Guide To Archery

Bow Stabilizer

What is the use of a center stabilizer on a bow?

?
also how do i know if im supposed to use a Right Handed bow or a left one?

A stabilizer is a torque rod. It positions a mass far away from the bow. This does several things. First it adds stability while you aim, this is similar to the reason camera operators put weights on their rig. With added inertia to the equipment any movement you make will be smoother and less jerky.

Second, after the shot, with that added weight far away from the center of the bow, your mistakes/errors will be lessened. When you release the string, your bow hand is still in contact with the grip. If you flinch that is also translated to the shot. With stabilizers on the bow the effect of that flinch is reduced.

Third, it changes the balance of the bow. Depending on how you set it up the bow's behavior will change after the shot. Most people using stabilizers will leave their hands open, so they don't add even more torque to the bow. You can set the stabilizer to tip the bow forward or you can set it so it stays upright. It's all personal preference.

Then of course there's the side effect of the stabilizer dampening the bow's vibration. Less vibration, less noise.

As far as left or right handed goes...there are two schools of thought on this one. The widely accepted one in the US, is to follow the dominant eye. Right eye dominant, you shoot right handed and vice versa. However, in Korea, there are many archery school that goes the other way and go with the dominant hand. Their reasoning is that the eye can be trained, but the dominant hand makes a smoother release easier to learn. But of couse if you're shooting compound release, then go with the dominant eye.

Here's one eye test. Stand straight, pick a target far away. Overlap your hands such that you form a small diamond shaped hole between your two thumbs and your two index fingers. With both eyes open, raise your arm straight out and center the target in the middle of that hole. Keeping it centered bring your hands until it touches your face. The eye it comes back to is your dominant eye.

Here are some great selections for Bow Stabilizer from eBay!

What is the use of a center stabilizer on a bow?

?
also how do i know if im supposed to use a right handed bow or a left one?

A stabilizer is a torque rod. It positions a mass far away from the bow. This does several things. First it adds stability while you aim, this is similar to the reason camera operators put weights on their rig. With added inertia to the equipment any movement you make will be smoother and less jerky.

Second, after the shot, with that added weight far away from the center of the bow, your mistakes/errors will be lessened. When you release the string, your bow hand is still in contact with the grip. If you flinch that is also translated to the shot. With stabilizers on the bow the effect of that flinch is reduced.

Third, it changes the balance of the bow. Depending on how you set it up the bow's behavior will change after the shot. Most people using stabilizers will leave their hands open, so they don't add even more torque to the bow. You can set the stabilizer to tip the bow forward or you can set it so it stays upright. It's all personal preference.

Then of course there's the side effect of the stabilizer dampening the bow's vibration. Less vibration, less noise.

As far as left or right handed goes...there are two schools of thought on this one. The widely accepted one in the US, is to follow the dominant eye. Right eye dominant, you shoot right handed and vice versa. However, in Korea, there are many archery school that goes the other way and go with the dominant hand. Their reasoning is that the eye can be trained, but the dominant hand makes a smoother release easier to learn. But of couse if you're shooting compound release, then go with the dominant eye.

Here's one eye test. Stand straight, pick a target far away. Overlap your hands such that you form a small diamond shaped hole between your two thumbs and your two index fingers. With both eyes open, raise your arm straight out and center the target in the middle of that hole. Keeping it centered bring your hands until it touches your face. The eye it comes back to is your dominant eye.

Products previously bought from this site:

tru glo tru block mini stabilizer with integrated bow sling, gws pro hunter stabilizer for compound bows black 4 weight 5 ounce new archery, gws pro hunter stabilizer for compound bows black 6 weight 8 ounce new archery, camo gws pro hunter stabilizer for compound bows 4 weight 5 ounce new archery