Archery for Beginners

Archery is one of the fastest growing sports in the UK. Open to all, archery can be enjoyed by young and old, people with disabilities and whole families (2020 has a great junior club with Mums and Dads shooting alongside young people each weekend – www.juniorarchery.co.uk). 

As a sport that can be practiced inside or outside throughout the year, socially or competitively, archery can really be said to cater for everyone. Over here at 2020 Archery we currently have 1 completely blind club member and 1 with significant visual impairment. We’ve also had a number of wheelchair users and people with mobility issues as members in the past. 

Forms of archery

Target archery: this is the most popular form of archery in the UK and the style that is currently featured in the Olympic games (although the Olympic version is somewhat different than regular competitions). Target archery takes place on flat ground - indoor or outdoor - and involves shooting a specific number of arrows at particular sizes of target faces at 

distances of up to 100 yards. This type of archery can also take place inside over shorter distances. Indoor archery – like we do at 2020 - typically sees us shooting 5x dozen arrows at 60cm target faces for a score out of 600 at 20 yards. You can see our club members scores on the club website here (http://www.2020archery.co.uk/club-6/)

Field archery: this form of archery takes place on a series of targets set out in outside locations, often in woodland. The shooting distances are usually unmarked so archers rely on their judgement and instinct, especially if they choose to use a traditional bow such as a longbow or flatbow. Saying that, I also know a number of compound archers who also enjoy this type of more ‘natural’ shooting.  

Clout archery: this form of archery is similar to target archery but the archer must drop the arrows at a long range into a number of circular scoring zones on the ground. Arrows are shot at an angle of around 45 degrees up into the air. This type of archery probably emulates the kind of military training that used to take place when an enemy might be a known distance away (e.g. approx 150 yards) and accuracy at the specified distance could mean victory or defeat.  

Flight archery: requiring a lot of space, flight archery is a sport in which the archer must shoot the arrow as far as possible. This is generally done in very specific categories for weights and types of arrows shot from specific bows. James Farrar of Fairbow holds a number of flight records using very heavy traditional bows known as warbows – he also sells great traditional archery gear which we like a lot over at 2020 (http://www.fairbowuk.com/). 

Getting involved 

There are a number of ways that you can get involved in archery but the best place to start is your local club. Most clubs are very welcoming to beginners (as long as you’ve made an appointment or booked a session) and many offer Have-a-Go sessions. This gives newcomers the opportunity to try out the sport before enrolling in a beginners course and - hopefully - becoming a member and starting to practice with the club. 

Although clubs often welcome beginners, it is important to have a basic understanding of the sport before you try to join a club or start practicing.  Most clubs will offer structured beginners courses to set up would-be archers with the basic skills and techniques required. The course can take place across a number of weeks or over a weekend and gives new archers the opportunity to join an archery club for further training and the chance to compete in tournaments if they want to. 

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Louise : my first club shoot

So, I attended and completed the beginner’s course with 2020 Archery, and by the end I felt pretty confident that I could at least do alright for a beginner. I wasn’t brilliant but I wasn’t constantly missing and I hadn’t injured anyone.

I joined the Club pretty much straight away (only £30 annually to be a member) and got my login. I had already booked my first shoot over email but I used my login to book my second shoot. It was really easy and simple to use and I worked out when the best times to book would be.

I was twinned with a club member called Sarah who was able to tell me a little about what usually happens when you attend a club practice session. After helping to set everything up we got shooting straight away. I ended up using the same bow as the last two sessions I attended which I was happy about, and due to the weather it was quite quiet and I had a target to myself.

Now, I’d love to tell you I was awesome and hit the centre of the target all the time, I’d love to tell you that because the reality was quite different! My first few ends were literally hit and miss (unless you count hitting the curtain, in which case they were all hits) and I got smacked in the arm a couple of times with the bow string (entirely my own fault). At one point, a couple of club members pointed out I was trying to shoot at a slight angle as I wasn’t directly in the line of a target. I started to get a bit tired and a bit annoyed with myself, not to mention my arm hurting from the twanging.

This is not a photo of Louise!

Luckily I was surrounded by many awesome club members, some of whom had been there a while, and some who were only in their 3^rd or 4^th session of shooting post-course. They reminded me that this was only my first shoot and I was probably a bit nervous and to just relax and enjoy it. So, I pulled myself together, sorted out my arm guard so it was tighter and in a more sensible place, moved along the line a bit so I was in front of the target properly and tried to relax. My first shot after all this hit red, and then the second hit yellow. The third hit outside the target but we won’t talk about that one.

I think the important thing to remember is that even though you’ve just completed the course you’re still a beginner and you’re constantly learning, altering your technique, getting used to the surroundings and just doing what you feel comfortable with.

Even though it didn’t go entirely to plan, I really enjoyed my first session, especially because I met such lovely people like Sarah, plus Tony and Laura who helped me settle in. Alright I came out with a little bruise or two and I didn’t get nearly as many points overall as I did previously, but I’m so glad I was able to do the course and so glad I’ve joined the club.

Until next time!

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Josie : Cupid’s Bow (A Valentine's Day special!)

Given the date, I thought I'd explore something relevant to the moment. Let's have a quick look at one of the world's most famous archers: Cupid.

There are many legends surrounding this purveyor of love, with his magic arrows and unnerving aim. Like most legends, Cupid very likely has roots in ancient history, though perhaps not so recognisable from what we see today. The name comes from the Latin "cupere" which means desire. Cupid is mirrored in Greek mythology as Eros (from where the word “arrow” is derived) and is the son of Venus in Roman mythology (Aphrodite in Greek mythology). Exploring why Cupid is an archer brings up some interesting ideas. Cupid has been said to carry arrows of both gold and lead or iron: gold to inspire love and lead/iron to cause distaste (unlove, if you like).

Cupid's factual roots emerge from his parallel with Nimrod, believed to be one and the same being (from "Nimus" which means "son"). King Nimrod (possibly king of the Assyrians) appears in the Christian faith as the great-grandson of Noah (see Genesis 9) and the world's first great conqueror. If you've been paying attention you'll remember that the Assyrians were the first to shoot recurve bows.

Nimrod was a mighty hunter, known for his strength and bowmanship. He built the Tower of Babel sometime between 3600 and 2400BC (according to archaeological record) in an attempt to bring about a great union of men, which was then destroyed and men scattered across the Earth. Archaeology proves the existence of the Tower, though Nimrod's role in its creation is as yet not defined.

There is also a dark side to Nimrod; a hunter of the souls of men who strove to lead them to idolatry and the worship of pagan gods. Nimrod appears in Dante's Inferno as an ice giant (sent there for his part in building the Tower of Babel). Nimrod the giant also features in Hungarian folklore.

The comparatively recent image of Cupid as a chubby infant replaces the older depiction of Cupid as a beautiful male youth which comes from Greek mythology. What about the bow? Practically, a short bow seems more likely and follows through most artistic representations: something along the lines of a Scythian recurve bow. I'm not the right person to talk about traditional bows but there are several people here who may be able to oblige!

So there it is: an extremely brief window into the history of Cupid to tide you over the weekend!

IMAGE: Psyche Revived by Cupid’s Kiss, 1786-93, Antonio Canova (Musée du Louvre)

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