Coaching

There are 3 levels of coaches at the club. They are:

• Level 1, Archery Instructors – there are about 20 active Archery Instructors at the club.
• Level 2, Coaches (level 2) – Jenny, Melissa, David, and Adrian.
• Level 3, Club and Regional Coach – Shelley.

The Level 2 and 3 Coaches can be identified by the shirts they wear. They look a little different to most members’ shirts to make it easier to spot them around the club. They have bright gold sleeves with “coach” written on the back and their first name on the front. Whilst always busy helping people, they are also very approachable.

Basic coaching help is available to all archers on most Saturday mornings from 9.00 to 11.30. The Level 2 and 3 Coaches offer assistance with measuring and advising you on your first bow purchase and the setup of your new bow. More experienced archers may make arrangements for coaching by seeing the Club Coach.

Coaches and instructors deserve some time themselves to shoot so please respect their time in the afternoon.

General workshop/seminar sessions are held each month for all members, with topics like ‘Bow Set Up and Tuning”, ‘Purchasing the correct Arrows’, ‘Arrow Fletching and Maintenance’, etc

Coaching Tips

Below are some basic tips for the beginner and intermediate archer:

Hot Weather Precautions

Please wear sun protection.

• Wear a hat.
• Uses sunscreen. The club also provides free sun lotion for members.
• Watch for signs of dehydration. The urine colour charts in the toilets to help you self-monitor.
• Drink plenty of water. There is free filtered tank water in the kitchen and also cold drinks for sale in the fridge.
• While on the field take every opportunity to retreat to the shades between ends.
• Sit out an end or two from time to time when you’re just practising.
• Remember this is sport by choice, so in very hot weather it is sometimes better to sit it out in the shade and spectate.

With summer also comes the risk of storms and strong winds...

• Never shoot outside as a storm approaches.
• Do not shelter under trees in windy weather.

Purchasing your first bow

New members are encouraged not to go out and buy a bow until you have spoken to a coach. It is recommended that you hire equipment for the first two months and then see a coach to get measured and to discuss the options.

When you do have a new bow, book in advance with a coach to obtain help with setting it up for the first time. This can be done on most Saturday mornings, however the time for this is 09.00 sharp. Booking via email is preferred.

Please be aware that arrows must in general be matched both to the bow and to the archer’s draw length.

Aiming

Arrows go where the bow is pointing at the time of release and during the time it takes for the arrow travel to clear the bow.

To point the bow in the right place we use a back sight and a front sight, unless you are just using your judgement to guess where the bow is pointed. The back sight must be aligned with the front sight and straight at the gold at the instant of release. We must use all our training and practice of skills to keep the bow stable at the instant of release and until the arrow has cleared the bow.

The back sight on a bow is the string. The front sight is the circle, pin or dot on the sight, or for bare bow archers, the tip of the arrow.

To aim, only focus the eye’s vision on the gold on the target face. Focus with determination. The front sight (circle or dot) should drift down to the gold as part of the shooting process, but do not adjust the eye’s focus onto the circle/dot. Let the brain naturally centre the circle on the gold. Ensure the back sight (the string) is aligned on the side of the bow’s riser “cut out” or through the side of the circle of the sight (for a recurver). For compounders using a peep in the string the concept is exactly the same.

Check that the string is vertical as bow cant (tilting) variation will cause left and right arrows; to do this if you are a recurver use the side of the target face as a vertical reference, or for a compounder use your bubble. Expand through the clicker (if you are using a clicker) and release the arrow.

Skills acquisition requires determined effort. Archery is the art of repetitive precision. In time, the more natural and subconscious the process the better. The arrow goes where the bow is pointed at the instance of release and clearing of the bow.

Core Stability

Why are coaches so concerned with core strength and stability?

The most important technique or factor in scoring well in archery is Core Stability — that is, holding a fully-drawn bow without any wobble. Without a solid core, an archer will need to be very lucky to get a good score. The core is the foundation of the shot – without a solid core there is little an archer can consistently do to overcome instability. The core is said to be over 80% of the shot and all technique needs to be built on top of a solid foundation.

An archer shooting at 50 metres onto the large 122cm target aiming at the cntre oif the target but has a 9mm wobble (that is, the sight is not rock solid on the bulls-eye) will not score a point! The arrows will land outside the 1 ring.As one of our top recurve archers points out, scoring 10s is easy – just point it at the middle and don’t wobble!

So what can you do to score more points?

• Be solid in the shot
• Have a solid foundation on the ground (no running shoes with curved soles)
• Release the string cleanly by relaxing the fingers, not opening, as this will minimise the plucking and movement of the string away from the face in the release
• Stay balanced front to back, the push and pull should be equal so you do not move in the shot
• Have a solid, stable front shoulder and relaxed bow hand
• Keep your head still
• Aim at the middle!

It is easier to stay solid in the shot and have a good consistent technique to score more points than it is to be lucky!