Olympic Recurve Archery

The Olympic recurve is the type of bow Olympians shoot.

Olympic recurve bows have three main components – The riser and two limbs.  For this reason the bow can be disassembled for travel and to change to heavier and lighter draw-weight limbs.   The riser is the metal part, which can sometimes be wooden, which an archer grips to pull the bow.  The riser includes the mount for sight and the arrow rest.

The limbs generate the bow’s power when bending in unison as you draw your bowstring. When you release the bowstring, the limbs snap forward, releasing the limb’s stored energy to propel the arrow to the target.  The higher the poundage of the limbs, the faster the arrow gets to the target.

In addition to the riser and limbs, one can also see rods protruding on the side and also attached to the front.  These are called stabilizers which help to steady the bow for precise aiming.  These bows also include a clicker, sight and arrow rest.  A clicker is an audible check so that the archer always pulls the arrows the same length and lets archers know they’ve reached full draw.  This ensures a consistent draw and release.

These accessories make Olympic recurves different from other recurve bows, like a barebow.

Courtesy and with permission from World Archery