How to use your bow and arrow

Step 7: How to use your bow and arrow

In the movies they make shooting a bow and arrow look like a piece of cake, but its not! Hold the bow with your weaker arm in the middle of the bow. Then grip the arrow with your thumb, pointer, and middle fingers each in between one of the paper feathers. Pull back the arrow against the string as far as you can, and watch the arrow fly, you will be amazed by how far this easy to build bow can shoot.

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yoyinsola says: Mar 28, 2013. 3:46 PM

thanks for the post

lukeocartwright says: Apr 14, 2012. 10:47 AM

use a thin cane as ashaft for the arrow it makes th errow extremely light and will fly further

Keli33 says: Mar 31, 2012. 11:52 AM

Hey, what kind of string did you use?
What kind of string is the best for bow strings?

ethiran says: Feb 23, 2012. 5:25 AM

i think you must use a nylon string not a string

esmith37 says: Jan 31, 2012. 3:44 PM

The fletching on an arrow shouldn't come that close to the nock. You want enough space for your fingers to fit between the nock and the fletching. Then you can draw the bow properly, using all your finger strength. Just curl the fingertips of your index, middle and ring finger around the string with the arrow between your index and middle finger.

Turtlepirate101 says: Jan 23, 2012. 11:29 AM

btw firstly a notch in the bottom at the side of the arrow is more reliable than a slit in the bottom and secondly the arrow is to be held with the thumb and the index finger ( the first crease from tip of finger)

chadwell says: Apr 29, 2008. 2:38 PM

people just go to walmart with 3 dlars and buy an actual arrow that works garanteed

rugnor in reply to chadwellApr 8, 2010. 7:05 AM

im from spain and here we dont have wallmarts(in fact where i live there arent shops that sell thing like that at all)

Billgun in reply to rugnorSep 27, 2010. 1:56 PM

Yeah u have Walmarts, ASDA or something is europes walmart but trust me theres a walmart in just about every single country on earth wal-mart is a HUGE company

poboyle666 in reply to BillgunAug 15, 2011. 11:43 AM

Yeah, we have ASDA in the UK but you'll never find arrows in there!

Saturday_Mourning_Cartoons in reply to BillgunJul 22, 2011. 6:08 PM

Walmart may be a huge company, but that doesn't mean people shop there. Also just because someone has on in their country, doesn't mean that it is right down the street. I mean, who in their right mind would bus somewhere for 6hrs just to shop at Walmart?

I know that Walmart is having a lot of trouble marketing in Europe because a lot of Europeans shop at the stores they've been going to all their lives. The same stores their parents shopped at, and their parents before them.

bennyboy1994 in reply to BillgunJul 13, 2011. 5:32 AM

australia dont have it

chrizw123 in reply to BillgunJan 23, 2011. 8:15 AM

they have asda where i lve and they dont sell that sorta stuff...

lukeyj15 in reply to BillgunDec 29, 2010. 8:32 PM

No walmarts in australia as far as i know

scott rox in reply to lukeyj15Jan 16, 2011. 11:41 AM

There aren't any Walmarts in New Zealand either.

fartnocker in reply to chadwellMar 30, 2010. 3:27 PM

sandy4444s new account: not walmart! walmart does not carry green day cds.
and its for people hoo cant afford to go to real stores

fartnocker in reply to fartnockerMar 30, 2010. 3:30 PM

also its more fun to make it yourself

Frankie174 in reply to chadwellMay 28, 2009. 2:52 PM

duh

glitcher in reply to chadwellMay 26, 2008. 5:37 PM

It also garuntees a broken bow and wasted 3 dollars...

alfonso (author) in reply to chadwellApr 29, 2008. 2:41 PM

Thats probably the way to go if you want to spend money. But if you want to make a arrow to mess around with, this will work just fine.

Spartanatheart says: Jul 31, 2010. 10:09 PM

your not supposed to hold the arrow your supposed to pull back the string either to your ear or just under your eye and also your supposed to have notches on the arrow

greymatter21 says: May 30, 2010. 7:45 PM

if uve ever shot a REAL bow, it is a piece of cake(minus tha fact that u have to hit tha target XD).real arrows have notches in tha back end for tha bow string to hold onto,so u dont have to hold it with 3 fingers.plus those arrow "veins"(feathers) look as if they would give u 3 good paper cuts after shooting tha arrowDX.but other than that, tha bow is great;D

Ditz says: May 15, 2010. 6:49 AM

I'm just saying that that's not a good way to hold an arrow. I'm not sure about the correct way, but I am sure that that isn't it.

superxj9 says: Aug 30, 2009. 2:47 PM

all of these comments are really good help if you want to build a bow thanks.

Nalydorthebuilder says: Oct 27, 2007. 8:58 AM

so, what, do u just sharpen the end of the stick? I don't wana hurt someone, but a pointed arrow will fly farther and straighter than a blunt tip, plus you can kill squirrels and stuff... Joke!

sharlston in reply to NalydorthebuilderAug 6, 2009. 12:53 PM

get a thin dowel and use a pencil sharpener to sharpen it

bubba j in reply to NalydorthebuilderMay 12, 2009. 7:12 PM

a blunt tip works well for me and the shocking power can kill squirrels no joke

CapnTac in reply to NalydorthebuilderJun 3, 2008. 9:10 AM

I prefer to make my own arrow heads out of flint.

sharlston in reply to CapnTacAug 6, 2009. 12:53 PM

me too

15zhangfra in reply to CapnTacMar 4, 2009. 3:00 PM

how do you make flint arrow heads

Frankie174 in reply to 15zhangfraMay 28, 2009. 2:50 PM

rock against rock

15zhangfra in reply to Frankie174May 29, 2009. 1:13 PM

oh, i did try it yesterday but i id it wrong so i ended up with an over sized blowgun dart head. and lol, frank/frankie is my name too

Rotten194 in reply to 15zhangfraMar 22, 2009. 7:13 PM

Get some flint, some gloves, goggles and a bigger rock. Smash the flint. Pick the best shard, shape it with a screwdriver. Use.

15zhangfra in reply to Rotten194Mar 23, 2009. 1:45 PM

yeah i didi, but even though i was using a tiny screw driver, my chip just cracked and fell apart by the middle

Pbyrd in reply to CapnTacJun 12, 2008. 9:34 PM

Didn't you see that episode of Mythbusters where they coompared sharpened stcks and flint arrow heads? The determined that the penetration was about the same and that it is easier to just make the sharpened stick. You could still make flint arrow heads but I'm just telling you that the two are nearly identical.

NRen2k5 in reply to PbyrdAug 13, 2009. 8:44 AM

Yeah, and that episode also sucked. They got complaints on their website from experienced archers and bowhunters pointing out that penetration isn't the only thing that matters. A flint head is better for hunting because it cuts the animal's flesh and blood vessels rather than just poking it. It also can do more damage when the animal tries to run, rather than just falling out. And finally, it's convenient because when it breaks or goes dull you can just remove it and put a new head on the arrow, rather than having to whittle the arrow down.

Frankie174 in reply to PbyrdMay 28, 2009. 2:51 PM

flint cuts skin better

bubba j in reply to PbyrdMay 12, 2009. 7:14 PM

flint gives better hole

Nudo64 in reply to PbyrdApr 17, 2009. 4:07 PM

yes, thats true, but if you have a flint arrow, in shooting people, or animals (hunting) flint arrow breaks, and cause massive pain, with chips and pieces constantly stabbing you inside your body.

Deathcapt in reply to PbyrdApr 1, 2009. 9:32 AM

Until you shoot something that isn't styrofoam. The wood arrow will break. and the tip with crush. The flint can be used more before it breaks. Also adds weight to the front of the arrow making it fly straighter. There are slight advantages to using a proper arrow head. Not so much for target shooting but for hunting they help a lot. Especially with increasing cutting area, so you cause more damage.