How to Shoot Recurve Bows

First you will need a bow. If you are an average adult male then a bow with a 40lb draw at 28 inches will be suitable. If you are a women then shoot for (no pun intended) a bow with about 30lbs draw at 28 inches. Don't be bothered by the weight of your bow because most men don't draw a bow higher than 45lbs at 28 inches. Anything higher is only necessary for hunting big game. Arrows are equally important for accurate shooting. Go to a local sports shop and get help finding the appropriate arrows for your bow. If you prefer to shoot more traditionally and use Wooden arrows save that for later, they are more expensive and require upkeep and are likely to break if you miss a target several times. When you have become proficient with a bow they are a great choice though.
The two other pieces of equipment you will need are a Finger tab or archery glove which you can get for 2-10$ at any sports shop and an arm guard which you can get at any sports shop for about 10$. These will help protect the sensitive nerves in your fingers when drawing the bow and protect your bow arm from being slapped by the string. If you are a woman a chest protector may also be necessary depending on how large your chest is, the first time the string catches on your breast you will definitely go and buy one if you haven't already.

Begin by setting up a large target with a very small target set in the middle of the bigger one. say the size of a small saucer or even smaller. This is where the saying "aim small miss small" comes from. The small the target you have to focus on the small the area you will miss by.

Now that you have a target set up. Situate yourself 10 yards from the target or thirty feet. plant your feet shoulder width apart face at a right angle away from the target on either your right or left side. your bow arm should be on the side where the target is. Now knock an arrow, If you purchase a bow from a sports shop then have them give you a knocking point marker. When knocked the arrow should be flat on the shelf of the bow. Now put up your bow, your arm should form a flat plane. Put your pointer finger on top of the nock and your middle and ring finger under the knock. This is a split finger draw.

When drawing the bow focus on using your back muscles as opposed to using your bicep muscles. The key to archery is staying in a relaxed state while drawing the bow. Now draw the bow back until you touch the back of your bottom jaw bone. The jaw bone will be your anchor, you draw the bow back to this point every time you shoot. Now look directly down the shaft and sight then focus your target which in this case is the smaller target. When you are focused release the arrow by relaxing your fingers. Don't flinch or pluck the string just relax. Now see where the arrow hit the target. Is the arrow to low or to high? is it to the left or right? Make incremental adjustments until you hit the target and copy the action over and over. your brain will make an image that will tell you where to aim in order to hit the bullseye. When this becomes easy move back to 15 yards and try again copying the same steps and then 20 yards.