So you've seen one too many cowboy and Indian movies and decided to try out archery. Good decision. But what do you need? Where do you start? If you are not sure you are going to stay with it, nothing says you have to buy everything. If you are a student, ask if you can sign out some equipment from the physical education department. Check around for a local archery club. Chances are they will let you borrow or rent the essentials. You will need to check out one or both of these institutions anyway in order to locate an archery range.

So what kind of equipment will you need to get started? Well, obviously you will need some type of bow. There are many styles available in the world of archery. For beginners, the most popular choices are self bows, the recurve bow, or the ever stylish longbow. For a beginner, a crossbow is not recommended for obvious reasons, unless the only thing you are planning on doing is bow hunting. Crossbows are popular in hunting because of their power and range. Ask yourself what kind of archery you are interested in. That will in part guide your choice. For target practice the first three are good candidates. You might want to choose between them based on comfort.

The next equipment you will need is a number of arrows. Like bows, there are different kinds of arrows, designed with function in mind. Your choice of hunting arrows should be based on the weight of the arrow and speed you are trying to get. For shooting on the range, you will want arrows designed for multiple uses.

Once you have those basics you can look into things that are not must-haves, strictly speaking, but are meant to improve your shots and add to your comfort and safety. For example, an archery arm rest will stabilize your shot and your bow. A good pair of gloves can add to your comfort level and prevent damage to your hands. Arm guards do just what you might imagine from the name.

A target is essential to increase your skill and accuracy. It not only gives you something to aim at, but it also gives you a means to gauge your progress as your skill level improves. You can spend about as much money as you want on targets or you can save money and make your own. There are many sites on the internet that will give you free instructions. If you buy your targets, you can get the traditional round one, square bag ones, or even ones shaped like deer or birds!

As you can see, there is a wide range of equipment for the archery pastime and most of it is designed for the type of shooting you want to do. Perhaps that is the hardest part: limiting yourself to one style at a time!