Louise : Pre-beginners Course Excitement!

Hello, my name is Louise. Around a year and a half ago I went along to 2020 Archery at London Bridge for a ‘Have a Go’ session with a friend for his birthday. I had a great time and decided that I would try and join a course. Finally, after a number of months, I have signed up to join the Monday Fast-Track course at Southwark Academy (starting on Monday 11th February) with 2020 Archery! 

I’ve had a dabble at archery a few times over the years and I always wanted to pursue it further. I’ll be the first to admit that watching Disney’s Robin Hood over and over again as a child probably had something to do with that, but it was also a category in the Olympics I was fascinated with and the first thing I wanted to try at a school adventure day.

I will be blogging my experiences on the course and what a newbie like me would expect to see happen during each session. Hopefully by reading about my experiences with 2020 Archery in this blog you might be persuaded to take the leap and join a course yourself!

Until next time!

http://www.2020archery.co.uk/lessons-courses-2/Monday-Evening-Beginners-Course

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Bryn : Can you click it? Yes you can - Part Two

In my last post I wrote about the purpose of a clicker and my experiences of when to add one to your setup. In this post I'll be explaining the different types of clickers and the pros and cons of each.

Clicker types

There seem to be three main types of clicker available that I've seen.

• Blade clickers that screw or stick to the riser.

• Sight block mounted, magnetic clickers.

• Sight bar mounted, magnetic clickers.

In my experience the choice of which clicker to go with has mainly been determined by my arrow length which at 31.5" has caused some problems. Many people using their first bow kit will probably have been advised to get arrows an inch or longer than actually needed until the draw length settles down. This is good advice and worth sticking to but it can cause an issue with clickers at times.

For me to use a blade style clicker I have to have the clicker extension plate attached to my riser and only half the tip of the blade contacts with the extension while the other half goes beyond it. Recently I had found that some days I could go through the clicker with ease whilst other days I would really struggle. I thought that maybe this was a form or tiredness issue. Then one day the true reason occurred to me. As my clicker stuck out beyond the extension plate, each time I packed my bow bag in the rucksack the other contents of the bag were putting pressure on the clicker and moving it back a bit. As I didn't check the position before each session I assumed all was well. When I realised what was going on here I was quite embarrassed to say the least. So this meant I'd have to either cut my arrows down or change to a different clicker type.

Enter the sight block mounted, magnetic clicker. These clickers have a plate that mounts underneath your sight block and uses the same screws and screw holes. Some sight blocks come with screws that are too short for this (Decut 120 for one) as everything is held on by only one or two threads (3/4 inch ones) so sometimes some new screws are needed  to counter this (1 inch). For most risers these are the replacement screws you'd need:

http://www.a2stainless.co.uk/10-24-UNC-x-1-Socket-Countersunk-Screw_AG0O.aspx

Sometimes a spring steel blade clicker might not sit perfectly flat against the riser or extension plate so you may need to give the blade a little bend to get it lie snugly.

Sight block mounted, magnetic clickers don't use the riser or clicker extension plate to 'click' against but instead have a block with a magnet that shuts hard when the arrow point moves past the wire of the clicker. The nice thing here is that after the 'click' the clicker becomes pretty much invisible behind the riser. It also means it's easier to see if you've clicked early  without having to look down at the tip of the arrow. These clickers also tend to be a bit louder than the blade style ones which on a busy shooting line can be helpful to prevent you releasing on your neighbours clicker. These clickers can also allow a bit more length on an arrow if, like me, a blade one puts you at the end of the extension plate.

The third type are the sight bar mounted clickers. These slide onto your sight bar and as a result can be moved along the bar for positioning. I've not used one of these myself but can see the benefits for archers with long arrows. But you do need to bear in mind that these ones are adding a bit more weight forward of your pivot point, not necessarily a bad thing. But they can also be problematic when trying to put your sight back into the sight case as they protrude a fair bit. Other than this they work in the same way as the sight block mounted magnetic clickers.

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Next time I'll be looking at the love / hate relationship with clickers, setting the clicker correctly and how I'm learning to relax through the clicker.

Until then - Good ends to all!

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Josie : Archery as meditation

I'm exploring the meditative qualities of archery at the moment as a method of channeling focus and maximising potential (and also because it makes shooting a wonderfully stress-free pastime after the working week). I find it takes shooting to a new level that removes the frustration and enhances the enjoyment. This extract is based around one work: Paulo Coehlo's "The Way of The Bow". I would strongly recommend finding and reading it. The book was written for dissemination on the internet and is available as a free (legit) download.

Let’s start with the bow: 

"[The bow] is a prolongation of the hand and desire of the archer."

Take care of the bow and it will serve you well. Use it with right intentions and respect its power. Mistakes are never the fault of the bow. They are the fault of the archer, either by lack of care or intent. The same holds true when choosing a bow. If the bow is an extension of the archer it must be well-matched and feel responsive to the archer's touch. A mismatched bow will mask the archer’s skill. Try several before deciding to be sure you’re making the right choice.

"The arrow is the intention. It is what unites the strength of the bow with the centre of the target."

Every arrow is its own lifetime; its own journey. From the moment you place your feet on the line the path stretches before you and a lifetime will pass before the next arrow can be perceived. If the journey doesn't end as you had hoped, don't think "that was a poor shot, I'm shooting so badly”. Think instead "that didn't end where I expected, what can I learn from this?" Your next arrow is a whole new journey and shouldn't be overshadowed by memories of a past which can't be altered. Don't be afraid to make mistakes: an archer can learn more from gesture repetition than from where the arrow falls. If the first arrow goes off track, don't let it change your style. Shoot the remaining arrows the same way and see what happens. Sometimes the grouping is more important than the score. When you can group all of your arrows tightly every time, the score will come.

The arrow contacts the string at a single point - the nock: the point of energy transfer and stability. All of the archer’s intent must be channeled to this point and into the arrow. A combination of knowledge, experience and instinct will inform release and guide the arrow on the proper course. The arrow must leave at the exact moment the archer, bow and target exist on the same alignment: instinct will inform when the arrow is ready to fly. Shoot with serenity and certainty. Serenity will steady your hand and certainty will define the shot.

“Once the arrow has gone, it will not come back, so it is better to interrupt a shot because the movements that led up to it were not sufficiently precise and correct, than to act carelessly, simply because the bow was fully drawn and the target was waiting.”

In addition to the bow and arrow, one mustn’t neglect the target. An open channel of communication between the archer and the target should be established and maintained throughout the whole round, not just during each end. If the target is neglected between ends then each time you pick up the bow you must reacquaint yourself with the target. Keep the relationship constant and it becomes a closer and more familiar goal.

Archery is performed as a quartet between the archer, the bow, the arrow and the target. Without any one element the end cannot be realised and the purpose it lost. To consider every aspect one facet of a single whole will introduce a fluidity and synchronicity to each movement that informs and respects the relationship and act of shooting.

"Then comes the moment when he no longer has to think what he is doing. From then on, the archer becomes his bow, his arrow and his target."

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Bryn : Can you click it? Yes you can!

Hi folks, I thought I'd put together some of my thoughts and experiences with clickers in the hope that some of you may find it useful.

A little background on me first though. I did a beginners course back in Feb/March 2012 at 2020 so have been shooting for about 10 months. After my beginners course I shot an 18lb club bow for a while before moving up to a 24lb for about a month then bought my own bow in June. I shot this for a few months and then added a clicker in September. I usually shoot three or four times a week.

Oh and here's the disclaimer. What follows is not rules or necessarily what coaches may teach about clickers, it's purely my own experiences and thoughts that have resulted from my own explorations and I continue to learn more with every session.

When to add a clicker

This is a matter of much debate and the argument rages on many archery forums. Some folks say to add a clicker straight away, while others say to let your draw and form stabilise first.

For me, as I mentioned above, I shot my bow for about 3 months before adding a clicker. Before I added a clicker I had gotten to a point where my draw and anchor were pretty stable and my arrows were grouping well horizontally. However, although I thought my execution was pretty repeatable I was having quite a few issues with vertical grouping due to differences in back tension on each shot. The logical solution was to add a clicker to regulate the draw length and the amount of power I was transferring to the arrow. W

I think if I'd have started with a clicker when I got my bow then it would probably have been more of a distraction than a help as there are so many other factors to work on at that stage.

The purpose of a clicker

Many a school teacher has stated, "That bell is not to tell you when you can leave it's to tell me when I can release you" or words to that effect. In my view the same goes for clickers and admittedly this can be seen as a matter of semantics but the key thing is about who's in charge here.

Before I added a clicker I spoke with a lot of club members and asked their view on clickers. I heard tales of people tending to release when not fully sighted on the target because their clicker had clicked. This set up a bit of a challenge to me to not be controlled by the clicker. So I gave myself a little mantra and an exercise to avoid this. I told myself that the clicker was to indicate when I had reached a certain repeatable draw length and not to tell me when to execute the shot.

And here's the exercise I went through to impress this on my subconscious:

1. Nock an arrow and come to full draw.

2. Ensure that the power was transferred to the back muscles.

3. Extend through the clicker and hold for a second, checking the arrow tip briefly to make sure there was no forward creep.

4. Don't release, come down, un-nock and relax.

5. Rinse and repeat.

Now whilst I obviously do release the moment my clicker clicks it's proactive rather than reactive when I'm behaving myself. Also if I click early in the shot cycle now more often than not I can hold the draw length and be sure I'm properly sighted before deciding to release.

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In the next post I'll be giving you a whistle stop tour of different clicker types and the benefits and woes of each from my own experience.

Until then - Good ends to all!

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Great weekend of shooting and what's happening on the blog!

Thanks to everyone who came along early on Sunday to stage some nice club photos for future advertising and website use. I think we all had fun posing for the shots (I ducked the camera!) and the time passed really quickly. I'll add a couple of photos on here once we've got them uploaded.

Lots of good stuff happening on the blog in the near future. We've got a series of posts from Bryn talking about clickers - when, why and what. That's going to start today Monday.. and continue each Monday. We've got another great piece from Josie lined up about attention in archery, this is something I always struggled with. Every Portsmouth I'd have a big dip around the 2.5 dozen mark which could be directly correlated with 'I'm feeling a bit hungry what am I going to do for lunch / dinner / did I remember to buy cheese..etc etc?!' Then scores would rise again after I'd realised what had happened, dealt with my frustration and finally got it together again to put in a decent last dozen! Any and all help for staying focused is great! I'll be putting up Josie's post on Friday.

Finally we have another club member on board - Mark Bowler who is writing about his experiences of finally getting over the fear of shooting competitively. The take home message is Just Do It! I'll try and stick Mark's post up in the not too distant future. The general idea is that we'll try and update the blog each Monday and Friday to try and keep enough momentum but without asking too much of our fabulous contributors! If you'd like to submit something here we'd love to have you on board - just give me a shout in the office via enquiries@2020archery.co.uk

Hope everyone had a good shoot at the weekend. We had some lovely feedback from the Have a Go's and I finally got to experience the sports hall heaters in action - lovely!

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Josie : Shooting at 2020.. Do's and Don'ts

While we’re here we might as well cover all the bases. This is by no means a definitive list but covers many things I’ve come across in my time at 2020. There are no doubt things I’ve missed, and perhaps some should be expanded upon, but for what it’s worth this is my 2020 “Do’s and Don’ts” Guideline List…

>>---->  2020 uses whistle codes on the shooting line. Please listen out for them! The safer we stay, the more shooting we can pack in.

>>----> The shooting line can get very busy: be aware of where the ends of your limbs and arrows are at all times.

>>----> Don't run with arrows. The quicker we clear the butts and get safely back behind the line the more ends we can fit in, but never compromise safety for speed!

>>----> The butt you are shooting on is your responsibility. Ensure the legs are always in the correct position.

>>----> Be respectful of other archers and their kit - this includes club equipment too!

>>----> Never distract an archer once they've started drawing.

>>----> Never nock your arrow off the shooting line.

... and some positives:

>>----> Have fun! If you're not shooting well and getting frustrated your form will deteriorate. Take a break and clear your mind.

>>----> On the other end of the scale, if you're shooting well don't let it go to your head - over-confidence will mess up concentration in exactly the same way as frustration.

>>----> Not sure about something? Ask! There are plenty of coaches and club members milling around, don't be afraid to ask questions (even if the question may seem silly - we were all beginners once).

>>----> If you're looking to purchase a new bow why not ask some of the club members if you can try theirs? Be prepared that they may not all say yes but it's worth asking.

>>----> When you're struggling with technique (as we all do at times) ask someone on the line to watch you shoot and offer comments. Better still, if they can video you on their phone that will give you plenty of information to work with. If you're anything like me you'll hate seeing yourself on film, but it really works.

Anyone else? The floor is open to bidders…

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