The bow has continually evolved as its use, and the technology to make it has changed. Simple wooden branch made bows have given way to high tech design marvels but you will see all types in common use.
The Recurve Bow
The most popular used for modern competitions is the recurve or Olympic style bow. It has a handle (or riser) made of wood or metal and recurving limbs made of wood and fibreglass laminate. More expensive limbs will use carbon fibre. Beginners usually start with an inexpensive basic form and then invest in more developed models as their skill grows. It normally comes to pieces for easy transport (called a take down bow) and to allow the components to be upgraded. A sight is fitted for consistent accuracy in competition and it can be fitted with various aids to tune the set up to the individual archer’s style.Some archers use them without the sight and aids, and this is called “barebow” shooting. In competition it is placed in its own category.
The Compound Bow
This high tech form is the ultimate development of the bows potential so far. It has developed as a hunting (and military) tool in America where bow hunting is a very popular, and legal, sport. It is short in length for easy carrying and its cam wheels give it a mechanical efficiency, allowing the archer to steadily hold a draw weight considerably more than that of a recurve bow. The result is a powerful, smooth and virtually silent shot. When fitted with a magnifying scope, it is deadly accurate over distance and needs a great deal of skill to be shot successfully.
They are often seen in competitions where they are categorised separately because of their relative advantage over other bow types.
The Longbow
The type of bow more typically associated with traditional archery, the modern longbow evolved through Victorian times as a recreational weapon from the mighty war bows of pre Tudor Britain. It is made only of wood, sometimes a single sort but more commonly a laminate of several types, and nocks made of horn. The section through the bow is D shaped which makes for a powerful and efficient design. It is seen at most competitions, again in its own class, and has a dedicated following of archers keen to master the difficult nature of basic weaponry.
Other forms of bow are available but not recognised in the world of European rules competition unless entered as a barebow only. Mongolian or Scythian recurves made from wood, horn and sinew, and flat bows as used by Native American Indians are commonly seen and interesting to shoot.