FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Archery Statistics

There are an estimated 6,800,000 archery participants in the United States every year. The vast majority of these are youths aged 6-14 at summer camps. Every year, there are approximately 4,300 archery-related injuries requiring emergency room care. The most common type of injury is abrasion from either the arrow or bowstring.

Inspecting a Bow and Arrow

Even before nocking an arrow, it is important to make sure that all equipment is inspected and in safe working order. A major cause of archery-related accidents comes from damaged bows or bow strings snapping. Make sure to check all components of both the bow and arrow for any signs of damage including cracks, chips, fraying, warping and any other wear and tear that could compromise the integrity of the equipment.

Proper Archery Attire

While not always considered, it is important to make sure all archery participants are properly dressed for the activity. Participants should not wear anything that could get tangled in the bow. Never wear scarves, hoods, jewelry, or anything excessively loose. There have been cases of necklaces, bracelets, and earrings getting caught in a fired arrow and causing serious injuries. Please be sure to check out our Requirements page prior to attending a session.

Safely Firing a Bow

To ensure safety, all archers should load, aim, shoot, and retrieve arrows at the same time. This will ensure that no one has accidently shoot while someone is in the range retrieving arrows. Most archery ranges use the same system to control shooting and retrieving. Typical archery rules use a system of whistles to signify the appropriate action. One whistle blow means you can shoot, two means you can approach the shooting line, and three means you can go retrieve the arrows you have shot. Other important things to consider when shooting is to never load your arrow onto your bow with people in front of you. Make sure to never stand in front of a loaded bow.

Retrieving Arrows

Make sure all archers wait to retrieve arrows until they are signaled to do so. If an archer misfires their arrow and it doesn’t go very far, they are often tempted to quickly retrieve it so they can fire again. It is important to reiterate safety and discourage this behavior. Archers should not bring their bow with them into the range and should safely set them down after they are done shooting. Make sure all archers have returned to the line from the range and that the range is all clear before signaling it is ok to shoot again. Pay special attention for archers whose arrow may have gone beyond the target as they can be overlooked before the signal to shoot again is given.

Materials & Equipment

All services provided by Anchor Point Archery include the use of recurve bows and aluminum arrows. Use of required safety equipment is also included at no extra cost to you. No one is required, nor encouraged, to invest in archery equipment in order to start and complete the basic archery training. Further participation will eventually require the purchase of equipment or use of the rental option - when you are ready to purchase equipment, we will help guide you in that purchase.