Can you curve your arrows around an obstacle and hit the desired target behind it?
The answer is yes. You can quite easily make your arrows curve around obstacles and hit whatever is
behind.
Here is how you do it.
As a general rule, you can make your arrows curve in flight by changing where on the bowstring you nock your arrow. Nocking the arrow above the traditional nocking point will make the arrow curve to the right while nocking it below the traditional nocking point will make the arrow curve to the left.
There is one more thing to keep in mind aside from just where you nock the arrow. We will take a look at that as we will see in just a moment.
Why The Arrows Curve in Flight
The principle behind every straight shot done by an archer is that the arrow is nocked on the nocking point. This allows both of the limbs to impart an equal amount of force to the arrow. This allows the arrow to go straight.
By nocking the arrow above or below the nocking point, the force applied from the limbs to the arrow is somewhat unequal. One limb will push the arrow faster than the other thus the arrow does not leave the bow in a straight line but in an offset manner.
The arrow is shot from the bow in an offset manner, meaning it is thrown a little to the right or left and then it corrects itself mid-flight to fly straight.
So the reason why the arrow curves is that it is fired from the bow in an offset manner and the arrow later corrects itself mid-flight and flies straight.
Surprisingly enough it is a well-known fact that an archer can make their arrows curve midflight. It was even described in an Arab manuscript circa 1500 AD. So the trick has been with us for a long time.
But now without further delay … let’s discuss how to make your arrows curve mid-flight.
How To Make Your Arrows Curve In Flight – Step-By-Step Instructions
1. Realize This Is Going To Feel Weird
Firing a curved arrow involves you ignoring the very basics of archery. Among them is aiming and tilting the bow. So acknowledge that you will be breaking the very basics of archery. It will feel weird. That’s okay, you are doing something new, so weirdness is to be expected.
Do not let that stop you.
2. Make sure there are no people around you.
Safety is first, therefore while you are shooting, or practicing this new way of shooting make sure there are no people around.
3. Set up your target.
The target should be a short distance away at first. We are talking 10 to 30 yards away. Start with 10. yards There is no
need to put anything between you and the target yet. You will do that later.
4. Nock your arrow slightly above/below the middle nocking point on the bowstring.
The simple rule of thumb is you nock the arrow a hand width higher or lower than the usual nocking point.
Remember, if you nock the arrow higher than the usual nocking point it will curve to the left, if you nock it lower then it will turn to the right upon firing.
5. Raise the bow and draw the bow at the same time.
You should not draw at full length. You draw 1/4 or 1/2 at most. Start with one quarter. Obviously how much you draw will depend on the distances you are playing with here. But at first, it is better to draw less, until you get your distances right.
6. You aim your bow slightly off the target.
You aim more to the right of the desired target if you want your arrow to curve left, and slightly more left if you want it
to curve right.
In both of these cases, you tilt the bow slightly to either the left or right. If you want it to curve left you tilt your bow to the right, if you want your arrow to curve to the right you bow a little to the left.
It will feel awkward, I know. If you want to see a 7 step way to aim your recurve bow the right way then you can click here for an article on just that.
7. Release the bowstring
You will find one of two things. You either hit the target perfectly. Or more likely you missed completely.
Which is okay. You will need more than a few tries to get it right. So, this means you practice and then you practice some more. After just a few sets you will be curving your arrows predictably.
Helpful Tips To Curve Your Arrows Better
Tilt your bow more
You will find that the more you tilt the bow the cleaner the turn seems to be. You can even fire a curved arrow from completely horizontally to the ground. This will ensure your arrow makes a “clean turn” so to speak.
If you tilt it slightly to either the left or the right, the arrow tends to travel a little higher in the air and then turn moving straight to the ground.
So this is the whole spiel. The entire trick. You nock the arrow a little differently and then you practice until you get it right. You never start with a full draw, since that will give the arrow too much power which could lead to nasty injuries.
Once you find the perfect nocking point for your “curve shots”, you can mark it as well making every subsequent shot easier.
Now let’s take a look at a cool concept of the boomerang arrow or an arrow that returns to you when fired.
The Returning Arrow
The returning arrow is a name given to a specially designed arrow that when fired makes a 180-degree turn and goes back to the archer.
It’s an arrow or a shot you will never have to do since it involves a specially built arrow and it cant be done with just any arrow.
I just thought it was cool so, I threw it in there.
One piece of reading material I highly recommend is “Arab Archery, An Arabic Manuscript Of About A.D. 1500: A Book On The Excellence Of The Bow And Arrow And The Description Thereof” you can find it on amazon by clicking here.
In it, you will find described several trick shots you can practice.
In Conclusion
You can fire an arrow around an object to hit a target, with proper practice and by changing how you aim the bow and nock the arrow.
So, thank you for reading have fun practicing, and obviously, it’s a cool skill to have and post on to social media if you’re into that sort of thing. Definitely is a unique skill to have.
To see in more detail how arrows work then go here.
And if you want to see how to avoid choosing the wrong arrows then click here.
Take care