Club Update #2014, Oct 2020

 

In this edition:

Casual Fridays for Juniors and Novices

Are you a junior or novice archer? Would you like some pointers regarding your shooting? On Friday evenings in November our Coaching Coordinator, John Kennedy, will be on Range B working on his technique with his daughter from 4:30 to 5:30pm.

If you would like to join them, John would be more than happy to help you out with your technique, help you tune your bow or just offer some friendly beginner company.

This is not an offer of formal coaching but is more like guided social shooting for those who feel intimidated by larger audiences at Saturday shoots, or who only want to shoot for a little bit on these nice Summer evenings.

Of course, our COVID-19 safety measures will be observed during this time.

Back to Archery Tournament at Our Club

Despite the dreary conditions we had quite the turnout at the Back to Archery tournament shoot this weekend. The rain held off just long enough for the shoot to finish, and for some decent scores to be posted.

We've still got another two rounds of the tournament to go, and as it is your best two performances that count, it's not too late to sign up (whether you shoot compound, recurve, barebow or longbow - there's a shoot for you)! So, set some time aside for the next rounds on 21 November and 12 December (shooting starts at 10am, but you can turn up a little earlier to warm up and get some practice ends in).

As for how we're doing, well our president, Chris Clerke, has prepared this summary of our archers' standings so far – there are some pretty good results in there, both in points off the bow and on handicap. Chris will post a copy of this document on the notice board.

Can You Help – Working Bee Saturday, 7 November

We haven't had a working bee for a while, so please make yourself available to join us from 9am on Saturday 7 November to do some maintenance work.

While we have a small group of dedicated people who maintain our facilities throughout the year, they can't do it all and we should all do our bit to keep the club operating.

Don't worry - there is a job for everyone. You don’t have to be especially handy or have muscles the size of coconuts - just a willingness to help and do your bit. So, please set aside some time to come down and spend a couple of hours to keep your club in shape.

Thanks for the Carpet

Marianne Gale has managed to secure a donation of carpet trimmings from local carpet company B&D Carpets Galore at Fairy Meadow. This is very generous of B&D Carpets Galore, as people do pay for these off-cuts.

The carpet is essential for maintaining our target butts, and we couldn't do without it, so thanks very much to Marianne for arranging this (and thanks again to John Clare, for lugging the stuff into the beginners' container).

Oh, and if you're thinking about getting some new carpet for your place, why not give B&D Carpets Galore a go. They really have been very kind to us over the years, so if we can give them some business it would be good karma.

Farget Shoot, 22 November

Don't forget that the Farget Shoot is on again this year, but only for club members (no visitors due to our COVID-19 safety measures).

This is a fun shoot that combines target range and field shooting. It's pretty relaxed, so come down and make a day of it to enjoy some shooting and the barbecue afterwards. You will be able to register for the event soon, via the event registration page on Archers Diary.

You will need to have qualified at 30m and have completed a field course induction. If you need a field course induction arranged, please contact Alan. It's pretty straightforward and won't take long.

If you've not done a club shoot before, we'll need to get you set up on Archers Diary, so please contact me and I’ll get it organised for you.

The Tip

Archery is about consistency… real consistency. Gut feel can get you some of the way, but if you want to be accurate you have to do the same thing every time.

A key part of this starts before you even nock your arrow. Let's call it standing. Consistent stance will affect the alignment of your draw and the micro-pressure on your string that can cause it to pull one way or the other. This is important for all bow types.

It could be said that it doesn't matter how you stand, as long as you do it the same way every time. But there are some things to think of – try out some of these ideas:

  • Keep your feet about shoulder width apart. Too close together, and you’ll be unstable. Too far apart and you’ll find it difficult to repeat the position.
  • An open stance gives more stability, especially in the wind. Stand side-on to the target with your feet in line, then take half a step forward with your rear foot… this will give you an angle of around 30 degrees (45 is a bit much). You'll find a spacing that's comfortable for you, but a guide is to imagine a line running towards the target from the heal of your rear foot, and that line passing through the ball of your front foot.
  • Engage your core. Well, this just means keep your hips still and don’t twist them. Again, it’s about consistency. Keep those hips in place and let your upper body do the work. This should also help to prevent you from arching your back (oh, and if you do happen to twist your body like a contortionist, consider reducing your draw weight).
  • Distribute your weight so that about 60% rests on the balls of your feet.
  • Wear flat shoes, as elevated heals can cause you to curve your back.

That’s it for this update. Happy shooting!