow spine, they use an adjustable arrow rest or an adjustable pressure side plate or button and moving an arrow 1/32" to 1/8" closer or further from center shot is a massive amount of tuning movement.  The diameter of an arrow from 9/32" to 23/64" can be a big factor in how it aligns to the string thrust and center shot as well.  These are small measurements, and a relaxed bow hand and bent elbow can easily be moving around those small amounts at the shot.  It's almost impossible to hold a Hill style longbow perfectly still due to the light mass weight.  So, use that to your advantage.  Don't try to add weight to make it more stable, or don't try to hold the bow more steady and static.  Allow the arrows to work with the bow.  If the arrow is properly stiff, it will push the bow to the side a little.  If the arrow is skinnier and stiff, it doesn't push the bow to the side as far, because it's not starting out at as much of an oblique angle to the string as a fatter arrow.  A fatter, stiff arrow has to push more against the bow and the proper shooting form will let it.  If the arrows are on the weaker side by a little bit, they will bend around the bow as needed.  The end result of these small movements is arrows all flying the line.  I like to err on the side of stiff as the old timers did because a stiffer arrow was easier to shoot, mostly due to the forgiveness of release errors.

       Shooting gloves... A Hill style glove with closed ends might have a longer finger tip of stiff leather for the string to clear for a good release.  Oscillation of the string off the fingers contributes to a factor of arrow tuning and flight.  If you use such a glove, check the ends.  Make sure the ends of the finger tips are rounded.  Sand or trim the tips where the leather may be smashed or squared off which could result in a greater string oscillation upon release.  I've found that rounding off the finger tips of my Hill style gloves, trimming off the area where the leather forms a tip callous of stiff leather as it breaks in, helps my arrow flight quite a bit.

       Making sure the forward end of your feather fletching is nicely and smoothly tapered into the arrow shaft can make a difference if your arrows are slightly kicking into the bow or the arrow shelf extension...depending on which feather wing you are using and the spin of the arrow.

       Nocking the arrow above the nocking point allows a little cleaner arrow flight due to the tendency of the fingers to compress the arrow nock upwards as the string is drawn.  If the arrow nock isn't pinched against a nocking point above it, it's slightly less susceptible to a bad release and allows slightly better arrow flight.  Nocking the arrow above the nock point allows the arrow nock to move upward slightly and when it pushes against the top finger, it allows more give.  

      Nocking the arrow on the string as closely to ninety degrees to the arrow rest as possible while still retaining good arrow flight will result in a higher launch of the arrow and a higher arrow flight.  Nocking the arrow so the rear of the arrow is about 1/8 "- 3/16" is really good.  A higher nocking point will cause the arrow to "shoot downward" at the target.  

      Drawing the string and feeling a first anchor reference along the side of the face before releasing the string and moving rearward to the anchor point, will allow for a cleaner release than if the first reference point is too much on the front of the face.

      Remember the grip of the hand on the bow.  Relaxed overall, but slightly more firmly gripped with the bottom two fingers as we've discussed previously.

      A wood arrow that is stiff, with the total weight spread out over the entire length will shoot with a wider range of forgiveness (be easier to tune and pushes the bow to the side more easily) than an arrow that is stiff but has a lot of its weight concentrated in the forward end. The more forward the arrow weight is concentrated, the more "whippy" it makes the rear end and fletching becomes a factor...which is the reason that it is more susceptible to a poor release.  There is a reason why top tournament archers who rely on great downrange accuracy do not use heavily forward weighted arrows.  They are looking for release forgiveness.

      A wood arrow that flexes its way downrange for a bit, isn't a bad thing.  Every wood arrow is a natural material and each arrow will fly a little differently than it's companions.  Don't get too caught up in the mentality of the aluminum or carbon arrow tuning world.  Aluminum arrows are probably the most consistently straight and accurate arrows, but wood arrows can be extremely accurate as well, as evidenced by shooting machines.  It's the wood arrow reaction to our shooting form and release that may cause some extra recovery time. Hill noted that an arrow needed a window of space for the arrow to straighten out in its flight after leaving the bow.  That requirement has not changed.  If you shoot an arrow and it wobbles a little going down range, don't cast it aside.  The very next shot with that arrow may fly absolutely perfect, proving it was a form related issue that caused the previous wobbly flight.  Instead of worrying about arrow flight being perfect, work on making a good clean relaxed shot and the arrow flight will straighten out as a result.

    Use enough feather.  It is not a sin to use 5" or 5 1/2" feathers, or 4 fletch to get an arrow to fly well.  If arrows can be perfectly tuned for flight without fletch, then why don't hunters carry arrows into the field minus fletching?  We fletch our arrows to make sure, when our shot wasn't perfectly performed... or conditions were present that would make for bad arrow flight, that our arrows will still go where aimed.  A bare shaft won't correct itself if it hits a small twig on its flight.  A fletched arrow with enough feather just might, and save the day.  A bad release under the duress of a shot at a live animal can be compensated for by enough fletching.  Fletching provides steering on the arrow.  Make sure it's enough and don't be shamed into using less if you need more.  It's ok.  Hill shot more game animals than most men ever will have a chance to, under every conceivable condition and shot distance and I'm pretty sure neither he nor anyone else ever thought his fletching needed to be smaller to make him more successful.

     Make sure the arrow nocks don't fit the string too tightly.  Tune them.

     Keep the bow arm steady and on target until after the arrow is downrange. Even with the fluid swing draw style, "at the release, with both hands remain stationary".  A steady bow arm fixes and cures a lot of shooting ills.

     Small reminders and tips, but all work together to make the Hill style longbow and it's shooting system a very forgiving method to use in the field, whether your game is living, or just a rotten stump or clump of grass and they'll help you to...

    Shoot Straight.