When looking into the technical aspects of modern-day archery, it’s easy to get confused and overwhelmed by the amount of information. Often lost in the discussion of efficiency in the sport is the importance of FOC in hunting arrows.
Back when people were shooting their homemade recurve and longbows with their cedar shafts, archery was simpler. People knew the limitations of their equipment and perfected their skills within those limitations. Today, the modern equipment affords much higher efficiency and lethality, but also requires more work of the user to determine the best setup for their needs.
While draw weight and length and their relationships to arrow elements like spine are generally easy to understand and apply, weight distribution on an arrow is typically more foreign to archers, especially those new to the sport. When we talk about weight distribution, we are referring specifically to a bias on the front of the arrow, or FOC (front of center.)
To easily grasp the concept of FOC, imagine that you are holding a four-foot-long wooden shaft. On one end of the shaft is a spear point made of metal. Imagine grasping the shaft with the spear point closest to you rather than at the front of the shaft. If you throw that spear, it will wobble in the air and would possibly even turn 180 degrees. However if you throw the spear the way it was intended, with the point out in front, the shaft will fly straight being lead by the heavy spear point with the lighter shaft following behind.
The same principle applies to bowhunting arrows. Arrows that have more weight shifted to the front of the arrow will fly straighter than those that have weight balanced in the center of the arrow.
An important thing to remember when considering FOC is that as always is the case in physics, there must be a tradeoff. As expected, the more weight you add to an arrow, the more quickly it will drop. That is why it is important to find the perfect balance in your FOC distribution to ensure maximum efficiency.
We talked a few weeks back about what that percentage should be. Easton Archery, in their years of testing and research suggest that the best percentage of FOC for your arrows should be 10-15%. Visit their website and our previous article to better understand what that percentage means:
https://eastonarchery.com/2014/06/foc/
https://pro-tracker.com/foc/
Understanding FOC is only half of the battle. Applying it can be complicated and expensive. A simple solution would be to go from 100 grain tips to 150 grain tips. This doesn’t allow for much in the way of fine tuning however, and will only get you so far. Some will replace their plastic veins with feather while others will use heavier brass inserts in their shafts. There are some ready made arrows that are tuneable and effective at getting you to the desired FOC percentage, but they are expensive.
You’re probably thinking, “Well, this is all fine and good, but I don’t want to buy all new arrows or change the ones that I have, just to have to re-tune my entire setup.” Here is where we have the ultimate solution.
The Bad Boys™ by Pro-Tracker Archery are an easy to use FOC adjustment product. They are compatible with your current bow and arrow setup, and they don’t require you to re-sight or re-tune your bow. They simply slide onto the front of the shaft, directly behind your chosen field tip or broadhead, then are ready to shoot. They come in sizes ranging from 100 grains to 400 grains, meaning that you can pick the size that will work for you and your current setup. Additionally, because they are an outsert on your arrow shaft, they will protect your arrow from impacts that would normally cause them to crack or be otherwise damaged.
Check them out here and if you have any questions, please reach out at info@pro-tracker.com.
Bad Boys Protection Collars
Bad Boys™ are an FOC arrow sleeve that slides over the shaft of your arrow, allowing your shot to carry more momentum for fatal penetration.
- Most popular sizes: 100gr and 125gr
- Fits Standard OR Micro Shaft Arrows
- Shoots great 20, 40, 60+ yards with only minor adjustments
- Effective shots with increased inertia
- Increase your shots momentum without sacrificing accuracy
- Easy to use and interchangeable, both in field and range
The Bad Boys™ are engineered to shoot where your current arrow is dialed in; It’ll hit the same place around 20-30 yards. With farther distances, like 40, 50, 60 yards, it will only need minor adjustments. We made a product that is easy to switch sleeve weights out in the field without having to fiddle with retuning!
