Progress Update

Matblack · Progress Update

Well I thought I would update you guys as you were so helpful in getting me on the right road.

On Saturday I did the second day of my beginners course at my local archery club Ferryfield Bowmen and I have to say I am really enjoying it.

Ferryfield is a target club who shoot outside all year around and were the club who were most interested in my inquiry about beginners courses, there seems to be a real spread of how interested clubs are in beginners, one I inquired to didn't bother to contact me back, the other one took two weeks to send me a letter which said they wouldn't be able to accommodate me until SEPTEMBER! Ferryfield however contacted me straight back and I was able to start within a few weeks.

My week one went great and I was getting 1 to 1 coaching with a great club coach and went from barebow to sight shooting on a club recurve at 20 yards and had great fun although I did ache afterwards

I didn't miss with one arrow and was pretty pleased with myself

This weekend I was shooting with another beginner and the coaching was a little more relaxed in some ways although we worked more intensively on particular parts of my technique and although this caused me to miss a few times I could really feel things coming together, so much so we moved the target out to 30 yards and my grouping was good even at the new distance when my technique was right.

I've obtained a few bits but not expensive stuff, just an arm guard and a tab and a big elastic band for exercise but I'm really enjoying this sport and I'm so glad I found it

Can't wait for the weekend to come around so I can go for my next lesson and I'm really looking forward to being able to shoot as a full member of my club, my first scores and my first competition.

Thanks for all you encouragement

MB

Dawn

Great to hear how you are getting on Matblack, thanks for the update

Sounds like to are getting good advice and coaching from ferryfield, good to hear

Keep at it but most of all enjoy yourself

Oh and do let us know how your getting on from time to time

pafc1886

Hi Matblack,

Glad to hear you are enjoying the archery.

Take your time and with practice you will steadily improve.
(At least that's what our coach tells me - not much sigh of it yet though !!)

Just a bit of advice - it's very tempting to get your own bow as soon as you feel it all starting to come together. Resist the temptation as long as you can though. Try a few different styles of shooting as there are quite a number available to you.

Glad you have found a club you are enjoying shooting with.

All the best,

Les

Matblack

Thanks Les

I won't be buying anything else for a while, the club are pretty happy for beginners to use their bows for a while after the course. I've heard of clubs who insist that new members buy their own as soon as they finish their first 6 weeks!

I don't think it will be long before I buy the basics however, this is mostly due to my draw length more than anything else, I really feel I am over drawing the largest bow available to me, it has a low draw weight but at 6'3" with a long reach I suspect I'm drawing well over the quoted poundage, I'm using the longest club arrows and draw one pretty much off the rest at full expansion

and my draw is only going to increase according to what I'm reading. So I think I'll be getting a sub £100 riser and some long limbs and some long arrows quite soon after I finish my 6 weeks but I'll have a good chat with my coach first. I also want to have atry at shooting compound for just a while, I'm 90% sure I want to start with recurve and get good with that on a target range before I move on but I'd like to test drive a compound too

MB

pafc1886

Hi Matblack,

Sounds as if you have it all sussed mate.
That's great - the club we did a beginners course with told us to go and buy bows - then we could join. We soon realised that that was not the club for us !!

All the best,

Les

Steve B

Matblack, it is great to hear that you having a wonderful time, I know how good this sport is so it it is good to see somebody joining and have so much pleasure great to see

Matblack

Update time

What a nice sunny day in Kent. We took to the field at 11 for 'sighters' after a leisurely set up and preceded to shoot an Albion/ Windsor round. I was shooting a Short Windsor which is a bit wussy for a senior male but I haven't shot 60yds yet and don't have a button on my bow yet.

It was my first competition day, although my score won't count as I don't have a handicap and the fact I was shooting the short Windsor. I was lucky to be be on a target with just one other person who was very helpful and understanding when I made a couple of mistakes; including writing her score on my sheet and once shooting 4 arrows before stepping off the line. That aside I managed to get most things right including shooting the following end at 40yds

My arrows are the black ones with the white and black fletchings,

I didn't do too badly and scored ~750 another 3rd class bowman score (my third) so I should have the classification and a handicap, not bad for someone who has only shot their own bow 4 times and only scored their rounds 3 times and shot about 12 times in total.

Just need to get that button on and crack 60yds so I can start shooting with the big boys

MB

Steve B

Well done Matblack

you have to be very pleased with that. Keep up the good work and before you know it you will be shooting with the big boys