Archery course - I have signed up for one

[Jodie]

As of next week I shall be getting out there (not literally as the course
takes place indoors, in a college sport centre) and doing stuff and I've
signed up for a spot of archery.

Am very excited, just hope I don't turn out to be crap at it

 

[bent-stick]

Good luck with it and don't get disheartened if things don't all fall into place during the course.

Take away from the course all you can and then get out and shoot as often as you can afterwards - it takes a lot of practice to get all your joints and muscles to work in a repeatable way.

David
Company of 60 Field Archers

 

[Jodie]

Thanks David

I've not bought any equipment yet so the rabbits and passersby of
South London are safe for the moment but if I turn out to be 'not
crap' I may look into that.

Jo

Edit - buying equipment I mean, not reducing the safety of the locals ;-)

 

[stovie]

As of next week I shall be getting out there......... and I've
signed up for a spot of archery.

Am very excited, just hope I don't turn out to be crap at it

Good for you! I have been out practising this morning. Shot a hundred arras and wasted an hour or so...can,t beat it....

 

[Rob]

Superb! Another potential convertee for the world of Field Archery?

Enjoy the course. It does take time to be as inconsistant as me at shooting, but there is a lot of fun on the journey.

 

[bent-stick]

Very wise, don't invest in anything until you know you enjoy it and what style suits you.

Hopefully you'll be able to try out a few bows on the course.

 

[Jodie]

I'm right handed and left eyed - does it matter? I should think
I could probably use either eye or hand if necessary. Is it same
sided or whatever's comfortable? Did you have your left eye
shut stovie?

The other challenge of course is, as a buxom wench, I've got
a bit of scaffolding that might impede things a tad.

I'll find out next week!

 

[stovie]

You should keep both eyes open. If you are left eye dominant then it may be that you will have to shoot left-handed. But best to wait until you go to your course. One of the first things they should do is check your eye dominance...

I am right handed and right eye dominant, but i "shoot" instinctively.......

just to prove my point, look at my eyes, not around the eyes....

 

[Jodie]

Ha ha
Thank you!

I had assumed it was an eye-shutting thing a la cameras and
telescopes but come to think of it depth perception might be a
bonus in this sort of venture!

 

[chrisanson]

best thing is do your course and then just practice.but above all have fun!
dont try to much, just let it come to you.
chris

 

[ferrol]

I'm a "Lefty" in the world of Field archery right handed but other eye dominant. Makes no difference to me, I can miss a target with either arm! heh Though I am awlfully good at finding my arrows.

You'll Love archery. Relax and just enjoy yourself, don't expect too much too soon, most importantly have fun!

Try this link:
http://www.nfas.net

 

[Simon E]

Good luck with it and don't get disheartened if things don't all fall into place during the course.

Take away from the course all you can and then get out and shoot as often as you can afterwards - it takes a lot of practice to get all your joints and muscles to work in a repeatable way.

David
Company of 60 Field Archers

Exactly! You will probably find that you get reasonably good (by your own reckoning)very quickly, then it will seem like you are getting worse and this is the frustrating thing. Its not that you are, its that you are starting to do things right and its the 'getting into the groove' of doing things the right way, the same way, (especially if you are an instinctive shooter) that takes some time.

I found/find it to be quite a spiritual thing, there is something to be said for seeing an arrow land where you are looking with having looked or aimed by conventional definition.

 

[Jodie]

Thanks everyone

I've read a little "Know the game" book and re-watched Chris
Boyton's bit on Aboriginal Britain and can't wait to get started
later this week.

 

[dommyracer]

Out of interest Jodie, where is the course you signed up for being run?

I've been interesting in having some further instruction in arra shooting (went on a course years ago as a nipper) - wondering if its anywhere near me

 

[Jodie]

It's in Bromley, South East London. I found out about it through
Hotcourses.com or something like that. Mine's the beginners
course on Thursday but they do weekend ones for the slightly
more advanced.

Bromley Adult Education College is the place.

 

[sionhughes]

I'm a "Lefty" in the world of Field archery right handed but other eye dominant. Makes no difference to me, I can miss a target with either arm! heh Though I am awlfully good at finding my arrows.

Really? I can never find mine . What's your secret?

 

[gregorach]

Those fancy modern flourescent plastic fletchings help a lot...

edit: Ohhh! Thousandth post!

 

[jerv]

what's that bow there stovie? looks nice. we may have a time for a bit of bring and tell with primitive weapons at the atlatl event if you are interested. I have been working at my slinging but to tell the truth it terrifies me!
I am right handed and left eyes too, but shoot instinctively. I also pull daft faces when I shoot Ha ha ha (not my bow!)

[/URL][/IMG]

I'd also agree with simon E. and say that archery can be an incredibly spiritual experience. Beyond the medatitive quality of it, there is something uncanny about being in the "zone" when the mind goes quiet and every arrow goes where you have shot it, without desire, without effort.
wei wu wei man!

 

[Jodie]

I love archery, absolutely love it - quite doolally. Dave the tutor made us
stand in a semicircle and point at his nose so he could tell our dominant
eye and as predicted I'm left eyed (but right handed - so I needed a bit of
help as I was a bit uncoordinated!) and I also discovered that I've pretty
short arms too.

For the first few goes I managed to park the arrow (not the technical
term of course) on the wrong side of the string and the first two arrows
headed off to my neighbour's target, the next two landed on the floor
and once I'd readjusted, the final two made it into the target. I was
amazed. Only twanged my arm once - and only lightly at that!

Three buses home but worth it for £37 for an eleven week course I
think you'll agree - I quite like mammoth bus journeys anyway.

Can't make next Thursday's lesson cos I'm going to hear Ray Mears
talk in Tunbridge Wells but I'll be back there the following week,
possibly with a very large arm protector if I can find one!

Doesn't this look like it was a fun day out? I'd definitely sign up for that
if they did that 'walk in the woods' again with a spot of bonus archery.
http://nosher.net/images/2005-12-29RayMears/

My boss keeps putting an apple on his head whenever he catches my
eye and offering to be target practice...

 

[JimN]

I love archery, absolutely love it - quite doolally.

Yes, it seems to affect a lot of people that way I've only been doing a tad less than a year, but it's in the process of taking over my life. Presumably you're doing target archery, if you love that wait till you try field archery, it really is the dogs nadgers!

Can't make next Thursday's lesson cos I'm going to hear Ray Mears talk in Tunbridge Wells

You can really go off somebody, you know Mucho jealous.

My boss keeps putting an apple on his head whenever he catches my eye and offering to be target practice...

Get used to it (and the Robin Hood/Maid Marian/green tights comments), it's standard fair from any non-archer. If you want to be pedantic tell him that William Tell actually used a cross-bow