Now, archery is meant to be fun and all, but whenever I see someone do this, I cringe.
For many people, their first and only archery experience
is that one time they've been on camp.
I've been critical about these archery sessions before,
and in a nutshell, they'll give you a bow and a few arrows so you can spend an hour
shooting somewhere down at the targets,
and they make a buck from it.
Understandably, most camps and fun parks aren't dedicated archery clubs.
Meaning they have minimal or no archery training.
Instead, they treat archery like mini golf.
Requiring no skill and missing is half the fun.
The difference, however, is that most people know that mini golf is mindless fun.
But archery can become a painful and frustrating experience.
So for those of you who want a head start on a casual archery activity
or you're trying the sport out for the first time at a club
this video will give out a few quick basic tips that will make you look like you've done
it before.
Firstly, let's look at stance.
Position yourself so that you are in line with the target
with your feet at a comfortable shoulder width.
Some people like shooting with a slightly open stance but either way works.
Keep your weight evenly distributed and your legs straight throughout the entire shot.
Pro tip
Keep your feet still when loading and shooting.
Don't shuffle around or else you'll forget your stance.
Seriously, I've seen people take diagonal steps backwards every time they drew the bow.
Next, gently grip the bow.
Keep the hand relaxed so that it sits comfortably.
Avoid choking the life out of the bow.
Nock the arrow by clipping it onto the string.
It should stay on the string by itself and should look roughly like this.
Warning: many sites don't maintain their bows.
The string might not have the thick serving material to clip the nock onto or the nocks
might be split.
If the arrow doesn't stay on the string and you need to use your fingers to keep it on
the rest
it's not particularly safe to shoot and you definitely won't hit anything.
Some places will insist that it's okay and to be fair, it's not exactly a life-threatening
risk.
However, it's a definite way to kill the fun factor and it makes the activity rather pointless.
Now for your other hand.
Hopefully you're provided with a finger tab or a plastic guard.
It's likely that you won't get any finger protection at all.
If that's the case, that's okay.
These place usually have very low poundage bows which means you won't hurt yourself.
However, if you shoot for a prolonged amount of time, your fingers may get a bit sore.
Use three fingers to hook onto the string.
The standard method is one above, two below.
But some places will tell you to use three under.
Which makes it slightly easier for a novice to aim.
Don't pinch the nock. Keep the string just past the first joint
and keep the back of the hand flat.
Don't curl your hand or show knuckles.
The next bit is quite important.
Rotate your bow elbow outwards.
Among other things, it'll prevent the string from slapping your arm.
Doing so isn't bad, but it'll sting, and you probably won't be given an arm guard if you're
at a fun park.
Now for the draw.
Raise the bow before you pull the string back.
Don't pull from the ground up
and do not point the bow skyward.
Keep your drawing elbow up and use your back muscles.
Most importantly, do not be scared of the bow.
Keep your front shoulder down and don't let it pop up.
You should have this T shape with your body.
Keep your head straight.
Resist the urge to tilt to aim.
Pull the string all the way to your face. Again, don't be scared.
If you don't get a full draw, the arrow is going to flop a few feet in front of you.
Set your anchor.
This is usually against your jaw but the cheek is okay,
as long as you use the same place each time.
Now, how do you aim?
You don't.
Archery is an instinctive action.
You need to feel where the shot will go.
So don't try too hard to get a bead on the target.
If you are using the point of the arrow as a reference, a rule of thumb is to aim lower
than you think you would.
This is because the arrow is naturally angled upwards from your perspective.
There is a gap between your arrow and your line of sight.
It's common for first-timers to send their arrow way over the top because of this.
When you're ready, release the string by relaxing your fingers.
Avoid plucking it.
And if you do miss, that's okay. That's half the fun.
Warning: a lot of people who first pick up a bow will pull it back and do a mock shot.
DO NOT DO THIS.
This is called dry firing.
If you shoot a bow without an arrow, you will damage the bow.
These points are usually the first things that an archer will learn
when they begin training.
Your first-time experience may vary depending on the training of the staff.
If they are fully trained and competent,
they will usually tell you the same things I told you.
If they aren't trained, it's still a fun casual activity and nothing bad will happen.
Of course, these tips will not make you an expert archer.
But hopefully you'll be more confident in not embarrassing yourself on your first day.
Safe shooting, and enjoy your archery.