Compound Bow - A Long Way Since Robin Hood

 Of course, it could never happen as they were only actually designed in the 1960's, but even so, it would have made a pretty good story don't you think? Mind you, if the legend is correct Robin Hood didn't actually need the additional accuracy of a compound bow, he could pretty much hit whatever he shot at anyway.

When you first see a compound bow you could be forgiven for not really know what it was at all. They certainly don't look like the traditional long bows or the ones the native Indians used to use against the cowboys, but rather have a series of intricate cams, wheels and pulleys. In fact, compound archery would be just about impossible without the help of these gadgets, you simply wouldn't have the strength to pull the string back.

The cam on such bows means that the archer can pull back a string with much more weight, giving the arrow more speed and allowing it to fly much flatter through the air. This means that they can not only fly further, but that compound archery has also got much more accuracy than traditional bow designs.

The concept of the this was originally designed in the 1960's, but these days the majority of bows which are used in competition have been developed over the last couple of decades. There are many different types to choose from, bowtech bows are very popular, as well as mathews bows and, of course, pse bows (thought by some to have the widest choice of advanced compound bows available today).

Surprisingly lightweight, the weight to strength capacity of this bow is pretty remarkable, and the complex sights system (well, complex to novices anyway) ensures that the modern sportsmen and women involved in compound archery can hit the bulls eye with remarkable consistency - or is it called the gold? They can achieve this even when, to the naked eye, the target appears like nothing more than a speck in the distance.

There's no wonder that the sport of compound archery is becoming extremely popular, although you do need a very large practice area - you can't simply shoot at straw bales in the back garden, it would be far too dangerous. The compound bow is a lethal weapon which, quite rightly, demands to be treated with respect.

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