How to Shoot a Bow

Print this article Develop control and consistency by using proper technique as you learn to shoot your bow.

Difficulty: Moderate Instructions

Things You'll Need Archery Sites Archery Arm Guard Archery Arrows Archery Bows Archery Gloves Archery Quivers Archery Targets 1 Forget the fact that you're probably a direct descendent of Robin Hood and realize that, while fundamentally simple, a good archery shot takes practice and strict adherence to a set of rules.

2 Visualize a line from you to the target. This is your shooting line. Take an arrow and lay it on the ground along your shooting line.

3 Stand with your toes to the arrow shaft, shoulder width apart. Now step your front foot back about 5 to 10 inches. This is your shooting stance. You may adjust it to what feels comfortable to you.

Nock an arrow in the center of your bowstring and let the shaft of the arrow rest on the bow, just above your hand grip. Make sure the odd fletching (feather) points at a right angle to the string, and the other two angle toward it. (There are only two ways to nock the arrow, so if the single fletching points in toward the bow, reverse it.)

5 Hold the bowstring with your first three fingers. The string should settle in the crease of your last joint, with the nock of the arrow between your middle and index fingers. Use your thumb to help stabilize the arrow.

6 Hold the bow in the "V" formed by your index finger and thumb. Keep your arm locked straight, with your elbow rolled slightly out.

7 Lift your head and face the target.

8 Raise your bow arm, keeping it locked, and draw the string back until your thumb is against your jawbone and your index finger is almost touching the corner of your mouth. Use your shoulder and back muscles to pull the string.

9 Aim.

10 Take a breath and hold it until you release your arrow.

11 Relax your string fingers from the wrist forward, letting the string slide from your fingers (this works a lot better if you're wearing a glove or finger tab).

12 Hold your shooting position until you hear the arrow hit the target.

KEJAYAAN meraih beberapa kejuaraan sepanjang tahun lalu, membolehkan skuad memanah lelaki negara berada pada kedudukan ranking kelima dunia, naik dua tangga daripada sebelum ini. Malaysia kini berada di belakang Korea Selatan, Taiwan, Itali dan India selepas mengumpul 249,000 mata keseluruhan berbanding Korea yang mengumpul 337,000 mata, Taiwan (294,750 mata), Itali (287,000 mata) dan India (254,000 mata). Setiausaha Kehormat Persatuan Memanah Kebangsaan Malaysia (NAAM), Hamid Hassan, berkata mata keseluruhan diperoleh menerusi kejayaan pemanah Olimpik, Cheng Chu Sian, Wan Mohd Kalmizan Wan Abd Aziz, Muhamad Marbawi Sulaiman dan Nazrin Aizad Mat Nasir meletakkan diri masing-masing dalam kelompok 120 pemanah terbaik dunia. Berdasar kepada ranking dunia yang dikeluarkan Persekutuan Memanah Antarabangsa (FITA), Cheng Chu Sian kekal berada sebagai pemanah nombor satu negara dengan berada pada kedudukan ke-19, Wan Kalmizan (29), Nazrin Aizad (95) dan Muhamad Marbawi (101). "Kedudukan tempat kelima mampu dipertingkatkan sekiranya setiap pemanah mengekalkan keupayaan masing-masing dalam kejohanan yang akan datang," katanya. Selain itu, katanya, kedudukan sekarang lebih baik jika prestasi Marbawi yang dianggap pemanah nombor dua negara berada pada kemuncaknya di Sukan Olimpik Beijing tahun lalu. Bagaimanapun, Marbawi gagal mengiringi Chu Sian ke suku akhir kejohanan itu.

Sementara itu, Malaysia akan menghantar 12 pemanah pada kejohanan pertama Grand Prix Asia di Bangkok pada 19 hingga 23 Februari ini. Hamid berkata, Malaysia akan menghantar enam pemanah lelaki dan wanita dalam acara recurved dan compound.