Backyard Archery

Backyard Archery is a personal archery resource built by Al Carlson, a retired librarian with over fifty years of professional experience and a lifelong fascination with archery. What started as a backyard pursuit has evolved into a knowledge-sharing platform for archers of all levels.

The site provides practical guidance on archery fundamentals, including:

• •Bow selection and types – From English longbows and recurves to compound bows and horsebows. Carlson breaks down the "bewildering array" of bow styles and helps beginners find the right starting point.
• •Instinctive archery techniques – Detailed exploration of how to develop consistent form and accuracy through deliberate practice, using real-world analogies to make the learning process clear.
• •Historical and modern archery styles – Coverage of traditional recurve bows, compound bows, crossbows, and period equipment used by Viking and Magyar archers.

"The next best thing to Sherwood Forest" – this isn't a retail operation. It's a veteran archer sharing what he's learned after returning to the sport following spine surgeries. Carlson emphasizes that archery mastery comes from thousands of shots and consistent practice, not shortcuts.

He advocates for starting with the simplest bow available in your culture—typically a basic longbow or recurve in the U.S.—and building skills from there. His first bow was a PSE Snake recurve, modified with a self-adhesive arrow rest and wrapped grip.

Backyard Archery speaks to beginners who are intimidated by the options available, recreational archers who want to improve their instinctive shooting, and anyone interested in the mechanics and history of archery. The content is direct, uses humor effectively, and avoids pretension.

Reach out to Al Carlson directly at [email protected] for questions about archery technique, bow selection, or anything covered on the site.