Tag Archives: instinctive archery

there were areas carpeted with primroses
Jul 20 2018

Shoot Report – Windrush – April 2018

Windrush shoot with archers massing.

Windrush shoot with archers massing.

Apologies to all readers and followers to this site for the delay in writing this shoot report up. Life has been doing it’s best to keep me busy but here it is at last.
The calendar may have showed as an April Sunday, but I think all who attended will agree it felt more like early February with the biting wind making temperature stay in the single figures all day. The irony of this being a week later we would enjoy the warmest early May bank holiday on record with a temperature swing of plus 20 degrees centigrade. The UK is presently enjoying one of the longest periods of hot weather since 1976!

Sharon on our first shot of the day

Sharon wrapped up warm , on our first shot of the day.

I don’t think the weather would help as it would prove to be a very slow day for our group, seeing us waiting on all but a couple targets as we made our way round the course. I guess this was just bad luck as I know other groups shot round with little or no hold ups all day, but I think we were one of the last groups in. Maybe putting 5 people on the peg (4 compounds and a bare bow) in one group in front was not the best plan. Then again I don’t know if the hold up was further on, but I personally find that waiting to shoot breaks the flow of the day.
One thing to remember if you ever shoot at Windrush is to keep an eye out for deer, who can often be seen running across the fields and woodland.

Not a great photo but there is a monkjack deer running here

Not a great photo but there is a monkjack deer running here

I would struggle all day with the cold and my form which was way off the norm. Looking back as I write this I believe some of my issues were partly due to being soaked on the Saturday. I had been running a coaching session in the morning for a couple of archers, on both the range and taking them round the wood. Despite being wrapped up I had got soaked and cold and Sunday whilst dry was cold.

first target of the day a standing 3D bear

first target of the day a standing 3D bear

Anyway enough excuses onto the shoot report. Windrush woodland is a pretty open wood with few bushes or cover to speak of. This would not be a problem on a sunny warm summers day, but on a decidedly chilly spring day it would prove a bit cold, with many archers and marshals taking the opportunity to warm themselves by the open fire at tea breaks.
The course would consist of 40 targets, all 3Ds, with a couple quite cleverly set, like the hyena by the fallen tree.

Sharon shooting at Windrush

Sharon shooting at Windrush

I feel I should mention that the course layers had gone to the trouble of setting wasp pegs for all 40 targets.
For those not familiar with wasp pegs, they are shooting pegs, set for crossbow and sighted compound archers. The idea being to offer them a replacement first peg, which would be more technical or challenging for their styles. So these archers would shoot their first arrow from the wasp, moving to the red and white pegs if they missed with their first or second.

I’m not sure that the inclusions had the result the course layers wanted. Often these pegs were set a few yards further back from the red, adding a little distance to the shot. In my experience and conversations I’ve had with other archers shooting in these styles indicates adding that extra distance does not make that much of a difference to many sighted archers. To be fair to the course layers there were a few shots where I felt the wasp pegs worked well, such as our first, a long standing bear. Here the wasp peg was not only further back by over cover making the distance harder to judge.

Sharon shooting at 3D

Sharon shooting at 3D

I think it is a shame as I don’t think it quite worked as well as the course layers had hoped as they had put the effort in and should be applauded for trying. I hope it doesn’t put them off from doing it again and takes these comments not as criticism but as observations. I know that wasp pegs are something I struggle to set at times and have spoken at length with archers and course layers about.

One of the more sheltered shots

One of the more sheltered shots

Though this may sound a negative shoot report I do hope to return to shoot Windrush again, as at the end of the day they can’t control the weather. There previous shoot I had really enjoyed and you can read the review here.

Overall it wouldn’t prove to be a great day for me. I have to say I was glad to climb into the car for the journey home, with the car heater on to warm us up.

We decided to treat ourselves with a Papa Johns pizza. Big mistake, as they messed up the order and resulting in us having to pay twice !! Not impressed with that or their customer service who as an apology sent us a token for £10 off the next pizza, but only if you spend £25!!

Thanks for reading.

Sharons bow and arrow set up
Jul 13 2018

Quick tip on brace height check

Showing the brace height and cresting

Showing the brace height and cresting

We all know how important it is to have your bow setup right and ensure it is at the correct brace height. I wanted to offer a quick tip to all archers out there for checking your brace height on your bow, which doesn’t involve having a rule.

When I made up the last batch of arrows for Sharon, I crested them in colours to match her fletchings, are pink and orange.

Close up of a couple of finished arrows

Close up of a couple of finished arrows

Before I started I measured the brace height for her bow and made sure that where the two colours met on the arrow, it would be in line with the light coloured strip on her bow, when at the correct brace height.

I then edged the divide between the two colours with a black band.

One of Sharons' finished arrows with black edging

One of Sharons’ finished arrows with black edging

Since this band coincides with the white band on her the bow riser, when the bow is at the correct brace height. It means she has simply to nock an arrows and check the banding on the arrows matches up with the light stripe on her bow and she will know her brace height is correct.

Sharons bow and arrow set up

Sharons bow and arrow set up

It is a simple and quick method that does not need a bracing rule, just a little bit of preparation when making your arrows. You could easily adapt the idea with any arrows, by putting a mark on the arrow to coincide with the correct brace height.

I hope this helps and thanks for reading.

Me trying to remember to shoot
Jun 10 2018

Hardest lessons to learn in Archery – Drawing down

So for the first of the “Hardest lessons to learn in Archery” articles I promised I am going to go with one of the most popular topics drawing down, sometimes called coming down from a shot. These articles are designed to help archers and are based on a survey and poll I posted on Facebook and Tumblr, where I asked what archers found the hardest.
So drawing down is when you have drawn up to your target, ready to release, but know something is wrong. for one reason or another it doesn’t feel right,  but you still take the shot usually with negative results of a miss and knowing you shouldn’t have taken the shot. For some reason you can’t hit that reset button, finding it impossible to draw down your bow and start again.
So why is it so hard? Why can’t we just hit the magic reset button and draw down?
You do it as a beginner when you first start.
Well think of it from this point of view, taking a shot is part physical part mental. Your muscles know what to do but your head is different. You’ve got yourself psyched up to take that shot and then at the last stage, you have to admit something is wrong or doesn’t feel right. That can feel like a big hit to your confidence, especially if people are watching.
Why might you need to draw down?
when we start down our archery path, it’s not uncommon for us to flick the arrow off the rest, normally because we are twisting the string. As we progress and skills develop this happens less often, but maybe other things happen.
You might see movement behind the target, that catches your eye, distracting you from the shot.
When drawing up to take your shot, there is the programming in your head or maybe I should say the expectation to release the arrow. In back of your mind you don’t want to admit that something is wrong or that you may have done something wrong.
One way you can try to overcome this problem is to condition yourself to draw down, or rather condition your head to accept that each time you draw up you don’t have to shoot.
So what can you do?
One way of trying to overcome this mental block is to start programming your brain that the action of drawing down is normal. An effective way of doing this s to train yourself when practising to not to take each shot, i.e. every time you draw up does not result in a taking a shoot.
So when you are on the practise bosses, try this addition to your normal program, don’t shot your 3rd arrow immediately.
Allow me to explain, when you get to shoot the 3rd arrow draw up as normal, anchor, settle aim and at the point you would normally release the string, don’t.
Instead draw down, go back to your ready position. Take you hand off the string and relax. Take a couple of breaths and then draw up and if it feels right take the shot. So why do this?
Well it starts to condition your mind into that mind set that  when you draw up it does not mean you will have to always take the shot. Effectively retraining your brain.
This may sound strange but builds your muscle memory and gets your confidence, it helps to make you realise that you don’t always have to take the shot. It goes a long way to improve your control.
Don’t get me wrong as it won’t be easy. There are times you draw up and feel perfect, but if it is your third arrow come down and do it again. You might draw up 2 ,3, 4 or more times but over time you will get used to the feel and not let it effect you.
Try to remember just because you draw back doesn’t mean you have to take the shot.
It is a hard lesson to learn, but when it works and it will with practise, it feels great. It feels like you have retaken control of the shot and your archery.
Try the technique and let me know if it works for you or if you have something else that works. I sincerely hope this has helped, please let me know what you think.
As always Thanks for reading.