Tuning

Tuning is the process of matching the spine or stiffness of the arrow to the power of the bow and obtaining the correct nocking point on the string. When an arrow is released the stored energy in the limbs accelerates the arrow forward and also imparts a small sideways movement to the nock of the arrow. This results in the arrow bending slightly as it moves forward. If the spine of an arrow is too high or low for the draw weight, the performance of the system will be poor with the arrow tending to veer to one side or the other. Similarly if the nocking point on the string is not in the correct position, the arrow will not clear the bow cleanly and can veer vertically away from the optimum trajectory.

Basic Matching

Basic matching of the arrow to the bow can be made using arrow selection charts. To use these you will need to know several pieces of information:

• Your draw-length (the distance from the nock groove on the arrow to the back of your bow riser, the bit closest to the target, at your full draw)
• The draw-weight of you bow at your draw length
• The arrow length (usually 1" longer than your draw length if you are a novice to allow for some development of draw length)

When you have the information use the charts to look up the appropriate arrow type and spine/size for the draw weight and arrow length. This selection will mean that the arrow is pretty much matched to your shooting set up in terms of its spine. Essentially this means that arrow should able to be tuned to your bow, however it doesn't as yet mean that your system will be tuned.

When do I need to tune?

As detailed in basic matching, if your shaft is the correct spine for your arrow length and bow weight you should be OK (as long as the nocking point and brace height are reasonably set). Only when your technique is reasonable and your release is reproducible should you attempt to tune your system further than a basic match.

Stages of Tuning

• Basic bow set-up and alignment
• Basic nocking point and bracing height set-up
• Centre shot set-up
• Bare shaft tuning
• Walkback or Berger method tuning

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