I’ve been pretty swamped over past few weeks and neglected to post the link to this podcast episode where I look at the pointy end of wooden arrows, the piles. Detailing the variety out there and what I prefer to use.
The episode is available on Spotify and YouTube .
As always thanks for watching, listening and following.
Over the last few months there has been a fair amount of talk on various NFAS Facebook groups and in clubs about what slows down an open competition down. What factors play a part, along with lots of myths and rumours. I wanted to tackle this head one and gather some actual facts and data.
There have been general assumptions quoted by some archers as to what slows progress. These include taking excessively long tea or lunch breaks, the use of binoculars, searching for missed arrows etc.
For reference binoculars can only be used in some shooting classes in NFAS. Though there is a proposal that is has been muted and will be voted on next year to all allow all classes the option. As they say that’s another story. The vast majority are not allowed to use them. The feeling by some is that by expanding their use would result in slowing things down even more.
To gather some facts I created a simple poll on a Facebook group and invited people to vote on the options, add other options and comment if they thought elements were omitted.
The feedback has been great and I’d like to thank all those who contributed. I received 215 votes and over 50 comments. In the podcast episode I dive into the details more offering some thoughts on how the top aspects can be addressed.
Here are the results. I gave respondents the ability to add additional options as I felt this might highlight topics I had overlooked. They were also allowed to vote on more than one thing.
The core question was “What makes it a long day, and detracts from the enjoyment?”
| Question options | Percentage result |
|---|---|
| archers searching for missed arrows | 44% |
| time spent on the peg preparing to shoot, distance judging, etc | 19% |
| discussions / scoring at the target | 16% |
| group size I.e. large number in a group | 6% |
| poorly thought out shot, (multi targets predator/pray) | 6% |
| taking long tea / lunch breaks | 5% |
| people blaming other people | 2% |
| Fully subscribed shoots | 1% |
| People taking photos/videos of themselves to add to their social media | 1% |
| announcement before the shoot begins | 0% |
| navigating difficult or challenging terrain round the course | 0% |
I’d encourage you to listen to the podcast where I unpick some of the above points, offering some ideas on what can be achieved or changed to improve the situation.
Thanks for reading and let me know what you think.
I guess it is time for an announcement from me. I’ve come to the decision to restart the podcast series. I have been very humbled by the support that has been offered to me online, face to face or via phone calls, sometimes very long calls. Thank you all.
I’ve had some very positive conversations on the impact some of my material has had on individuals even organisations who have wanted to learn about target repairs. This has made me realise I enjoy trying to help people and stopping recording or writing has a huge negative impact on how I feel.
My goal remains the same. To provide a perspective of field archery in the UK. Offering coaching tips where I can, product reviews of equipment I bought and used. I’m planning on putting out some material on the Core takedown recurves we’ve been using for years as coaching bows, a variety of shooting gloves, Wildcrete 3D targets and more.
I hope you enjoy the episode and let me know your thoughts and remember if you do have any question let me know.
You can drop me a message via this website contact me page. There is my YouTube channel where you can find some reviews of Wildcrete 3D targets
Enjoy your shooting and as always thanks for listening, watching and supporting.
My Archery Experiences 