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Stabilization 101 (PART ONE)
What is a stabilizers job?
A stabilizer is a bar that attaches to the riser of a bow, for creating or correcting directional pulls in an archery system. All while resisting pin movement. Stabilizers are used to fit a shooting system to the preferences of an individual archer.
Resistance to movement
Pin movement is resisted using the reduced leverage your bow hand has on moving the weight at the end of the bar. I am sure you are all familiar with Newton’s first law of motion “objects at rest tend to stay at rest”. Unless acted upon by an outside force. The mass weight on the end of the bar has to be forced to move. The length of the bar reduces the leverage your bow hand has on moving the weight. With the correct system, sudden deliberate movements become difficult, which translates to an even better resistance to subtle, unintentional movement. (A steadier pin)
This is why I feel that a true stabilizer should be rigid. If it flexes, it allows small movements, and though it may create balance, it no longer effectively resists movement.
Creating or upsetting balance
Balance or imbalances are created using length and weight combined to achieve a desired “feel”. Often bars are used to correct a cant, or an overly sight side pull. While there is no perfect setup for all archers, there is a perfect setup for you. Whether you benefit more from an even balanced feel, or a strong forward roll, a system can be built for you.
Understanding the terms associated with stabilization.
FOC
The most effective stabilizers are rigid with a strong F.O.C. The Front of Center is measured the same as with arrows, and it is just a way to determine the percent of a stabilizers mass weight, that is distributed to the front. Because of leverage, the stronger the F.O.C. the less total weight is needed to get the same effect. A mass of weight is most effective at the end of the bar, so that it is compounded from the length of the bar.
Example: Hold a golf club by the handle and shake the head end around. You can feel it resisting your movement. Now choke up on the shaft halfway, and try it again, The weight has not changed, just length/leverage.
Leverage, Center of Gravity, and Directional Pulls
I don’t want to confuse anyone, so I will mention I speak of leverage a lot. Leverage is considered two ways, both meaning the same thing. Basically when you increase the length, you increase the leverage the weight has. And you decrease the leverage your hand has against the weight. The longer the bar gets, or the more weight you add directly at the end, the stronger directional pull it produces.
Think of your bow on a universally pivoting arm. Directional pulls are changes in the center of gravity causing greater pulls one way or another.
Your shooting system has a center of gravity or a point of balance, you adjust the center of gravity by adjusting and altering directional pulls. If you are a shooter that benefits from an even float, you want the center of gravity at or below your hand. For a stronger forward pull, move the COG rearward, by increasing forward weight or decreasing rearward weight.
When balancing your system and altering directional pulls you can get the same effect of shortening or lightening your front bar by adding rearward pull. (V-bars or offset) Sometimes more is less. Adding weight or pull in the opposite direction of a pull you are trying to decrease is usually more beneficial than just lessoning the problem.
Meaning: If your bow has a strong forward pull and you do not like it, you can shorten the bar, or remove weight, but that will also reduce the bars ability to fight pin movement. A better way to accomplish the same outcome is to counter act the directional pull with a pull in the opposite direction.
Mass Weight
Mass weight is the total weight of your full system. Mass weight is usually the easiest factor to control, and diagnose problems with. It is also probably the biggest factor in how steady you can hold your bow.
Mass weight is sometimes deceiving. Excessive weight can be a misdiagnosis of an excessive directional pull. So be careful when working out the details in your rig. Always keep in mind: A heavier bow that is balanced to a shooter’s preferences, will feel lighter than an unbalanced system with less mass weight. If your muscles are working hard to overcome a excessive directional pulls, your pin will be shaky, and the bow will feel heavier than it really is.
Individual’s Preferences
You must determine what will work for YOU, the shooter. I believe each shooter has preferences programmed into their shooting style. These preferences may have been acquired at some point, or they may be genetically programmed. For example, if you spent your high school years playing tennis, you may have built a stronger forearm, or shoulder, and a need to have certain muscles under tension to perform your best. Maybe you have had an injury that has weakened you and made you more sensitive to a strong forward pull. Most often the preferences are acquired through shooting a certain way with a certain feel, which is great news to beginning shooters. They can start from scratch since most systems will feel somewhat new.
I also think preferences can be adjusted, over time. The more drastic of a change, the more time it will take you to reprogram. Think of switching from fingers to back tension, or no sights to scope.
I feel that Practice over time will get you “used to” the feel of any system. If you take a great shooter and switch his system around, maybe take off his shelf side bar, and create a strong sight side pull, after time he will learn to shoot well with that feel. It may be years, but it is possible to change. Just like changing bows, almost always there is some time needed to get used to the feel.
An archer’s most recognizable preference is in a bows mass weight. There are several symptoms to watch for when determining the correct mass weight to start with. I will talk of them in the steps to building your system.
Lets get you stabilized
Step One - First decide what kind of stabilization you need? What restrictions do you have? Do you have class restrictions? What are your options? What will the stab be used for? Are there specific balance issues you are trying to overcome?
Once all of that is decided, and you know what you want, you can start shopping for stabs. And build a system to meet your needs.
The most common question is “What length?”
Here are a few of my most common responses to consider…
-If you have a length restriction that handicaps you by limiting the leverage you are able to use, you have to make the best of what you are allowed. Get as close to the length max as possible, and keep the weight stacked as close to the end of the stab as possible so is to effectively use it to get as much resistance to movement as possible.
-Consider your shooting environment. – long bars can be a nuisance in the woods for 3D, a stab long enough to rest the weight of your bow on between spot ends is very popular for indoor and field. For hunting keep in mind the bars effect on your ability to be agile in the stand or blind, but also consider a 12” stab sticks out far less than a knocked arrow.
-In most cases added length = added weight. when going long, be sure you are going with as light of a shaft as possible with the bulk of the weight stacked at the end. Keep in mind the total mass weight you are allowing yourself, and how much you are adding to the total bow weight, with different length bars.
-It is always an option to add to a shorter stab, and not usually an option to shorten a stab that is to long.-You can add an ounce to a shorter bar, to get the feel of a longer bar, if you find you are not getting enough effect out of the stab you have chosen. If you go moderate on your lengths (especially when unsure of what fits) you can always add to get the feel just right
Step Two – determine what mass weight your preferences require. – You want to build a system that is not too heavy for your own abilities. Ideally you want to experiment to determine the amount of weight you can comfortably hold throughout the duration of your competition. This is where an adjustable system is VERY important. There is no one size fits all system. The more weight you can tolerate, the more resistance to movement you will be able to achieve, by moving that weight as far away from your hand as you can tolerate.
Other than a sore shoulder, the best way to recognize if the weight is to heavy, to light, or just right, is by taking note of your sight picture, or pin. In most cases, a short jumpy movement is a direct result of not enough mass weight. If the bow does not have the weight needed to push back when your muscles push against it, or to resist the forces your muscles exerting, it will be shown in quick movements. Your muscles will fight make and resist movement and make quick over corrections. Occasionally the jumping will be large, which will result in arrows pulled far away from the X, and you will have no control over it. It will look like jumpy movements in different directions.
If a bow is too heavy the movement will be slow but large, like big figure eights. This results from the tug of war between you and your bows weight, and in this case the bow occasionally wins. You correct it, but then have to fix the previous correction. You end up with big long movements in all directions. This can be a very bad condition. It breeds drive by shooting and timing trigger pulls.
When you have just the right weight for your preferences, you will have control of where your pin holds on the target, and you will be able to be aggressive and intentional with your shooting.
Step Three – Distribute the mass weight to create the desired feel. Pay close attention while shooting and experimenting. Some will benefit from an excessive forward pull, some rearward, some even float. If you are using an offset system or a V system you will have more options than front to back balance. You can adjust sight or shelf side balance to get your bow to sit just right for you.
Keep in mind while shooting with an adjustable system, you may not get it perfect the first time, so be open minded, and don’t be afraid to try out as many configurations as your system allows.
Once you know what kind of a system fits you, it will be easier to build a system in the future for any bow. You can get close without even flinging arrows.
REMEMBER: The only true measurement of a bow’s stabilization, is felt at full draw, and recognized easiest in your sight window. It is impossible to feel how directional pulls effect you, unless all pulls are taken into consideration, including dynamic tension. Dynamic tension is the rearward pull exerted on the bow by the bows holding weight at full draw.