Nov 13 2014

Rather Fight than Switch?

Thanks for posting my question and I’ll be interested in seeing what feedback we get. I think my slight advantage is having a level or skill with my left hand made it easier to pick up and at least get a reasonable grouping.
Thanks again for the post and will be interested in seeing / hearing response.

Steve Ruis's avatarA Blog for Archery Coaches

QandA logoHi,
I was reading your blog site and wanted to ask a question. Like many people I’m naturally right-handed but from an early age I taught myself have a level of skill with my left hand. Though not completely ambidextrous I can write, shave, saw, etc. with either hand.

Recently I’ve been coaching a number of left-handed students so I taught myself to shoot left-handed. I wonder has anyone else done this? Don’t think I’ll win any medals but it has helped with coaching and course laying. I found it a very educational process as you reapply learnt and known skills but reversed or, rather, flipped.

It also means the students don’t have to try to learn from you whilst trying to flip round everything in their heads. So I was wondering, have you or your readers done this?
Thanks for all the articles and posts.
Rob
https://offthearrowshelf.wordpress.com/

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Nov 6 2014

Shoot report – spooky night down at the wood

Spooky club house

Spooky club house

Bit of a different shoot report this week as it is for a spooky night shoot. As opposed to the normal club shoot in August, this year SVYF decided to organise a themed Halloween shoot which was open to all members and guests.
Starting shortly after 6pm it would be a 20 target round with special scoring on each target ranging from a positive 20 points to a negative 20.
Entrance to the wood as dusk falls

Entrance to the wood as dusk falls

Being close to Halloween all the targets were suitably themed as were some of the archers costumes.
ghost target

ghost target

Another interesting shot was the ghost shot where you shoot your two arrows but didn’t know until you got the boss whether your arrows scored positive or negative.
ghost target description

ghost target description

Rules were simple; you were allowed to use torches to find your way from one shooting peg to the target or along the course but couldn’t shine it on the target when you were shooting.

target 20 - vampire or zombie

target 20 – vampire or zombie

An old oil lantern was set by the shooting peg and there were a couple of night light candles  set in a trench in front of the target to provide some illumination.
You could shoot from anywhere within a yard of the peg and distances varied from 3 yards up to about 20 yards, which seems a lot further at night.

The grim reaper with a few arrows

The grim reaper with a few arrows

All proceeds would go to charity  (bowel cancer research ) with club members bringing a variety of hot food in forms of chilli, vegetable soup and Sharon had made some of her spicy pumpkin soup too. In all we had about 45 archers on the night and we were very fortunate to have good weather that was warm for November, with the rain holding off until after we had finished.

Sharon in her costume

Sharon in her costume

Sharon and I  had never been to a night shoot so it was a new experience and we were joined by Nadeem and  Cliff. By the way my thanks to Nadeem for  the pictures.

Normally you can see the flight of your arrow but at night you have to go by instinct and hope to hear the thud as the arrow gets to the boss.
Trying to judge distances at night proved challenging for all as was testified by the number of  arrows we found the following morning when tidying up.
In all it was a great laugh and we managed to raise just over  £150 for the charity. Big thanks to Nigel, Debbie, Jason and Bernie for all the hard work for setting it up.

Thanks for reading.
Nov 4 2014

Working with Newly Serious Archers

Another great post. Thanks

Steve Ruis's avatarA Blog for Archery Coaches

Okay, coaches, what happens when an archer you are coaching gets “serious” and wants your help? Well, this can end up being the equivalent of “going steady” so let’s discuss this.

What Does “Getting Serious” Mean?
Our favorite mental coaches, Troy and Lanny Bassham, say there are three levels of training:
1. Training to Learn
2. Training to Compete, and
3. Training to Win
The vast majority of archers are in Category 1, no matter what they say.

Training to Learn All beginners are in this stage and are learning how to shoot arrows from their bows. We often say they are “finding their shot.” These students are characterized as ones learning how to shoot correctly or well. They have their own equipment but haven’t fitted it well or tuned it enough for consistent accuracy. They may attend competitions and be “competitors” thereby but are primarily focused on learning their own shot…

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