Here at Bow and Arrow HQ, you can expect to find care and effort in helping you to become better at archery. I am working to give you information and tips to help you to shoot more often and more consistently. People don’t realize how difficult this sport can be. You never shoot the same shot ever.
My story
When I was a kid, my grandfather gave me a fiberglass recurve bow that he got at a flea market. That bow became the coolest toy as I was turned into Robin Hood and destroyed several cardboard boxes and paper plates with pictures drawn on them. I even launched a few arcing into the sky into a nearby field. It was awesome.
School, sports, and more school activities took all my time away and I didn’t have a hobby outside of school until I was getting close to finishing college. I had a plan of saving change so I could afford a college graduation gift to myself. After saving change for 5 years, I ended up with just over $300.
I wanted to get a bow when I finished college in 2007. Remembering the fun I had as a kid, I got a used compound from a pawn shop and some arrows from Academy. I bought a $3 bale of hay and that was my first target. I was just shooting arrows in my back yard and having fun. I got a finger tab from one of my professors and I was off. I didn’t really have any idea other than what I remember from playing with a bow and arrow as a little kid.
A few weeks later, I spent the rest of my college gift fund on a PSE Sequoia long bow. I now had a compound and a traditional bow and it was good times.
Well, I ended up moving into the Dallas area and planted myself in the middle of the metroplex. That sure makes it hard to go shoot my bow. So I spent a lot of time trying to find out what to shoot and where to shoot. I had a tough time finding where to go and what things I needed. It took a lot of frustration and time to find out a year later that there was an archery club 30 minutes down the road.
It took a lot of perseverance and determination to find somewhere to shoot and I had to comb through tons of advertising and junk to learn about bows and archery. I created this site in 2013 as a way to help people get a lot of the beginner questions answered. Something that I didn’t have and would have loved have as a guide to knowing what to do and what was good without having to read lots of advertising junk thrown in.
There was a lot I didn’t know and there’s several ways to do things which can get complicated. Someone says, “here’s 500 ways to set up a bow, which way do you want it?” and you’re supposed to know what’s good? That’s really tough and my goal is to focus on the basics and finding easy ways to get yourself set up and having fun quickly and safely.
I’m a certified archery coach
I am a certified archery instructor through Archery Education Resources. I’ve gone through the time and effort to make sure that what I’m saying is not just my opinion, but also what I’ve been taught as well as years of experience.
You get tips
It’s all about the tips. When you read a book or an article, you’re looking for that tip that makes sense to you. Sometimes you just need to hear the same thing a different way. That’s alright with me, everyone’s different. So check out signing up for my newsletter to help you with tips on shooting better and the occasional product that might take your game to the next level.
You get Options
I could tell you what product is the best, but then I’d be lying. There isn’t a perfect product for every single person. It’s really sad, but true. What I can and will do is only share products that I feel would be a good choice to consider. The same bow doesn’t work for everyone or arrows, sights, etc. I spend the time looking for useful information and useful products to give you the options so you can find what works best for you. You’ll never know what options you have if you don’t check to see what products are available. I also won’t overload you with too many things. The 5 best products will work for almost everyone and will always be a great place to start.