Editing Archery (section)

===Types of bows===
{{Main|Bow and arrow}}
[[File:Pacific Yew Selfbow.jpg|thumb|upright|A Pacific yew selfbow drawn by the ''split finger'' method. Selfbows are made from a single piece of wood.]]

While there is great variety in the construction details of bows (both historical and modern), all bows consist of a string attached to elastic limbs that store mechanical energy imparted by the user drawing the string. Bows may be broadly split into two categories: those drawn by pulling the string directly and those that use a mechanism to pull the string.

Directly drawn bows may be further divided based upon differences in the method of limb construction, notable examples being [[self bow]]s, [[laminated bow]]s and [[composite bow]]s. Bows can also be classified by the [[shape|bow shape]] of the limbs when unstrung; in contrast to traditional European straight bows, a [[Recurve bow#Recurve bow|recurve bow]] and some types of longbow have tips that curve away from the archer when the bow is unstrung. The cross-section of the limb also varies; the classic [[longbow]] is a tall bow with narrow limbs that are D-shaped in cross section, and the [[flatbow]] has flat wide limbs that are approximately rectangular in cross-section. [[Cable-backed bow]]s use cords as the back of the bow; the draw weight of the bow can be adjusted by changing the tension of the cable. They were widespread among [[Inuit]] who lacked easy access to good bow wood. One variety of cable-backed bow is the Penobscot bow or [[Wabenaki]] bow, invented by Frank Loring (Chief Big Thunder) about 1900.<ref>The Penobscot War Bow. Gordon M Day. Contributions to Canadian Ethnology 1975. Canadian Ethnology Service Paper no. 31. {{ISSN|0316-1854}}. Ottawa 1975.</ref> It consists of a small bow attached by cables on the back of a larger main bow.

In different cultures, the arrows are released from either the left or right side of the bow, and this affects the hand grip and position of the bow. In [[Arab archery]], [[Turkish archery]], and [[Kyūdō|Japanese archery]]. The arrows are released from the right hand side of the bow, and this affects construction of the bow. In western archery, the arrow is usually released from the left hand side of the bow for a right-handed archer.

[[Compound bow]]s are designed to reduce the force required to hold the string at full draw, hence allowing the archer more time to aim with less muscular stress. Most compound designs use cams or elliptical wheels on the ends of the limbs to achieve this. A typical let-off is anywhere from 65% to 80%. For example, a {{convert|27|kg|abbr=on}} bow with 80% let-off only requires {{convert|53|N|abbr=on}} to hold at full draw. Up to 99% let-off is possible.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://conceptarchery.com/ |title=99% Let Off Bows |publisher=Concept Archery |access-date=26 March 2013}}</ref> The compound bow was invented by [[Holless Wilbur Allen]] in the 1960s (a US patent was filed in 1966 and granted in 1969) and it has become the most widely used type of bow for all forms of archery in North America.

Mechanically drawn bows typically have a stock or other mounting, such as the [[crossbow]]. Crossbows typically have shorter draw lengths compared to compound bows. Because of this, heavier draw weights are required to achieve the same energy transfer to the arrow. These mechanically drawn bows also have devices to hold the tension when the bow is fully drawn. They are not limited by the strength of a single archer and larger varieties have been used as [[siege engine]]s.