Advice for a beginner with no knowledge of archery..!!

[TovinoThomas]

For the holidays I have been gifted with an inexpensive sportflight recurve bow (25lb. Draw weight). I've read the FAQ and located our local archery club, but what are some "don'ts" that I should know before I even attempt to shoot with this? I am aware that being on the low end of the price scale means that the quality isn't great and I don't want to break it or injure myself while I'm trying to learn.

[Hawkdancer]

1.  Don't dry fire (release string without an arrow)! EVER,
2.  Don't overdraw your draw length or arrow length.
3.  Don't point the bow at anything you don't plan to shoot!  There is a closed season on people!
4.  Do get to the club shoots and learn bow safety.
5.  Do learn your anchor point, strong eye, and wear an arm guard, use a tab or glove to protect your
      Fingers.
6.  Ask questions even if not in doubt - the only dumb question is the one you don't ask!
7.  Have fun!
Hawkdancer

[Pat B]

Read through our "Shooting and Hunting" section about shooting. Lots of suggestions and problems discussed there. Get a good book about shooting traditional archery and go to shoots or bow building classes to get first hand instructions on how to shoot. After that all you have to do is shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, etc. Be sure it is thoughtful shooting and learn to concentrate on, not only the target but a specific, very small portion of the target.
Learn proper form first and stay with that until you can put an arrow where it needs to go.