Reddit mentions: The best archery books

His form isn't terrible, it's different-- it's an old school style developed more for a hunting situation where you likely had to take a shot from uneven ground, or from behind a bush, or from a tree, or prone, or on your back. Longbow hunting forms focus mostly on versatility and being just accurate enough to put an arrow in the kill zone

When it comes to longbow shooting, there are certain things that translate from Target shooting:

1. Solid footwork-- as Byron Fergison says, every good shot is built from the ground up. The longbow stance is a little wider than a target stance but you still need to be in line, at least for standing shots
   
   
2. Consistent draw-- hunting longbow stances have a different full-draw-form, but their draw needs to be consistent every time
   
   
3. The follow through-- hold the bow steady until the arrow hits the target. No flinching, no plucking, hand locked against the face (his anchor might be a little different. I'll get more into that later)
   
   
4. Consistency in grouping/shooting
   
   
5. ENCOURAGEMENT-- a positive attitude is a must for anyone who is learning instinctive shooting
   
   
   These are things that will not translate from target shooting:
   
   
6. The swing draw-- longbow shooters with heavier bows will have a different "closed" form than a target/recurve archer (think: upright olympic rifle stance vs. military combat stances).
   
   
7. You don't need to hold the bow at draw for as long (because the swing draw, done correctly, will put you in the correct form)
   
   
8. bow canting: It's personal preference. More cant = better field of view = more focus on the target. However much he cants the bow, make sure that his eye is in line with the arrow shaft. Each longbow shooter has their own optimal angle for bow canting, he'll discover it on his own after a while
   
   
9. The anchor point: I'm not sure what you use as an anchor point, but most hunting longbow forms anchor above the chin, usually pressed against the face. This gets the arrow closer to the eye and allows the archer to either consciously or subliminally sight down the arrow. The anchor point needs to be fixed for hunting forms-- no string walking or anchor point raising/lowering, just a consistent draw and anchor each time
   
   Archers you'll want to refer him to:
   -Howard Hill
   -Fred Bear
   -Will Young and Saxon Pope
   -Byron Ferguson
   
   Books:
   Hunting the Hard Way (Howard Hill):
   http://www.amazon.com/Hunting-Hard-Way-Howard-Hill/dp/1568331460/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412751131&sr=8-1&keywords=hunting+the+hard+way+howard+hill
   
   Become the Arrow (Byron Ferguson):
   http://www.amazon.com/Become-Arrow-On-Target-Series/dp/091330509X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412751154&sr=8-1&keywords=Become+the+Arrow
   
   Hunting with the Bow and Arrow (Saxton Pope):
   http://www.amazon.com/Hunting-Bow-Arrow-Saxton-Pope/dp/1497520010/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412751194&sr=8-1&keywords=Saxton+Pope
   
   The Witchery of Archery (Maurice Thomspon):
   http://www.amazon.com/The-Witchery-Archery-Maurice-Thompson/dp/1446528197/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412751234&sr=8-1&keywords=witchery+of+archery
   
   There are many videos on Youtube of Howard Hill, like this one:
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zo8UZneuggE
   
   and some very good instructional videos:
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98fuYYD5LOM
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJKOZ6KfRRs
   
   and some very bad ones too... Stick with the videos of people who were famous archers. Howard Hill is my favorite for reasons you'll see in the Cavalcade of Archery film, but anyone who's an established trick shooter or a renown hunter can also be trusted sources of knowledge
   
   The key to longbow shooting is that there is no one right way, there's only what works for the archer. It's a lot of experimentation, a lot of failing, but eventually he will learn what will work out best mechanically for him. He will need to take note of the different forms (including target style shooting) and take pieces of what works well for him-- just don't be offended if he doesn't do exactly what you want him to do because the longbow and the recurve are very different beasts.
   
   But above all, encouragement and always having a positive attitude is going to be the best thing. If he's self taught, it's likely he already knows how to take pieces of different forms and adapt it to his own needs (so yes, yo should definitely be teaching him Target shooting form stuff), but having someone to bounce ideas off of or even note when their elbow is low or they're shaking is a huge help, but above all encouragement is going to be the best thing you can do

1. This is going to sound dumb, but keep track of which side is the belly and which side is the back! My first bow was an unbacked red oak bow, with no handle. I was working on it one day, went to do something...and somehow got the back and belly mixed up. Yeah, that didn't survive long.
   
   
2. Dacron B-50 is your best friend. Cheap, tough, easy to work with. Related: regular old beeswax/string wax works just fine. No need to get the really expensive stuff.
   
   
3. If you're just starting out, I honestly recommend using hand tools over powered ones. It's really easy to take off too much wood using electric saws/grinders/sanders/etc. It'll take a bit longer, but it also lets you learn how to really shape the wood.
   
   
4. Take your time tillering! It's very tempting to rush through just to get to the end and say "good enough". Stop, slow down, check the curve. Look for hinges, stiff spots, twists. When you've looked it over once, check again.
   
   
5. For your first few bows, even if you get a really solid piece of wood, I'd personally recommend a backing. It adds an extra layer of insurance, just in case.
   
   
6. We have a saying; "If you ain't breaking bows, you ain't making bows". I broke four or five staves before I got a shooting bow. Making a bow isn't like building a model or writing code; you have to adapt to the wood, let it tell you how to work it, be willing to adapt and change your methods or design on the fly if necessary. You're taking something that was not necessarily meant to endure extreme stresses and making it do just that. It sounds cheesy and hokey, but listen to the stave.
   
   Also go pick up The Traditional Bowyer's Bible: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SFSV5PS/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1
   
   There's 4 in the series, but the first really covers everything you need to know as a starting bowyer.

I think it comes down to what kind of experience you want to have. Pick up an issue of Traditional Bowhunter. Read through it. What do you think? Are you drawn to the old ways or do you want to go high tech? I'm a longbow guy, but I respect both approaches. The compound route gives you access to a LOT of really fun, effective technology. Rangerfinders and all of those things are really fun to use.

I chose longbow because I get a deer (or two) every year with my gun. For archery season I wanted to go to the absolute other end of the spectrum and try to hunt the hard way, as Howard Hill puts it. I might never get a deer with my longbow, but that's ok. Spot and stalk with a bow that weighs 1 pound and a quiver full of cedar arrows is as much fun as I've ever had in the woods.

I started into archery by getting a book first. I do recommend this course of action, because then afterwards I knew a good deal about what I wanted, what I should get, etc. This was the book I got. I think it was a very good book to start into archery with. I was armed with a pretty good base of knowledge and had decided that I wanted to shoot recurve. So then I went searching for a bow.

My first bow was a PSE Buckeye Recurve at 20# draw weight. It was a really good bow, especially to start with, and I think I chose the draw weight well. At first I had trouble shooting it, but as I learned how to use my muscles correctly it quickly became easier.

I wanted to try longbow then, and I started getting bows from WoodBows. It's a family run business, very nice man and good service (he replaces broken bows free of charge). The bows are cheap, especially relative to other bows on the market. Their quality is fine for the price. They don't last too long, but he'll replace any bows that break within a year of purchase.

I'm a longbow archer now, but I still shoot recurve every once in a while. Contrary to what I thought before, there's not too much difference between these two types of bows. I just stick to traditional archery. The next bow I get will be some kind of longbow, probably higher price and quality than what I usually get.

hope I helped

Its pretty uncommon to shoot ten arrows in a single end, the max you generally see in competitions is 6 so i'd recommend 6 so you get more frequent breaks. Recovery between ends is crucial because it allows you to mentally recuperate as well as let your muscles rest and gives you time to reflect on your shot process. Id wager that if you did that you'd shoot a higher volume of arrows before you started to fatigue. Your comment about getting physically stronger is a missing a point that archery isn't just about shooting as many arrows as you can, its about shooting with good efficiency every time which is harder than it looks. Shooting 50 arrows with good mental concentration and focus on form and movements takes more strength than shooting 100 arrows in 10 arrow batches.

Consider giving yourself a few seconds after a shot to reflect on how the shot went also, like how it felt, did you feel strong throughout the shot? shaking while aiming? feel off balance during a windy shoot? i picked up a mini e book that really helped me, even though i shoot sighted recurve and compound, it basically sets up a framework that most archers can work around, it talks about reflection in it as well and would probably help out.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Developing-Your-Archery-Sequence-Book-ebook/dp/B00FL5MU7U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1510940560&sr=8-1&keywords=archery+shot+sequence

Awesome! The first step I'd recommend would be getting a book called Understanding the sky. https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Sky-Dennis-Pagen/dp/0936310103

From there read as much as you can online as well. There's tons of great info in blogs and on the youtube machine. Watching fluid dynamics videos alone will help visualize where turbulence could be on your route: https://paraglidinginfo.com/category/meteorology/

Beyond that, a lot f knowledge is gained through hanging out with experts. The experts in this case are generally the glider folks. They are somewhat forced into as they have to read the weather to get where they are going. You won't level up as a glider without good weather knowledge. If there's a glider site near you, try to make friends with those guys. Have a unique condition pointed out to you by an expert is tough to beat. Making those connections can be hard in the motor world. In the end the goal is to use the usual weather services to inform your own forecast for that area. Start small, then expand it out when making your XC trips.

Depending on where you are located, I would personally recommend scouting around for a local archery shop to frequent. It may be a little more expensive to buy from the local shop as opposed to Cabelas, but you'll benefit in the long run.

I'd also check to see if there are any local archery clubs on your area as well. You can be a member of 4-H Shooting Sports up until the age of 21. Otherwise, you might want to ask the local archery shop what options are available in your area.

I'd highly recommend getting a copy of "The Bowhunter's Guide to Accurate Shooting" by Lon E. Lauber. It's a couple of years old, but has a wealth of information in it. I found a copy at the local library if you don't want to buy your own copy.

reading? I got you covered. I posted some information a small while back so here is most of the reading recurve stuff.

• Archery Reference 5 pdf, fantastic recurve information if you are just starting out.
  
  
• Fita Intermidate Coach's manuals If you need technical information about archery. (it is a bit outdated on some information do not use it for rules)
  
  
• books I recommend are The Simple Art of Winning: How To Shoot Your Best, Archery USA, and for more intermediate to higher level Total Archery, Inside the archer for KSL style archers.
  
  
• Archery Talk is another community that is worth lurking for information.
  
  If I had to pick one for you the read, it would be The simple art of winning. It does not teach you form it teaches you how to improve.

I read this thru when I started, and then touched on some of it later once I had some ideas about what I was doing, it was really quite helpful. It does a good job of explaining (as best as words can) what your body should feel like during the shot process. The main olympic recurve chapters are written by KSL himself, so its not some random, dude knows his stuff.

https://smile.amazon.com/Archery-USA-ebook/dp/B00AMLD8YW/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1495117552&sr=8-4&keywords=Archery

Man has been hunting without 'baiting' deer for a millennia.

Tried and true tactics for those who don't throw out a pile of bait for young stupid deer to feast on:

• Heavy producing Beech and Oak ridges
  
  
• Most fruit woods, but especially apple trees
  
  
• The edge of AG fields, especially corn and soybean
  
  
• Primary Scrape Areas - anywhere you find multiple scrapes within a relatively short distance. It can be as few as 2-3 scrapes within 10-15 yards, or 5-6 in a 60 yards stretch.
  
  
• Licking branches with accompanying scrapes
  
  
• Rub lines
  
  
• Bedding Areas
  
  
• Well worn game trails
  
  
  In my experience you will never see mature deer at a bait pile during regular hunting hours. Especially in pressured states like MI. The mature deer will scent you and will simply visit your bait pile during the midnight hours.
  
  Also, if you are really wanting to challenge yourself I suggest reading a few of John and Chris Eberhardt's books. They are a father and son team of hunters from Michigan who only hunt public land and permission-given private land. They rarely bait, and instead rely on heavy scouting and a scent control regime to pattern and profile their deer. They also offer plenty of practical advice for hunting on a budget and in situations where you can't or wont use bait, or are hunting property adjacent to a hunter who does bait. I highly recommend reading them if you live in a heavy hunting pressure state like Michigan.
  
  Bowhunting Pressured Whitetails
  
  Bowhunting Whitetails the Eberhart Way
  
  Precision Bowhunting - A year Round Approach to Taking Mature Whitetails
  
  While these books focus heavily on bowhunting the tactics and advice can be applied to any season.
  

You're going to have to decide if you want to approach it from a modern or traditional standpoint. I shoot recurve competitively, so the links I'll provide will be focused on modern recurve bows.

Archerytalk, a popular forum

FITA's youtube channel. They upload VODs from every major event they can

Technical resources:

The Easton tuning guide

Texas archery keeps a list of useful links and documents. It's a mashup of things, but sometimes the tuning and instructionals are useful. [In particular, the recurve reference guide.]
(http://www.texasarchery.org/Documents/ArchersReference/archref_05.pdf)


Form and technique:

The basics. This is what we teach absolute beginners at my club.

Total Archery. A very advanced and very significant book. Countries have created entire coaching programs based around the teachings of the book's author.

Precision Archery

Zen in the Art of Archery

Do not listen to ApertureLabs. Besides the fact that he so easily insults the most popular type of archery in the modern world, he's also plain wrong. You don't need textbook form, but it is important that beginners understand the basic reasoning behind using proper muscle groups, stance, grip, balance, and joint orientation. Developing your own technique without guidance will always lead to bad habits because a lot of the above does not come naturally to someone who picks up a bow for the first time. Shrugged shoulders, puffed chests, and floating anchors are all common ailments of beginners who come to my club with no coaching, all of which are difficult habits to shake and impede your ability to improve.

Here are all the local Amazon links I could find:


amazon.co.uk

amazon.ca

amazon.com.mx

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I currently look here: amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.ca, amazon.com.au, amazon.in, amazon.com.mx, amazon.de, amazon.it, amazon.es, amazon.com.br, amazon.nl, amazon.co.jp, amazon.fr, if you would like your local version of Amazon adding please contact my creator.

Books?

• if they're interested in history and historical gear: Traditional Archery from Six Continents http://www.amazon.com/Traditional-Archery-Six-Continents-Collection/dp/0826217516 (ob. discl. I arranged for that to be reprinted and would like to clear out the boxes....)
  
• One coach's perspective: Total Archery: Inside the Archer by KiSik Lee, Tyler Benner, Spencer Adamson http://www.amazon.com/dp/098242650X
  
• Maybe they want to make their own? Archeological European view: The Bow Builder's Book: European Bow Building from the Stone Age to Today http://www.amazon.com/dp/0764341537 or for more detail and performance: The Traditional Bowyer's Bible, Volume 1 http://www.amazon.com/dp/1585740853
  
• or accessories: Bow Accessories: Equipment and Trimmings You Can Make http://www.amazon.com/Bow-Accessories-Equipment-Trimmings-Make/dp/0764330357
  
  

Oooh oooh ooh, [Byron Ferguson's Become the Arrow] (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Become-Arrow-On-Target-Series/dp/091330509X/ref=pd_sim_b_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0TCA8CRDMQBYP95760YE) is great!

Aswell as the Beginner's Guide to Traditional Archery :)

Core Archery by Larry wise is probably the highest rated. It's only 8 bucks and has everything to do with proper archery form. It also has good pictures to go with the explanations. Can't recommend this enough if you like reading and want a better understanding of proper form.

Not sure what you mean by "traditional" (as many people have differing ideas of what this does and does not entail).

However when considering traditional bows, I found Chapter 1 of Volume 1 of "The Traditional Bowyer's Bible" to be very instructive in explaining things like: basic physics of bows (i.e. the physical effects of: brace height, limb width and depth, stacking, string angle, reflex/deflex, etc...); as well as the basic advantages and disadvantages of various bow styles (flat vs self/stick vs recurve etc...)

Might be a reasonable starting point

https://www.amazon.com/Traditional-Bowyers-Bible-Jim-Hamm/dp/1721670076/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2TKDYW75NCRTQ&keywords=bowyers+bible&qid=1574747307&sprefix=bowyers%2Caps%2C188&sr=8-1

​

Again the first chapter of the first volume is a nice overview. I ended up buying all 4 volumes and have been slowing working through them as each section goes into more detail than the overview

Hunting with the Bow and Arrow - Saxton Pope

The book covers making primitive bows like many other books. I enjoyed the opening chapters about the authors time spent learning archery with Ishi.

http://www.amazon.com/Hunting-With-Arrow-SAXTON-POPE/dp/B004ZVJHC2

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishi

Edit- Learning Ishi's style of archery.

I second /u/otis888's suggestion of looking up the work of Nicholas Tomihama. He has several books out on Amazon, The Impossible Bow among others. He also has a YouTube channel showing people how to use heat from a heat gun, stove top or even a box filled with electric light bulbs to heat form the PVC into very slick tapered bow shapes. These PVC bows made by tapering the PVC outperform non-tapered PVC by quite a bit, and his bows have been known to shoot arrows (at around 10 grains per pound) at more than 160 fps. Some arrows have been clocked at up to 196 feet per second, when shot from a 65 pound bow made form $1 worth of 3/4 inch PVC.

I've made a bunch of these bows, some for myself and some for my kids and their friends. The youth bows cost me under $2.50 each, including the PVC, strings, paint, etc, and shoot as well as any commercial bows you can buy for less than $100. It takes me less than an hour to go from unfinished PVC tube to a nice, working hungarian style horse bow, or a traditional recurve. Another hour to paint it and put on a comfortable hand grip, and it's ready to take out and shoot.

So far, I've used my main shooter (a 40 pound recurve) shoot over 1000 arrows with no signs of degradation at all. I can still hit a 4" target from 20 yards away with it, and the arrows sink the same distance into the target today as they did the first time I used it.

Some of my friends, upon making bows for themselves or their kids, tell me that the PVC youth bows shoot faster than the bows that they have bought for their kids in the local sporting goods store. I know the weights are about the same - 15 to 22 pounds, depending on how long the bow limbs are and how much you recurve the bow during the build process.

Kim Hyung-Tak's Archery and Ki-Sik Lee's Total Archery are the go-to textbooks and should be your first stop if you have any questions/problems

USA Archery's book is also supposed to be pretty good but I haven't read it

Also, am I the only person who noticed OP asked for recurve archery? Why are people going on about compounds and zen and trad bows?

Buy a copy of Core Archery. Fantastic book for compound shooting. http://www.amazon.com/Core-Archery-Shooting-Proper-Tension/dp/0913305189

To add to that list:

For something philosophical/religious:

• Zen in the Art of Archery
  
  If they're fascinated by the construction of traditional bows and arrows:
  
  
• The Traditional Bowyer's Bible, Vol. 1
  
• The Traditional Bowyer's Bible, Vol. 2
  
• The Traditional Bowyer's Bible, Vol. 3
  
• The Traditional Bowyer's Bible, Vol. 4

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005HV2J7Y/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

This one is bar none my favorite. All these guys do is hunt public land in Michigan too, so it is very relatable for me.
https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guide-Hunting-Butchering-Cooking-ebook/dp/B00Q1IFKOG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1499783919&sr=8-1&keywords=the+complete+guide+to+hunting+butchering+and+cooking+wild+game

This one is really good too, more aimed towards beginners though.

Contact them and ask what they supply.

My wife did this for me. The place she picked supplied the equipment and coached us along through the basics. They offered two courses that meet each Saturday for six weeks. At the end of the second course we decided we liked it so much that we went to a 'local' pro-shop and got set up with decent equipment that should last us for quite some time. I put local in quotes because the closest pro-shop to us is a 90 minute drive.

Now we've joined a local club, shoot regularly and are thinking of going to some tournaments.

For books, here's the two I bought:

Archery - Steps to Success

Archery - USA Archery

Dennis Pagan - art of paragliding

https://www.amazon.com/Art-Paragliding-Dennis-Pagen/dp/0936310146


for basic weather things you can also check out

dennis pagan- understanding the sky

https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Sky-Dennis-Pagen/dp/0936310103/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=understanding+the+sky&qid=1569001262&s=books&sr=1-1

I don't see why you couldn't practice stalking an animal. See Hunting the Hard Way.

Re moving targets I personally would not take a shot at a moving animal but I can't speak for others.