Our goal is to provide you with answers to all your technical archery questions, from basics on up to advanced.  So, if you have any technical facts you have questions on or would like to see posted, just send an email to info@alpinearcheryandsport.com. 

                                   Tuning Guide

A.  Paper Tuning When a bow is sold in Alpine Archery we paper tune the bow as a starting point and rough tune for the bow.  When we say rough tune we mean that we ensure that the arrow is coming out of the bow straight without any drastic high, low, left, or right tears.  Paper tuning is accomplished by shooting an arrow through a piece of paper at 3 or 4 yards away.   After the shot, we examine the hole and see in which direction the arrow tore the paper.  When tuning we always start with tuning away the high and low tears. High tears generally indicate high nock point, and low tears the opposite.  With a standard dual cam system these can also indicate a timing issue.  After leveling out the flight of the arrow, we then move to left and right tears.  These tears can indicate any number of problems (incorrect center shot alignment, arrow spine, timing on a dual cam system once again, vane contact on the rest, cables, or another part of the bow).  If we are sure we have the correct spine arrow, we then move to adjusting the center shot.  For nock left tears, move the center shot out for finger shooters and right for release shooters (this is the right procedure most of the time but from time to time you will find that certain archers and certain bows are backwards).   If you are certain that your center shot is correctly aligned, then start checking for vane contact and timing if you have a dual cam system.  The process for right tears is the same just the opposite directions and movements as indicated above.  Incorrect arrow spine will be indicated by stiff arrows tearing to the left and weak arrow spine to the right.  Arrows spine can be made stiffer by using a lighter point and shortening the arrow.  Arrows can be made to have a weaker spine by adding a heavier point or using a longer arrow.

B. Bare Shaft Tuning   A more advanced tuning method and a common one for finger shooters is bare shaft tuning.  Bare shaft tuning is accomplished by shooting a few fletched arrows (3 or 4) in a group at a target and then shooting the same number of unfletched arrows at the same spot.  Where the unfletched arrows hit in relation to the fletched arrows gives information regarding the tune of your bow.  The idea behind bare shaft tuning is to have the unflethced grouping in the same place as the fletched arrows.  If your unfletched arrows hit low of your fletched arrows this indicates a high nock point - the opposite is true if they are higher than the fletched arrows.  Groups that are left or right of your fletched arrows generally indicate that center shot adjustments or arrow spine corrections need to be made.   Adjust your center shot towards the group of fletched arrows to bring the unfletched in the group of fletched arrows.  When adjusting the center shot make sure to adjust in very small increments - even though shooting occurs at a distance, generally small adjustments make a big difference on the target.  If moving the center shot doesn’t bring the arrows into the group, then arrow spine is most likely the issue.   Bare shafts hitting to the right indicates a weak arrow spine, and the opposite is true for bare shaft groups to the left.

Initial Bow Setup Guide

C.  Determining Proper Draw Length

Proper draw length is the most critical part to bow setup and having a bow fit the shooter correctly.  When purchasing a bow always take the time to correctly determine the draw length that fits the shooter to the bow.  Your draw length may vary from bow to bow because the string angle from bow to bow varies.  The string angle matters in draw length determination because as the string angle gets steeper a longer draw length is needed to achieve the proper peep sight to eye relationship (this can not cause large variances in draw length probably as much as ½ inch).  

A good starting point for determining a shooters draw length is called the wingspan method, have the shooter in question stand with both arms extended and fingers straight out, measure from finger tip to finger tip, take that measurement and divide by 2.5 and that will give you a very close estimate as to what the shooters draw length should be. 

A draw length that is too long will cause an unsteady sight picture and cause your shooting to be erratic.  A draw length that is too short will cause you to miss to right and high due to improper body alignment and possibly a bent bow arm that will cause variances in anchor position.

D.   Bow specifications

Once you have correctly determined the draw length and have the bow correctly set (draw length of a bow is determined by measuring the distance from the nock to the throat of the grip which is usually directly beneath the burger button hole.  Then add one and ¾ inch.   At this point we recommend measuring the axle to axle length, the brace height, and tiller. Write these down so if anything ever happens to the bow you can repair it and have the original factory specifications to return the bow to.

E.   Arrow Rest Installation

Many people think that putting a rest on is as easy as putting in two screws and tightening them down.  As you will read later in the tuning section, the arrow rest is critical to proper arrow flight and the center shot alignment is essential to tight grouping. 

First we should define what center shot means so as to avoid confusion in the following instructions.  Center shot is the point where the arrow is in a direct line with the string on the bow.  Prpper alignment is different on many different types of bows - manufacturers  generally try to keep their individaul center shot relationships the same from one model to the other.  Because of individaul cam designs, single cam and binary cam systems usually are quite a bit outside the center of the riser (to the left for a RH shooter).  Standard dual cam bows however are usually closer to the center of the riser.  To find this point (center shot) hold the bow vertically and find where the string runs down the bow in a straight line set the rest up so that the arrow is in line with the string, this will give you a good starting place to begin tuning your center shot.  Often times the bow will shoot best for you with the center shot slightly off but not very far!  Center shot tuning will be covered in the following tuning sections.  Eyeballing center shot as described above is a skill that takes a while to develop, so keep trying and eventually you will get it.

F.  Nock Point

Once you have the rest installed and the center shot roughly set it is time to set the nock point.  When setting a nock point we generally start with the nock set 1/8th of an inch above level.  You can determine this by eyeballing it or much more quickly with a bow square. 

There are three types of nock sets that you can use.  First, and most traditional, is the brass nock set.  The next which I highly recommend for finger shooters is a tied on nock set (you will see why when reading the tuning area).  The one we recommend for release shooters is called a D-loop.  Based on experience, and after watching high speed video, we firmly believe that a shooter can achieve better and more consistent arrow flight with this style of nock set. One eigth inch above zero is a good starting point for initial nock point set-up.  You will continue to refine the its placement for its optimal position using the methods described in our tuning section.

Basic Form Outline 

G.  Draw length

As was discussed earlier in the bow setup section of this forum, we mentioned how critical draw length was to proper setup and shooting.  Incorrect draw length causes many defects in shooting form and body alignment, predisposes archers to injury, increases the amount of body motion required to perform the shot (making detection more likely when hunting) and makes for inconsistent and inaccurate shooting.   When we speak of body alignment we are referring to the lines that the body creates while at full draw.  There are some specific alignments are very important.  The first one is that the drawing arm elbow should be directly behind the string at full draw, if this elbow is either not far enough back (indicating too short of a draw length) or the elbow is too far back, being behind the head not the string (indicating too long of a draw length), both will cause erratic shooting and unsteady sight picture.   The second alignment problem occurs when the draw arm elbow is too low (below the plane of the arrow shaft), the proper position height-wise is to have that elbow high enough that a line runs from that elbow through that forearm and into the pressure point of the bow hand on the grip.  Another flaw that creeps in when draw length is too long is that the shooter will tend to lean back over his rear leg and tilt his neck back, forcing his body to fit the bow. Our preference is to make the bow fit the shooter; rather than the shooter made to fit the bow.  The shooter should be standing up straight with his or her weight distributed evenly over both feet, with shoulders over the hips, and head centered over the shoulders, not leaning back or forward to fit the bow.  As a reference, at full draw the aiming eye should be in a vertical line with the front zipper of the pants. 

I.   Back tension

Back tension is a skill and shooting technique more shooters should learn and focus on much more than they do.  This technique should be learned and mastered by every shooter.  If they do this, their long-term success and shooting skill will benefit greatly.  This is because we tend to anticipate when a shot will be released; and when this happens, we unconsciously move the bow or flinch or do a number of other things to mess up the shot.  What back tension accomplishes is a surprise release, allowing the archer to focus on the shot, not on anticipating the shot. If the mind does not know when the exact moment of the shot will occur, it cannot anticipate and flinch or move the bow.  To accomplish a shot with back tension, you squeeze the two scapula (shoulder blades) together. One thing you will notice when doing this is your sight picture will become much steadier, another wonderful benefit of back tension.  Shooting a release with back tension is simple but takes practice to master.  Lay your finger (whichever one you use to set the trigger, generally thumb or index finger) on the trigger of the release (the tension of the release should be stiff enough that it does not release the string as soon as you touch it).  Once your finger is on the trigger of the release squeeze the scapula together and keep aiming at your spot, the RELEASE WILL GO OFF!  Don't be surprised if you jump or flinch drastically the first time using this technique.  This is supposed to be a surprise release.  After a few shots of using this technique the shooter will become accustomed to the surprise and not flinch.  We highly recommend trying this technique and learning the skill. You will benefit in the long run.  

Arrow Selection Guide 

J.  Arrow spine

For selecting arrow spine we recommend using the Easton shaft selector.  Go to the shaft selector link on our home page to find this.  These charts are recommended off of the static spine of the arrow (static spine is determined by suspending an arrow at 28 inches apart and hanging a 2 lb weight in the center and measuring how far the arrow flexes).  This is a great starting point for determining arrow spine.  There is another type of arrow spine called dynamic spine, which is basically how the arrow is flexing during flight.  Once you have started with an arrow chosen from the spine charts, you can fine-tune the dynamic spine of the arrow, taking weight off the front or back of the arrow or adding weight to the front or back of the arrow.  There is a ratio 16 grains on the front of the shaft equals 10 grains of weight to the back of the shaft. These weights will accomplish the same effects on arrow spine.

K.  Arrow recovery

Arrow recovery deals with how long the arrow takes to cycle, and how long it takes to come out of that cycle.  Heavier arrows take longer to recover than do lighter arrows due to the heavier mass of the arrow causing a slower cycle rate.  (By cycle we mean the arrow completing its motion of flex.)  

Miscellaneous Facts and Info 

L.   Draw weight and mass weight

When choosing the proper draw weight the shooter should shoot a weight that is comfortable to him in all situations.  The shooter should not be struggling to draw the bow; rather it should be one straight back motion.  The shooter should be able to pull it in any position, whether seated or in a awkward kneeling or bending position.  The shooter should also be able to shoot many shots repeatedly without exhausting himself. 

The shooter should also shoot the highest weight with which he can accomplish all of those things: this is because a heavier weight bow creates tension for us between the shoulder blades and will tend to aim steadier and be a more stable shooting platform.

Mass weight is a component often overlooked in bow setup.  The mass weight of a bow and where the weight is on the bow both play a key role in the stabilization of the bow.  Many people are searching for the lightest setup there is; and while this is appealing for packing it around through the woods, this is not optimal for aiming and stabilizing the bow.  Heavier bow setups tend to aim better and are easier to hold steady. 

The other component of the weight is where on the bow that weight is.  A good suggestion is to try to get the majority of the weight underneath the hand so that the bow plums better; this helps to eliminate the bow canting to one side or the other.

Front of center, or FOC as it will be referred to in the rest of this section, refers to what percentage in front of the center of the arrow the balance point is.  Arrows tend to fly best and group the best with an FOC of between 10 and 15%.  We highly recommend that you calculate the FOC of your arrow. You can do this by using the Easton Spine selection chart (just follow the link to it after clicking on our shaft selection icon on the home page).