Every year some silly person brings a pumpkin to the archery range, makes a mess shooting at the pumpkin, and then leaves their stinky mess behind.
Also they make a huge mess on their arrows and then have to clean their arrows with rubbing alcohol, otherwise their arrows will smell like rotting pumpkins.
There is a better however!
And it is reasonably frugal...
#1. Halloween Skull from the Dollar Store
Your local dollar store sells a wide variety of Halloween items which makes for a fun (and less messy) archery target. It doesn't have to be a skull, but that is certainly an option. It could even be a glow in the dark skeleton suitable for night shooting.
#2. Zombie Archery Target
Sometimes your local archery stores sell a variety of zombie themed archery targets. Below is a zombie pizza man. They're pretty inexpensive too.
#3. Old Halloween Decorations
Chances are likely you have some old Halloween decorations you should throw out. But before you throw them out, why not reuse them as an archery target?
#4. Halloween Archery Target
Print out the following Halloween Archery Target using your printer or take it to Staples / Kinkos to print out a larger poster.
Want to improve your archery form and accuracy? Pay attention to these 4 tips that will help to improve your form/accuracy.
Also see my old post from March titled "4 Ways to Improve Your Archery Form". If you read both then that is 8 tips on how to improve your form / accuracy.
1. Align your Torso / Bellybutton to 90 Degrees
It may sound weird, but when you begin pulling back you want your bellybutton to be aligned so it is 90 degrees away from the target. Doing this aligns your torso and allows you to use your upper back muscles (rhomboids) more efficiently, and it allows you to relax your shoulders more.
If you don't do this it results in your shoulders being more stressed and that extra strain on your bow shoulder will often result in a midshot "arm jerk" that will cause your arrow to go to the side. This is obviously bad for accuracy.
Likewise if your drawing shoulder isn't relaxed you are more likely to get a backwards pluck when you release, which will typically make your arrow go higher to the side.
Lastly, if you're not aligned then you aren't using consistent back power. You want to be using consistent back power with your rhomboids so that your arrows are shot with the same amount of power each time.
2. Keep your Drawing Fingers Perpendicular
Avoid drawing back the bowstring with your fingers on a diagonal angle. What you want is to keep them perpendicular so that they release evenly. If they're on a diagonal angle then you will release the bowstring unevenly, often resulting in the arrow flying in a "whale tailing" or "porpoising" manner, which reduces accuracy. The bowstring during the release will also make a more "snappy" sound and will sound weird.
3. Pull your Fingers Evenly
Often beginners will put less power on their third finger on their drawing hand. This likewise effects having an even release. What you need to do is pay attention to giving the third finger and little extra power so it matches the other two fingers.
Beginners aren't used to using the third finger so much and it is weaker compared to the other two fingers, but there is an exercise you can do to increase the strength in your third finger: Snap your third finger 50 times per day on days you are not doing archery. (Hand grips don't work to build muscle in your fingers, that is more for forearm strength. You want to target building muscle in your third finger.)
4. Three Fingers is Stronger than Two
Beginners sometimes try to shoot with just two fingers, because that is what little kids do... Or maybe they saw it in a poorly made movie... What you want to do is use three fingers and half your fingertips. Do not pull to the joints because that will result in more plucking during your releases and can also lead to joint pain in your fingers.
Have you ever done an archery shot and it just felt wrong for some unknown reason?
This is the point when I tell students to just start over. The saying goes "If it feels wrong, just start over."
The execution of a shot should feel normal/natural. If something feels weird, odd, off... Just start over.
You could be doing everything you can think of technically correct, in terms of technique, but if something feels off - even if it is purely mental - I will still argue it is better to start over than to shoot a shot that feels wrong.
It is possible that an archery could be doing something weird with their neck or shoulders and they become aware that something feels off. They wouldn't necessarily notice that something is a bit off if it is something unusual that isn't on their normal checklist of things to do before releasing a shot.
Technique Vs Good Habits
Ideally what archers want to do is to chip away at their bad habits and replace them with good habits. You do this by fostering techniques (and technical knowledge of form) so that you can add it to the checklist of things you do before performing a shot.
Being aware of the technical issues of form is necessary to become self-aware of your form. You don't necessarily need to know the name of what you are doing correctly/wrong, it is more important that you simply know the issue exists and can add it to the things you are checking before shooting.
As an archer's form technique improves likewise they start to develop more good habits, habits which eventually effectively replace technique and you stop consciously thinking about it because it is "just habit".
The problem exists however when an archer persists in a bad habit because they're not aware of it. If they're aware of it then they can consciously work to correct the bad habit, but if they're not aware of it at all then they are hampering their progress because they don't know what they are doing wrong.
If an archer doesn't know what they are doing wrong that is a good time to consult an archery instructor or ask a fellow archer to watch them shoot and hopefully they will spot what they are doing wrong.
Eg. I had an Olympic archer approach me years ago who couldn't figure out why his shots were going erratically to the left. I watched him shoot just a few shots and determined he was unnecessarily tensing his anterior deltoid (also known as the front deltoid) and that this was causing his arm to jerk to the left during shots. This isn't normally a muscle archers even think about when shooting, and with beginner archers it is usually the posterior deltoid (rear deltoid) that they end up tensing by accident. He was doing the opposite and wasn't aware what he was doing wrong, he just knew that something "felt wrong".
In A Nutshell
A beginner archer learns technique, and keeps doing it until they chip away their bad habits and replace them with good habits. Learning the various aspects of form can be technically challenging, and a beginner cannot learn everything all at once. It takes time. It takes practice. Eventually, with ample time, the habits start to take over.
An experienced* archer shoots based upon feel. Everything they do when performing a shot should be based upon habit and feel. If something feels wrong then they remember the technique and double check what they might be doing wrong.
* Obviously there are different levels of experience when it comes to archery. An archer who has been shooting for 30+ years (like myself) will be shooting (and feeling) their shots differently from someone who has only been shooting for a year or two.
An "experienced archer" may have different fortes (things that they're good at). Some might be better / more experienced at shooting longer distances. Some might be more familiar with shooting at moving targets. Some might also be more versatile. My goal during my archery lessons is to give students a comprehensive knowledge of archery so that they are more versatile and can reach higher plateaus of excellence by having constant challenges.
It has been my experience that stagnation happens when an archer stops looking for challenges and is no longer pushing themselves to get better. There is nothing necessarily wrong with this. Some archers are simply content with their current level of skill and want to maintain it through practice, and if they happen to get better over time due to regular practice then they are content with that too.
I would argue therefore that sometimes even so-called "experienced archers" should try to challenge themselves / learn new things in order to become better archers.
The learning process only ever reaches a plateau when you stop trying to reach new heights.
Then
I showed them to Gary at Basically Bows, and he ended up finding a
supplier who makes the same gloves with a different company logo on
them. You can see the gloves on his website at https://basically-bows1.webnode.com/accessories/,
but you will need to make an appointment and go to his physical shop if you
want to purchase. He does apparently do online orders too, so you could just order over the phone or via email.
Historically,
before I got the archery winter gloves from Merlin, I would just cut three fingers
off a cheap pair of gloves from the Dollarama and then shoot like that.
GOT AN ARCHERY QUESTION???
JUST EMAIL cardiotrek@gmail.com AND I SHALL ANSWER IT FOR YOU.
In theory you can, but it is a problem of how safely can you do it.
If
you own a farm, a cabin in the woods, or a similar large property
nobody is going to complain about you shooting on your own property in a
safe and reasonable manner.
If you own a property in a town or
city you need to be taking precautions to make certain what you are
doing is still being done in a safe manner. Eg. Higher fences, using
some kind of a backstop, shooting on a downward angle so the arrow is
certain to be hitting the ground or the backstop, etc.
Now we
could imagine if you don't do these things what might happen, but
instead I am going to tell the story of an incident which was told to me
via word-of-mouth by another archer.
It involves a 12-year-old
boy shooting a youth compound bow (depending upon the poundage youth
compound bows can still be used for hunting and are still deadly) in his
parents' lane way near the garage beside their suburban home. The father
meanwhile was cleaning the backyard and while the son normally shot in
the backyard in a safe manner due to the backyard being busy the father
gave his son permission to shoot in the lane way, but he wasn't
supervising what his son was actually doing.
What happened next is a bit predictable.
The
child began shooting in an increasingly reckless manner. He started
shooting from further away, walking into the street and shooting across
the street and into the lane way. He also started shooting higher and
eventually nearly straight up to see where the arrow would land. One of
the neighbours complained, asking the child to please shoot in a safer
manner.
The father still wasn't paying attention and was unaware
his son was shooting so recklessly. He was also unaware of the exchange
with the neighbour.
The son ignored the neighbour and continued
to shoot in this dangerous manner. Eventually one of his arrows came
down and hit a passing motorist's car in the front windshield, giving
the driver quite the fright and causing hundreds of dollars in damages.
The driver, under the impression that the child had shot at his car deliberately, immediately called the police.
Police
arrived to find the driver in a shouting match with the father, with
the driver wanting to be paid for the damages to his car and threatening
to sue, plus accusing the son of attempted murder.
The neighbour
stepped in and gave a statement to the police, confirming that it had
been accidental, but that the son had been behaving in a reckless manner
by shooting arrows straight up, etc.
Police then arrested the
father (not the son) for Reckless Endangerment with a Firearm, and fined
him $4000. They also confiscated the compound bow and arrows as
evidence and took photographs of the crime scene/damages.
The
father tried to initially plead ignorance of the law, claiming he didn't
know it was illegal, but ignorance of the law is not a defense. If someone accidentally kills someone due to negligence or by behaving recklessly they are still considered to be guilty in the eyes of the law even if they claim that they didn't know that being negligent or reckless was illegal. Why? Because it is common sense that if you're doing something dangerous that someone could get hurt. He
later pleaded guilty, served one month in prison, paid the $4000 fine,
and was forced to pay for the damages to the driver's car.
The
son received a weapons ban, prohibiting him from owning any kind of
firearms. It is unknown when or whether the weapons ban would expire*.
* I looked it up. In Ontario a weapons ban is 10 years for a first offense. For life if it is a second offense.
The father was lucky he didn't get sued and his son was lucky not to be charged with something worse.
Assuming
that the son doesn't get into additional trouble in the future, he
would be allowed to own weapons when he reaches the age of 22.
Now
this is admittedly an extreme example of why people need to be careful.
Shooting in the backyard is certainly safer than shooting in the front
yard, and any children shooting should definitely be supervised.
After
hearing this story I tried looking it up to see if it was the media,
but it was not. Instead I found similar stories, usually involving
people getting injured or killed. Which I kind of understand why those
stories would get more media attention. "If it bleeds it leads" and so
forth. A damaged car doesn't seem that newsworthy in comparison.
And
certainly this doesn't happen very often because most people have
common sense, but it does happen and there are reasons why Reckless
Endangerment with a Firearm carries a prison sentence and a fine, and
likewise there are reasons why bows and crossbows are considered to be
firearms in the eyes of the law.
So yes, it is entirely possible to do archery in your backyard. But you need to do so with a degree of caution because bows are legally considered to be firearms.
I know of multiple people who do archery in their backyards or on their private property. Most archers have built their own mini archery range in such circumstances, not just for safety reasons, but also because they don't want to damage or lose arrows.
You're not limited to your backyard either. Some people build a private range in their garage, in their basement, or even in their attic like the photo on the above right. Owning a large property is certainly ideal, but for those who don't having a small space in their attic or similar location is what works for them.
I have also heard of people renting a tractor trailer or a storage unit and building a private archery range inside such a space.
At this time I am still accepting new archery students, but I am being pickier about who I am accepting with respect to students.
Depending upon what happens with future lockdowns I may end up suspending lessons until after any such lockdown. I am expecting the schools to get shutdown any day now because it is obvious that the province of Ontario has not figured out a safe way to reopen schools.
If they shut down the schools but maintain Stage Three then I will continue to offer lessons. If the province decides to do another big lockdown, going back to the same conditions we had in March then any remaining lessons might end up being delayed until Spring 2021.
Knowing this I totally get why some potential archery students might just decide to delay their archery lessons until 2021 in the first place... Whilst some others might prefer to have them now because they're hoping to learn archery for hunting purposes, in which case the argument is the sooner-the-better. A percentage of my students these days want to learn bowhunting because they're worried about the COVID shutdowns causing the equivalent of the Great Depression and food shortages.
Basically everyone has their own reasons for learning archery. Some people are just bored of being at home all of the time because they work from home these days and they just want to get outside and do something fun.
Fun and potentially useful? Yep, good to go.
Of course there is also the people who just have always wanted to do archery and they just keep procrastinating. Always a new excuse for procrastinators. If you're a procrastinator then you're probably thinking of an excuse right now while reading this.
But if you cannot think of a good excuse maybe now is the time to do.
My new article for Archery Focus Magazine is now available as of September 1st 2020. The topic is "Archery Trick Shooting". Unfortunately I am not posting it here. You will just have to visit the Archery Focus website and read it there.
Also kudos to fellow Toronto archer Crispin Duenas for his review of the BOWdometer.
An one year subscription to Archery Focus Magazine is $32 USD and gets you access to their back catalogue of magazines. Learn more by visiting archeryfocusmagazine.com.
Happy Shooting!
PS. You can also view my past articles for Archery Focus Magazine in the following issues:
"Marketing Strategies for Archery Coaches", July 2017.
"A Lesson in Adaptive Archery", July 2018.
"Teaching Archery Through Narratives", November 2018.
"Rinehart Target Balls (and Alternatives)", January 2020.
After the lesson today I noticed the last joint (closest
to the tip) of my middle finger is quite sore. I noticed the same thing
the last time I shot with my new glove, bow, etc. Is this normal for a
new glove or is it an indication of something
wrong, either with my form or the glove?
Regards,
-Brian H."
A
Hey Brian!
That happens sometimes when the
glove is either not protecting the fingers enough or the person is not
used to pulling a higher poundage.
In your case
however I did notice that you sometimes pulled the bowstring unevenly,
wherein your middle finger was usually about half an inch further across
the bowstring and the bowstring was then on the joint itself (as
opposed to halfway on the fingertips). You were only doing it with your
middle finger (and you didn't always do it so at the time I wasn't too worried about it because I felt you would eventually stop doing it) and you are not experiencing pain in any other fingers,
correct? In the future I recommend making an effort to only use half
your fingertips and see if that solves the problem.
You
may recall me saying "Half your fingertips is twice as accurate." In
this case however it could also be "Half your fingertips is twice as
accurate, but also less painful." Half your fingertips also reduces the chances of plucking the bowstring during the release. Definitely something to build into a positive habit.
"Can I ask you an archery question for research/my thesis?
Okay so I’m writing a thesis about gender and gender
presentations in warrior women. I argue that gender is a construct and
that objects should not be gendered when they are tools in one’s art of
being a warrior, but my professor countered that bows and archery are
more associated with women than men (not meant to offend anyone just
looking for answers) is that true? Where does that come from?
To
me, when I think of archers I think of famous ones like Green Arrow,
Robin Hood, and Legolas...Are there other archers in literature that you
can think of that identify as a woman besides Susan Pevensie that would
dominate the symbol of archers?"
- J. E. T.
A
Gender is indeed a construct, much in the same way that
identity is a social construct. Or Zodiac signs is a superstitious
construct.
With respect
to archery it is predominantly a male sport. For example, with respect
to my local archery range, men make up over 80% of the archery range's
users, and that the "regulars" are even more male dominated, making up
at least 90% of the frequent users.
Archery
is a sport requiring strength and endurance. Far too often non-archers
are expecting the sport to be easy, and they are not at all prepared for
how difficult or strength intensive this sport is.
Part
of this misconception is the fault of mass media, Hollywood, and the
types of body types depicted in films, television and literature. People
see these depictions in a variety of media and then perpetuate the
false idea that archers are a specific body type. Eg. Skinny Legolas.
There
are a variety of films during the past 30 years wherein skinny female
characters are depicted as archers. This depiction is a double edged
sword: It creates the stereotype that skinny women are ideally suited
for archery, promotes archery to women, but also pushes the idea that
women are unsuited to hand-to-hand melee.
While
I appreciate and applaud that Hollywood is pushing the idea of more
women in archery, it is coming at the expense of saying women are
unsuitable for using axes, lances, swords or a variety of other medieval
era weaponry, while simultaneously pushing the idea that archery is not
a sport of strength and endurance.
This
all comes back to depictions of body types in my opinion. Eg. Try to
think of a film that depicts a female archer as not being skinny. I
cannot name one. Hollywood depicts female archers as being ballerina
skinny (and usually Caucasian, Asian, or giant blue alien, but that is
another topic entirely).
In
reality archers are all kinds of body types, but there is one
commonality with respect to experienced archers - They are all strong
and have built up their back muscles so that they can pull higher
poundage bows. Some archers started being reasonably strong, and then
became stronger as they built up their rhomboids, deltoids and other
muscles used for archery. Some were weaker, but built up the muscle
groups over time. Even older archers are often surprisingly robust and
strong for their age.
Thus
even if an archer started as being skinny or overweight, after 20 years
of doing the sport regularly they're going to have a more robust
stature because they've built up the muscle groups.
This
strength factor doesn't mean that women cannot excel at archery
however. While women are certainly a minority, I have met plenty of
women who excel at archery.
Eg.
Back in March (a week before COVID shut everything down) I had the
pleasure of teaching a dancer in her 40s who has what I would describe
as having an Amazonian body type. Certainly more in the direction of an
athlete, which was an asset and she did very well during her first
lesson. You can see a video of her on my Cardio Trek YouTube channel.
Her lessons are supposed to resume this Autumn.
So
does having more of a Tom Boy / Amazonian / athletic physique help when
doing archery? Absolutely it helps. It is a sport of strength and
endurance after all. However that doesn't mean it is only body type that
can excel at archery. An archer who is overweight can excel just as
easily if they build up the needed muscle groups, and likewise a skinny
will become stronger over time.
With respect to archers of literature like Green Arrow, Robin Hood and Legolas there is definitely one missing:
Hercules.
Now you might think "Wait, Hercules did archery?"
Indeed he did. He was supposedly extremely good at archery, owing to his demigod strength.
Here's another: Odysseus / Ulysses.
Ulysses
returned after 20 years of fighting Trojans & being lost at sea to
find his kingdom in turmoil and suitors trying to marry his wife and
take his kingdom. But his wife was very smart. She said she would only
marry a man who could string her husband's bow. All the suitors tried
and failed. They weren't strong enough. Then Ulysses, now an old man in
disguise, asked to try. He strung his bow easily and killed all the
suitors. There is a lovely clip of this scene on YouTube wherein actor
Kirk Douglas plays Ulysses in the scene from the 1954 film.
So what is Greek female equivalent of Hercules or Ulysses?
Atalanta, and to some extent the Amazons.
Atalanta
was abandoned on a mountain and raised by bears. Away from the social
constructs of her fellow Greeks. The Greek myth makers clearly
understood that femininity is a social construct and apparently believed
that the only way a woman could grow to maturity without such
constructs was to be raised in the wild by animals.
The
Amazons it is now believed was one part myth and one part based on the
Scythians (or the forebears of the Scythians), who were a nomadic group
of hunters from Asia Minor wherein men and women both hunted, often from
horseback, and they perfected the Scythian bow, which is a very complex
recurve-decurve-recurve shape. As such they were phenomenal archers. It
is small surprise that the Greeks mythologized such encounters with any
warrior-women they encountered from Scythia as they were doubtlessly
deadly with the bow.
Obviously I could keep going. I could probably write a nonfiction book on this subject.
So
yes, in conclusion the idea that archery is strongly associated with
women (and a skinny body type) is a stereotype perpetuated by the media.
Largely due to Hollywood and anyone influenced by that false narrative.
Archery is still very much a male dominated sport, it is a sport
requiring strength and not agility (despite what Dungeons and Dragons
would have people believe).
I
would also assert that gender identity is not a factor in archery.
People can identify as whatever gender they want to, it will make zero
difference when you hand them a high poundage bow and ask them to pull
it.
Anyone wishing to
disagree can come to my local archery range and I will hand them a 50 lb
Browning Wasp recurve bow, at which point we shall see if their
perceptions of archery being "easy" or not requiring strength is
remotely accurate. If they can't pull it I will give them a "much
easier" 24 lb Ragim Matrix recurve bow. And if they still cannot pull
that I will swap out the limbs for 18 lbs.
I
have been teaching archery for almost 12 years now. Beginners are
continually surprised at how physically exhausting the sport is. It is
the reason why my lessons are 90 minutes long. Two hours is too long.
People get tired and start making more mistakes close to the 90 minute
mark.
There is a reason
why I have blog posts on my website pertaining to weight training
exercises specifically aimed at archers, so they can build more muscle
in the needed areas of their body faster.
It
truly is a sport of strength and endurance. Anyone who has fallen for
the Hollywood fantasy that it is not... They're just perpetuating the
false narrative.
My
apologies if this is a bit of a rant. Archery is a lifestyle for me. I
have been practicing the sport for over 31 years. Teaching for almost 12
years. My wife shoots. My 3-year-old son shoots. I write both fiction
and nonfiction about archery. I am very passionate about promoting the
virtues of the sport and it annoys me that there are so many false
perceptions of it.
I
recommend including my entire email in your appendices for your
professor to peruse. If they have any questions or follow up they can
address it to cardiotrek@gmail.com.
"Hello! My wife weighs 115 lbs and isn't very big. What kind of bow should I get her for getting into archery? Matt M."
A
Hey Matt!
Her weight isn't the biggest concern, her height and strength are bigger factors. I am guessing she is petite?
Start her on a low poundage bow, like a 15 to 20 lb
recurve. I recommend a 3 piece recurve where she can get more powerful
limbs later so she can build more muscle as she progresses.
If
she is short you should also consider a youth bow. Some of my adult
archery students who are closer to 5 feet tall need to use a youth bow,
so if your wife is 5'2" or shorter this is an option, otherwise she may
have clearance issues with the bowstring rubbing against her side.
"Thank you very much. This has been a big help. She is 5'3" so I am probably gonna go with a 3 piece so I can get her stronger limbs when she improves.
I was thinking the Samick Sage for her, but I'm worried the riser might be to big for her hands any other good starters you can recommend?"
Due to her height try to find something in the 48 to 58 inches range. The bigger the bow the more likely she will have clearance issues. 60 to 66 inches might be too big and have clearance issues with the bowstring.
I no longer offer pairs/couples or groups of 3 lessons. All lessons are now one-on-one. Older archery students from 2019 or earlier who are returning for more lessons get a discount. Ask for details.
Please be advised that I no longer offer evening time slots.
Ask about my 10% Seniors Discount if you are over 65. Ask about my
10% Veterans Discount if you are a former or current member of the
Canadian Armed Forces. (Discounts are not cumulative.)
Email cardiotrek@gmail.com to Schedule a Lesson.
Notice
Anyone who previously purchased an Archery Gift Voucher for single, pairs or group lessons will still have their gift voucher honoured and as previously announced I have extended the expiration date for Gift Vouchers due to COVID19 throwing a wrench into the scheduling of lessons during 2020. See Gift Voucher Extension of Expiry for more details.
Anyone wishing to purchase Archery Gift Vouchers can still do so and the expiration date is similarly extended, but they can only purchase gift vouchers for one-on-one lessons at this time. No pairs or group lessons.
Purchased new arrows yesterday for archery lessons.
There is something about unboxing brand new arrows that always brings a smile to my face. They are shiny, perfect, pristine...
It is very satisfying.
And these arrows should hopefully last a long time.
In other news I have resumed teaching archery lessons, as of today (July 3rd), but I am limiting the number of archery lessons I am willing to teach and invoking the following new rules due to COVID.
#1. All lessons will be conducted using physical distancing of 6+ feet.
#2. No more couples or group lessons. All lessons going forward will be taught one-on-one.
#3. Equipment will be cleaned before and after lessons. Possibly also during lessons.
#4. No more 30% deposits. Students booking lessons must pay the full amount in advance. This is prevent cash being handled by both the instructor and student(s).
#5. Students will be expected to fetch and clean arrows themselves during the lessons. No more will the instructor be fetching arrows and then handing them to the student between shots.
#6. Instructor will only be available to teach a limited number of lessons / students per month. This will apply to all lessons being taught in July and August. September and October will have more availability.
#7. Additional rules may be applied based on circumstances.
If you want to book Archery Lessons in Toronto or have any questions please email cardiotrek@gmail.com.
#1. No more different rates for weekdays and weekends. One rate regardless of the day of the week.
#2. No more pairs/couples or groups of 3 lessons. All lessons going forward are one-on-one. Doesn't that mean I am making less money? Yes, yes it does. Teaching 2 or 3 students at once is definitely more profitable, but due to COVID I will no longer be teaching any kind of pairs/group lessons.
#3. Compared to my old weekday rate my prices are going up by $10 per lesson. Compared to my weekend rate my prices are going down by roughly $20 per lesson. The new base price for a single lesson is $70.
#4. In previous years due to sheer demand I charged a 50% premium for weekend lessons, hence the price differences listed above for the older rates. Due to COVID19 the demand has pretty much disappeared. Not a lot of people are looking for archery lessons any more.
Anyone who has an older Gift Voucher for Archery Lessons from Cardio Trek which was set to expiry during 2020 can still redeem their Gift Voucher in 2021.
I am extending all such older gift vouchers which would be expiring at any time during 2020 so that they now expiry in December 2021. (I may amend this later if the Covid Crisis + Lockdown lasts into 2021, although I doubt that will happen. I am currently expecting to be teaching archery lessons as soon as September 2020.)
2. New Expiry Policy
Where previously Gift Vouchers had an expiry of 18 months, giving recipients a sum of 1.5 years to redeem the gift voucher before it expires, starting immediately new Gift Vouchers will now have a 30 month (2.5 years) period before they expire. That should cover the duration of the COVID Lockdown and then some extra.
Notes
If anyone has any questions about Archery Lesson Gift Vouchers feel free to ask by emailing cardiotrek@gmail.com.
If you are really anxious to begin learning archery NOW I can recommend the following:
"Precision Archery", an impressively good book by Steve Ruis and Claudia Stevenson.
"Archery Focus Magazine", edited by Steve Ruis (with articles by myself and other archers).
Today is the first Saturday in May. Next week, the Saturday, will be International Archery Day.
International Archery Day (also known as "National Archery Day" in the USA) is observed annually on the second Saturday in May. The date was chosen because it is usually fairly good weather and it doesn't interfere with any popular holidays or events (eg. Mother's Day).
One of the oldest sports still in existence, archery has been around for tens of thousands of years, with some of the oldest bows ever found dating back to 8,000 to 9,000 BC. The oldest bow thus far found is an elm Holmegaard bow dated to 9,000 BC and was found in Denmark.
Cave drawings, other artifacts and similar stone age depictions are dated much further back, suggesting that archery is significantly older. At least 65,000 years old.
When celebrating International Archery Day it is traditional to invite a friend to try archery out for the first time. So get out there, invite a friend to try archery (or learn archery yourself) and enjoy one of the oldest sports known to mankind.
International Archery Day falls on the following dates in upcoming years:
While it is not generally recommended, some people have been known to set up a mini archery range in their living room, a hallway, or other location. You will need to make an effort to avoid damaging the floors, walls, furniture, etc.
#4. Practice archery in your backyard.
You will need to make efforts to make the space you are using SAFE as you don't want neighbours getting injured or complaining about the lack of safety precautions. If they call the police then the cops will want to check to see what efforts you have made in order to ensure safety.
If you have lots of spare time currently to build things you could even convert your backyard into an archery dojo.
#5. Build an archery range in the countryside.
Find a place in the countryside which you can periodically visit and practice your archery skills. Helps if you already own land in the countryside.
If you have friends or family who live in the countryside then you could ask them if you could build a small 3D archery range / walking trail on their property. No social interactions necessary beyond phone calls and emails. You could give even gift them with alcohol/chocolate/etc to show your appreciation.
If you don't have friends or family who own land in the countryside you could potentially rent a wooded area on a section of farmland. All you need to do is find a farmer who has wooded areas of their property that are unused and is willing to rent that property to you for a small monthly fee.
Then you build some homemade archery targets and set them up on a walking trail within the wooded area.
I don't recommend going out and purchasing a big 3D target because there is certainly the chance it could get stolen.
The lesson plan for Compound Archery differs dramatically compared to that of traditional recurve, Olympic recurve and other archery styles. This is because Compound Bows are so fundamentally different in their structure and design that it necessitates teaching it in a different way.
There are some things which are similar or the same when compared to the other lessons, but much of what a compound shooter learns will be focused on issues and aspects that are unique to compound bows.
Lesson One
Safety Lecture
Eye Dominance Test, Optional (Honestly, this should have been done in the store before you purchased your bow. It would be an issue if the store failed to do this and sold you the wrong bow.)
Lecture on Proper Form
Tuning the Sights at 20 Yards
Lesson Two
Fine Tuning Sights at 20 Yards
Stabilizers and Form
Arrowhead Lecture
Tuning Sights at 30 Yards
Lesson Three
Warm Up at 20 Yards
Fine Tuning Sights at 30 Yards
Arrow Spine Lecture
Tuning Sights at 50 Yards
Lesson Four
Warm Up at 20 Yards
Variant Distances / Field Archery (Useful skill for hunting as the prey is rarely exactly at 20 yards.)
Lesson Five & Beyond
Varies upon the needs of the archer. Might include topics like shooting at moving targets, shooting long distances, shooting while sitting or kneeling, etc.
Sometimes archery lessons may include other topics like equipment maintenance, installing new equipment, answering the student's questions, issues related to bowhunting, etc.
Lessons can vary from student to student and are often modified to meet the needs of students.
The Bear Cruzer Vs the Diamond Infinite Edge, Two Excellent Beginner Compounds
What Should You Buy If You're New To Compounds???
Let's say you're new to archery (or new to compound shooting) and you don't know what you should buy.
The answer is that you want to buy a good beginner compound, something that is:
Reasonably priced.
Good value for money.
Offers you a range of draw weights / draw distances.
Easy to change the weight/draw settings without a bow press.
The answer is that there are two compound bows on the market which fulfill these requirements:
The Bear Cruzer (and variants of it)
The Diamond Infinite Edge (and variants of it)
Both of these bows from competing manufacturers offer everything a beginner compound shooter is looking for, and if they take good care of it then it will serve them well. There is only one downside, each of these bows top out at approx. 310 fps for arrow speed. Which is still plenty fast, but you're not going to breaking any speed records compared to more expensive compounds offering fps speeds of 330 to 380.
In contrast most traditional recurves top out at about 200 fps, and people still hunt with them. So having a fast compound is not a necessity.
It is more important that you learn how to shoot properly and accurately, and buying the wrong bow which doesn't suit the user would be a step in the wrong direction.
Got an archery question about compound bows? Just ask! Email cardiotrek@gmail.com.
Want to improve your archery form and accuracy? Pay attention to these 4 tips that will help to improve your form/accuracy.
1. Fix your Feet First
Regardless of whether you are on flat terrain or shooting on a steep slope / hill then you should always fix your feet first so that you are either doing relaxed stance or square stance. It is possible to shoot using other stances, but if you're a beginner trying to get more accuracy then you really want to improve your footing before doing anything else.
2. Brace the Bow / Center your Hand
If you're not holding the bow in your hand properly it is going to effect where the arrow is going to go, often randomly. To improve consistency (and accuracy) you want to brace the bow's handle on the meaty part of your palm closest to your wrist.
If you don't put enough meat on your handle you will often torque the bow to the side. Likewise if you put too much meat on the handle you can torque the bow in the other direction and the bowstring will hit you in the forearm between the elbow and roughly halfway down the forearm.
What you want is the "Goldilocks" amount of meat on the handle. Centered.
3. Relax your Hand
You want your bow hand to be relaxed, and positioned like you are giving a very limp handshake. Keeping your hand centered and relaxed improves your accuracy. There is no need to squeeze the bow with your hand. You aren't going to drop it. After you shoot you will immediately grip the bow so that you don't drop it. (Some archers add an archery wrist strap on their bow so they can leave their bow hand completely relaxed the whole time.)
4. Pre-Aim before Drawing
When you pre-aim at a target you align your forearm and elbow with the arrow, and thus when you pull back the bowstring the arrow and your forearm end up being better aligned.
If you skip this step and just draw the bow and then aim, your elbow will often be too high or too low, which means your forearm will be out of alignment, resulting in increased chances of plucking your release, and you will be more likely to be shaking a bit if you are straining your forearm to hold the bow steady.
Pre-aiming only takes an extra moment to do, but it makes a big difference to accuracy if it makes you steadier and reduces the chances of plucking.
Due to the Coronavirus Outbreak my archery lessons are temporarily unavailable.
I am going to be using this break to spend time with family, work on some writing, read a few books (currently I am reading the Witcher series and also a series of books by British writer Anthony Ryan, which I totally recommend people check out), and perhaps do some woodworking/bowmaking.
Whenever the virus outbreak gets sorted out I will be resuming my normal routine of archery lessons, but for now I suppose I am on an "extended vacation".
So for now my bows are just going to hang for a bit until they are ready to be used again. (Asides from me getting some personal practice, of course.)
Where can I do archery? Is it safe and legal to do it in my backyard? Is there a designated place to do archery in my city?
In Toronto the best place to do archery is at the Toronto Archery Range, located in E. T. Seton Park (near the Ontario Science Centre). Visit archerytoronto.ca/Toronto-Archery-Range.html to see maps and parking info.
The legality of doing archery in your backyard depends upon how safe you are doing it. If a neighbour complains about your lack of safety precautions and police investigate they could charge you with reckless endangerment with a firearm. Since Toronto has a public archery range however it is generally accepted that you should really be practicing archery at the archery range.
What is the cost of equipment? Do I have to shell out big bucks or can I do it on a budget?
Either. Nobody is forcing you to spend a lot of money. A typical beginners budget for equipment is about $350 CDN to buy bow, arrows, arrowheads, arrowrest, shooting glove or tab, bowstringer, etc. Alternatively you could just make your own equipment if you are skilled at woodworking and want to try your hand at bowmaking / fletching arrows.
What kind of equipment do I need to start out? Should I just get a bow and some arrows or is there anything else I need?
Yes. You will want:
Arrowheads
Arrowrest
Shooting glove or tab
Bowstringer
A bag or box for carrying your equipment to and from the archery range.
Various optional items like a quiver, arm guard/bracer, arrow nock bead, paper targets, portable targets, 3D targets, and a variety of other accessories.
Do I need archery lessons? Can I just go and shoot or do I need to be instructed on technique, safety, best practices, etc...?
No, you absolutely do not need lessons, but it is definitely helpful to have archery lessons and you should definitely pay attention and abide by all the safety bylaws as they are for your own protection and to protect others.
What types of bows are there? I have seen some complicated contraptions and more Robin Hood looking bows, but what is the difference and which should I choose?
The most common styles of bows are:
Recurve Bows
Longbows / Flatbows
Horsebows / Shortbows
Olympic Recurve Bows
Compound Bows
Recurve Bows are the easiest to learn how to use. Longbows/Flatbows and Horsebows/Shortbows are stylistically similar, but have a more difficult learning curve. Olympic Recurves are more specialized and use gadgets to help the archery increase archery. Compound Bows are typically decked out with every gadget you can find. The biggest difference between the styles is how much the individual archer wants to embrace specific traditions or whether they prefer to use gadgets to get extra accuracy.
How long will it take me to be good? Is it a long process or will I pick it up quickly?
It varies significantly upon a number of factors.
Whether or not you get archery lessons.
How many archery lessons you get.
Whether or not you buy/read any archery books or read websites about improving your archery form.
How good is your posture.
How often your practice.
What your definition of "good" is.
It takes years to get really good at archery. It isn't something that happens overnight. Getting archery lessons / reading a good book on the subject really speeds up the process.
What types of arrows are there? What do you call the feathers at the end? What is the best arrow I can buy?
There are many types of arrows, usually made from wood, bamboo, carbon fibre, aluminum or fibreglass. The feathers are called fletching. The "best arrow" depends on what you are using it for. An expensive arrow doesn't necessarily mean it is better at a specific task. Eg. A lightweight arrow would be better for long distance (flight archery), but a heavier arrow can often be better for hunting purposes. So it really depends. Historically "footed shaft" arrows were considered to be the best of both worlds because they were heavier on the front and lighter on the back, which improved accuracy.
Looking to sign up for archery lessons, boxing lessons, swimming lessons, ice skating lessons or personal training sessions? Start by emailing cardiotrek@gmail.com and lets talk fitness!