I normally shoot Olympic recurve and have had a tricky year after a forced change from left to right handed - as such I'm always up for a bit of distraction from what I'm suppose to be doing!
When a friend mentioned they were going for an nfas assessment at a local 3d course this week, I asked if I could go along for a laugh and some light relief from the grind of chasing perfect recurve form and ever tighter groups at 20 yards.
So off we went, on a glorious autumn day, me with my recurve barebow and my mate with his bodnik warrior, and had the most amazing day of archery I've ever experienced!
It was so great just to look at the target, draw and shoot, rather than worrying about technique (beyond the obvious) or getting through a clicker - simply fixing on the target and throwing an arrow at it, no more. The course was a wonderful place to be, our guide/instructor was a great bloke and put us at ease and made the whole experience thoroughly enjoyable and interesting. I had been struggling with my left eye dominance and string alignment at sighted recurve (I keep both eye open), but with the sight removed I just shot what I saw and it was magical, like I'd just had blinkers removed and could suddenly see a wider world.
I had expected the session to take an hour or so, not realising there would be 40 (!) targets, and taking our time, receiving advice and ground rules along the way, stopping for lunch, made it four hours of fresh air and fun.
I loved that every shot was different, even at the same target as we moved to the next peg on missing, so there was no getting hung up on repetition and the relative success or failure of every shot compared to the last. I loved the general chat and company we had along the way, I loved the huge satisfaction of hitting a kill or wound zone, even if it wasn't quite where I'd been aiming (but especially when it was!). I enjoyed the mud, shooting uphill, shooting down, the sun in my eyes, just... everything that made it feel less sterile and fussy than a normal shooting session. Even the occasional silence was enjoyable as the sounds of the stream and the trees took over (you'd think I don't get out much wouldn't you!). It was just so markedly different and I was gobsmacked by the whole thing.
The NFAS form went off the same day, and I can't wait to join the club properly and get back up to the woods and do it again (and again). I'll be getting a one piece recurve and wooden arrows to shoot there, for an even greater escape from everything target as I know it.
I started shooting 3 years ago with a longbow in a friend's field for some peace and fresh air. I think I lost sight of that simple pleasure as I became more of a perfectionist, although I have thoroughly enjoyed working my way up through classifications and achievements, but this week I have rediscovered my archery roots and then some.
When a friend mentioned they were going for an nfas assessment at a local 3d course this week, I asked if I could go along for a laugh and some light relief from the grind of chasing perfect recurve form and ever tighter groups at 20 yards.
So off we went, on a glorious autumn day, me with my recurve barebow and my mate with his bodnik warrior, and had the most amazing day of archery I've ever experienced!
It was so great just to look at the target, draw and shoot, rather than worrying about technique (beyond the obvious) or getting through a clicker - simply fixing on the target and throwing an arrow at it, no more. The course was a wonderful place to be, our guide/instructor was a great bloke and put us at ease and made the whole experience thoroughly enjoyable and interesting. I had been struggling with my left eye dominance and string alignment at sighted recurve (I keep both eye open), but with the sight removed I just shot what I saw and it was magical, like I'd just had blinkers removed and could suddenly see a wider world.
I had expected the session to take an hour or so, not realising there would be 40 (!) targets, and taking our time, receiving advice and ground rules along the way, stopping for lunch, made it four hours of fresh air and fun.
I loved that every shot was different, even at the same target as we moved to the next peg on missing, so there was no getting hung up on repetition and the relative success or failure of every shot compared to the last. I loved the general chat and company we had along the way, I loved the huge satisfaction of hitting a kill or wound zone, even if it wasn't quite where I'd been aiming (but especially when it was!). I enjoyed the mud, shooting uphill, shooting down, the sun in my eyes, just... everything that made it feel less sterile and fussy than a normal shooting session. Even the occasional silence was enjoyable as the sounds of the stream and the trees took over (you'd think I don't get out much wouldn't you!). It was just so markedly different and I was gobsmacked by the whole thing.
The NFAS form went off the same day, and I can't wait to join the club properly and get back up to the woods and do it again (and again). I'll be getting a one piece recurve and wooden arrows to shoot there, for an even greater escape from everything target as I know it.
I started shooting 3 years ago with a longbow in a friend's field for some peace and fresh air. I think I lost sight of that simple pleasure as I became more of a perfectionist, although I have thoroughly enjoyed working my way up through classifications and achievements, but this week I have rediscovered my archery roots and then some.