Types of Bows, Obscure Archery Bows Explained

There are many types of bows, recurve, compound, longbows and crossbows are the most common, but have you heard of hybrid deflex/reflex, self bows or reverse-draw compound crossbows? And there are so many others.

As a beginner I was overwhelmed at the amount of bow types and different adjectives that could be attached to the word bow. There is a world of lingo and terms, especially for bows, as archery has been around for a long time and was developed simultaneously by many different cultures.

I had a hard time understanding some of these types of bows as sometimes even archers don’t agree on terms and definitions. Here is my take on all of the adjectives and archery types I have come across with.

Read below as I attempt to clarify some of this bow classification mess.

Types of Archery Bows

First of all, it would be useful to understand how bows are classified. How can we sort all the types?

I explain any adjective that would and does describe a bow. I have a specific explanation of each type and also linked some of the types of bows to the article I have written about them. Some times a type of bow classifies the bow on more than one way. For example traditional bows can be bows that are of certain material but also hand made, as well as not having additional gear or technology. So check out for multiple entries of the same adjective.

The classification of bows is done according to

1. The basis of the structure of the bow,

1. 1. the physical bow shape

The shape can be described when the bow is unstrung as well as when it is strung and ready to go.

recurve: A recurve bow is a bow which limbs curve away from the archer at the tips, and the string  has to actually touch the bow at the curve.

decurve:  This literally means to curve downward, in terms of a bow it basically means that it is the shape of a D. It does not store any tension, essentially, it is the same shape strung and unstrung. This shape was used when people did not have access to flexible wood material, but very rarely.

reflex: A reflex bow is  a bow which ends curve away from the archer when unstrung. It would look like a recurve bow when strung. It also refers to the parts of a bow that curve away from the archer when strung. That would be the riser in the reflex deflex laminated longbows.

deflex: Refers to a bow that has a curve which belly is curving away from the archer. It describes the middle of the limbs in a deflex-reflex bow.

asymmetric: A bow which has one limb that is longer than the other. For example a Yumi (the bow used for Kyudo) is an asymmetric bow.

longbow: As the name implies these bows are long, originally from England, most longbows happen to be made using a single piece of wood (so they would be a self bow), especially yew wood (common in England) and are what is meant in English as traditional bows. They can also be made with other types of wood and lamination, and even reinforced with carbon fiber, these would no longer be considered as traditional, however the traditional look would still be there and some archers are ok with that. I would call them modern longbows.

shortbow: As the name implies these bows are short, shorter than the longbow and generally around 3 feet long but could be any bow shorter than 5 feet 5 inches long (65 in, 165.1 cm).

flatbow: The word flat in flatbow is referring to the limbs, which are flat and not rounded like the longbow limbs. It has a rectangular cross-section in the limbs coming to a rounded cross-section in the riser.

crossbow: The word cross in the word crossbow alludes to the fact that the bow is crossed over the tiller (the structure that holds the horizontal bow). There are different types of crossbows that depend on the type of bow that is used: recurve crossbow, compound crossbow and reverse draw crossbow are the ones I have come across with.

1. 1.  how the bow  works

which is closely associated with its physical shape but not always.

cable-backed bow: A bow which uses a cable on the far side (away from the archer) to resist the tension and so add strength and durability to the bow.

compound bow: These kinds of bows  have a system of pulleys or cams that make the holding of the draw weight easier.  I wrote a whole article about everything you need to know about compound bows.

reverse-draw: This technology is used in compound crossbows and has the tips of the limbs of the bow facing away from the archer  and moving towards each other when pulling the string. This invention allegedly done in 2003 by James “Jim” Kempf of Scorpyd Crossbows, increases the power stroke, allowing for much higher speeds. Read more about how crossbows work here.

1. 1. how many and which materials used:

composite bow: Means that several materials are used. A composite bow is made traditionally of horn in the front (close to the archer) that resists pressure; sinew  in the back (far from the archer) that resists tension;  and a wooden or bamboo core.

primitive bow: A simple bow made of one piece of wood, could also refer to traditional bows.

self bow:  The most simple bow. A Self bow comes from the use of the word self to mean same. This type of bow is then one piece of one material.

traditional bow: A confusing term since it refers to a tradition in the past. Whose tradition? When?  The most purists would say it has to be wood and one or maximum 2 pieces (attached a the riser), so technically a self bow. However, the term traditional bow also includes composite bows from other-than-English cultural traditions. Those traditional bows are made from wood, sinew and horn. So we can conclude that a traditional bow is a bow made from natural material.

1. How many and which technological advancements the bow uses.

barebow: Basically the fact that the bow has no technological advancement, from the start or stripped of it when used. This term is more about how you use a bow than the bow itself.

ultra-adjustible compound bow: This type of compound bow can be adjusted for a wide range of draw weights and lengths, so it is useful for young archers. However, it comes with a trade-off that it is not able to be fine tuned (adjusted in small increments) and that it does not have a solid back-wall when drawing. Read here for a more detailed explanation of how this works.

compound bow: As mentioned above the pulley system developed originally in 1966 and patented by Holless Wilbur Allen  (Missouri, USA). Its important to note that before this invention “compound” would be used to refer to composite bows. Read this to know more about compound bows if you are interested.

crossbow: Using the technology of a tiller to support a bow and shooting it horizontally instead of vertically.

take-down: This “recent” innovation was done by___ in ___. and has revolutionized the world of recurve bows. They are now portable and much easier to upgrade, as you can increase your draw weight or qualty of your limbs and keep the same riser.

traditional bow: From this perspective traditional bows do not use any technological advancements, no sights, optics, dampeners or pulleys.

reverse-draw: This technology is a development in the world of crossbows, basically only for compound crossbows to be exact. I have already wrote about it above under “how the bow works” classification.

1. How it is made:

composite bow: Since composite bows are traditional bows, they are made by hand and out of natural materials like wood, bamboo, sinew, horn and natural glue. Most composite bows are reflex bows. There are some composite bow modern replicas made with natural and some synthetic materials.

laminated: A more modern take on a composite bow. These types of bows are made by glueing with epoxy or resin adhesives or wood glue and heat-curing several layers of mostly wood material, some times adding a layer or 2 of synthetic material for durability and strength.

modern: Made using modern synthetic materials or made using modern methods.

self bow: Made out of one stave of wood.

1. The Archery style

   1. How the bow is used

Horse bow: Bow to be used by an archer on horse-back. They were very popular in antiquity for war and used by many cultures, see the last section, where I describe different traditional composite horse bows.

foot bow: A bow that is pulled with both feet, this bow is used for flight archery.

barebow: Not really a type of bow. I have included it here since it has the word bow, so I was definitely confused when I encountered it. It is a type or archery style. It describes someone using any bow and taking away any and all the gear like sights or stabilizers, and shooting like that, with a bare bow.

1. 1. What the situation/ goal of the archer is

flight bow: This kind of bow is used for flight archery, so distance and not accuracy is its main objective.

hunting bow: Any type of bow that is meant for bowhunting. These bows are colored in camouflage designs and are shorter and lighter than their target counterparts.

olympic bow: A modern recurve bow that follows the World Archery Federation rule book for recurve or barebow divisions.

target bow: these types of bows could be any bow that is used for target archery. They can be recurve, compound, etc. Basically it differentiates them from hunting bows as they can be colorful, and longer or heavier than hunting bows.

warbow: A type of longbow that was historically used for war. They were very long and had a very high draw weight. Recently researchers have been able to access some renaissance warbows recovered from a    ship wreckage, (sunk in 1545).  They were able to estimate the draw weights of the bows to be from 100 to 180 lbs ⁽¹⁾ . The bows have an average length of 6 feet 6 in.

1. The Location or Historic Origins:

Persian Bow:  From the Persian empire, now currently Iran . It is a rigid tipped composite reflex bow with rigid tips.

Hun  Bow: A slightly asymmetrical (longer top limb), horse composite reflex bow. It is also called a Hunnic bow and it was used by the Huns through out western Asia and eastern Europe.

Scythian Bow: A composite reflex horse bow used by the Scythians. These bows on the shorter side of traditional horse bows and not too reflexed. The scythians were nomadic warriors who roamed the Eurasian Steppe and were at their peak between 700 and 300 BCE⁽²⁾.

Hungarian Bow: Composite reflex bow with extra bone reinforcement.  Unlike other horse bows it is practically symmetrical and longer.

Mongolian Bow: composite reflex horse bow  with a string bridge.  The bridge is a piece of wood or horn that holds the string in place and on which the string snaps adding speed to the arrow.

Turkish Bow:  A composite reflex horse bow made and used by the Turks. It is highly reflex, as it forms a c, when unstrung, with the ends even touching for some  bows.

Manchu Bow: From the Manchurian empire in 17th century China, another composite reflex horse bow.

Kyudo bow: Used for the Japanese martial art of Kyudo, it is called Yumi, which is bow in Japanese.

Bush bow: These types of bows are made from wood that is found in the wilderness and made in the wilderness. They are very rough and basically made for survival and part of what is called bushcraft. Not to be confused with brush bow, which is part of a sleigh.

Traditional Bow: Commonly refers to longbows and composite recurve bows, but might also include flatbows and selfbows if made with natural materials.

Modern Bow: Refers to the use of modern materials and or modern technology used in a bow.  Wood is reinforced with fiberglass, carbon foam or replaced with metal alloys.

How do the archery bow type definitions work?

Some of these classifications may be used together, like for example you may have a Mongolian composite horse recurve bow that you shoot barebow style and which is technically a shortbow.

You can have a modern ultra-adjustable compound bow or a reverse-draw compound crossbow, or a recurve crossbow.

Sometimes bow types are redundant like flight bow and foot bow, since a foot bow is used exclusively for flight archery. Or muddled together like traditional bow and self bow. Traditional bows encompass self bows. Not all traditional bows are self bows, but all self bows are traditional… unless of course you deck it with a sight.

 Archer debates about the types of bows

One of the most debated term is “Traditional Bows” since in English it normally refers to traditional recurve and longbows which are English in origin. But it can also generally refer to Japanese traditional bows, Korean traditional bows which are composite, Mongolian traditional bows, Native American traditional bows, some of which are flatbows. Modern, hybrid and reflex/deflex longbows are also being discussed and debated by archers and bowyers globally.

Another one is “barebow”, since it actually describes the way a bow is used and not really a type of bow. Some people think it is a legitimate term, but others might just lump it in with traditional bows.

And lastly a primitive bow has several meanings. To some it means the same as traditional bow, to others, a self bow. Or, to another group it is a bow made with one piece of wood and with one tool, like a hatchet or heavy knife, what would be referred to as a bush bow.

Wrapping it all

I hope this list will come in handy for you. It is very long, I know, but I was as comprehensive as possible to make your transition into the archery world much easier than it was for me.

What do you think are the most confusing or exciting types of bows or archery terms out there?

 

Reference:

(1) Strickland, Matthew; Hardy, Robert (2005). The Great Warbow: From Hastings to the Mary Rose. Sutton Publishing. ISBN 0-7509-3167-1.

(2) Melyukova, A. I. (1990). “The Scythians and Sarmatians”. In Sinor, Denis (ed.). The Cambridge History of Early Inner Asia. 1. Cambridge University Press. pp. 97–117. ISBN 9781139054898.