Now that the archer has a bow, a string, and some arrows, he may feel that he is ready to try them out. Before doing this, however, he will need a few more things. The most essential of these is the bracer or arm guard. The slap of a bowstring on the forearm is painful, to say the least. The skin is frequently broken, and a nasty bruise results. Coat or sweater sleeves will break the blow, but they also deflect the arrow. To avoid injury, therefore, one should have a bracer, such as is shown in Figure 87, made of stiff, smooth leather, or of a thin piece of wood. For the leather bracer, buy a piece of heavy calfskin at a harness or shoe shop.

This must then be cut to shape as shown in Figure 88. and equipped with straps and buckles, or laces. If zippers such as are obtainable at the 5- and 10-cent stores are used, the leather should first be fitted to the arm. See Figures 89 and 90.