north-ict Posted February 21, 2013 Posted February 21, 2013 I was thinking of doing a beginners course in it saw it on this website. 2020 Archery - Archery Lessons, Courses and Events in London - Home Just thought I would ask anyone else do archery? I have been wanting to do it for quite a few years now and watching 'Arrow' has kinda fuelled me more into giving it a try at least.
VeryPC_Tom_M Posted February 21, 2013 Posted February 21, 2013 A couple of my friends are members of (Sheffield) local archery clubs.. Was there anything specific you wanted to ask?
north-ict Posted February 21, 2013 Author Posted February 21, 2013 A couple of my friends are members of (Sheffield) local archery clubs.. Was there anything specific you wanted to ask? Not really just curious if anyone else on the boards does it as a hobby and how they find it really.
SYNACK Posted February 21, 2013 Posted February 21, 2013 Used to, good fun, even just at the range stuffing around with a recurve bow and pin site (the one on arrow is a recurve). The ones with the little wheels at each end are compound and are much more compact and powerful. 1
north-ict Posted February 21, 2013 Author Posted February 21, 2013 Used to, good fun, even just at the range stuffing around with a recurve bow and pin site (the one on arrow is a recurve). The ones with the little wheels at each end are compound and are much more compact and powerful. Just deciding to do the weekend course or the 5 week course.
featured_spectre Posted February 21, 2013 Posted February 21, 2013 I used to when I could afford the club fees, once a week. I recommend a composite bow if you are starting out for the following reasons. Recurve bows are great for beginners and cheap, but it is most often the wrong bow and most off putting for people, as they cannot shoot properly with them and end up grazing their arms, hands etc. They can be very dangerous (as with all bows) and cause you a significant amount of damage. Draw weight It takes around 8lbs of draw to achieve a 40lb draw weight, around 18lbs of draw to achieve a 90lb draw weight, as opposed to a recurve or long bow which you will need the full 40lb draw or 90lb draw...which takes a lot of strength, if you are not used to this, it WILL hurt you. Accuracy I have personally found them to be much more accurate than recurve bows, and long bows should really be handled by seasoned professionals. Accuracy is key for maintaining focus and joy. Hitting 2's and 3's all the time is no fun, and it takes much longer to attain accuracy with recurve and long bows than with composite bows. Once you know how to handle it, you can move on. Attachments You can add various attachments to the bow (grips, scopes, handguards etc) which make the bow better suited to you. This is a key factor in maintaining focus and joy as you can tailor things to suit your needs. 1
SYNACK Posted February 21, 2013 Posted February 21, 2013 Just deciding to do the weekend course or the 5 week course. You get to shoot stuff so it is generally enjoyable, nephilim is right in that it uses muscles that are not usually used much so you may end up a little sore. Personally I'd try to go along on a club night, rent a bow off them just to try it out. Most clubs that I know of have such nights where you can give it a go and decide if it is for you before signing up to a course. The five week one may be easier on your arms and finger tips than a full weekend one if you are just starting out. You may also find that there are a few more 14 year old girls there than you are expecting as apparently it is a somewhat 'in' thing thanks to the Hunger Games books and movie.
north-ict Posted February 21, 2013 Author Posted February 21, 2013 Thanks for the info guys thats much appreciated. My want for archery was well before hunger games!! lol but will definitely look into it with greater detail.
VeryPC_Tom_M Posted February 21, 2013 Posted February 21, 2013 I hope it's nothing to do with Chester and Welshmen! or York and the Scots!
north-ict Posted February 21, 2013 Author Posted February 21, 2013 I hope it's nothing to do with Chester and Welshmen! or York and the Scots! Haha no just have an appreciation for the skill and strength involved in it. Plus the new series 'Arrow' kinda reminded me of actually going andhaving a go. Plus its something different.
featured_spectre Posted February 21, 2013 Posted February 21, 2013 I can tell you, it takes years to master, I am still a bit of a novice with these things. I can hit a target at 100m on a still day, but factor in wind, makes things massively different!
north-ict Posted February 21, 2013 Author Posted February 21, 2013 I can tell you, it takes years to master, I am still a bit of a novice with these things. I can hit a target at 100m on a still day, but factor in wind, makes things massively different! That's when legends are born lol
JOrdan01070 Posted February 21, 2013 Posted February 21, 2013 Been shooting recurve for the past 3 years and i am starting to learn how to shoot a compound. I find it a great way to unwind at the end of the week. If you have any questions just ask.
north-ict Posted May 22, 2013 Author Posted May 22, 2013 Just to let you guys know I signed up for the 5 week course as opposed to the one day intensive one. Can't wait
LiamH Posted May 22, 2013 Posted May 22, 2013 Let us know how it goes, i have been interested in taking up archery for a while. Never got round to it though, would be good to know the startup cost.
JOrdan01070 Posted May 22, 2013 Posted May 22, 2013 (edited) start up cost will depend on what you want to shoot, below is a rough cost for compound and recurve. compound. £250 for a bow (Mission rally) £40 for a set of ally arrows shop made £40 for a wrist release aid or £150 for a thumb release aid £10 for a stand £50 sight £30 scope £5 peep sight £20 arrow rest £20 long rod £40 soft case or £80 for a hard case £3 finger sling Recurve £150 for a bow package this will include riser(handle), Limbs, button and arrow rest. £50 backpack case £20 for a decent tab £10 chest guard £5 Bracer (arm guard) £10 stand £40 for a set of ally arrows shop made £3 finger sling The list is just off the top of my head and prices are approx, if you are interested I would get on a beginners course to see if it is something you enjoy look at getting your own stuff a couple of months after completing the beginners course. I have seen lots of people buy all the kit during the beginners course and found out after a couple of weeks they don't like archery. Edited May 22, 2013 by JOrdan01070 1
AMLinington Posted May 23, 2013 Posted May 23, 2013 (edited) I, too, am a toxophiliac and have my own basic recurve kit. @JOrdan01070 is pretty much spot on although they neglected to mention the club fees, GNAS fees and County fees. If you wish to join a club and to shoot for sport you MUST MUST MUST have a current GNAS membership - this is your liability insurance in case (touch wood) you should ever accidently shoot someone. To get GNAS Membership you must be a member of a club. Some clubs allow members of other clubs to shoot as a 'Guest' but you must be affiliated with a club to shoot (unless you are shooting at specific facilities or events where insurance is provided). The fees you pay are all rolled together and usually there are county fees to pay - it varies from place to place but most clubs charge a yearly subscription which includes Club fees (which cover maintenance of the grounds/hire of facilities, maintenance and purchase of club equipment such as bosses, arrows, club bows etc), County fees and GNAS fees and your club will register you with GNAS. I do not believe you can register yourself with GNAS although I have not looked into it as no clubs in our area would take me if this were the case. My bow is a Sebastian Flute Premium and that was about £200ish in a sale I think. If you choose to join a club, a good club will require a beginners course and will only allow you to shoot when an instructor is present until they deem that you are competent enough not to require supervision. The instructor will go with you to choose your bow and it is worth trying several - I really liked one particular bow another Archer at the club had but when I tried it for myself it felt unbalanced and was difficult to handle but the SF bow which I wasn't as keen on felt lovely and fitted me beautifully. It was well worth shopping with an instructor/coach as they know far more about what you are buying than you do at this point and will steer you away from the high price, high performance gear that looks nice but isn't really suited to a beginner. Sadly with everything going on in the house I don't have the money for my fees so I've had to stop shooting for a while. Don't be tempted to shoot in your back garden with these 'beginner packs' you can get off the internet either - very dangerous and really only suitable if you live on a farm or have a few hundred acres. Edited May 23, 2013 by AMLinington 1
mjs_mjs Posted May 23, 2013 Posted May 23, 2013 Hi guys - I'm an archer, shoot regularly at my uni club. I used club kit till i got into it and brought my own. My advice would be go to a club and get stuck in.
teejay Posted May 23, 2013 Posted May 23, 2013 Another archer here, as soon as I saw this thread I just knew there would be people advocating the teccy compounds bows I shoot recurve as barebow and longbow, prefer low tech Ok, usually with beginners courses they will let you do the first session as a taster session and don't have to commit/pay for the whole beginners course until after the first session. At most clubs you cannot just turn up and ask to have a go, there has to be someone who is qualified as a trainer present to supervise otherwise they are in breach of their insurance, it's not until you've completed the beginners course and signed up as a member that you can shoot without a trainer present. I would recommend not doing the course in one weekend, it is better to do it over a few weeks as even though the bows used on beginner courses are very low poundage you are using muscles you've never used before, or should be if you're being trained properly. If you do take it up, don't be tempted to buy a bow off the internet, especially a second had one off fleabay. If you've seen recurve or compound limbs break on draw then you'll understand why. Get recommendations from the club of a good local archery shop and go there. They will set up the bow properly for you and also allow you to test limbs of different draw weights. Don't be tempted to go too heavy on the draw weight to start with, it's better to start with slightly less which will allow your body to get used to it and also it is easier to perfect a good technique if you're not stressing your body. Archery shop will allow you to trade in your limbs for higher poundage ones when you need to move up.
featured_spectre Posted May 23, 2013 Posted May 23, 2013 Another archer here, as soon as I saw this thread I just knew there would be people advocating the teccy compounds bows I shoot recurve as barebow and longbow, prefer low tech For a beginner that cannot handle draw weights of 40lbs +, a compound bow is the way to go for them until they get used to the low draws, then move up to the recurve and have a low draw limb on there and move up until they can handle the 40lbs+ (my compound only takes 20lbs to do 95lbs of draw), where as my recurve I need to do the full 95lbs (which hurts after a while).
teejay Posted May 23, 2013 Posted May 23, 2013 (edited) Compounds require a different shooting technique and use different muscles, so you would have to start with a low poundage recurve as soon as you moved to that anyway. Also, the distance achieved with a compound bow just isn't safe for a beginner, a low poundage recurve allows them to shoot safely at shorter distances, it's going to be a good few months before the average archer even get to 60 yards, so plenty of time to work up to the higher poundages to do longer distances. You also have the problem that compound bows are more complicated to set up and maintain, it's easier for beginners to learn the basics of maintenance on a recurve and then decide if they want to stick with recurve or move to compound or traditional bows, or a mix of any of those. Edit: I wouldn't be starting a beginner on anywhere near 40lb draw, one for safety and two you need to develop technique at low poundages and then build up. Edited May 23, 2013 by teejay
featured_spectre Posted May 23, 2013 Posted May 23, 2013 I wouldnt advocate starting at 40lbs either, I am using it as a generalised figure for a median user
teejay Posted May 23, 2013 Posted May 23, 2013 That's good Neph, I was beginning to think you were all built like barn doors and on steroids down your way ;-) Anyone else done any field archery, it really makes you appreciate what a tough time our ancestors had at feeding themselves.
featured_spectre Posted May 23, 2013 Posted May 23, 2013 Anyone that has met me from the geek knows I am built like the proverbial!
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