How to set up your first recurve bow

Short answer: setting up a takedown recurve takes about 10 minutes and one tool. Attach the two limbs to the handle, string the bow with a bow stringer, check two measurements, and you're ready to shoot. This guide walks you through each step, the way a club coach would on your first evening.

Watch the setup video

Prefer to read? Every step is written out below.

What you need

• Your bow: the handle (called the riser), two limbs and the string
• The hex key that comes with the bow
• A bow stringer: a cord with a pocket at each end. Inexpensive, and the safest way to string any recurve.
• Somewhere with space around you, indoors or out

Step 1: know your parts

Step 2: attach the limbs

1. Find the top and bottom of the riser. The arrow rest sits above the grip, so that end is the top.
2. Check the limbs. The draw weight is usually printed near the base, and the markings tell you which is the top limb and which is the bottom one.
3. Slot each limb into its pocket so it curves away from you when you hold the grip. The labels face you, the archer.
4. Tighten the limb bolts by hand until they're snug, then give a final firm turn with the hex key. Firm, not forced: there's no need to crank them.

Step 3: string the bow (with a stringer)

1. Slide the large loop of the string over the top limb and a little way down it.
2. Seat the small loop in the string groove at the tip of the bottom limb.
3. Fit the large pocket of the stringer over the bottom limb tip, and the other end (pocket or saddle) over the top limb, just behind the string loop.
4. Hold the bow horizontally by the grip, string underneath. Stand on the stringer cord with the ball of your foot, never the arch.
5. Pull up on the grip. The limbs bend, and the top loop goes slack. With your free hand, slide the top loop up into the groove at the top limb tip.
6. Ease off slowly. Before you take the stringer off, run a finger over both tips to check each loop is seated in its groove.

Why not the "step-through" method? You'll see people string a bow by stepping through it and bending it against their leg. It works, but it puts uneven pressure on the limbs and can twist them over time. A stringer is safer for you and for the bow.

Step 4: check the brace height

Brace height is the distance from the deepest point of the grip to the string. On most beginner recurves it's between 7 and 9 inches (18 to 23 cm). A quick way to check: make a fist with your thumb up and place it against the grip. The string should just about touch your thumb.

• Too low? Unstring the bow, add a few twists to the string, then string it again.
• Too high? Unstring the bow and take out a few twists.

A correct brace height makes the bow quieter, smoother and kinder to your arm.

Step 5: check the nocking point

The arrow should clip onto the string just below the nocking point marker, sitting straight on the rest. Seen from the side, the back of the arrow (the nock end) should sit level or very slightly higher than the front. Always clip your arrow in exactly the same place: it's one of the simplest ways to make your groups tighter.

Step 6: gear up

• Arm guard on the forearm of the hand that holds the bow, on the inside, where the string passes.
• Finger tab on the hand that draws the string, protecting your three drawing fingers.
• Remove anything the string could catch: a loose sleeve, a watch on the bow arm, a pendant.

Not sure which hand holds the bow? Take the 5-second eye test.

Your first shots

1. Stand side-on to the target, feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Nock the arrow under the nocking point, pointing at the target.
3. Grip the bow lightly, with a relaxed hand. Don't squeeze it.
4. Draw the string back using your back muscles, not just your arm.
5. Anchor: touch the same spot on your face every time, for example your fingertip at the corner of your mouth.
6. Release by relaxing your fingers. Don't pluck the string away.
7. Follow through: hold your position until the arrow lands.

Start close, at 3 to 5 metres, and concentrate on repeating the same shot. Accuracy comes from consistency. Setting up outside? Read How to set up a safe range in your garden first.

After shooting: unstring and store

• Unstring the bow after every session, using the stringer in reverse. A strung bow left for days loses performance.
• Store it somewhere dry and at room temperature, never in a hot car or a damp shed.
• You can leave the limbs attached or take them off. If you take them off, put each limb back in the same pocket next time.

Common beginner mistakes

Everything in one box

The First Draw Starter Kit includes a 20 or 30 lb takedown recurve, 12 arrows, a foam target, an arm guard, a finger tab set and a step-by-step setup video. Most people are strung and shooting in about 10 minutes.

See the First Draw Starter Kit