Archery - a family sport

Tip of the Day
Shoot short distances with a junior club member to improve your style.

Last Sunday was a disastrous day shooting for me. I recorded my lowest score for a very long time. Didn't even manage a third class score at the Windsor we were shooting. Not quite the lowest score of the day but certainly the lowest from my club.
Happily however, this scoring low coincided with my daughter getting her first proper bow the folowing day. Having completed her beginners course a couple of months ago, her coach advised last week that she should now get some proper equipment to push her progress on.

So last Monday saw a trip to our local supplier whom I had known for some time had in stock a 23" riser which might suit. Having tried it out on the shops indoor range, purchase was made and we collected her arrows later the same day.

As a 12 year old, the distances she needs to shoot to enter competitions are 20, 30 and 40 yards, so on Tuesday at the club evening session we started at 20 with her hitting the boss consistently. On Thursday we shot again at 20 and then at 30 yards, with even better scores at 30 than at 20. On Friday she improved further at the lower distances and shot a few arrows at 40. Still managing to hit the boss most of the time and getting occassional golds and reds and regular blues.

This gave me the opportunity to shoot with her at lower distances than I normally shoot. So rather than concentrating on my scores, I concentrated on my style. I am pleased to say that it now feels much more comfortable again and my "groups" are getting tighter again.

It is great shooting with my daughter. Initial investment in something as expensive as a bow is always a risk, but I am very hopeful that her enthusiasm will continue and grow, especially as she has started off with the new bow so positively. It is a real pleasure to have a shared activity, as so many activities that young teenagers pursue tend to exclude their parents.

And the added bonus is that my style is beginning to recover and will hopefully allow me to improve again at my next tournament