Book Become The Arrow

Byron Ferguson - archery trick shot, bowhunter, longbow manufacturer, developed a modern barebow aiming and shooting system called "become the arrow" for longbow and recurve shooters. It is easy to learn, reliable and puts your mental and physical focus where it belongs. You'll learn the incredible value of visualisation too.

The arrow is the only thing that extends from shooter to target; it is the only projection of yourself, of your concentration and focus. So why shouldn't you "become the arrow"!

Extensive material on bowhunting is also included. A skilled hunter, Ferguson has tagged more than 160 whitetail deer, plus record-book black bear, moose, pronghorn, mule deer, upland game birds and countless small game. He gives you the benefit of his hunting experience, too, far beyond the "become the arrow" aiming and shooting concept.

Become The Arrow, subtitled "The Art of Modern Barebow Shooting", is Byron Ferguson's work summarising his views on shooting modern barebow.

What Byron espouses really constitutes a philosphy on how one should learn, practice and hunt, traditional archery style.

He goes on to differ even further by asserting that to discover true success, an archer should not strive to make the bow an extension of themself, they should not strive to make the target an extension of themself - the key is to become one with the arrow and make the arrow a part of yourself.

Doing so, helps put your focus on the flight of the arrow and on the down range destination of that arrow. The arrow is the ultimate, final part, whether hitting the bullseye or cleanly striking game in a vital region.

The confidence of that mental concentration means assurance of success before the arrow is even released.

He discusses stance, breathing, arm position, anchor, release. Each section is covered briefly, but with enough detail that new archers can pick up the necessities and experienced archers can find a point or two to work on regardless of how many times they may read it.

Once form has been covered, Byron gives a discussion on how to practice shooting effectively, both mentally and physically. It is not a time-consuming read - a few hours or a long evening will get you through most of the book. It is easy to go back for a refresher course. If you go to the chapter on form and pick a topic, two minutes of reading will give you a specific piece of your form to work on for the day.

Perhaps what works best about this book is that Byron Ferguson's "Become the Arrow" philosphy is not a locked, this-way-only type of system. Since the primary focus is on the mental aspect of shooting, there is room for adaptation to suit your current shooting style.

Overall, Become the Arrow does a good job laying the groundwork for a solid shooting philosophy. Whether you are new to archery or have been doing it for years, it has something for everyone.

Its length lets you finish it in a weekend, but gives you pointers that you can work on for months or years.

Before Byron wrote this book, he was already a well-known trick-shooter and bowhunter, performing at gatherings around the country and around the world. The years of experience he has gained shooting the bow are summarised in this convenient, easy-to-read book.

Topics covered

• The Art of Modern Barebow Shooting
• Philosophy and Practice of "Become the Arrow"
• How to Make a Modern Barebow Shot
• Visualising the Arrow in Flight
• Practice and Shooting Form
• Mental Exercise and Muscle Memory
• Tuning for Barebow Accuracy and Performance
• What Makes a Bow Forgiving and Shootable
• Bowhunting, Beyond the Basics
• Ten Most Frequent Bowhunting Mistakes
• Most Commonly Asked Questions
• Building A Longbow

A 45 minute DVD also titled Become The Arrow is an ideal companion which is also available and can be purchased separately. Many archers buy the DVD and then buy the book.

His book "takes accuracy one step further . . . beyond the bow". When you become the arrow you extend your mental approach to accurate shooting. You'll be a better shot for it. The arrow is the only thing that extends from shooter to target. The art of modern barebow shooting is illustrated with photos, drawings, forms and charts. By Byron Ferguson with Glenn Helgeland, 122 pages.

Some reviews on the book.

"...the title of this book is misleading. There is not anything really mystical or zen-like about it."

"It does give the traditional archer a great tool for improving accuracy...which is why you should be buying the book in the first place."

"Byron covers the "gap" aiming method in detail and what I feel is the most important part of the book - equipment tuning. If your equipment is not tuned properly, you will never know if you missed due to shot execution or equipment problems. Get tuned first, then you can start to eliminate all of your form, aiming problems."

"If you are worried that an aiming method will ruin your instinctive shooting, rest assured that the gap method, once learned, is very quick and becomes subconscious, instinctive...just like anything else...just like if you play a guitar, you have to learn where to put your fingers consciously at first, then with practice, the fingers go where they are supposed to without conscious thought. Bottom line - this is a must-have book for traditional archers!"

"Now I was given this book before I watched his DVD and I liked it. As an instinctive archer he made sense, then I saw his DVD where he shoots aspirins in the air at 20 yards, shoots through diamond rings at 25 yards and blows out candles at thirty yards. A must to read, a little self-effacing but good stuff to teach discipline."

"As a boy, I was fortunate enough to see Howard Hill hit a quarter (a US 25 cent coin introduced in 1932, 24mm in diameter, about the size of an Australian 10 cent coin) tossed into the air with his trusty bow and arrow. I've been shooting the bow ever since. Byron's book is the best that I have read on explaining the "how" of the art of traditional bow shooting. How to concentrate, how to breathe, how to stand, how to hold the bow, how to draw the bow, how to release the arrow and how to practice are all covered in detail. Mr. Ferguson obviously knows what he is talking about. This is a "must have" for any traditional archer."

"This was a Christmas gift for hubby and he is enjoying the book. He says it is pretty much to the point, Byron doesn't waste flowery words in his descriptions and was very informative."

"This is a good book to learn a bit more if you do first steps in traditional archery. It is interesting to read, and gives very clear step-by-step advice."

"...like most instructional books, "Become The Arrow" will not answer every question you might have. I agree with the other reviewers who said there is a lot of biographical info that doesn't help the beginner much. What this book does well, however, is explain, with a lot of illustrations, proper form for the traditional archer. How you should hold the bow, what your sight picture should be and how to adjust for distance shooting are all covered in detail. My only complaint would be that he doesn't say much about equipment, especially arrows, which, as he describes his method he says is the most important piece of equipment. I would like to see more info and recommendations on different weights, spines and fine tuning arrow selection. "Traditional Archery" by Brian J Sorrells does a better job explaining arrow selection and other equipment but doesn't explain technique as well. These two books together can answer almost every question a beginner might have."

"A great book for the traditional archery enthusiast. The book provides bow tuning tips, shooting tips as well as hunting tips. I purchased the book to improve my traditional archery shooting technique for which I've found the book to be very helpful. Byron also describes some of his bow building techniques which are also helpful to the aspiring bowyer."

View the DVD Become the Arrow at DVD Become the Arrow