My Fascination with Accuracy:
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The most minor adjustments, make the most differenceFor as long as I can remember, I've been fascinated with "accuracy." The entire concept of being accurate in physical activity is very interesting. I enjoy the challenge of learning the intricacies of each melodic motion and perfecting the techniques needed to become better or more accurate in sports.
Maybe, my fascination stems from the fact that I was "blessed" with a body with a long list of restrictions and limitations; although, my fascination could come from the rewarding feeling I get when I do everything correctly in jest of those restrictions, or maybe, my love of physics and gathering the knowledge of how things work, make it easier to apply myself to certain sports. Either way I try to explain it, its simply fun to do things well.
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To hit the center of a 3 inch target from 30 yards - means everything about the shot has to be in harmony.
Primal forms of accuracy appeal to me the best. Activities, where the human factor is the greatest, are the most interesting. Archery is a great example of an activity that has a high "human factor."
However, a laser guided, GPS aided missile that can knock an ant off a tree stump from 1000 miles away, doesn't impress me much, because it doesn't take much to push a button or two, and the human factor is close to nothing; computers are doing all the work to make the missile accurate. But, on the other hand, it is fascinating to see how that missile is made. To see the processes needed and the tribulations dissected to make that machine better is what I find interesting...
Archery:
Wikipedia has a pretty neat write-up on Archery. It's really interesting to see that most of the techniques archers used in history are still in use today. Most often there would be slight variations over time, but not in this case - I think the fact nothing changed throughout history is astonishing!
I got heavily into archery about a month ago, and I am rapidly improving.
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A view down-range.
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Last week.;)
After a bit of calibration.;)
This week!
All else being equal, after you're comfortable with your bow, inaccuracies are rarely the equipment's fault. So, getting into a correct routine is important! But if you notice that something is consistently wrong with your shooting, and by your knowledge, you're doing everything correctly and to the best of your ability - then its time to re-calibrate the equipment.
For instance, I noticed that my arrow path wasn't flying straight, sort of nosing down and eventually correcting itself down range. I also noticed that my arrows were consistently hitting the target a bit low.
This is where the "geekiness" comes in, and the part I love.
I asked my self what would make the arrow want to nose down? The bow exerts a tremendous amount of force on the arrow to send it flying 200mph to the target. All the string's tension is focused on the rear (knock) of the arrow, similar to a jet down the runway...with all that force pushing the arrow, physics says it should be nosing up. This means that my arrows are nose heavy. The reason they would be correcting themselves down range - as the arrow noses down it gains speed, the more lift the feathers (fletching) will produce, and if left to fly for infinity the arrow would correct itself onto a perfectly level flight (permitting there was no drag slowing down the arrows flight). So, the weight of the tip of the arrow and the lift force of the fletching cause the arrow to fly in a decretory oscillating pattern...
One thing you need to know is that each arrow is tailored to me (my draw length - how far I pull the string back) and the bow (the draw weight - how hard it is to pull the string). Also, there are several arrow shafts that are different widths and weights, which are made from anything from wood, aluminum or carbon fiber. Each of these materials give the arrow different properties. For my arrows I chose aluminum. I wanted them to be light yet durable; they are also medium thickness.
So, my theory was that the tips of my arrows were too heavy (you can replace them by unscrewing them). The fist thing I did was to measure the center/balance point on each of the arrows and mark them. I balanced them on a pencil that I stuck in a piece of foam (vertically).
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The result of the slight change.
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Proof that the slightest change makes all the difference. I love physics!Each of my old tips were 100 grain tips (the blunt one in the picture). The new pointy arrow heads are a bit lighter (by about 10 or 15 grains). After I replaced one of the tips...I re-balanced it on the pencil, and marked the new balance point. The new balance point was slightly behind the old one, confirming that the new tip was in fact lighter. The reason the balance point is more aft the original is the tip needs more of the shafts weight to make up for the loss in weight in the tip...just what I wanted. You can see the slight difference in the two arrows after I lined up the original and new balance points.
Also the new heads are a bit more aerodynamic (they will cut through the air better, for faster flight; leaving less time for errors).
More Soon to come!
