Compound arrows leave the bow much faster than recurve arrows
8 studies · 88 archers measured
The summary today
That the compound arrow leaves faster shows up in every figure available: measured in the laboratory, four compounds launch the arrow at between 70 and 82 metres per second, while the two bows that are, or in all likelihood are, recurves sit between 57 and 65, and a 2019 review puts the two ranges at 55 to 65 and 75 to 90 metres per second. The direct comparison, though, has been made only twice. In 2020 a study on wind measures a recurve and a compound with the same draw length, 57.2 against 78.9 metres per second, but with different draw weights and arrows, so the difference can be seen but not quantified. In 2025 competition data on 61 World Cup archers give 292.0 against 216.7 (t=-17.66, p<0.001), with compound speeds more uniform from archer to archer; the units are given as metres per second but only make sense as feet per second, that is about 89 against 66 metres per second, in line with the review. The direction is not in doubt; how large the advantage is at the same draw weight and with the same arrow, on the other hand, nobody has measured.
Also phrased as: "compound arrow speed"; "how fast does an arrow fly"; "compound faster than recurve"; "arrow speed in metres per second"; "olympic recurve arrow speed"
In practice
The compound arrow is said to fly much faster than the recurve arrow, which is why its trajectory is flatter and the wind has less time to push it.
Evidence
-
2009
Context Equipment tests Published later
Indoor robotic shooting machine, 44.8-pound bow (the type is not stated), 29-inch Easton A/C/E 470 arrows, speed measured one metre from the rest: mean speed between 212.4 and 215.9 feet per second across every vane and string configuration, around 65 metres per second. It is the recurve side only, if a recurve it is.
Performance analysis based on an emulated archery machine · Kuo-Bin Lin, Kun-Shu Huang, Chi-Kuang Hwang, Chia-Wen Wu
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2011
Context Equipment tests Published later
An electronic point with an accelerometer, validated against the NIST reference chronograph: a 60.6-pound hunting compound with a 29-inch draw, on a shooting machine, launches a 24.75-gram arrow (electronic point included) at 82.09 metres per second; at 13.94 metres it arrives at 78.19, after 173.9 milliseconds. It is the compound side only, and with a hunting bow.
A miniaturised arrow ballistic measurement system · John Barton, Jan Vcelak, Javier Torres-Sanchez, Brendan O'Flynn, Cian O'Mathuna, Robert V. Donahoe
-
2011
Context Equipment tests Published later
Single-cam compound (Archery Research AR34) on a shooting machine, 23.0-gram ProTour 470 arrow: launch speed of 78.2 metres per second; the arrow leaves the rest about 14 milliseconds after release, leaves the string at 17 to 17.5 and has cleared the bow at 20. Here too the recurve is not measured.
The Behaviour of An Arrow Shot from a Compound Archery Bow · J L Park
-
2019
Context Review Published later
Review of target archery: an arrow from a typical recurve travels at 55 to 65 metres per second, one from a compound at 75 to 90; the magnetic-suspension wind tunnel tests only reached 45 metres per second, below real speeds. It summarises other people's measurements with no new data.
The impact of the atmosphere on target archery · James L Park
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2020
For Equipment tests Published later
Two of the author's bows, measured as starting inputs for a study on wind, with the same 700 mm draw length: a 37.1-pound Hoyt Formula X recurve launches a 21.30 g X10 at 57.2 m/s, a Hoyt Pro Comp Elite compound with a 53.5-pound peak a 24.86 g X10 Protour at 78.9 m/s, despite the heavier arrow. It is the first time the two kinds of equipment are measured in the same paper, but draw weights and arrows are not matched.
The dynamic behaviour of an arrow in wind · James L Park
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2020
Context Equipment tests Published later
A test at the ballistics laboratory of the Royal Military School in Brussels, taken from a 2017 report: a 55-pound compound at 28 inches launches a 23.95 g arrow at 70.27 m/s, with 59.13 J, against 44.80 m/s for a 48-pound wooden longbow and 51.52 for a 55-pound fibreglass-laminated semi-longbow, both with 30.67 g arrows. The comparison is with traditional bows, not with the Olympic recurve.
The important role of bow choice and arrow fletching in projectile experimentation. A ballistic approach · Christian Lepers, Veerle Rots
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2025
For Archers Published later
61 elite World Cup archers in 2025, official competition data: mean speed 292.0 in compound (standard deviation 12.8) against 216.7 in recurve (17.0), t=-17.658, p<0.001, 95 per cent confidence interval from -83.87 to -66.72. The units are given as metres per second but are only plausible as feet per second, that is about 89 against 66 metres per second. Compound speeds are more uniform; in the descriptive table the recurve has a mean of 224.8 and a standard deviation of 32.54, figures that do not match those of the comparison.
Empirical analysis of the impact of bow parameters on arrow velocity: A study of World Cup archers based on energy transfer and aerodynamics · Feixue Rao, Jiasheng Lv, Haidong Chen, Peijin Li, Hao Huang
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2025
Context Archers Published later
27 registered compound archers from Jakarta, of regional and national level: in the men (15) a mean arrow speed of 265 kilometres per hour (standard deviation 25.0, range 182 to 281), just over 73 metres per second, with a draw force of 318 newtons; in the women (12) 248 kilometres per hour with 206 newtons. Compound only, in a regional journal: it gives an order of magnitude, not a comparison.
Pengaruh Kekuatan Drawing, Stabilitas Lengan Penumpu dan Kecepatan Laju Anak Panah Terhadap Akurasi Tembakan Divisi Compound Jarak 50 Meter · Fitriadi Sandhi Nugroho Yudho, Iman Sulaiman, Johansyah Lubis, Sujarwo
Status history
- 2009 Not studied Only half of the comparison exists: on a shooting machine a 44.8-pound bow, which the paper does not describe but which, from the draw weight, arrow and stranded string, is in all likelihood a recurve, sends a competition arrow at between 212 and 216 feet per second, around 65 metres per second. Without any measurement on the compound, the question of the comparison has not yet been tackled: not studied.
- 2011 Not studied Two measurements on the compound arrive, both on a shooting machine: 82 metres per second with a 60.6-pound hunting compound and a 25-gram arrow, 78.2 with a single-cam compound and a 23-gram arrow. Beside the roughly 65 metres per second of the 2009 bow, in all likelihood a recurve, the difference looks clear, but it is an inference across different studies, with bows, arrows and draw weights that are not matched: nobody has yet measured the two kinds of equipment in the same paper, and the question remains unstudied.
- 2019 Not studied A review of target archery lines the figures up, 55 to 65 metres per second for a typical recurve and 75 to 90 for a compound, and notes that the magnetic-suspension wind tunnel tests only reached 45 metres per second, below real speeds. It summarises other people's measurements: the comparison is still between different studies, and a measurement that puts the two kinds of equipment side by side does not yet exist.
- 2020 Reported For the first time the two kinds of equipment are measured in the same paper: with the same 700 millimetre draw, a 37.1-pound recurve sends the arrow off at 57.2 metres per second and a 53.5-pound compound at 78.9, despite a heavier arrow. In the same year a ballistics test in Brussels finds 70.3 metres per second for a 55-pound compound against 44.8 and 51.5 for two longbows, which are not recurves. It is the first direct evidence and the direction is clear, but the comparison is one pair of bows with different draw weights and arrows, measured as a starting input for a study on wind: reported.
- 2025 Reported The first comparison on archers arrives. Across 61 World Cup athletes the difference is clear, 292.0 against 216.7 in the printed units (t=-17.66, p<0.001), and compound speeds are also more uniform from archer to archer; the units are given as metres per second but only make sense as feet per second. In the same year regional-level Indonesian compound archers shoot at about 265 kilometres per hour, just over 73 metres per second. With the pair of bows from 2020 there are now two direct comparisons, but one is a pair of bows with different draw weights and the other a cross-sectional study whose units do not add up: reported, although the direction is not in doubt.
Related
Related articles
- How fast an arrow flies: the metres per second, what decides them and how much they matter on the targetHow many metres a second recurve and compound arrows fly, what decides launch speed, and how much speed matters on the target and for the score.
- How much energy actually reaches the arrow, and where the rest goesHow much of the drawing work reaches the arrow: models say about three quarters, while the few measurements show where the rest goes and what the arrow changes.
- Barebow / instinctive vs Olympic recurve vs compound: differences in the shot, the equipment and the scoreRecurve, compound and shooting without a sight compared: draw weight, arrow speed and flex, let-off, balance, scoring and injuries in the registry's data.
Research lines
Cite
Campagna, M. (2026). Compound arrows leave the bow much faster than recurve arrows (Version 3). In Evidence Registry. Retrieved 16 October 2026, from https://matteocampagna.com/en/registry/equipment/compound-recurve-arrow-speed
@misc{campagna2026_compoundvelocitafreccia,
author = {Campagna, Matteo},
title = {Compound arrows leave the bow much faster than recurve arrows},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {Evidence Registry, matteocampagna.com},
url = {https://matteocampagna.com/en/registry/equipment/compound-recurve-arrow-speed},
note = {Version 3; accessed 2026-10-16}
}
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Other claims in this domain
- CorroboratedAlong its flight the arrow loses an appreciable part of its launch speed12 studiesStatus since 2011
- CorroboratedAs it leaves the bow, the arrow flexes and snakes around the riser instead of leaving straight19 studies · 47 archers measuredStatus since 2012
- ReportedA camera-based scoring system misreads some arrows: the ones barely sticking out and the ones that shift the target face7 studies · 2 archers measuredStatus since 2017
- ReportedA chest band with fibre optic sensors measures breathing and mean heart rate with small errors, and an archer can wear it while shooting2 studiesStatus since 2019
- ReportedA compound bow stores between 70 and 100 joules and sheds about two thirds of the force at full draw4 studiesStatus since 2015