Archery

[BeardyMan]

I'm right next to a school. Lots of things I can't do in my garden, like shoot the air rifle.

[bigpaul]

(15 March 2013, 12:55)BeardyMan Wrote: I'm right next to a school. Lots of things I can't do in my garden, like shoot the air rifle.

oh dear, i didnt know that! not a quiet area then?

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our rear garden has a 6ft high fence on top of a 2ft(min) wall, the only thing i may hit is the neighbours cat !

[Skean Dhude]

I'm not next to a school but I made a backdrop for mine anyway as if anything left my garden, school or not, it is a firearms offence.

[BeardyMan]

(15 March 2013, 13:43)bigpaul Wrote:

(15 March 2013, 12:55)BeardyMan Wrote: I'm right next to a school. Lots of things I can't do in my garden, like shoot the air rifle.

oh dear, i didnt know that! not a quiet area then?

Yeah, it is pretty quiet after the school rush. Unfortunately it doesn't make a difference though. Have to be careful even having a smoke out the front, as the penalties are harsher within 100 meters of a school.

My amateur pyrotechnics display isn't allowed now either

[bigpaul]

(15 March 2013, 15:13)BeardyMan Wrote: Yeah, it is pretty quiet after the school rush. Unfortunately it doesn't make a difference though. Have to be careful even having a smoke out the front, as the penalties are harsher within 100 meters of a school.

My amateur pyrotechnics display isn't allowed now either

rather you than me, not my sort of place, now you know why i live where i do!

[The Ragman]

Just found a local archery club, signed the family up for a week-end course coming soon....I haven't done archery for years and can't wait....I'm not sure who's more exited, me or the kids...LOL

[MCavity]

Ive just joined a Field Archery Club, and as a beginner i'm finding it great fun. I would reccomend a field archery club over indoor clubs as its less sterile and great fun to be walking around woods to find targets and having enviromental issues to deal with.

If you have the spare money doing beginners courses in a few different clubs really helps to find you a decent club.

[Tartar Horde]

The most important aspect of Archery to learn is your "Anchor Point". This is the point to which you draw your Arrow, and this can be practised without shooting at anything. Without a consistent Anchor point it does not matter if you have the best Arrows, or the best Bow etc, you will not hit your target consistently. Fixing your Anchor point is a product of "muscle memory" and must be achieved by repetative drawing of the bow and "holding" at full draw for a short while. Your Anchor point can be anywhere you like on your face, middle of chin like Olympic Archers, the side of your Mouth or under the ear etc, but you must pull/draw the same length every time to have any hope of accuracy. If you pull a bow further than its draw length ie 28 inches, it will impart more energy to the arrow and make that Arrow fly faster, therefore making that arrow hit higher on the target than one shot with a lesser draw length. The opposite is also true if you do not draw the bow enough, the Arrow will have less power and so drop more on the target.
My Anchor point is just behind my Right Canine tooth, and although I don't think about it anymore, I loose the Arrow when I feel my right Index finger touch the Tooth. I don't shoot the moment I reach Anchor, rather I hold for a short while ensuring my Anchor point is solid and not moving.
It is essential you practice this point as it is the basis of all Archery.
Archery is 90% mental and 10% physical and you have to develop your "Mojo", "Feel" "Zen" or whatever you call it, so your mental attitude has to be calm and focused.
PRACTICING ANCHOR POINT.
Stand comfortably holding your bow somewhere quiet, indoors or out (you will not need an Arrow, YET). CLOSE YOUR EYES!! and draw your bow smoothly and not too quickly. As you expand your Left arm and draw your Right arm you should breathe in at the same speed as your draw, reaching full draw and breath at the SAME TIME. This is very important as Body, Bow and Breath must be in harmony to shoot well. As you draw you must "feel" your breath as the power that pushes and pulls the bow, expanding your arms like pistons, and filling your body with energy. When you "reach" your anchor point you have to imagine that point as an immovable object, if you want a good Zen analogy here, imagine a mountain. This mental picture of something solid helps the mind to control the body, enabling you to draw the exact length every time. Doing this with your eyes closed enables you to focus all your mind, and coupled with the correct breathing technique is a form of meditation well documented in Asiatic Archery. Practice this as many times as is comfortable. You must stop when you get tired and resist the urge to try again before you are relaxed and "chilled". If you start to draw and it "feels" wrong, stop!! gently let down the bow and start again. At first you will have to concentrate, but will soon know when you have got it right, because it feels right. The stage will come where you can shoot without thinking about shooting Grasshopper
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[SecretPrepper]

I am doing my beginners course in September, can't wait. Not my first time with a bow though.

[The Ragman]

(16 May 2013, 08:10)MCavity Wrote: If you have the spare money doing beginners courses in a few different clubs really helps to find you a decent club.

I will try my best as it's always good to get the kids involved in as many sports as possible and it's great for their social lives.

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(16 May 2013, 11:29)Tartar Horde Wrote: The stage will come where you can shoot without thinking about shooting Grasshopper
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And knowing my luck it'll be straight through my right foot....LOL