General safety rules for archery

Safety Preps

Before anything else, take time to set and prepare all archery essentials:

What to wear to archery:

Not only should you invest in bow and arrows. Having the right kind of safety gear will assure you of a quality archery experience. Here are some you may want to consider getting:

Finger Tab

Finger tabs will spare your fingers.

Protect your fingers! Notice the calluses that grow whenever you shoot tons of arrows? Sure, you can deal with the pain - but everything adds up in archery, even the miniscule ones. A finger tab is a piece of cloth or leather that covers your fingertips when you hold to a bow string. This small but essential safety gear will give you the optimum comfort and protection when letting those arrows fly. Archery gloves are just as effective as finger tabs.

Arm Guard

Forearm guards effectively protect your underarm.

Another important safety equipment is an arm guard. Sure, your bow string will always come in contact with your arm. But again, a slight miscalculation may result in having your arm brush against the string (or the bow itself). And this sensation may not only mess up your stance - the possibility of getting hurt is there as well.

Chest Guard

Chest guards protect you from string strikes.

A chest guard will protect you from the nasty effect of a bow string hitting your chest. It can be argued that this effect is a result of a bad shooting form. But, wouldn't you want to save yourself from that risk? Aside from protecting your body, a chest guard works well in keeping your stance up and proper outdoors. This gear works well especially in windy or stormy shooting conditions.

Bright Clothing

Always have a high-vis jacket with you.

If you’re shooting with other archers, being in visible and bright clothing will save you from becoming the target accidentally!

Shooting Safely

Now, let’s list down some safety tips that are good to have in mind when shooting.

• 

  Just never ever shoot towards the sky.

  Do not shoot an arrow high in the air – you can never know where it lands, what it hits.
• Never point or aim your bow at anyone. Even with no arrow draw, it comes as proper etiquette not to do this to anyone!
• When nocking an arrow, make sure to point your arrow towards the ground.
• Even if you have no intention to shoot, do not draw an arrow if there are any people within the space between you and your target.
• Only point your arrows towards a target if you've already nocked one on your bow string.
• Very important for recurve bow users – never overdraw your bow! Aside from potentially damaging your equipment, you might end up with serious injury by doing this!

Shooting Range Protocol Rules

Even in indoor or controlled shooting environments, it’s always good to have a safety-first mentality. Here are some of the most common indoor shooting tips that you should follow:

• Always listen to commands given by a shooting instructor.
• Make sure to shoot at the same time and in the same direction as others.
• For group shooting activities, wait until everyone is done shooting before proceeding to the next target.
• Always stand behind the shooting line – never cross it even if you drop something beyond it.
• Do not use broadheads when shooting indoors. Opt for field points instead.
• Aside from making sure no one's in front of you when shooting, also make sure no one's standing behind you as well.
• Only retrieve arrows when an instructor says so.

Hunting Safety Tips

Hunters with a safety-first mindset are assured of a more satisfying experience. Here are some of the most common archery safety tips for you to follow:

• For an additional prep, pack additional water and food when out in the wild.
• Regardless if you're in full camo or not, take a bright article of clothing as well (such as a jacket or a cap) with you as well.
• If possible, carry a first aid kit as well.
• Do not shoot at a target (such as a bush or a tree) if you do not have a direct line-of-sight at it.
• Know your trails – this way, you will avoid potential friendly fire on places where people normally trek at.
• Avoid running after your prey.
• If you do need to chase after a prey, wait before you actually stalk it. A 30-minute time frame should give you and your prey enough time.
• Do not force yourself to carry prey alone. Seek help if you need help carrying – you do not want to be in a vulnerable position because your hands are busy carrying your target.

Whistle Blast Commands

Notice those whistle blasts a shooting instructor lets out? Find out what they mean below:

• 1 Whistle – nock your arrow and start shooting towards a target.
• 2 Whistles – position yourself behind the shooting line and take up the proper shooting stance.
• 3 Whistles – you are cleared to step over the shooting line to retrieve your arrows.
• Multiple Whistles – immediately stop shooting. Make sure to place your arrows in a quiver as well.

Typical Shooting Range Procedure

Here is a general guideline on how you shoot indoor shooting range:

1. Until the shooting instructor says so (or once 2 whistles have been blasted), always stay within the waiting line area (behind the waiting line, to be specific).
2. Once you are cleared to walk over towards the shooting line, make sure to line up and give ample space away from each shooter.
3. Your arrows should always be in your quiver. Only take an arrow out of the quiver if an instructor says so (or once a single whistle blast has been given by your instructor).
4. Once you have ran out of arrows to shoot, carefully step back from the shooting line and head towards the waiting line. Make sure to set your bow up on the rack as well.
5. Once everyone's done with their round of shooting (and as a result, everyone is in the waiting line area), the instructor will now inspect the shooting area. Once done, you will be notified if it is safe to move forward to retrieve your arrows (or an instructor can blow 3 whistle blasts).

Recurve Bow Check

Both recurve and compound bows can develop cracks - take them to a pro shop for a fix.

• Confirm correct draw weight.
• Check the bow string and all sighting gear attached to the bow.
• Replace the bow string if there are any visible defects.
• If there is a need to string your bow, use a bow stringer.
• Always make sure to have your bow string waxed.
• Check the bow limbs for any damage.

Compound Bow Check

• Confirm correct draw weight.
• Check the bow string and all sighting gear attached to the bow.
• Replace the bow string if there are any visible defects.
• Always make sure to have your bow string waxed.
• Check the bow limbs for any damage.
• Inspect your bow's limb weight adjustment bolts. If there is a need to adjust, take extra care when twisting the bolts.

Arrows Check

Arrows get used up over time - always check for defects.

• Check your arrows for any defects. Discard an arrow if there are any.
• If possible, use arrows of the same length.
• If possible, keep your arrows in a quiver when not in use. This protects the arrows from getting damaged.

Miscellaneous Archery Equipment Checks

• Make sure that your arm guard, chest guard, and finger tabs are in good working order.
• Aside from keeping your gear safe, also do inspect your bow and equipment case.
• The best equipment is yourself! Never shoot if you are intoxicated – a calm and clear mindset is needed in archery!

Tendonitis

That sharp pain that occurs in your elbows, wrists, or shoulders is more likely than not to be Tendonitis. Aptly called as "Archer's Elbow", this injury happens when you use a bow with an inappropriate draw weight. A wrong shooting stance will also stress your muscles, resulting to this painful injury. This problem usually resolves by itself once you stop overloading your elbow.

Rotator Cuff Strain

Probably the most common injury among archers, this injury occurs on the muscles found on the shoulder joint. This muscles receive the most amount of stress when shooting - every time you pull back on the bow string for a full draw, pressure is applied on your rotator cuff. Prevent this from happening by focusing on the proper shooting stance. Alternatively, you can lessen the amount of tension placed on these muscles by going for a lower draw weight on your bow.

String Slap

Unique to archers, this injury is basically the pain you feel when your bow string snaps against your forearm. And this is why arm guards are such a necessity. By staying safe, you prevent pain, which results in more focused and accurate shots!

Shoulder Impingement Syndrome

Normally occurs with beginners or if you go back shooting after a long break, this injury creates tension on the outside area of your upper arms and shoulders. Prevent this by taking it slow. As much as archery can be exciting, make sure to go through the motions of warming up and focusing on maintaining the proper shooting stance. If pain still occurs during shooting sessions, take a break and ice the affected area for approximately 30 minutes.

Bone Spurs

Essentially pointed growths of bone that is a natural part of the aging process, these outgrowths are normally experienced by archers in their shoulders and neck areas. This is because strain is most felt in these places when shooting arrows. Though not exactly painful (a mild discomfort, in some cases), bone spurs can be managed by taking some breaks during shooting sessions.

Hand Lacerations

Broadheads can even penetrate barrels - treat them with respect.

Mishandling of broadheads can result to these painful injuries. As broadheads need to be very sharp to be effective, you will have to be extra careful when handling them, to avoid cutting yourself. Also, make sure to use wrench to handle arrow heads - never use your hands, even when you're wearing gloves! Additionally, take extra care when pulling or retrieving your arrows. Especially with prey, a broadhead may remain in its body - be conscious of this fact to avoid pesky cuts!

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