How long to GB?

not dead yet

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Ironman
do you think someone can pick up a bow, be taught the principles, shoot everyday or most days because they dont have to go to work. and under their own steam. with no real coaching. shoot for GB in 18months...

pete
 
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John (OSF)

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do you think someone can pick up a bow, be taught the principles, shoot everyday or most days because they dont have to go to work. and under their own steam. with no real coaching. shoot for GB in 18months...

pete
..... multiple cans detected!!!!
 

sp220

Active member
well thanks sp220, asw. decent answers

can i just add something off topic.


do you think someone can pick up a bow, be taught the principles, shoot everyday or most days because they dont have to go to work. and under their own steam. with no real coaching. shoot for GB in 18months...

pete
NDY

The answer from me to this question will change depending on the mood you catch me in.

Realistically the answer is "no" - and you can't use singular examples where people have done it to justify that you can, because just because one person did does not mean another can.

However - on the same note - anything is possible - yes a person could do it if they were extremely talented.... But just anyone could not do it. It would come down to a natural level of skill.
 

bimble

Well-known member
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Geena Davies (oscar winning actress) thought archery looked cool, took it up in '97 and tried out in '99 for the US olympic team. New York Times However, she hired one of the top coaches to train her and practiced six days a week. I seem to recall that she stipulated in her movie contracts that here had to be an area where she could practice on set!!

She had time and money and dediacation but was still unable to make the Syndey Olympics.
 

Little Miss Purple

The American
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American Shoot
define no real coaching!!!!

It only takes a few choice words from the right person to make the world of difference to your technique! I've never had a coach.. but the odd statement (often over a beer) has made marked improvements to my shooting AND everyone on here has the opportunity to glean some great tips & advice.. if you had all day / every day to try these tips you would find what works along the way! :beer:
 

Watch_Man

Active member
Wendy (archery Mum) from picking up compound bow to England Selection (17/1/08) less than 14 months. To first GB selection shoot slightly less time. She was one of 8 ladies to make GB Quali scores, 6 got to Lilleshall but the other ladies shot better than Wendy on the day.

Wendy is not a full time archer, we still have 2 children at home & school and 3 dogs !

The main factor was that she sought out professional coaching at the very start and listened to what she was taught, practicing it religeously each training session. She also had the support of a great club and fellow club members who have been 100% behind her all the way.
 

King Custard

New member
do you think someone can pick up a bow, be taught the principles, shoot everyday or most days because they dont have to go to work. and under their own steam. with no real coaching. shoot for GB in 18months...

pete
Well I almost qualify for the above, shooting 3-4 days out of 7 to some extent ( though not always a full round ), I've read and watched everything I can get my hands on, gleaned all I can, and am at the two year mark.

That gives me one more year and a few months to make team selection status, pro-rata with the question

under my own steam? without some proper coaching, analysis and feedback, financial aid or sponsorship, and so on?

Nah
 

Whitehart

Well-known member
Just a thought, initially I said yes in another thread but thinking about it more it would depend on when they started to be able to get the qualifying scores and if they were going for indoor or out.

Are we talking recurve or compound, target or Field?

If it is considered possible is it belittling the efforts of all our current full time archers on the GB squad, who have been at it for a longer time than 18 months refining their technique for those extra points.

It's probably one thing getting the qualifying scores to compete for shoot off places yet harder to actually break in to the squad because of a lack of experience under these testing conditions. I think performances would have to be a lot better than the existing members for the coach to take a chance that the archer did not go to pieces under the pressure.

I guess one of the reasons why some of our younger archers are getting a trip to Beijing to experience the environment they might have to shoot in in 2012.
 
A

ASW1973

Guest
have achieved from start to international team in 4yrs or less 11 times in 10 years of coaching so i stand by what i said in the other post it is about 1 in 20 chance if the archer has the time and the inclination
 

geoffretired

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Moving from beginner to anything better, requires moving down one of the right paths.Getting on to one and staying on the same one is not as easy as drifting form one thing to another.To stay on course with no coaching would be possible but very unlikely, I feel. Even reading books and other sound sources, is no guarantee that the messages will have been correctly understood by the reader.It would be nice to think it is possible; I'd be full of admiration too.
 
A

ASW1973

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that is 1 in 20 with coaching. i would give odds of over 1000 to 1 without structured help
 

wanshu

New member
do you think someone can pick up a bow, be taught the principles, shoot everyday or most days because they dont have to go to work. and under their own steam. with no real coaching. shoot for GB in 18months...

pete
Anything is possible and we should never discount the occasional special individual with a natural talents for archery. Archers who come along and shoot better than everyone else with minimal coaching. Like Ducks to water so to speak.

I actually hate putting people into time-frame boxes that state they can only achieve it in X time. We are all individuals and I feel that archers should always strive to help those with natural ability to reach their potential at whatever rate suits them. Most of us have something to offer. Not just coaches. Good guidance and good relevant information is always helpful no matter who it comes from. IMHO it's a good attitude to have in helping anyone achieve.

I believe that our own experiences of how long it takes to reach a good standard are only relelvant to us and should never be forced onto others, it's not an apprenticeship after all.
Wendy, Archery Mum is a classic example of what can be achieved in a short time. I think that Wendy has shown everyone that with good focus and dilligent practice plus time for GOOD practice....plus I'm sure a there is bit of magic in there too. The time frame from beginner to GB team can be shortened greatly as above.
 

Watch_Man

Active member
It's probably one thing getting the qualifying scores to compete for shoot off places yet harder to actually break in to the squad because of a lack of experience under these testing conditions.
That is exactly what Wendy found at the GB qualifying. It was totally new to her and she had never even done a Head 2 Head before. However what she learnt at the GB Quali's she was able to take to the National Indoors.

Until you have actually had to compete in the H2H high pressure situation I don't think you will know if you will be able to shoot at the highest level as a member of GBR.
 

Robin the Hood

New member
do you think someone can pick up a bow, be taught the principles, shoot everyday or most days because they dont have to go to work. and under their own steam. with no real coaching. shoot for GB in 18months...

pete
Have you been laid off Pete?.:scratchch........
Are you hallucinating again?..:mind-blow.......
WOW! that's some dream..:bang:...

Paul... :laughing:
 

Yorker

New member
It depends on the archer, the coach, everything. There is only so much you can take on and only so much you can do in a set time.
The archer would need to be able to learn very fast, adapt very fast, be in physically exceptional health with a large amount of GPP and strength already present.

Then the coach would have to have the ability to teach them at this rate and be able to take them all the way from day 1 to olympic tryout day.

Probability... very very low.
 

Little Miss Purple

The American
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Ironman
American Shoot
It depends on the archer, the coach, everything. There is only so much you can take on and only so much you can do in a set time.
The archer would need to be able to learn very fast, adapt very fast, be in physically exceptional health with a large amount of GPP and strength already present.

Then the coach would have to have the ability to teach them at this rate and be able to take them all the way from day 1 to olympic tryout day.

Probability... very very low.

the question was....with little coaching :beer:
 

bkupris

Supporter
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do you think someone can pick up a bow, be taught the principles, shoot everyday or most days because they dont have to go to work. and under their own steam. with no real coaching. shoot for GB in 18months...

pete
Nothings impossible but that would be one hell of an accomplishment! I would ask that person to please lay their hands on me :)
 

not dead yet

New member
Ironman
Geena Davies (oscar winning actress) thought archery looked cool, took it up in '97 and tried out in '99 for the US olympic team. New York Times However, she hired one of the top coaches to train her and practiced six days a week. I seem to recall that she stipulated in her movie contracts that here had to be an area where she could practice on set!!

She had time and money and dediacation but was still unable to make the Syndey Olympics.
the man who coached her was don rabska, and she didn't hire him...

she lost out by a few points nothing more
 

not dead yet

New member
Ironman
watchman ...wendy had a proffessional coach.
so that doesn't count.

i will tell the story on sat.night on this thread.

i t galls me but ....i'll tell you then

compound outdoor target when we were on small ten in early 90's
 
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