My archery experience

When you think archery one of the first things that come to mind is probably Katness Everdeen and The Hunger Games, or if you have smaller children, Disney’s animated movie Brave. These action-packed movies make archery seem like an intense adrenaline sport, but what’s it like in real life?

This month I was lucky enough to get a free archery lesson as a part of my job. On the website I work for, Moneybags, we run a 'This month I tried' section. So this month I decided to try archery. It is always something that I have wanted to do and I finally had the opportunity.

The basics of what you see in the movies are true enough, nock the arrow, draw it back, aim and let go. However, the focus and concentration needed are not quite depicted on the silver screen. Archery is a sport that requires concentration, calm and patience, it is not the adrenaline packed, fast-paced experience that you may expect.

My morning spent at the archery range at the Protea Sports Club in Retreat, Cape Town, was tranquil. I was taught the basics of how the bow works (note: never pull back the bowstring and release it unless there is an arrow nocked, as it can damage the bow over time).

While the explanations were insightful and interesting, I also thoroughly enjoyed the morning. And I wasn’t the only novice on the field. A short distance away were a group of young girls there to celebrate a ten year old birthday party.

I spent about an hour nocking arrows, taking aim at the target and releasing. I am pleased to say I hit the target every time, even getting a few bulls eyes. However, it is a very repetitive sport. The actions are the same, and once you find the correct actions that get you hitting the target on point every time, you simply repeat it.

The fact that I hit the target every time was probably in part to do with the distance I was standing to the target. I was only a few metres from the target (ten at most), while the experts and competitors usually stand at about 70 metres from the target. However, I was still pleased with myself considering it was the first time I had ever held a bow, never mind shot off an arrow.

Despite the protective arm guard that I had on, I still managed to get a huge bruise on my one arm where the bowstring hit my arm as I release the arrow. My instructor, Karen Hultzer (who herself was in the South African London Olympic team for archery) noted that it was common for archers to get a bruise on the side of their arm.

I would suggest that if you decide to try archery for yourself you make sure you wear sunblock. I had on and I still got a little sunburnt.

It was an amazing experience and definitely something that I would want to do again.

#archery #sport #newexperience