Archery - One Month Later

It's been a month. How have I progressed?

Qualitatively, I've learned a lot. I know more buzz words, understand more concepts, made my own PVC bow, and feel more satisfied with my skill level.

Quantitatively, I shot only Mediterranean grip and here's how my numbers fare.

Baseline points: 55 pts (0.625 per shot)

1 Month points: 108 pts (1.2 pts per shot)

Baseline accuracy: 52%

1 Month accuracy: 91%

My test was different from my baseline in that I had a different bow, I had damaged fletchings, a bracer, a glove, and the target was on the chair instead of the ground (which I think helped inflate my baseline originally).

Results: I got a lot better.

My third set showed the biggest change. I hit the target with 20 out of 22 arrows (91%) and I was frustrated. 

Why? Because none of the arrows hit close enough to center. 

In one month, I went from happy with hitting the target to expecting to hit the target (52% to 91%). My normal had shifted from trying to hit the target to hitting the multi-point rings.

I was really happy with the results. 

I might have made more accuracy progress if I didn't fiddle with new concepts like a thumb ring, khatra, and shooting left handed. However, I enjoyed broadening my knowledge base. I sometimes have trouble with straight repetition for skill-sharpening, because I enjoy experimenting. 

Some things I've learned:

I've learned a lot about how arrows fly. Fletching matters!

I didn't know much about different styles of archery other than that they existed. I improved the most and was the most consistent with a Mediterranean grip (1 finger over, 2 under the arrow).

I experimented with a thumb ring and my results were highly variable. I was thrilled after my first three shots with the ring looked like this.

Maybe I'm best with the thumb ring! I thought.

Then I totally whiffed the target on the next 2 out of 3. The one that hit was maybe an inch from missing entirely.

I also learned that brass can tint skin green. I thought it could be bruising at first, but Carrie clued me in. My thumb was weaker from my injury and could be sore, but the "bruise" disappeared regularly, too (Maybe after hand washing?).

Some of my side gear is showing signs of wear and tear. I'm losing arrow fetching and the fingertips of my glove are wearing away. I used duct tape to fix the bracer, too. The string kept glancing my forearm without it (I may tweak the brace height).

Before I made any adjustments to the bow, there was something I wanted to measure: The draw weight.

To do that, I needed to make a tool to help measure. It took some lumber, a few screws, and a lot of sweat (because the garage is sweltering).

I measured to see how far I normally draw to my focus point and it was 29". Standard draw weight is measured at 28".

I decided to measure at 28". I figured out the weight of my bow and apparatus. Then I pulled the string down and measured what the scale said.

The first measure was for 43 lbs and the second was for 41.6 lbs. That's not highly accurate, but I was only looking for a ballpark number. The bow and measuring stick weighed about 5.2 lbs together, so I'm looking at perhaps a 37 lbs draw or a little more if I'm really pulling back 29" instead of 28".

For curiosity's sake, I pulled out the fiberglass core and measured the draw weight of just the PVC bow. It dropped about 10 lbs. 

Eventually, I'd like to working with at least a 60 lbs draw weight. Anything over that would be purely for exercise purposes. Most states with a requirement want a 35-40 lb draw weight for hunting. Only one state requires more more: Nebraska...at a whopping 125 lbs!!! Do they want you to be able to kill a bison at the minimum!? That's a medieval war bow!***(See bottom of post)

I may modify the brace height and see how that changes the draw weight. When I didn't have the bracer the string kept glancing my forearm.

The only other modification I've done lately is mark a nocking point. I used some dental floss. At first, I eschewed the idea of any modifications, but it turns out to be pretty convenient (it's like people had a good reason for inventing the idea...). 

I ended up taking a week off after my 1-month check. There was a ton of rain, chores, and it seemed a good time to rest my draw hand. But I'll get back to it! This started as a quarantine hobby, but it may stick around for a bit longer.

***Update on NE
So I did a little more research. It seemed crazy that NE would require such a crazy draw!

The initial site and google search I did seemed to confirm it.

However, I kept digging. Multiple sites quoted the 125 pound minimum, but none of them were what I would call primary or even good secondary sources.

I downloaded the Big Game Guide 2016 for my final answer (2020 would've been better!).

The 125 pound minimum is for a crossbow. There is no minimum weight required for longbows, recurve bows, and compound bows.

I kept my initial reaction, because it's funny.