Is archery for you?

Archery is for everyone.

It is very satisfying when all your hard work and practice gets your arrows in the gold. i will be producing more blogs covering a range of archery for beginner's topics and will list these below, so come back for more.

So you’ve decided archery could be for you, read my blog on how to get started with archery.

Anyone can do archery

I would have said nearly everyone, except a blind person. However, the near blind 26 year old archer, Im Dong-Hyun, has won several team gold medals at the Olympics in 2004 and 2008! I think we would all wish him well in the upcoming 2012 Olympic Games, an inspiration to us all. There are many disabled archers and coaches will be prepared to teach any new members regardless of their age, ability and knowledge.

All ages

Archery is suitable for all ages and a wide range of age groups are seen at both club and competition levels.

Many clubs run junior evenings, this enables the younger archers can shoot together without feeling pressure from more mature members (or their parents).

There is no age limit! With age comes experience and some of the best archers are those who have the time to practice; being young and fit doesn’t necessarily give an advantage. If you’re retired and looking for an alternative to golf then look no further. Archery is a sport that you can start at any time in your life and the ability to learn isn’t really affected by age (as some may say - learning a new language or learning to play an instrument is more difficult as you get older).

Archery makes a great family sport as all ages can shoot. Although women are the minority group in archery there are still plenty of us and we compete separately to the gentlemen, so don’t let this put you off.    

Archery is a combination of physical capability and mental ability

No matter how fit or unfit you are, currently the muscles you need for archery will develop with practice. You don't need to have strong arm muscles; in fact if you are shooting correctly it's all about the back! So if you think archery is not for you because you are not particularly strong or fit then this shouldn't hold you back. Using a low poundage bow and lots of light regular practice can even help injuries through a gentle exercise. 


The best archers have a good mental attitude; they don't allow the last arrow to affect the next and after perfecting your technique the next step is to be able to fully focus. Archery can be used to de-stress for those with hectic work environments, but a good mental attitude goes a long way to making a good archer. 

Cost

Archery is a fairly cheap sport compared with many others and certainly didn’t come with the high cost tag I thought it would.

Beginner’s courses start from £35 to £60 and this is often a 4 to 6 hour event run over 2 to 4 weeks. Once you have passed your beginners course you can join your local club for around £50 to £150 a year. Although clubs will vary, this cost will cover your insurance, give you membership to several archery associations (entitling you to magazines and competition entry) and often allow you to shoot as often as you like at the provided grounds (clubs often supply targets, etc). Valuably, clubs have coaches who are usually keen to help and provide pointers.

Buying a bow is something you should not rush into, and I can’t emphasise this enough. If you can hire equipment from your club for 6 months I would strongly recommend it. For the first few years you will be swapping equipment left right and centre so don’t invest too much money initially. I think equipment will be an important blog to cover so I will add this to my list!

Commitment

Perhaps one of the highlights of archery is that you can often shoot whenever you like. There are often no rules to own often or how little you turn up and once club membership has been paid often use of the field is free. As with most things archery improves with practice and the more time you can take to go shooting, when not scoring, to practice the better you will become.

Difficulty

Archery has a simple aim, to put your arrows where you want them to go. Although the science behind a good shot is complicated the general principles of archery are simple. It is fairly easy to become a decent archer, the difficult bit becoming a fantastic archer. Some of the rules and regulations and different types of shoots as well as bow tuning can get a little more difficult, but these are not greatly important if you are shooting for fun. Difficulty can easily be adjusted by changing the distance you shoot.

Environment/Social

Archery is a very social sport. You can easily stand around chatting and forget to actually shoot! Clubs are generally friendly and keen to offer advice. If you don’t feel like shooting, it wouldn’t be unusual to turn up for a chat. Things can get a little serious at competitions, but there are many more “friendly” competitions held.

Ease of access

Archery clubs are everywhere, so no matter where you are or where you go later in life you can join an archery club. Archery shops are more difficult to get too, although there are several in the UK they are spread out and if you wish to try equipment it can be a bit of a trek. Beginners courses are in high demand so get on the waiting list as soon as possible. 

Competition

There are lots of archery competitions in the UK throughout the year, especially during the summer shooting season from April to October. Keen archers often attend a competition every weekend in the summer! For those keen to take part I will be posting a list of UK competitions each month (a month in advance) and I will cover topics from explanations of the different shooting rounds, tournament tips to awards and medals. There are several classes, of note these include senior lady, senior gentlemen, juniors (under 18, 16, 14 & 12 all separate groups) and bow style.

Competition isn’t for everyone, and it is a totally personal choice if you wish to compete. There are plenty of club shoot nights and often clubs provide an outdoor field where, as long as there are two adults present, you can shoot as often as you like in a non competitive environment.    

I hope this blog has inspired you to give archery ago, if so head over to my Archery – getting started blog. Lots of blogs covering beginners topics, how to and equipment guides will follow.

All things archery, including beginners guides, weekly bargain buys, how too, reviews, event information and Olympic blogs.