Whats the score with clubs?

Nathan · Whats the score with clubs?

I recently decided that i wanted to have a go at archery, i have done it a few times previously with cheap equipment etc and thought i would get my own and do a bit in my back garden and maybe join a club. Having searched the internet for a club etc i came across the Guildford Archery Club who look pretty good and are very local to me, however, before i can join i need to do a beginners course which is fair enough but the next one doesn't start until April next year. Obviously i dont want to wait that long. do clubs usually only take beginners at certain times of the year?

I have also bought my first bow from the dreaded Ebay. i bought a quicks tudor that is 40lbs @ 28 inches (all the literature says this is too big for a beginner but im a big lad and have no problem pulling or stringing it), it also came with an Arten Europa sight and a leather carry case all for the tiny sum of £60.

I have done lots of research on the net but still have a couple of questions about my kit

As my bow is all wood, do i need to do any maintenance on it except the usual keep it clean etc?

The sight came without the screws to attach it to my riser, does anyone know where i can get some more?

Any help would be hugely appreciated

Mjollnir

coo lots of questions in one thread

Right beginers courses - That totally depends on the club, I know a lot of clubs only hold begginers courses a couple of times a year, others like mine will take beginners on at any time, and they shoot with tuition beside the rest of us. Once you have done a beginners course join and got your GNAS card you can then join another club without the hastle. Maybe you should look for a more flexible club to get the begginers course out of the way and then, move club back to the local one?

The bow you've bought does sound very powerful for a beginner. You say you are a "big lad" This implies to me that your draw length is over 28" so you total draw weight is well over 40lbs. If you can draw your bow back to your chin and hold it their for about 1 min without shaking or feeling tired then you should be alright (you'll never normally have to hold it this long it is more a mark of what percentage of energy is being used to draw the bow). When you are beginning there is a lot of technique to learn, and if you are in even the slightest bit struggling to draw your bow, you will find it very difficult to learn the techniques, and that doesn't mean just once, that means the 100 odd times you may be drawing it in the night. I myself am a "big lad" 6'6" 18 Stone, and been weight training for years, I started on a 30lb @28" which was 38lb at my draw length, I wouldn't have wanted to start any higher than that.

If you have an all wood bow, just polish it from time to time, never put it away wet, and you should be fine.

The threads on bows are all imperial sizes, I forget the thread for the bow sights mount, but you local archery shop should be able to sort you out

I hope this helps

Nathan

Thanks for the advice.

My draw length is 28.5 inches (im 5'10" 17.5stones), i have been shooting my bow in the back garden and have no problem shooting 60+ arrows (the most i have shot in one session so far due to the wonders of british weather).

I'll give the draw and hold for a minute thing a go and see how i do.

Can you recommend any good books on archery technique etc as there are some very conflicting views in the online research i have done and none of the info i have found really goes in to technique in any depth.

Thanks again for the help

Ratfighter

There are a couple of NFAS clubs out in your rough area Magna Carta (Staines), Fleet Ibex (Farnham). They might e more accommodating.

The problem when teaching your selves are two fold, lack of insurance and the practise of bad habits that can take years to remove. You might well feel more than capable of pulling the bow but at what cost for technique and development.

Believe me I know that it is frustrating for people wanting to join the sport to have to wait and the problem lies with the fact that you are at the discretion of volunteers. I used to coach for a popular midlands club. There were 5 people capable and qualified to do so, the trouble was 3 of the others always had reasons why they couldn't. So it began to seem that the only reason we went to practise was for others, hence the progression towards fixed dates for courses.

I personally would shop about, there are many clubs out there, once trained, you don't have to stay with them. You might have to demonstrate your competency to others but that would be about it.

All the best and good luck!

Dawn

Hi Nathan

All good advice here from Mjollnir

I shoot NFAS field archery, we tend to run beginners courses when we have around 4 people wanting to learn then taylor the days/times etc to them

The only problem with this is the first couple of poeple to apply do have to wait until we have a couple more, but we can often persuade them to bring a mate along to learn with them

We do also provide bows etc. for beginners to use (I think most clubs do) as its difficult to know what to buy until you have learnt the basics and tried a few different options

This is the NFAS (National Field Archery Society) website

www.nfas.net

There are a couple of NFAS clubs around your area here are their websites

http://www.fleetibex.com/index.htm

http://www.magnacarta-archery.co.uk/

hope you find this useful

Mjollnir

Haha imediately everyone tries to turn you to the NFAS side

CaptainBeaky

Hi Nathan

Your best bet for the screws is to ring Quicks and ask them! I bought a bow recently for SWMBO (own brand, from Quicks), and the sight block screws are some odd American thread. And yes, I had to ask then to find out what it was, as I didn't have anything to fit from quite a vast stock of fairly esoteric sizes.

Also, ditto what Ratty says about the draw-weight - you need to learn the technique on something a bit lighter, so you are less likely to a. damage something or b. develop bad habits (more likely).

Liam

Have you thought about trying field archery Nathan - List of clubs here

edit *Dawn's beat me too it

Mjollnir

Nathan

thanks for all the advice guys, its great to find a really helpful forum where you can have a laugh

CaptainBeaky

That's the one - 3/18", and I think it's UNS.

They're NOT Imperial threads! These are the Unified standards agreed between the UK, US and Canada in the late 1940's, so that everyone used the same sizes, instead of UK and Canada using Imperial (Whitworth, BSW, BSF, BA etc) and the US using NC, NF and NEF.

That said, you can still buy all these thread types - I remember using 6BA bolts to hold engines into model aircraft when I was a nipper.

I just wish everyone would grow up and stick to metric threads!

Mjollnir

CaptainBeaky

There's also UNEF, but I've never seen anything that uses these sizes