Stabiliser setup and the effect they have on the bow before, during and after the shot is potentially one of the most controversial subjects in archery equipment. The most critical part of this is the behaviour during the shot, including after the release and before the end of the follow-through.
The process of figuring out what works is often a hit and miss cycle of shooting and changing the setup, while observing the results.
The stabiliser choice and setup are a very personalised, and what works for one archer may not work for the next. There is no point in copying what another archer has on their bow, and any positive outcome should be more luck than wisdom.
Weight Bias
The weight added to stabilisers can be used to change the weight bias from left to right and front to back. Some archers prefer a very neutral setup, while others prefer to have bias to a specific side, normally the opposite of their handedness.
The reasoning is that an object in perfect balance may be easier to unsettle than an object which is specifically held in place due to a balance bias. The example often used to demonstrate this a cube balanced on a sphere. When the cube is perfectly balanced, a small tap will unsettle it, whereas a cube supported in place slightly to the side will be held in place by gravity and the hand controlling it.
A bow with a bias must be held upright, and the bubble consciously centred in the sight. A bow with a neutral setup will be self-centring to a large degree.
It is up to the archer to decide if they prefer a set biased setup or a perfect balance.
Stabiliser Properties
When selecting stabilisers, it is important so match the archer and the bow to the selected equipment and its setup.
The main considerations when selecting stabilisers are:
- Stiffness
- Stiffer stabilisers can help reduce the effects of minor grip torque variations or minor release inconsistencies.
- Less stiff stabilisers can have a good feel, can interact better with certain bows, and can sometimes give shooters more feedback from the shot.
- Length
- Length needs to be suitable to the setup of the bow and convenient to the archer.
- As the (length x weight) determines the effect of the setup, a longer stabiliser bar with less mass will have the same effect as a short one with more weight.
- Weight
- The total weight added to the stabilisers and the weight of the bow determines the total mass weight of the full setup. This is the weight which needs to be both comfortable and stable for the archer to shoot over the total length of an event.
- Thickness & Shape
- Generally thinner diameter stabilisers offer less wind resistance.
- Flattened stabilisers shaped to be less wind resistant can be utilised.
- Thread design
- It’s important that the weights you intend to use match the thread on the stabilisers.
Good stabilisers will make the weight added to the bow efficient and more effective, as well as reduce vibration in the bow. To achieve this, light stabilisers which offers very little wind resistance is a good start. An archer would like to do as little physical work as possible, so we do not want to waste weight on the stabilisers but rather put the weights at the ends where is has the biggest effect.
If you compare two sets of stabilisers, both the same length, but one where the bars are heavier and it has fewer weights, and the other with lighter bars and more weights, the more efficient setup will be the configuration with lighter bars.