Due to one thing and another, my health over the past six years has not been the best and that reason above all others has been a driving factor in me addressing what is really important in my life. There are so many things that I have put on hold to make way for (primarily) work and of course, family. However, as I get older, I realise that there should be a balance, and prioritising myself and my own health and welfare need to be in there somewhere too. So, archery is making a welcome return, initially to my life, but hopefully soon to my wife’s and when they’re old enough, my kids’ too. Archery is a great sport that the whole family can take part in.
I first started Archery in the early 1990s when I was at University. One weekend when Annie was at her local leisure centre doing a fitness class, I noticed a poster for an archery beginners’ course. I’d always been interested in archery and had fancied a go, so I decided that this was the thing for me. So, over the next 6 weeks or so, I became completely hooked on the sport. I also read up and decided that standing on a shooting line was not really for me. Fortunately, one of my very dear friends and his family already shot longbow so I knew about an alternative form of the sport, field archery. This, with my love of the countryside and wildlife (although the irony that you are shooting at targets shaped like, or depicting fluffy creatures is not lost on me!) seemed like an ideal fusion.
So, during one of my uni breaks, I approached Silvertree Field Archers in Lincoln (a club that I think is sadly not still going). They were immediately welcoming and friendly and I settled there really quickly.
I mentioned before that archery is a family sport and to prove this, within a few weeks of joining Silvertree, my dad, Annie and my father in law and my best friend had all become involved in the archery community as well. From this point, I really became immersed in the sport, spending as much time as I could practicing and reading about it. Within a few months, I wanted to take part in organised shoots and made the plunge at Charnwood Archers in Leicestershire. I can’t really remember how I did at the shoot (not very well I’m sure) but I loved the experience!
Field Archery can be done by more or less anyone. It is more difficult for young kids (because of the strain of drawing the bows) and disabled archers (who may find the terrain difficult), but generally, anyone can take part.
There are three commonly used types (styles) of bow; Recurve, Compund and Traditional (including English Longbow and Flat Bow). All of these can be used with varying degrees of gadgetry and add ons according to the governing body’s class system, from the self explanatory ‘barebow’ class to the ultra technical ‘unlimited’ class.
There are also various ‘rounds’ you can shoot as a field archer; Field, Hunter, Animal and 3D. The first two are shot at circular targets (like target archery but in woods) and the second two are at representations of animals to closely mirror bowhunting. Many field archers prefer the latter two because of the (often) challenging placement of targets and the varying location of the ‘bullseye’ (a term never used in archery!!) on each target. The latter two definitely offer the greatest challenge and are also great fun.
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