Why does your arrow kick up or down?

Answer 1

The arrow "kicks" up and/or down because the nock end hits the arrow rest (or arrow shelf, if the bow does not have a separate arrow rest) as the arrow leaves the bow. This usually occurs because the nocking point (where you place the arrow on the bowstring) is too high or too low, but it can be caused by the fletching either being out of alignment or simply too large for the type of rest being used. This problem may also be that your fall away rest is not dropping properly.Other reasons may be too light-weight of a point on the arrow, or the nock-end of the arrow is "dragging" on something during the release (fingers, etc).Bows do not act like firearms (guns) when used: There is no recoil to "kick" the bow or arrow up or down, nor is there any energy being expended to push the bow back towards the archer. The only real transfer of energy in a properly tuned bow/arrow setup is from bow to the arrow, by way of the bowstring. If the bow moves enough to affect arrow flight, it is generally because the person using the bow has moved their hand and/or arm.