There is so much to talk about from this weekend, I do not know where to start! Between my practice, my daughters first lesson, and my husband getting his first bow this will make for a fun write up. Oh, well there I go, I wrote it. blog done. tee hee.
No, seriously, it was a crazy weekend of archery. Well, it was a crazy Sunday of archery.
No, seriously, it was a crazy weekend of archery. Well, it was a crazy Sunday of archery.
Sunday SCA archery practice was entertaining. Our usual Barony group *Gyldenholt* was complemented with a visit from some of the Lyondemere archers as well. It was pretty fantastic to see 5 targets set up and being peppered with dozens of arrows. Great shooting too! I tip my proverbial hat to the archers at practice this last Sunday, there were so many bullseyes that one of the target butts was destroyed.
My shooting? Well, not quite as epic. I did decently though, well enough that for the first time >ever< I joined in for the royal rounds. during the first hour or so I stayed at 20 yards. I managed to do 3 rounds in a row with all the arrows in the target butt, and several in the yellow. So I tried a round at 30 yards before the scored rounds started. Success! I did not break any more arrows!! Woohoo! This is a big deal, because the last time I tried 30 yards I killed 2 arrows and it was depressing.
I did not do very well in the scored rounds, but the fact that I was brave enough to try is significant. I got a whopping 18 points. Zero at 40 yards, 2 at 30 yards, 6 at 20 yards, and 8 with 5 arrows in the speed round. I think, I did not write it down, but it was recorded by our Range Marshal, I trust he has it right. Cannot really go down from there, only up right?
My shooting? Well, not quite as epic. I did decently though, well enough that for the first time >ever< I joined in for the royal rounds. during the first hour or so I stayed at 20 yards. I managed to do 3 rounds in a row with all the arrows in the target butt, and several in the yellow. So I tried a round at 30 yards before the scored rounds started. Success! I did not break any more arrows!! Woohoo! This is a big deal, because the last time I tried 30 yards I killed 2 arrows and it was depressing.
I did not do very well in the scored rounds, but the fact that I was brave enough to try is significant. I got a whopping 18 points. Zero at 40 yards, 2 at 30 yards, 6 at 20 yards, and 8 with 5 arrows in the speed round. I think, I did not write it down, but it was recorded by our Range Marshal, I trust he has it right. Cannot really go down from there, only up right?
A first lesson for my eldest daughter. We signed her up for a group lesson after she showed so much interest last week. OC Archery in Fountain Valley CA has a wonderful staff. They have several instructors for their group and individual lessons. Even though she was in the group lesson, a delightfully kind young woman spent the entire lesson with my daughter.
She is definitely left handed with archery. She writes and draws with her right hand, so this might surprise some folks. However her father is left handed, so it works for me. She also naturally swings a bat left handed.
Throughout the hour lesson, every time she stepped up to shoot she got this excited lit up smile on her face. It was so stinking adorable that I forgot to take a picture of it. I got a few pics at the beginning of the lesson. She did really well! Obviously she needs to practice and get her form set. But she paid attention to her instructor, kept her elbow up and killed 4 balloons. She killed more balloons than anyone else in her group.
She definitely has difficulty nocking the arrow. So we have begun practicing that at home. She is already improving on that, mostly it is just figuring out where to hold the arrows while nocking it. So we work on lifting the arrow correctly, setting it on the rest and holding it while she gets the nock onto the string. We are also working on her steps for drawing, giving her a mental checklist for her bow arm and draw arm being correct.
She is so excited about archery. I think we found a sport for her! We explained that if she stays interested we will help her get stronger so that she can have a better bow and other things she needs. I think I will budget her individual lessons in the near future so she can continue to learn and improve with a professional. If she loses interest in a few months, thats ok, but i truely hope she sticks with this.
She is definitely left handed with archery. She writes and draws with her right hand, so this might surprise some folks. However her father is left handed, so it works for me. She also naturally swings a bat left handed.
Throughout the hour lesson, every time she stepped up to shoot she got this excited lit up smile on her face. It was so stinking adorable that I forgot to take a picture of it. I got a few pics at the beginning of the lesson. She did really well! Obviously she needs to practice and get her form set. But she paid attention to her instructor, kept her elbow up and killed 4 balloons. She killed more balloons than anyone else in her group.
She definitely has difficulty nocking the arrow. So we have begun practicing that at home. She is already improving on that, mostly it is just figuring out where to hold the arrows while nocking it. So we work on lifting the arrow correctly, setting it on the rest and holding it while she gets the nock onto the string. We are also working on her steps for drawing, giving her a mental checklist for her bow arm and draw arm being correct.
She is so excited about archery. I think we found a sport for her! We explained that if she stays interested we will help her get stronger so that she can have a better bow and other things she needs. I think I will budget her individual lessons in the near future so she can continue to learn and improve with a professional. If she loses interest in a few months, thats ok, but i truely hope she sticks with this.
My husband got a bow! After my daughters lesson I took the girls over to Prehistoric Pets to see all the reptiles, and my hubbystayed at the archery shop to make some inquiries about a bow for himself. We have been trying to figure out what would work for him. Because he is left handed, the choices are somewhat more limited as to what is "in stock" in most shops. Add that to the fact that he is over 6 ft tall, has a draw of 31 1/2 inches, and in the SCA we use traditional bows... Well, you can see why we are a bit frustrated.
Eventually, if he decided to stick with archery, I hope to get him a very nice custom bow that can be used for "period" medieval competition. For now though, just getting him started with a bow that will work for him was the big obstacle. He can use it for SCA, because it is a basic recurve. But the limbs are made from fiberglass (or whatever modern bows are made from) To get him into a 66inch bow, they gave him a huge riser, it's about 25 inches. Then the limbs were added. So he now has a left handed, 66inch 35# bow. It is a PSE brand, Razorback
It was an early fathersday gift. Now we just need to get him some decent arrows. Woody's of course. lol Since my set is long for me, he can use those with me for a few weeks until I get everything I need to make him a set of his own. At least I hope so, Mine might even be too short for him. Since he wont be shooting at SCA events for a while, we are not in a hurry. We both agree that SCA archery can be mostly my thing for now, as it gives me time away from my munchkins. We will do a family practice mid week every week together.
Eventually, if he decided to stick with archery, I hope to get him a very nice custom bow that can be used for "period" medieval competition. For now though, just getting him started with a bow that will work for him was the big obstacle. He can use it for SCA, because it is a basic recurve. But the limbs are made from fiberglass (or whatever modern bows are made from) To get him into a 66inch bow, they gave him a huge riser, it's about 25 inches. Then the limbs were added. So he now has a left handed, 66inch 35# bow. It is a PSE brand, Razorback
It was an early fathersday gift. Now we just need to get him some decent arrows. Woody's of course. lol Since my set is long for me, he can use those with me for a few weeks until I get everything I need to make him a set of his own. At least I hope so, Mine might even be too short for him. Since he wont be shooting at SCA events for a while, we are not in a hurry. We both agree that SCA archery can be mostly my thing for now, as it gives me time away from my munchkins. We will do a family practice mid week every week together.
What makes a "period" or traditional medieval bow? Just a brief bit.
Examples of traditional bows would be English long bows, Mongolian horse bows, the Japanese Yumi. The Flat bow is also an example of what might have been used in primitive archery.
In the SCA folks are allowed *depending on each Kingdoms rules* to use pretty much any bow that does not have pully systems, target sights or counterweights. So modern recurves are fine.
- Natural materials: Horn, bone, sinew, wood, linen, natural fiber strings, and of course natural wood arrows.
- design: No shelf or arrow rest. No pistol grip. No modern accessories such as sights, counter weights or pully systems for let off.
Examples of traditional bows would be English long bows, Mongolian horse bows, the Japanese Yumi. The Flat bow is also an example of what might have been used in primitive archery.
In the SCA folks are allowed *depending on each Kingdoms rules* to use pretty much any bow that does not have pully systems, target sights or counterweights. So modern recurves are fine.