Bows Used in the Olympics [Archive]

Vuk

07-30-2012, 01:15

http://sports.yahoo.com/photos/olympic-archery-photos-slideshow/

Does anyone know what all that stuff they got attached to it is? I've used bows since I was a kid, but most of them are homemade wooden bows (with the exception of one 70lb draw compound), so I don't know a lot about the fancy gadgets used on modern bows. One of the guys I was hunting with once had a compound that was all pimped out with sites, some kind of string release, and nearly everything else you can imagine, but it looked nothing like those ones.

Also, those honestly do not look that powerful. Does anyone know what speeds they get off those, and what the draw weight is?

ajaxfetish

07-30-2012, 04:27

I'm certainly not an expert on Olympic archery, but here's what Wikipedia has to say on the bows used: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recurve_bow#Recurve_bow

It looks like the big rods sticking out from the front are called stabilizers, and are there for purposes of balance and vibration-reduction. The thingy further up would be a sight. Those are the most prominent gizmos, so I don't know if you have any others in mind, but I'm sure there's details to be found with a little research. As to the power, their appearance may not be an accurate reflection of the power they can store, but even if it is, I suspect the archers are only being judged for accuracy? Beyond a certain limit, I'd expect increased power to give little return on investment, or even make it more difficult to fire accurately or continue firing without tiring too much.

Ajax

edit: as for draw weight and speed, this thread (http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/showthread.php?t=1726654)suggests that experienced recurve shooters usually use 35-36# limbs, and this (http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_draw_weight_do_olympic_archers_use)claims that male olympic archers use a draw weight around 50#, compared to 35# for women. As for speed, this discussion (http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080908071748AAd3Jvu) suggests that recurves top out around 200 fps. Compound bows can store more energy at the same draw weight, so naturally they can be more powerful, and it sounds like around 300 fps is average for them. However, Olympic archery apparently only involves recurve events.