Friday, January 11, 2013

My first class of archery

I finally got to touch a bow!
Mine was purple though.
For many people, they touch a bow when their younger but this Wednesday, I touched and used a bow for the first time! We are learning archery during school (for the last days of Fitness for Life) and it was pretty nerve racking. I also felt kinda bad since I've never been to scouts or camp. (That's where most people learned archery.)

We first had to take an exam on the "11 Steps to Archery" before even touching an equipment. It was super easy (plus the answers on the other side of the gym) and so were the whistle commands. I just failed miserably at shooting. xD


I was one of the last people in our group to shoot and I pretty much failed. The last step of archery is "Follow Through/Reflect." Well, here's my reflection:

  • I made one shot into the blue zone.
  • Two of my arrows bounced off the foam targets.
  • I missed the target entirely once.
  • I hit the foam but nowhere near the circle.
So in other words... I need a lot more work to do. But for being a beginner, this is good, right?

I just need to have confidence that I can pull it back all the way along with remembering to aim. (I kinda forgot that once. xD) Plus, it took me forever just to get the nock on. I really enjoy archery and everything but as of now, I AM A FAILURE AT ARCHERY! Yay for failing at something new! xD

Hopefully, I can become as great as these amazing archers. (They aren't all real but, they are my why I love archery!)




Of course, I was joking about failing. I am not giving up quite yet. It was just my first time so I can't expect to be perfect. (I just feel humiliated, that's all.) With a little more practice and confidence that something bad won't happen, then I'll be great!... I hope.

So, how was your first time at archery? Were you a failure like me? Comment to tell me!
♥Petpet, in hopes to be a better archer!

3 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Why, thank thee, Coolgyal!

      I shall try my best!

      Delete
  2. That's great Petpet! I hope you'll like archery. Don't worry about missing the target; most beginners do. What is the draw weight of the bow you are using, and what distance are you shooting at?

    When I first got to use a bow, it was at a friend's birthday party when I was about 7 or 8 y.o. Well, nobody hit the candy-filled balloons which were the targets except for one kid who was a little older (the balloons never popped though).
    My second chance was at a Renaissance Fair 2-1/2 years ago where they held a competition. I had three shots at a distance of about 10 feet (atrociously close). Not used to archery, I didn't pull very hard on the first shot and it landed at the very bottom of the 3-foot target, but was centered. On the second shot I pulled harder and aimed higher--this time the arrow was centered in the red zone above the bulls-eye. On the last shot I aimed a little lower and got a bulls-eye. Remember though, that was only at 10 feet with probably a 20 lb longbow. I got a little more of a realistic try when I got to go to a longbow tournament. I got to use a bow when the archers went on break. The bow I used that time was a 30-35 lb longbow and I shot at 10 and 20 yards (or 30 and 60 feet). I got three bulls-eyes, but I also completely missed the target a few times at the longer range. In fact, one arrow squarely hit one of the supporting legs of the target, and another punched a hole into a clipboard that was at the base of the same leg (oops)! It was fun though, and I didn't do too badly. One important point I want to make though (two, actually): first, finding and retrieving arrows in grassy ground is tricky and takes quite a bit of care! Secondly, arrows can pack just as much punch as bullets, and can easily travel distances greater than 100 yards--never allow anyone to stand in front of the line from which you are standing while you are shooting or while you have a loaded bow, no matter what range they are at.

    ReplyDelete

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