In my latest podcast I provide a quick update on what has been going on over the past couple of weeks, including appearing in both Bow International magazine in a contributor’s sections and the official National field Archery Society members magazine, as the author of an article on encouraging children into the sport.
In the second half of the episode I launch into the coaching content of the episode where I explain a technique I’ve used myself and have coached other archers with. It is surprisingly straight forward and can help build confidence in distance judgement and overall shooting. It revolves round the basic idea of shooting 2 arrows, the goal to have them both land the prime spot of the target. It sounds simple but I go into a more detailed explanation in the episode, outlining how it can build confidence and factors to consider concerning consistencies etc.
As I’ve mentioned before I can embed Spotify material on this site but for those of you who use amazon music I can only provide a link.
As always if you have any questions or queries you can drop me an email on or via this website There is my YouTube channel if you enjoy the content, where I will be hosting the shooting style outlines, I mention in the podcast. I think the Traditional Bowhunter will be the first one out. If you enjoy the content, please hit the Like button and consider subscribing to the channel.
Most of all remember to enjoy your shooting and as always thanks for listening, watching and supporting.
Back in episode 128 of the podcast, I wrote a review of the Push Alpha pack quiver and in that episode, I mentioned some 3D printed boxes that Sam a fellow club member has been producing for members.
I promised then I would be doing a full review of the boxes and explain how I’ve been using them, so here it is.
The cases come in 3 sizes, with the smallest and medium ones having sliding tops, the largest having a hinged lid. First lets look at the small box. This works really well for a few spare nocks, points and labels. I’ve given this one to my son as it fits perfectly in his little quiver pouch.
This size is ideal to fit into a pocket and would be really useful on camping or hiking trips to hold a few matches, etc.
The next is the medium pouch which has 3 sections, one long enough to accommodate a bow string.
The medium size box fits really well in the smaller mesh pouches of the Alpha pack and is large enough to house a spare string a few points, name labels, allen keys and spare plunger button.
Here you can see the medium and large box to give a comparison of sizes.
The largest box is ideal for your bow case and is large enough to accommodate bow string, plunger button, points, string wax and more. There is a small pull out draw (in green) that I use to hold my spare plunger.
Overall these work really well. I’m not sure how waterproof they are but so far there’s no complaints.
In this episode (episode 130) of the podcast, I do my best to answer a question from a follower. The question is about how you go about tracking your progress and monitoring your improvement in archery over time.
I break the process down into tracking progress when shooting at your home club grounds and when you venture out onto competitions. It’s a tactic I have used for several years and the process works well.
I’m not going to be giving advice on how you improve your archery in this episode, it’s solely about tracking your progress.
Home club
The difficulty with shooting the same course is you don’t always focus in the same way, you can become a little complacent resulting in a lack of focus in the same way. I’ve used this phrase in the past ” You learn to shoot the coach and targets, you don’t learn to read the shot.”
In NFAS the goal is to shoot as few arrows as possible when at a competition, as your first arrow will score the highest being 24 pts / 20 pts / 16 pts. If you take a second arrow this will score 14 pts / 10 pts, with a third arrow scoring 8 pts or 4 pts. Remember in the most commonly used course round in NFAS, the Big game round you only get to shoot a max of 3 arrows. If you miss with the third and final arrow you blank the target i.e. score 0 points.
There are other rounds but the Big Game round is by far the most commonly used.
The first thing you will be wanting to track are the number of blanks you have when you are shooting. Chances are when you are starting out you will be getting quite a few of these. As I explained earlier a blank is when you shoot all 3 arrows but fail to score. You obviously want to try to reduce the number of blanks and over time as your skill improves you will, replacing them with a successful hit.
The next this you will want to track are the number of 3rd arrows which are scoring. Note down what you scored, was it a 4 or an 8. Ideally an 8 means you have learnt from the 2 previous misses, compensated and produced a good shot.
You also want to track the number of 2nd arrows and what you scored, was it a 10 pts or 14pts . A 14 normally means you have been able to correct you mistake or misjudgement, nailing it the second time.
The final step is to track the number of 1st arrows and what you scored, was it a 16, 20 or a 24. You goal is to increase the number of first shots that hit.
Over time you will see your arrow count reduce and scores gradually improve, but it may take time. So please be patient with yourself and kind to yourself. Its also worth noting any other variables, like different arrows, or if the weather such as strong winds or rain impacted your shooting.
At open competition
When you start going out to competitions you still want to continue to track your blanks, 1st, 2nd and 3rd arrows as a point of reference as this can indicate how things are progressing over time.
The other method of tracking progress is to identify a base line as a comparison. The thing to remember is that NFAS courses can vary greatly, this means no 36 or 40 target course can be identical to another. Even if you shoot the same clubs course on multiple occasions chances are there will be differences, whether that be 3d targets used, peg positions or even the weather.
Therefore, it’s a good tactic to identify someone act as a baseline. Ideally the person chosen should be someone who shoots consistently. Not like me who have good or bad days. If you can track their scores and compare it to yours you will be able to judge how challenging the course would have been.
Lets say the you scored 400 and your baseline person Mr Smith scored 600, a difference of 200. Next time you shoot you get 350 and Mr Smith gets 550, still a difference of 200 you know it was probably a more challenging course.
Then on the following course you score 500 and Mr Smith scored 600, you know you’ve probably improved.
My Archery Experiences 