Global Warming = More Archery?

The birds are chirping like it is spring outside.

I spoke to my mother yesterday (who lives up north) and she saw a black and orange caterpillar two days ago, a sure sign of spring.

Almost all the snow is melted in my front yard and back yard.

The forecast for today is a high of 8 Celsius (46.4 Fahrenheit). So that isn't exactly warm, but it isn't freezing either.

Supposed to go up to 13 Celsius on Wednesday (and rain), but otherwise it is going to be unseasonably warm and mild for mid February. (Usually we should be expecting a big snowstorm around this time of year.)

Spring is Coming.

We can thank Global Warming, I suppose. I see this as a silver lining. In the future I may be able to teach archery more often in February and November, and perhaps take a few weeks off in July/August to enjoy a vacation when it is too hot.

Which means I can book archery lessons for 2023 for anyone who isn't afraid of a little cold.

Or you can prebook for March, April or May. Whatever weather suits your fancy.

Contact cardiotrek@gmail.com to book your archery lessons in Toronto today!

Archery Lessons for Valentines Day

Looking for something fun to give a loved one for Valentines Day in Toronto?

Why not give them an Archery Lesson for Two?

Or Archery Lessons...

2 Students, Weekdays or Weekends
$100 for 90 minutes; 3 Lessons - $290; 5 Lessons - $470; 10 Lessons - $920.

Contact cardiotrek@gmail.com to get a Gift Voucher Number and have a Happy Valentines Day!

3 Ways to get into Archery

If you have never done archery (or have very little experience) there are essentially three ways to get into the sport.

 #1. Get Archery Lessons

Obviously this is me tooting my own horn, but if you're looking for archery lessons in Toronto then I invite you to contact me to book archery lessons. Archery lessons are the fastest and easiest way to learn the sport, but they are more expensive and thus geared towards people who are more serious about wanting to learn archery in a hurry and want to excel at it.

If you have a friend who does archery they can also try to teach you, but this is often a test of patience on their part as they may not have a lot of experience teaching archery (or anything else). So when getting archery lessons I do recommend hiring someone with a lot of experience teaching archery and know what they're doing.

Speaking for myself: I have been teaching archery since 2009, and I have been doing archery since 1989.

#2. Buy an Archery How To Book

The book I currently recommend is by my colleagues Steve Ruis and Claudia Stevenson: "Precision Archery".

You can try to find the book at your local bookstore, and if they don't have it then you can order it from the store using the ISBN number... Or order it online.

ISBN 9780736046343

And if you want to go a step further you can also get yourself a subscription to Archery Focus Magazine, which gives you access to their back catalogue of magazine PDFs.

Which coincidentally also gives you access to various articles that I wrote for Archery Focus Magazine:

• "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.
• "Archery Trick Shooting", September 2020. 
• "Gap Shooting: Aiming for Versatility", November 2021.

 Oh and I am working on my own nonfiction Archery How To Book. So stayed for that to be released.

Note - Reading a book about how to do archery isn't perfect. Ideally you want an archery instructor, but if you don't have one then a book is the next best thing. There are other books on the subject, but "Precision Archery" is the best book currently available in my opinion.

#3. Teach Yourself / Watch YouTube Videos

I have a low opinion on the subject of YouTube videos teaching archery and while there is the potential for someone to learn that way, I firmly believe it is a bit like "the blind leading the blind" because often the people making such videos are beginners themselves.

Or if they are experienced archers they're not necessarily good at teaching it or explaining it properly.

And then there's the YouTube feuds...

For example, there are two specific YouTubers I am thinking of who argue back and forth in their videos about the proper way to do something. Just two men (and their egos) arguing.

Honestly, rather than watch YouTube videos you might be better off just being completely self taught, assuming you cannot find a book on the subject or cannot find an archery instructor.

Being self-taught really comes down to practicing regularly and socializing with other archers, because you will learn so much about the sport by talking to your fellow archers and observing them while they shoot to see what they are doing correctly, but also what they are doing wrong. If you can learn from their mistakes and triumphs it will speed up the process of teaching yourself. (Of course, you would learn even faster if you had an instructor to teach you what to be looking for.)

Conclusions

A combination of options #1 and #2 above is arguably the best you can do. Getting both an instructor and the aforementioned book on the subject, so you get the best of both worlds.

Or options #1 and #2 and buy a whole library of archery books (which is what I have on my bookshelves). In some cases I even have multiple copies of the same book, the result of people gifting me books that I already have copies of.

"Hey, there's an archery book! I should get that for Charles!"

And unfortunately I have copies of almost every archery book in the English language. Plus I am such an archery dork that I write nonfiction (and fiction) on the subject.

And I have 5 different books just on the subject of bowmaking and arrow making.

So yes, if you want to get really good at archery... Just copy everything I've done. Get archery lessons, buy ALL the books (even the bowmaking books), practice multiple days per week, get really good at it, learn multiple styles of archery, become an archery instructor, and of course publish articles on the subject... And start writing a How To Book on archery.

Whatever.

I think the point I am trying to make (again and again) is that you should either get archery lessons or buy a book like "Precision Archery". Or both.

Practice makes perfect. Aim small miss small. Have Some Apple Pie.

Happy Halloween from Cardio Trek

 

Print out the above image to have a Spooky archery target this Halloween. Enjoy!

Arrow Hitting Bottle and Catapulting Back

 One of my archery students back in July sent me this GIF of their arrow hitting a bottle and then catapulting backwards. Seen in a loop it creates the impression that the arrow is hitting the bottle and just bouncing back and forth, while the lid goes flying each time.

Enjoy!

Photography Credit: Robin Kuniski / www.robinkuniski.com

A Beginner's Guide to Clout Archery

Look closely and you'll spot the arrows close to the flag pole shown in the photos on the right.

So what's the big deal?

Well, the flag is approx. 70 yards (210 feet) away from where the archery student was standing... And this was only their 5th archery lesson.

Oh and it was a tad windy that day.

That's why such results are worth taking photos of.

So what is Clout Archery?

Clout Archery is a long distance sport wherein archers compete to see who can get their arrows closest to the flag pole, which is generally placed really far away.

Usually 140 to 180 yards away, which are the competitive distances for Clout Archery.

However since the Toronto Archery Range is only 140 yards long (and lots of trees behind that) we have to use a shorter distance which is still challenging for a beginner, but also surprisingly a lot of fun.

Getting a cluster of arrows to land near the flag pole is also very challenging, even for experienced archers who are used to getting their arrows in clusters at shorter distances.

If you look closely at the photos on the right you will note that some of the arrows are touching or almost touching. That is some very good consistency for a beginner archer.

This isn't unheard of for my archery students however. I have periodically had students hit the flag pole or the flag itself at distances of 80 yards, 90 yards or more.

Getting to the point that you can do Clout Archery with this degree of accuracy isn't for beginners really. I generally only teach this to my archery students who sign up for 5 or more archery lessons.

When students sign up for 5 archery lessons they generally (I will sometimes customize the lessons for the needs of the student) get the following:

Lesson 1: Safety Lecture, Eye Test, Lecture on How to Aim Traditionally, Lecture on Proper Form, Field Archery Practice.

Lesson 2: Target Archery Practice, Lecture on Arrowheads.

Lesson 3: Long Distance Field Archery Practice, Lecture on Arrow Spine.

Lesson 4: Target Archery Practice, Lecture on How to Aim using Gap Shooting, Moving Target Practice.

Lesson 5: Clout Archery or Gap Shooting Field Archery (varies on the student).

Thus it really depends upon the student. Some students are more into learning Gap Shooting and others are more interested in long distance shooting.

Note - When someone signs up for 10 or more lessons I don't really have to choose so much. I will just teach them both, but I will still be customizing the lessons to the student's needs or interests.

Clout Archery Tips

Because the archer will usually have to aim at the sky in order to get their arrows to go that far you need to come up with a system for how to aim at the same spot on the sky.

Don't aim at clouds. They move. Instead you need to measure on the sky where you want to aim. I teach several different techniques for how to measure and aim at the sky so that students can choose which method works best for them.

Proper Form! If you don't know how to properly perform a shot then you should either get archery lessons or buy a book on the subject (I recommend "Precision Archery" by Steve Ruis & Claudia Stevenson).

And if you're in Toronto or the GTA you have no excuse not to get archery lessons from a dedicated professional like myself who teaches multiple different styles of archery and different archery sports like Clout Archery.

Browse the links below to learn more. Happy Shooting!

See Also

The Benefits of Clout Archery

Archery Lessons in Toronto

 

Students who don't Listen

Today I had a bonding experience with a fellow archery instructor during which the topic of "students who don't listen" came up. For me this experience of commiserating with a fellow archery instructor was cathartic.

What is the point of getting archery lessons (or any other kind of lesson) if you're not going to listen to the instructor?

There is nothing more annoying to an instructor than trying to teach someone who refuses to listen. I have, historically, refunded lessons to people who didn't listen and I didn't want to bother teaching them.

Especially if I considered them to be a danger to themselves and others. It would be irresponsible, in my opinion, to teach someone I consider to be dangerously ignorant and refuses to correct their mistakes or listen to the instructor.

This is one of the reasons why I rarely teach children any more. There is a measure of responsibility and maturity on the part of the student that needs to be there before I even agree to teach archery to a child... And if they later turn out to be the type of person who doesn't listen then guess who is getting the remainder of their lessons canceled and refunded*...?

* Partly because of liability issues in which I don't want to be legally responsible for a child (or adult) who is a danger to themselves and others. So this isn't really a choice for me. It is basically a legal requirement on my part to be responsible about who I choose to teach.

As noted by my colleague and myself, this problem of students who don't listen is mostly an issue of children who lack maturity. It is rare to meet an adult with this particular problem, although not unheard of. I sometimes come across an adult or even a senior who has become set in their ways and doesn't want to listen, even when they know it is in their best interest to do so.

The problem I find often stems from students thinking that they know more than the instructor because they have been watching too much television/movies, did archery at summer camp with someone who didn't know how to teach archery, or they've bought into misinformation about the sport they learned from other sources (fictional books, YouTube, Facebook, etc). This is why, in my opinion, it is often better to teach a student who is a blank slate. The less misinformation they have previously received the better.

Just because you saw a cartoon character doing archery a certain way doesn't mean that you know more than the archery instructor. You don't. Get over it.

 

Trying to teach someone like that also makes me want to pull my hair out in frustration. I don't need the added stress. My knee jerk reaction to meeting a student who doesn't want to listen is to cancel the lessons and refund the money. The liability and the stress just isn't worth it.

Plus why take lessons in something that you don't want to learn???

I get it when parents sign up their kids for ice skating lessons or swimming lessons... And the child would rather be looking at their cellphone than paying attention to the lesson. But if the parent knows that their child isn't actually interested then you should just find them a different activity that does interest them. Not every child wants to swim, do ice skating or archery. Find them something else they actually want to do. Tae kwon do lessons perhaps. Rock climbing. Krav maga. Golf. Violin. Ballet. Parkour.

Don't force them to do a sport they're clearly not interested in.

The Benefits of Practicing Clout Archery

Clout Archery is a sport in which archers compete at shooting a "clout of arrows" as close to a target flag pole as possible, often at really long distances such as 140 or 180 yards away.

For people new to clout archery (or when the field is shorter than desirable) you may want to use shorter distances such as 60, 70, 80 yards, etc. Or if you have a really large field available, you could even try shooting longer distances like 200 yards or more.

The image below shows the results of 1 round of shooting with one of my archery students recently on June 4th 2022, shooting at a distance of 60 yards (180 feet). She got two clusters near the flag pole as you can see, nearly hitting the flag pole despite windy conditions that day.

Which brings me to the topic of what makes Clout Archery something that is useful to learn:

#1. Clout Archery is really good for archers learning how to adjust for wind conditions.

#2. Clout Archery is very good at teaching people how to shoot long distances accurately, with the distances often being more than that used by Olympic archers (70 meters).

#3. Because shooting long distances magnifies any mistakes the archer makes it forces the archer to be more of a perfectionist than shooting short distances in comparison.

BONUS THOUGHTS

Shooting such long distances can also be quite fun as there is a level of joy in watching an arrow fly so far and yet manage to land near the flag pole (or on rare occasions, even hit the flag pole).

For extra fun you can also use whistling arrowheads.

To make it easier to find your arrows (depending on the distance) you can also use wingnuts behind your screwed on field points so that when they hit the ground they dig in like an anchor and are easier to find. Alternatively, you can also use large (flu flu) fletching on your arrows.

Clout Archery Lessons?

Anyone wanting to learn archery (and specifically Clout Archery) can sign up for archery lessons in Toronto and mention that you want to learn Clout Archery.

How to Fix Holey Archery Targets

 

As time goes by eventually your archery targets will get holey (or fall down) in which case you either need to replace the material or repair it in some manner.

Repairing Natural Tentest Targets

In the case of Natural Tentest targets, like those at the Toronto Archery Range located at E. T. Seton Park shown above, one way to repair the big gaping holes is to wait until one of the target butts collapses and falls down - often due to heavy rain and/or wind - and then you can use the broken fallen pieces of Natural Tentest to stuff the holes in the other targets.

And for fun, you can also add a large water container to the target butt which collapsed so that people can still potentially shoot at something until that target's tentest is replaced.

Repairing 3D Targets

In the case of 3D targets (deer, raccoons, etc) that are popular with hunters one of the best ways to repair them is with foam, like in the video below. What brand or style of foam you use doesn't really matter, what is really important is that you don't overfill the holes you are repairing because otherwise excess material will leak out (as demonstrated in the video below). A "less is better" approach is best for that scenario.

Repairing DIY Cardboard Targets

The beauty of cardboard targets is that they're super easy to repair and cost effective. Just make a habit of saving any large pieces of cardboard from your home and/or workplace and you can easily just rip out any damaged pieces of cardboard from your DIY targets and replace with new cardboard.

Best of all, the old cardboard is still recyclable so it has simply been reused before eventually reaching the recycling bin.

Your cardboard archery target doesn't need to be fancy either (like the one in the image below). It simply could be a cardboard box which is filled with cardboard. Having a wooden frame is really unnecessary for most people's purposes. But once you have a cardboard target they're very easy to repair.

Ikigai and the Archer

About one year ago my colleague Steve Ruis wrote a blog post called "The Ikigai of Archery".

Ikagai is a Japanese word which means "live reason" or "reason to live".

Basically Ikagi is when you have something that helps you get out of bed in the morning and provides a purpose or meaning in your life is certainly helpful.

Can archery be a reason to live?

I believe so.

Sometimes we just don't want to get up in the morning, but we force ourselves to do so because we have to get to work - often to a job we dislike.

I am fortunate that I have a job I really enjoy and love to do. There are many people out there who wish they could quit their regular jobs and just do what they love to do.

Even so there are definitely days when I am excited to teach archery and do some personal practice, and then there are other days when I have to go to work and I would rather stay home if I had the choice.

I find the quality of sleep I got the night before is a factor.

Same thing goes with my students. I can tell based upon their focus and the quality of their shooting whether they didn't sleep well the night before - or worse, if they're hungover, distracted by something, stressed or upset, hungry, etc.

And yet they still got up and they came to their archery practice because it was something they wanted to do, because they deemed it important, and quite possibly they were excited about it.

Thus in this case I think Ikigai is an excellent word, and an apt word. If archery can be the crutch that helps people get up in the morning - and in some cases to strive and find purpose in their lives - then so be it. Sometimes people need a crutch to help them to keep on surviving so they can find other reasons to live.

I believe people can have multiple reasons to live, including an important one: Family. Speaking for myself then my wife and my son are two of my biggest reasons to live, but archery is another. As is writing. I have many reasons to live.

For my students who are curious about the more spiritual sides of archery I usually recommend two books:

1. Zen Bow, Zen Arrow
2. The Unfettered Mind

The 2nd book isn't actually about archery. It is about Zen Buddhism and swordsmanship, but also about being a good person who learns to manage their thoughts and emotions. So while it is primarily about swordsmanship, the principles described in the book also apply to archery.

Years ago I even published my own book of poetry on the subject, a book called "Dreaming of Zen Archery". (The ebook version is $2.99 if you're curious about it.)

So yes, I believe archery can be an Ikigai - a reason to live.

It doesn't have to be your sole reason to live however, but it can be the crutch that keeps you moving forward until you find other reasons.

Accepting New Archery Students for 2022

Hello Toronto!

Do you want to learn archery? Of course you do, you're here reading this aren't you?

Well, the good news is that I am accepting new students for the 2022 archery season.

Contact cardiotrek@gmail.com to book your archery lesson(s) today. When in doubt I recommend starting for 3 lessons for $200. See my archery lessons page for more details / discount rates / etc.

So what's so special about my archery lessons?

#1. I make them fun and informative. So you're learning, but you get to have fun while doing so.

#2. I have been teaching archery so far for 13 years (and doing archery for 33 years). Suffice to say I have been doing this for a long time and have learned some of the best ways

#3. I have published articles over the years in "Archery Focus Magazine", which recently released their final issue in November 2021. (My article "Gap Shooting: Aiming for Versatility" was included in the final issue.)

#4. Browse my Archery Lessons Plan to learn more about the how each lesson is different.

#5. One on one lessons. No group lessons. You get personalized attention from an archery coach and I tailor the lessons to meet my individual students needs.

#6. I also teach people with adaptive archery needs. So if you're in a wheel chair or have other difficulties, not to worry, you can still do archery. Just email me to discuss your situation.

#7. People over 65 get a 10% Seniors Discount and people from Canada's armed forces get a 10% Veterans Discount.

Archery Student Pierces String on Moving Target

 

Above is a photo of one of my archery students after she successfully pierced the string on a moving target. It was her 6th lesson.

I usually start teaching how to shoot at moving targets on the 4th lesson or later, but actually splitting or piercing the string on a moving target is very rare. More rare than "Robin Hooding an arrow", which is when you pierce your own arrow in the end of the nock.

How to make a Moving Target

I find one of the easiest ways to make a moving target is to use an empty water bottle and dangle it from a string. The water bottle blows in the wind fairly easily, but not so easily that it is impossible to hit if you're good at it.

When dangling the bottle from the string you want to offset it from the target. A broken arrow or a stick inserted into the target works well. If you do not offset the moving target then it will rub against the target and the friction will reduce how much the bottle moves about.

How to make it easier...

If you want less of a challenge you also use a larger bottle. Eg. A 2 liter Coca-Cola bottle is a great size if you want something less challenging. If you want to make it even easier pick a day to shoot when there is very little wind.

How to make it harder...

Cut the bottle in half. Or only use just the bottle cap. The moving bottle cap makes for a very difficult target to hit. If you want to make it even harder try to do it on a windy day.

But not impossible.

I did it twice in one day (back in 2015) when I brought a tripod and a camera to the archery range. The first time however the camera stopped recording so I didn't actually manage to record it. The second time however the camera did record it properly. Thankfully it wasn't too windy that day.

Anyone wishing to book archery lessons in Toronto for 2022 should feel free to contact me. Better to contact me sooner to start booking your lessons.

 

The Final Issue of Archery Focus Magazine

The final issue of Archery Focus Magazine is now available. I am fortunate to have been part of it.

I will miss it.

People interested in reading the final issue or reading back issues can learn more at:

archeryfocusmagazine.com

 

Good News and Bad News: Archery Focus Magazine

Well, I have good news and bad news...

The good news is I have another article that is being published in "Archery Focus Magazine". It will be coming out in the November-December 2021 issue.

The bad news is that the November-December 2021 issue will also be the final issue, the farewell issue, of the magazine.

It saddens me that the final issue is coming so soon. I am aware that many magazines thrive and survive based on subscriptions, and that if those subscriptions eventually falter that the magazine may be unsustainable. Many print media magazines and newspapers have ended during the past 20 years, and digital magazines are similarly vulnerable due to the subscription format.

Between 2017 and 2020 I contributed five articles to the magazine in the following issues:

• 2017, July-August (Marketing Strategies for Archery Coaches)
  
• 2018, July-August (Adaptive Archery)
  
• 2018, November-December (Teaching via Narrative Storytelling)
  
• 2020, January-February (Reinhart Target Ball Review)
  
• 2020, September-October (Trick Shots)

I regret not writing more articles. Contributing 1 or 2 articles per year was one of the highlights of teaching the sport, but I could have written more. I have been very busy doing other things like teaching, raising my son, and writing multiple series of fantasy books... But I could have contributed another article or two. Sadly, we writers have to learn to live with our regrets, just like archers have to learn to live with their botched shooting.

I have also been writing my own "how to book" with respect to archery, so perhaps I will devote more time in the near future towards finishing and publishing that book. Or I might solve my thirst to publish more articles by contributing to magazines like Traditional Bowhunter or TradArchers' World. We shall just have to see what happens.

One last bit of good news...

While the magazine is ending, the back issues will continue to be available. You can visit archeryfocusmagazine.com and get any of the back issues of the magazine dating back to the first issue from 1997. You can get unlimited access to 25 years worth of the magazine's back issues for $160 USD.

2021 is Fully Booked for Archery Lessons - Prebook for 2022

Hello Toronto!

Bad news if you wanted to book archery lessons in Toronto for August, September or October of 2021. I am already fully booked and am no longer accepting new students for this year.

I am currently accepting new students for 2022. If you want to book for 2022 you should contact me now (if you know what your schedule will be like in the coming year), or if you're not sure what your schedule will be like in 2022, then I recommend contacting me in February or early March if you want to get your preferred time slots (before things start booking up).

 

I am expecting 2022 to be a very busy year for me.

If you have any questions feel free to ask.

Have a great day!

 

Limited Archery Time Slots Left / My Writing Career

Due to COVID I am going to be restricting how many students / time slots I teach this year during August, September and October. It isn't a matter of time constraints, I am available, but I am putting a limit on the total number of archery lessons I am willing to teach this year.

So my advice is that if you want archery lessons between now and the end of the season you need to contact me sooner rather than later and hope that there is still time slots available and I haven't reached my "quota" for the year.

Basically the point I am trying to make is that this year, due to COVID, I am setting a quota for the maximum number of lessons I am willing to teach. So if you want archery lessons in Toronto then you should email me today and start booking.

If you wait too long you might have to prebook for 2022.

My Writing Career

In related news, my book sales during 2021 are expected to triple my 2020 book sales, which tripled my book sales from 2019, which in turn dectupled my 2018 book sales... So if you can do math that means my book sales are up by a factor of 90 in the past 3 years.

If my book sales continue to triple annually I will be able to quit my day job (teaching archery) and focus on writing books sometime in 2025.

Now don't get me wrong, I love teaching archery. Absolutely love it. But there are days when I would love to just sleep in, spend more time with my wife/son, and focus on writing instead.

Teaching archery, and being good at it / able to make a living doing it, has given me the freedom to pursue my writing career during the cold winter months when very few people in Toronto ask for archery lessons.

Becoming a full time professional writer is the dream of pretty much every writer. I love archery and I love teaching it, but I foresee a time when I will just jack up my prices and only teach on 1 or 2 days per week so that I can focus my energy on writing.

Or quit teaching archery entirely and focus solely on writing. In addition to getting an annual tripling in book sales I keep getting 4 and 5 star reviews, so that's always a nice feeling to know people really like my writing. Cannot complain about that.

And what is the content of my writing? I mostly write heroic fantasy featuring, you guessed it, archery.

You can find my books, available in trade paperback and ebook formats, at amazon.com/author/moffat. I expect to be releasing audiobook versions in 2026 if my book sales continue to go up at the current rate. Hardcover versions of the novels are also expected sometime. If you have the paperback ISBN numbers you can order my books from your local bookstore.

Horsebows and Poundages

The bow in the photo above (and below on the right) is a Samick SKB horsebow (sometimes also called a shortbow).

Learning how to shoot a horsebow is trickier than learning how to shoot a traditional recurve, although they have many similarities in design. There are some additional challenges, which is why I recommend that students take 3 lessons of traditional recurve before progressing to shooting horsebow, so that they have a good grounding in proper form in that style before proceeding to a more challenging style of archery.

(Same goes with anyone wanting to learn how to shoot Longbow or Olympic Recurve. Definitely study traditional recurve first, then make the transition.)

There is an issue concerning the matter of the poundages made available by the manufacturers.

Many manufacturers who make horsebows do not make low poundages: 20 lbs or less.

This phenomenon of manufacturers not making lighter poundages is not limited to horsebows either. Some manufacturers who make longbows and the higher end traditional recurves also limit what poundages they produce, knowing that their target customers are adults (and mostly men).

The Samick SKB horsebow shown above (and on the right) only comes in 25 lbs to 55 lbs (with 5 lb increments). The bow I purchased was 30 lbs, which I felt was a good poundage for my needs as an archery instructor, and knowing that most of the people wanting to learn horsebows usually have an end goal of purchasing a horsebow that is in the 30 lbs to 50 lbs range.

This consequently creates limitations on who can potentially be using the bow. Eg. Most children won't be able to pull it properly, and many people who are complete beginners really should not be using a 30 lb bow.

However someone who has done 3 archery lessons previously, and proven that they can handle 18 lbs, 20 lbs and 24 lbs, and expressed an interest in learning horsebow. Well, then we can discuss the matter as they might be capable of pulling 30 lbs.

Otherwise they will need to purchase their own equipment - which is usually the standard situation when it comes to anyone who wants to learn how to shoot horsebows (or compounds, or Olympic recurves), and archery in general as the goal of most archery students is to eventually buy their own equipment so they can practice on their own.

Someone who is petite in size will find a difficult time finding a quality horsebow that is sized correctly for them and offers a poundage they can use properly. There are a few manufacturers who make children's bows (and youth bows) that offer lighter poundages, but the issue of quality means there is a gap in the market for well designed bows that fall into these age categories. In some cases they simply don't exist, and what does exist is slim pickings.

The big name manufacturers simply aren't interested in making certain types of bows aimed at children, youth and petite adults.

Still, that doesn't mean a person cannot do archery. It just means they are limited to doing traditional recurve (or potentially longbow or compound shooting) because there are bows being manufactured and sold which are aimed at children, youth and petite adults.

The market is there in my opinion, but nobody is making them.

Pride in my Archery Students

Personal Note

I feel an almost fatherly pride when I see my archery students excelling at the sport.

And I get that sense of pride whenever I see my students returning again and again to the archery range, becoming almost religious about practicing. They're not there for lessons any more. They're there to practice because they love the sport.

It doesn't matter whether they had 3 lessons, 10 lessons, or whatever. It is good to see them out there practicing, and knowing that I had a hand in their tutelage is a matter of personal pride for me.

And as my son grows and is already obsessed with archery, I look forward to seeing him grow and shooting. I want to note that I am not forcing archery upon him. He is naturally obsessed with it because he gets to see both of his parents shooting and he wants to do it too.

Even if by some chance in the future he gets bored of archery (which I highly doubt will happen), it won't matter. Because I will still be proud in the knowledge that when he was 2 - 4 years old he was obsessed with the sport and wanted to shoot "bow arrow" with daddy as often as he could.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

PS. The photo below of my son is from February 2021. I remember that day fondly. The stonework in the park looked a bit like a castle, so we were playing with his bow and arrow in there. (With all the heat lately that snow looks wonderful.)

 

Teaching Archery Again = Awesome

It feels really good to be teaching archery again. The photo above is recent, from June 2021, and shows a quiet moment at the Toronto Archery Range.

Anyone interested in archery lessons in Toronto (one-on-one lessons only) should contact me to discuss scheduling and availability.

Happy Shooting!

Vaccinated! Finally! Archery Lessons starting in June!

I got my first shot of Moderna today and I am pleased to announce that I will resume teaching archery on June 2nd when the current lockdown/stay-at-home order in Ontario ends.

Various archery students have been contacting me since January asking for archery lessons, but due to the cold winter weather + lockdown measures I have been unable to teach.

My vaccination also lined up nicely 8 days before the reopening so I happy about this new turn of events. Thanks to the new stage one reopening of sports areas (tennis courts, golf courses, archery ranges, etc) plus my vaccination I can now say with more confidence that I am finally able to teach again.

People interested in archery lessons in Toronto are invited to browse my rates and let me know which days they are looking to book lessons.

And it couldn't come soon enough. While I enjoy gardening in my backyard, I clearly need to get out more! Just look at those trilliums and ferns. They are doing just fine without me! 😋