Archery course - I have signed up for one

[bent-stick]

Oh dear, you're hooked...As JimN says - if you think twanging arrows at a roundel in a sports centre is good, you wait until you combine it with a walk in the woods.

I was grinning for a week after my first few field archery outings.

 

[Jodie]

Ooooh I see what you mean about the field archery stuff. We'll have to see
if I'm safe enough to be let loose, so to speak, out doors with a bow and
arrow.

The first couple of goes I found quite nerve wracking as I was convinced it
was all going to end in tears and general arm shredding - I shall definitely
be more confident the week after next.

Can I do anything to practise? Is it a bit stupid to stand in my living room
pulling imaginary strings for two weeks before my next class? Failing that
it'll be elastic bands and an empty coke can

JimN - perhaps worth contacting the place at Tunbridge Wells and seeing
if there are any returns or get on the waiting list in case there are. Might be
worth a try. http://www.assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk/section.asp?catid=770&docid=2524

 

[Jodie]

After last week's hiatus (had to nip off to Tunbridge Wells ) I was back
at the sports' centre last night to pick up from week one's archery class.

I must be doing something better because my arms and back are aching
and more of my arrows landed on the target than last time. Also I was a
bit more confident that I wasn't going to injure my arm.

Disappointingly though I am really quite a girly wuss and my feeble muscles
were twanging away when I was fully drawn with a 20lb bow. This is what
comes of carrying everything in a rucksack and not from my hands, so I
might practice carrying my shopping at full arms' length for a while.

Dave the tutor has given us some arm exercises and suggested that
practising in front of the mirror's a good idea - so I shall do that.

I was quite impressed that I managed to get one in the red zone but since
I also got them in the blue, black, white paper, the roundel itself and the
curtain at the back of the hall I'm not too smug yet.

Blooming good fun though

 

[xylaria]

Can I do anything to practise? Is it a bit stupid to stand in my living room
pulling imaginary strings for two weeks before my next class? Failing that
it'll be elastic bands and an empty coke can

]

You can use rubber blunts to shoot coke cans outdoors. They are rubber heads attached to a wooden shaft. You can also get foam headed live action roleplay arrows which can be safely shot at consenting adults. I used to do this with a group of friends at country park, we did have permission. I found it infintly more enjoyable shooting moving targets than normal static archery.

Space is required for both of these, and obviously a low poundage bow is necessary for shooting people (<30lb) . The wooden shafts have to inspected very regulary for damage as a broken shaft is as dangerous as a real arrow.

RUBBER BLUNTS ARE NOT SHOT AT PEOPLE. I have edited my orginal post as I had been mistakenly told that they were developed for battle re-enactment. They are for knocking out small game!!

 

[Jodie]

I'd have to buy a bow though... which I might do, in the fullness of time, but I'll
wait and see what Dave the tutor suggests at the end of the course.

Thanks for the suggestion though - I'd never heard of those, although I was
vaguely aware that the LARPing community might have been pinging fake
arrows at each other but probably without really noticing what they were
made of.

Hitting a static target's hard enough

 

[2blackcat]

Try using a Dynaband. Slightly cheaper than a bow at about £10 and you don't get into the recurve / compound debate (don't worry too much about that. Someone will bore you with it soon enough)

Just trying to place the Adult Education Centre
I learnt archery at the Walnuts in Orpington but used to do the martial arts in Bromley Civic Centre

The co-pilot has front bumps and is a better archer than me
A little tip - don't do that woman thing with your elbows, you know that turning them in so the forearms can touch along their length. That's the classic way for a wench to damage their arm

I take it from the bus comment that you don't have transport which will make field archery in this area prohibative (Colth of Gold, Enfield. Company of 60, Leatherhead. Bridge Woods, Rochester) but if you want an introduction to Bromley Archery Club give me a shout and we'll take you down there. They're good people for target archers

Long post. Sorry

 

[bent-stick]

2bc is right a dynaband is good. Or you can get a stuff called cliniband which is like a big elastic bandage. If you know anyone who does physiotherapy, they usually have it. Green is the weakest and Black is the strongest IIRC.

Cheapskates like me use an old bike innertube.

Take your stance and stretch your elastic thinking about closing your wings. It's important to concentrate on good form and find your anchor. Hold for a couple of heartbeats and then come down in a controlled way Gradually build up to a hundred reps - should get you shoulders like Schwartznegger soon enough More important you'll be training your muscles and joints and you wont be so sore after a session.

 

[Rob]

Dont worry, you will get there with the strength.

You dont have to be able to shoot a heavy bow (2BC doesn't) you just have to find something that you are comfortable with.

The elastic band trainiers (or improvised) will be good for getting your strength up. As 2BC said - try not to hyperextend your elbow.

Oh - and dont over-do it. I have had a few students upset themselves after practicing too much with the elastic. If you think about how many arrows you shoot at your class - probably no more than 100 (and probably far fewer) then you should not be doing any more than this in a day at the moment - and I would probably split this into a couple of sessions.

 

[2blackcat]

Ah, Mr Rob you make I laugh

There's a letter in the post from my lawyer!

 

[Rob]

Ah, Mr Rob you make I laugh

There's a letter in the post from my lawyer!

Glad I am good for something. Got keep these poor impoverished lawyers in tins of Lidl's beans.

 

[Wayne]

Glad I am good for something. Got keep these poor impoverished lawyers in tins of Lidl's beans.

whats wrong with lidl beans?

2BC is fine from the cub peg.

 

[Jodie]

I'm now on the intermediate / advanced course in Bromley and am so far
resisting the move to a better bow. Everyone points out that the cheapy
training bows are a bit rubbish (and I'd be the first to agree) but the more
high tech ones with proper sights and counterbalance sticks (the long
thin tube that sticks out at the front - no idea what it's called) seem
to me to be like... well, cheating!

The tutor hires these bows inexpensively so the cost isn't an issue and
I might try one out just for the sake of trying something different. I agree
that the training bows are a bit inconsistent as it surely can't all be me

I've had a few good shots with nicely grouped arrows, a few hits in the
gold but still plenty of arrows going their own sweet way in any direction.

Might have to make my own bow That way I'll be using the same bow
each week (for consistency) and it won't be overly adorned with technical
features.

Will I learn more from one of these modern bows? - in which case I might
as well transfer? I don't want to be precious about it

Also, I like the notion of the bow as being a 'stick that is nine tenths broken'
but it occurred to me that the mind of whoever first said it might have been
operating in a decimal world. Perhaps not of course, as we've been
dividing things into ten from day one I should think. I did wonder if there
might have been an older phrase based on sixteenths or some older
measurement though

"a stick that is fourteen and a half sixteenths broken" would be the equivalent...

 

[saffy]

I did wonder if there
might have been an older phrase based on sixteenths or some older
measurement though

"a stick that is fourteen and a half sixteenths broken" would be the equivalent...

I read a quote from a English bower maker whom was named Thomas Waring "A bow full drawn is seven-eighths broken". So maybe that was the pre decimalisation equivalent

 

[Grooveski]

...resisting the move to a better bow. Everyone points out that the cheapy
training bows are a bit rubbish (and I'd be the first to agree) but the more
high tech ones with proper sights and counterbalance sticks (the long
thin tube that sticks out at the front - no idea what it's called) seem
to me to be like... well, cheating!

A hoyt target bow I picked up second hand came with all manner of longrods and v-rods, graduated sights and wriststrap. I bolted all the junk on once out of curiosity and it did steady the bow but only by making it so heavy I could barely lift my arm .
Not knocking target shooters, just all felt a bit wierd and unnessessary(might not think like that if I were desperately chasing points though).

More satisfaction comes from going the other way. Junking the sights and rests, shooting off the hand or shelf. In a way it's easier as all you then have to worry about is finding arrows to suit the bow. After that there's no fiddling with buttons or adjusting sights because there aren't any.

Takes allsorts though. Hard to advise folk on archery kit, it's quite personal. My recommendation would be one of either:

1) Stick to the bow you already have and keep working on form and strength. I tried a cheap target recurve last month and it wasn't bad at all considering it was a quarter of the price of the Hoyt.

2) Go mental and end up with a pile of bows of various shapes and sizes. I found this to be a good way to go, perhaps didn't provide my perfect bow but did ensure all my friends and relations ended up hooked as they got them all for presents.

3) Make your own. You'll always want to .

I doubt if any of these will provide your ideal bow at first, don't even know if there is such a thing. My tastes change from month to month. Just as long as the arrows keep flying .

 

[Jodie]

Thanks Saffy - that's satisfied my curiosity! That does sound more likely.

Cheers Grooveski - a good point about the weight of the bow. I have held one
of the other ones, with full accessories, and realised I'd have to be a bit
stronger. The cheap ones, being plastic and slender, are very easy to handle.

I'm using a 22lb or 26lb at the moment - depends what comes out of the box.

And Robin of Sherwood's just started on itv3

 

[Jodie]

We've started scoring rounds now, so that the college can demonstrate a measurable
improvement over the duration of the course...erm....

I got 179 out of a possible 600, I think. Fortunately I found the bow that seems to work
well for me*, and it looks like someone else likes it too as they've added a sticker saying
'mine!' to the inside of it. It's very pingy.

*not so well that I'm scoring 600 of course but it could have been a lot worse

a ftick that is fourteen and a half fixteenths broken