The sport

Archery is a sport with a rich history and plenty of variety. At Amicitia 1893 you can get acquainted with the main disciplines practised within the Dutch Archery Federation (NHB). Each bow type has its own character, technique and challenges — there’s something for everyone.

The disciplines

Wood

The wooden bow is the most original form of archery. You shoot with a traditional wooden bow, without modern aids such as a sight or stabilizer. Aiming is instinctive: you feel the shot rather than measuring it.

What makes wood special:

  • Pure technique, without technological assistance
  • Closest to the historical roots of the sport
  • Instinctive shooting — you develop a personal sense of distance and posture
  • Minimal equipment, maximum challenge

Barebow

Barebow is a modern recurve bow without a sight or stabilizer. You do use an arrow rest and optionally a plunger button, but aiming is done using the arrow tip or via string walking — varying your grip on the string for each distance.

What makes barebow special:

  • A bridge between traditional and modern shooting
  • Requires well-developed spatial awareness
  • Less equipment, more feel
  • Growing popularity in competitions

Recurve

The recurve bow is the bow you see at the Olympic Games. It’s equipped with a sight, stabilizers, arrow rest, plunger and clicker. Everything is designed to help the archer shoot as consistently as possible at long distances.

What makes recurve special:

  • The Olympic discipline — technical and precise
  • Suitable for distances up to 70 metres
  • Strong focus on posture, relaxation and mental game
  • Extensive range of equipment and adjustment options

Compound

The compound bow is a modern, high-tech bow with a cam system. This lets you hold much less weight at full draw, which allows for extremely precise aiming. Archers use a release (release aid), a scope (magnifying sight) and a peep sight in the string.

What makes compound special:

  • The highest mechanical precision
  • Suitable for target shooting as well as 3D and field competitions
  • Shorter but more powerful than a recurve bow
  • Different technique: release and scope require a specific approach

Which bow suits you?

You don’t have to decide right away. At Amicitia 1893 you start with the Introductory Subscription, where you get acquainted with various bows under the guidance of our instructors. This way you can discover for yourself which discipline suits you best.

Feel free to drop by during one of our training sessions to see how the different disciplines are practised.