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 The
Reinvention Of Archery ©
By Frank H. Scott
The North American Archery
Group, LLC & The Fred Bear Museum
Many of today's archers are inclined
to think that the overdraw on many of our present generation of bows are complicated
and new. Complicated? Maybe Ð New? Not Ð so, only the materials and designs
are new. The idea of the overdraw dates back at least  500
years. In years past, the overdraw was used primarily for flight shooting.
It has only been in the past few years that the
overdraw has come into widespread use on target and hunting bows.
Simply stated, our overdraw is an extension of the
arrow rest in the direction of the bowstring. This allows the archer to shoot
a shorter arrow. These overdraw extensions vary from about two inches in length
up to as much as four inches. The longer the extensions the shorter the arrow
can be. The shorter the arrow the lighter the mass weight of the arrow. The
lighter the mass weight of the arrow the faster the velocity of the arrow
when shot. The importance of this speed is only relative to how the shooter
thinks it is. In flight shooting, speed and mass weight are related to distance
and are therefore important. In hunting, mass weight coupled with speed equals
greater penetration. Therefore, the value of extremely light hunting arrows
are subject to question.
 Because
of the shooting mistakes often made by the beginning archer, and because of
the complex adjustments that must be made to the modern overdraws they are
not generally recommended for the beginner.
Most modern overdraws, Figure
1, adapt to a wide range of arrow rest designs and because of the critical
adjustments that need to be made on these rests to accommodate a wide range
of shooting styles overdraws are more recommended for the release shooter
than the finger shooter. That is not to say that the finger shooter can't
use them. It is just a matter of the overdraw being unforgiving of shooters
mistakes. 
As stated, the overdraw is not a new idea. The bow
as illustrated in Figure
2 was designed and made in 1935 by Mr. William Folberth of Cleveland,
Ohio. It has a built in overdraw of about three inches and sports a flexible
arrow rest. The bow is also completely centershot. Mr. Folberth held a patent
on this sight window feature. Also, as shown in Figure 2A there is a tunnel
cut into the forward portion of the arrow shelf. This tunnel feature is in
the design of many of our modern compound bows to give clearance for broadheads.
As previously stated, overdraws in the past were primarily
used for flight shooting. Figure
3 illustrates a flight bow made and used by the National Archery Association
flight champion, Mr. Vernon Godsey. This bow not only has a short overdraw
on the string side of the arrow shelf, but notice the handgrip extends forward
of the bow about twelve inches. This allowed Mr. Godsey to shoot a seventeen-inch
arrow 794 yards. This bow had a drawing weight of 53 pounds at this 17-inch
draw. This arrangement would be considered the extreme in overdraws.
Figure 4 illustrates a flight bow made and used by
Mr. George Waggoner of Detroit, Michigan. Mr. Waggoner
made this bow in 1956. The overdraw is a clear piece
of plastic fastened to the side of the bow extending toward the string about
three inches. The arrow rest is a  portion
of a feather glued horizontally to the plastic and supported by a piece of
a toothbrush Ð simple but effective. Figure
5 and Figure
5A show a device called a "siper". The siper is Turkish and dates back
to about the year 1400 AD. It was worn on the wrist of the bow hand of the
archer as opposed to being fastened to the bow. It was,
in a sense, a platform on which the arrow rested. It allowed the archer to
shorten his arrows by as much as six inches. The siper should be considered
a 500 year old overdraw. It was a flight-shooting device. There is no evidence
that it was ever used in warfare, but this possibility should not be ruled
out.
The next article will cover the Reinvention of the
Bow Quiver.
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