| | Today, archery is a highly competitive sport, included in the [[Olympic Games]]<ref>www.usarchery.org/</ref> since 1900.<ref>The New American Desk Encyclopedia, Penguin Group, 1989</ref> | | Today, archery is a highly competitive sport, included in the [[Olympic Games]]<ref>www.usarchery.org/</ref> since 1900.<ref>The New American Desk Encyclopedia, Penguin Group, 1989</ref> |
| − | Archers use a variety of types of bows. [[Recurve bow]]s are available in both modern styles, usually with an alloy or composite handle and laminated wood, fibreglass or foam limbs, and traditional styles laminated from wood, horn, sinew and leather or skin. [[Compound bow]]s<ref>http://www.archeryisfun.com/</ref> are a modern design which uses eccentric cams to "let off" the force required to hold back the string as maximum draw is reached, allowing the archer to aim more carefully. Longbows come in various types, all of which are traditional and are made of laminated or plain wood, with the best known being the English longbow. Arrows are now available with alloy, fibreglass or carbonfibre shafts as well as the traditional wood, and fletchings are often made of plastics instead of feathers. | + | Archers use a variety of types of bows. [[Recurve bow]]s are available in both modern styles, usually with an alloy or composite handle and laminated wood, fibreglass or foam limbs, and traditional styles laminated from wood, horn, sinew and leather or skin. [[Compound bow]]s<ref>http://www.archeryisfun.com/</ref> are a modern design which uses eccentric cams to "let off" the force required to hold back the string as maximum draw is reached, allowing the archer to aim more carefully. Longbows come in various types, all of which are traditional and are made of laminated or plain wood, with the best known being the English longbow. Arrows are now available with alloy, fibreglass or carbon fibre shafts as well as the traditional wood, and fletchings are often made of plastics instead of feathers. |