What Is An Archery Recurve Bow

The history of bows and arrows dates back 5000 years, although some historians have uncovered archery artifacts dating back as far as 750,000 years ago from the Palaeolithic Age. Back then it was primarily used for hunting. Later in the middle ages bows and arrows were used for warfare.

Since the time when cavemen realized that they can throw their spears only as far as their strength will allow, strings were integrated in the equation to add force and strength to the velocity of the spear, which was later developed into an arrow. The problem with this equipment is that the distance and strength of the arrow will depend on the length of the string. The longer the string, the longer the trajectory the arrow can take. The shorter the string the shorter the distance the arrow will travel. The length of the string dictates the length of the bow. Since the string should be properly stretched during rest position, the bow should be long enough to accommodate the same.

If you want to shoot a distance of 800 feet you would need a really long bow, which can even be longer than your height. This presents a real problem.

In 1953, Bear Archery invented recurve bows to deal with the problem. An archery recurve bow is a bow with edges that curve outwards. In a standard longbow, the bow forms an arch, that when held by the archer, extends away from the body with the edges curving inwards. A recurve bow has tips that curve away from the archer when the bow is held in the shooting position allowing for more drawing leverage for the strings. However this requires greater force to hold the bow and string. Mastery of the recurve bow results in better muscle tone and overall archery skills.

With a recurve bow, the recurved shape of the limbs results in a linear increase in force as the string is drawn back and shoots the arrow further at higher speeds. Because of this the bow can be shorter than a simple bow without recurve for the same arrow energy making it more portable.

An archery recurve bow has become the standard equipment for most archery competitions. In the Olympics only the recurve bow is permitted. This is the reason why most after market products for archery bows are made with the recurve bow in mind.

This shouldn't be taken to mean that the recurve bow is only good for sporting competitions. Outdoor hunting likewise benefits from the advantages of a recurve bow. Even if the game is far, you won't have to carry a long and hefty bow. Your chances of hitting your target is greatly increased with the flexibility and smoother draw that a recurve bow allows.

Our thanks to Keith Henderson for this interesting article about Archery Recurve Bows.