Today was sunny and relatively warm, so I was looking forward to an evening's shooting. Again, the evening's round was a Warwick, dictated by the time of sunset. However, that chilly easterly wind was back with a vengeance to cool the extremities.
The Warwick round is two dozen arrows at each of 60yds and 50yds, so you barely have chance to settle into your stride before changing distance. Although I did have a sight mark for 50yds, the change in distance produced a dip in score, which didn't get any better in the last dozen.
Scores apart, I felt relatively settled and had some reasonable groupings on some ends, but with the odd outlier bringing the totals down somewhat. At the end of the round I was pleasantly surprised to find that I had chalked-up another PB, 46 points higher than my previous best. It was also a PB in terms of handicap, so that should bring my running handicap down somewhat, too.
It was still light on the drive home so I suspect that there will be some longer evening rounds in the coming weeks.
Tuesday 30 April 2013
Monday 29 April 2013
One Windsor Last Week, Different Windsor This Week
From Windsor (the town with the castle) last week, Saturday saw me attempting my first Windsor round. This is by far the longest round I have yet attempted, with three dozen arrows each at 60yds, 50yds and 40yds; 108 in all. I was back to using 24lb limbs, having received my replacements from Archery World on Friday (I cannot fault their customer service and quick turn-around) so I decided to attempt the full distance rather than the lesser Short Windsor. These replacement limbs are definitely a looser fit in the riser compared to the cracked pair I returned, and are much easier to insert - more like the pair I had borrowed - so I suspect that there was some problem with tolerances on the original pair. For the last couple of shoots I have been using one of the club's long rod stabilizers and decided to go with the same one again, but did change to a longer one mid-round.
Once again I did not have sight marks for 60yds with my bow in its current configuration, so I had to make an educated guess from previous figures. What I was fairly confident of was that the sight needed to be fairly close to the riser otherwise I would run out of downward adjustment, so I used the second hole from the front. At shorter distances I can get away with using the third hole and, as I go up in draw weight I expect to be able to move the sight further from the riser to improve accuracy.
The first couple of sighters allowed me to adjust my sight sufficiently to hit the boss and the remainder used to do some fine tuning. At 60yds the variations in my technique seem to be more significant than any changes in sight adjustment so I left the vertical adjustment well alone. However, I did need to adjust the left/right position of the sight pin to bring the arrows in from the left.
The three dozen at 60yds went fairly well, considering that I had only attempted this distance a couple of times before, with an equal number of hits and misses. However, I totally lacked consistency with scores for each dozen being 24, 41 then 10. The change of distance to 50yds and the lack of an existing sight mark certainly had an effect with the first half dozen scoring only 26. I did manage to pull myself up somewhat later in the round with the second and third dozens scoring 64 then 46. My performance at 40yds was not really much better than 50yds, despite the change in distance, with the last three dozen scoring 46, 62 and 53, respectively. My final score of 372 has a handicap equivalent of 67, which is above my PB, but not totally out of the ball-park.
The word which comes very much to mind with this round is 'consistency' (or, more correctly inconsistency). Given that I have only been shooting for a few weeks, perhaps I shouldn't be too hard on myself, but I need to improve my repeatability and consistency now that I have a fairly settled equipment set-up. (I have a long-rod stabilizer on order, but that should hopefully improve rather than reduce the situation). On a more positive note, I did post a couple of decent dozens at 60yds and 50yds so I just need to reproduce this a little more often - and perhaps not change the equipment mid-round!
Once again I did not have sight marks for 60yds with my bow in its current configuration, so I had to make an educated guess from previous figures. What I was fairly confident of was that the sight needed to be fairly close to the riser otherwise I would run out of downward adjustment, so I used the second hole from the front. At shorter distances I can get away with using the third hole and, as I go up in draw weight I expect to be able to move the sight further from the riser to improve accuracy.
The first couple of sighters allowed me to adjust my sight sufficiently to hit the boss and the remainder used to do some fine tuning. At 60yds the variations in my technique seem to be more significant than any changes in sight adjustment so I left the vertical adjustment well alone. However, I did need to adjust the left/right position of the sight pin to bring the arrows in from the left.
The three dozen at 60yds went fairly well, considering that I had only attempted this distance a couple of times before, with an equal number of hits and misses. However, I totally lacked consistency with scores for each dozen being 24, 41 then 10. The change of distance to 50yds and the lack of an existing sight mark certainly had an effect with the first half dozen scoring only 26. I did manage to pull myself up somewhat later in the round with the second and third dozens scoring 64 then 46. My performance at 40yds was not really much better than 50yds, despite the change in distance, with the last three dozen scoring 46, 62 and 53, respectively. My final score of 372 has a handicap equivalent of 67, which is above my PB, but not totally out of the ball-park.
The word which comes very much to mind with this round is 'consistency' (or, more correctly inconsistency). Given that I have only been shooting for a few weeks, perhaps I shouldn't be too hard on myself, but I need to improve my repeatability and consistency now that I have a fairly settled equipment set-up. (I have a long-rod stabilizer on order, but that should hopefully improve rather than reduce the situation). On a more positive note, I did post a couple of decent dozens at 60yds and 50yds so I just need to reproduce this a little more often - and perhaps not change the equipment mid-round!
Wednesday 24 April 2013
Warm Evening, Junior Warwick
Tuesday was such a lovely day here that it would have been absolutely criminal not to be outside enjoying the evening sunshine and shooting a few arrows. At the moment the light fades around 8pm local time, so there is only time for a short round, so a Warwick was in order. Although I have shot a couple of standard Warwick rounds (60yds/50yds), I was using a set of borrowed 22lb limbs (my own had been returned for replacement after finding a crack at the weekend) so I decided to join the youngsters on a Junior Warwick (40yds/30yds).
I made a pretty good start, being able to call 9-9-9 for the first three scoring arrows and generally maintained a reasonable average per end. I did have a slight dip immediately after the move forward to 30yds because of the lack of a sight mark at this distance, but managed to claw it back on the last dozen.
On one end my arrows were going consistently left. The reason was pointed out by someone who has noticed that my feet had not been in line with the target, but one was further forward than the other. I put this right on the next end!
We had a lovely sunset and finished in the twilight, still warm for a change. My final score was 277, which is a PB for this distance and double my previous best score. Pleased? You bet!
I am hoping my replacement limbs arrive in time for shooting on Saturday. Their initial delivery was. Quick so my fingers are crossed.
I made a pretty good start, being able to call 9-9-9 for the first three scoring arrows and generally maintained a reasonable average per end. I did have a slight dip immediately after the move forward to 30yds because of the lack of a sight mark at this distance, but managed to claw it back on the last dozen.
On one end my arrows were going consistently left. The reason was pointed out by someone who has noticed that my feet had not been in line with the target, but one was further forward than the other. I put this right on the next end!
We had a lovely sunset and finished in the twilight, still warm for a change. My final score was 277, which is a PB for this distance and double my previous best score. Pleased? You bet!
I am hoping my replacement limbs arrive in time for shooting on Saturday. Their initial delivery was. Quick so my fingers are crossed.
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| View from the field (Photo credit: Mark Carne) |
Tuning, Equipment Failure and Royalty
The components for my new arrows arrived last Wednesday, but I had to wait until Thursday to do the assembly. I ordered eight shafts but fletched only seven, leaving one unfletched for tuning. Having helped Mrs EA assemble her arrows a few months ago, and repaired EA jnr's defletched shafts, I was fairly comfortable with the process.
I first glued the points into the shafts using hot-melt glue (having heated the points first over a gas flame), rotating them as I they were inserted to spread the glue evenly. Excess glue was wiped off while it was still warm. Next I inserted the nocks into the other end of the shaft. I didn't have a special tool to do this, but used a hex key sized to fit the notch in the nock to apply pressure an a little rotation until it seated correctly. Finally I attached the fletches using superglue (aluminium shafts so this is safe) and with the aid of a fletching jig. I always started with the cock vane (gold one for me), followed by the two hen vanes. I only had to discard one vane, which got stuck to the fletching jig.
At the Saturday club session, Andy kindly agreed to help me set up my bow for the new arrows. First we checked the alignment of the string and limbs using a pair of limb-line gauges and a Mark I eyeball, and found that there was a slight misalignment. Limb adjustment with my riser is achieved by rotating the eccentric-cammed posts after loosening the lock bolt. A special tool is provided to help hold it in place when the lock bolt is tightened. After a couple of cycles of adjustment we managed to align everything.
Next was the centre shot adjustment where the pressure button is moved so that the right side of the arrow is immediately adjacent to the left side of the string when viewed from behind and the string is aligned through the centre of the bow. A little adjustment was necessary to make this right.
I shot a few dozen arrows to get the feel of them before firing the unfletched arrow, which flew fairly straight down the range for about two-thirds the distance before veering off left and embedding itself into the adjacent boss. Bear in mind that this was from 30yds, which is not ideal for this type of tuning but with others on the practice range I had to live with it. Andy suggested that the clearance between the riser and the arrow looked a little tight, so we tried opening it up a little by adjusting the limb tips left, and extending the button, but this only resulted in the arrow tip being way out to the left until I was at full draw. Not surprisingly we subsequently adjusted back to where we were.
The remainder of the session I used to practice correct draw with the aim of getting some decent groupings, and this did get better over time. However, when taking down my bow at the end of the session, I noticed that the upper limb had developed a crack where it fits into the riser (see photo). On Monday I contacted online retailer to arrange for a return under warranty (they were two weeks old and only shot four or five times) and they were posted on Tuesday. I am hoping to have replacements for the weekend, but had to borrow a pair of limbs to shoot on Tuesday evening.
There was no archery for us on Sunday as both of our children were playing with their Scout & Guide band for the annual St George's Day celebration of Queens Scouts at Windsor Castle. EA Jnr plays trumpet and his sister plays clarinet, and they have both been with the band for just over two years. Mrs EA and I were lucky to get tickets to the Quadrangle in the castle where the review of Queens Scouts takes place. The event is normally attended by HM The Queen, but this time the review was taken by HRH The Duchess of Cambridge (a.k.a. Kate Middleton) and, as might be expected, the event was covered by TV and print media. Kate volunteers as as a cub scout leader near her home in Wales and she made the time to speak with as many of the scouts as possible in the time. The UK Chief Scout, Bear Grylls, spoke to others on parade. This was a lovely day out for us and something our children will remember for a long time.
EA Jnr at bottom
...and between two big-uns in the Quadrangle
HRH took time to talk with the Drum Major
Wednesday 17 April 2013
Small or Far Away?
Over the past few weeks I have graduated in distance from 10m at the start of the beginners course up to 20m indoors and 60yds on the outdoor field. Before last week, the furthest distance I had attempted was 50m in a Short Metric round, but at the weekend I attempted 60 yards for the first time in a Warwick round. 60yds is just under 55m so I was confident of reaching the target, but I was initially surprised that scoring seemed a little easier despite the increase in distance.
The reason, of course, is perfectly clear : the Short Metric round is shot on an 80cm face whereas the Warwick round is shot on a 122cm face. This got me thinking about how much easier it is to shoot at a larger face and how far away does a 122cm target need to be to look like an 80cm target at 50m? To answer these questions, I had to dig into my memory for some high school trigonometry and algebra, as well as some basic physics. Here is my take on the problem.
The eye and brain interpret the size of an object from the angle it makes at the objective (the eyeball), so the wider the angle, the larger it looks and vice versa. Imagine drawing lines from the outside edges of an object back to the eyeball - the angle between the lines defines how large the object looks. A larger object far away can appear to be the same size as a smaller object which is closer. Father Ted explains it well, but Fr. Dougal doesn't quite get it...
I calculated the theoretical angle at the eye for an 80cm target at 50m, and a 122cm target at 60yds (54.86m) with the following results:
80cm face at 50m : 0.92°
122cm face at 60yds : 1.27°
This means that the larger face at 60yds appears almost 40% larger than the smaller face at 50m. No wonder it seemed easier! What has really surprised me is how small these angles are.
The other question was how far away would a 122cm face need to be to look the same size as an 80cm face at 50m. Doing the maths (math for my North American readers!) gives a result of 76m/83yds, but I am nowhere near being able to shoot that far yet, so won't be testing the theory in practice for a while yet.
The reason, of course, is perfectly clear : the Short Metric round is shot on an 80cm face whereas the Warwick round is shot on a 122cm face. This got me thinking about how much easier it is to shoot at a larger face and how far away does a 122cm target need to be to look like an 80cm target at 50m? To answer these questions, I had to dig into my memory for some high school trigonometry and algebra, as well as some basic physics. Here is my take on the problem.
The eye and brain interpret the size of an object from the angle it makes at the objective (the eyeball), so the wider the angle, the larger it looks and vice versa. Imagine drawing lines from the outside edges of an object back to the eyeball - the angle between the lines defines how large the object looks. A larger object far away can appear to be the same size as a smaller object which is closer. Father Ted explains it well, but Fr. Dougal doesn't quite get it...
I calculated the theoretical angle at the eye for an 80cm target at 50m, and a 122cm target at 60yds (54.86m) with the following results:
80cm face at 50m : 0.92°
122cm face at 60yds : 1.27°
This means that the larger face at 60yds appears almost 40% larger than the smaller face at 50m. No wonder it seemed easier! What has really surprised me is how small these angles are.
The other question was how far away would a 122cm face need to be to look the same size as an 80cm face at 50m. Doing the maths (math for my North American readers!) gives a result of 76m/83yds, but I am nowhere near being able to shoot that far yet, so won't be testing the theory in practice for a while yet.
Tuesday 16 April 2013
Measuring for Arrows
In my last post I briefly discussed measuring for my set of arrows, but I missed a couple of important points so thought I would expand on the process in a separate post.
For the last few weeks I have been shooting a combination of different arrows. Martin loaned me a set that I could use at our temporary indoor range, whilst at the club field I used a set of club arrows. Martin's arrows are relatively stiff for my bow, with the result that they tend to fishtail significantly on release (the time I didn't fit the pressure button didn't help, either). The arrows I use at the field are a closer match but still not ideal. They are also too long for me and, as I intend to use a clicker before long, I decided it was high time to get my own set of arrows.
Last week I emailed Andy and Martin with what information on my estimated draw length and draw weight and asked advice on the types of arrow I should be considering. With the help of Mrs EA, I measured the distance from arrow nock to the button at full draw to be about 27¼", and I am using 24lb limbs. Limb draw weight is measured at 28" draw length, and you theoretically lose 2lb for every inch less draw length under 28", so my estimated draw weight was around 22lb. However, I had fallen into the trap of using the distance from arrow nock to the button as my draw length, when it is more correctly the distance from arrow nock to the back of the bow (the far side of the riser), which is often estimated as an extra 1¾". So, my draw length is actually 29", which means that I am pulling closer to 26lb on 24lb limbs. Do you find this confusing? I certainly did!
Given the information above, Andy plugged the numbers into his shaft selector app, which came up with a range of possibilities from basic aluminium through to more expensive carbon arrows. I had already decided to go for Easton Platinum Plus XX75 mid-range aluminium arrows that are likely to see me through my first season without costing the earth and which may have reasonable resale value when the time comes to upgrade. The selection software indicated a size 1913 shaft, which has a spine of 0.733 and is in group T4 on the Easton shaft selection chart. It is actually at the lower end of stiffness values in this group (the lower spine value the higher the stiffness - it is a measure of bendiness) and is only slightly stiffer than a size 1816 arrow with a spine of 0.756 and sits in group T3. Andy argued that this may be a better compromise as it is less prone to damage and opting for a slightly shorter 28¾" length would raise the stiffness a little anyway. Being an engineer I always like to "measure twice, cut once", so I arranged for Andy to check my measurements at the weekend.
After the Warwick round on Saturday, Andy double-checked my draw length (27¼" from nock to button) and also checked the actual draw weight of my bow at this draw length, which averaged out just over 25lb. Andy was dead right! We rechecked the charts and concluded that 1816 Platinum Pluses would be fine, and a cut length of 28¾" or 29" would allow the use of a clicker once the point was in place. A quick check with Martin confirmed the decision.
A number of people have warned me against buying ready-made arrows from online retailers, as they have a tendency to become de-fletched rather easily. Having helped Mrs EA fletch her arrows,and refletched EA jnr's arrows a number of times, I have no qualms about assembling them myself from the component parts. I had already done some research and priced shafts, vanes and points from a number of retailers so I started at the cheapest and worked up. Some retailers were discarded because they were quoting extended delivery and one of them appeared to offer only standard lengths (no way of defining the cut length). Other retailers were just too expensive. I finally placed an order with Bowsports on Saturday evening for shafts cut to 28¾", Plastifletch EP-23 vanes (gold cock, blue hens), Easton G-nocks and Easton Nibb points (and a sneaky new bow stand for Mrs EA to make best use of the delivery charge). I got an email today (Tuesday) to say that ParcelForce will deliver on Wednesday. Fletching will have to wait until Thursday as Wednesday is my regular bellringing practice night! It looks like Saturday will be spent tuning and I must remember to leave one shaft unfletched.
I am looking forward to having a complete kit of my own and finally settling down to improving my handicap.
For the last few weeks I have been shooting a combination of different arrows. Martin loaned me a set that I could use at our temporary indoor range, whilst at the club field I used a set of club arrows. Martin's arrows are relatively stiff for my bow, with the result that they tend to fishtail significantly on release (the time I didn't fit the pressure button didn't help, either). The arrows I use at the field are a closer match but still not ideal. They are also too long for me and, as I intend to use a clicker before long, I decided it was high time to get my own set of arrows.
Last week I emailed Andy and Martin with what information on my estimated draw length and draw weight and asked advice on the types of arrow I should be considering. With the help of Mrs EA, I measured the distance from arrow nock to the button at full draw to be about 27¼", and I am using 24lb limbs. Limb draw weight is measured at 28" draw length, and you theoretically lose 2lb for every inch less draw length under 28", so my estimated draw weight was around 22lb. However, I had fallen into the trap of using the distance from arrow nock to the button as my draw length, when it is more correctly the distance from arrow nock to the back of the bow (the far side of the riser), which is often estimated as an extra 1¾". So, my draw length is actually 29", which means that I am pulling closer to 26lb on 24lb limbs. Do you find this confusing? I certainly did!
Given the information above, Andy plugged the numbers into his shaft selector app, which came up with a range of possibilities from basic aluminium through to more expensive carbon arrows. I had already decided to go for Easton Platinum Plus XX75 mid-range aluminium arrows that are likely to see me through my first season without costing the earth and which may have reasonable resale value when the time comes to upgrade. The selection software indicated a size 1913 shaft, which has a spine of 0.733 and is in group T4 on the Easton shaft selection chart. It is actually at the lower end of stiffness values in this group (the lower spine value the higher the stiffness - it is a measure of bendiness) and is only slightly stiffer than a size 1816 arrow with a spine of 0.756 and sits in group T3. Andy argued that this may be a better compromise as it is less prone to damage and opting for a slightly shorter 28¾" length would raise the stiffness a little anyway. Being an engineer I always like to "measure twice, cut once", so I arranged for Andy to check my measurements at the weekend.
After the Warwick round on Saturday, Andy double-checked my draw length (27¼" from nock to button) and also checked the actual draw weight of my bow at this draw length, which averaged out just over 25lb. Andy was dead right! We rechecked the charts and concluded that 1816 Platinum Pluses would be fine, and a cut length of 28¾" or 29" would allow the use of a clicker once the point was in place. A quick check with Martin confirmed the decision.
A number of people have warned me against buying ready-made arrows from online retailers, as they have a tendency to become de-fletched rather easily. Having helped Mrs EA fletch her arrows,and refletched EA jnr's arrows a number of times, I have no qualms about assembling them myself from the component parts. I had already done some research and priced shafts, vanes and points from a number of retailers so I started at the cheapest and worked up. Some retailers were discarded because they were quoting extended delivery and one of them appeared to offer only standard lengths (no way of defining the cut length). Other retailers were just too expensive. I finally placed an order with Bowsports on Saturday evening for shafts cut to 28¾", Plastifletch EP-23 vanes (gold cock, blue hens), Easton G-nocks and Easton Nibb points (and a sneaky new bow stand for Mrs EA to make best use of the delivery charge). I got an email today (Tuesday) to say that ParcelForce will deliver on Wednesday. Fletching will have to wait until Thursday as Wednesday is my regular bellringing practice night! It looks like Saturday will be spent tuning and I must remember to leave one shaft unfletched.
I am looking forward to having a complete kit of my own and finally settling down to improving my handicap.
Sunday 14 April 2013
Sight Marks? What Sight Marks?
This weekend was one of contrasts and was defined, like much of this year, by the weather. Saturday dawned bright and sunny but by the time we had to leave for the field, light rain was falling and we were in two minds whether to shoot at all. My keenness won over Mrs EA's reticence so off we went. The scheduled round on the short range was a Windsor, but the club captain decided that nine dozen arrows was not a good idea given that the rain was expected to get worse and the wind was building. He concluded that a Warwick was a better idea in the circumstances, but I was a little unsure of shooting 60yds - further than I had ever tried before. Having done a bit of conversion, I found that 60yds is less than 5m over my previous longest distance of 50m, so I decided to give it a go.
I am learning that it is important to record sight marks for each of the distances you have shot so that you can set the sight next time out. I have been doing this but, to date, they have been of limited use as I keep changing the specification of the bow as I buy my own equipment. Today was no exception, as I have just bought a new sight, having found the Cartel sight that I had been using was difficult to to adjust and screws would quickly shake loose. The new sight is a SF Premium Carbon sight (in blue to match he riser colour). This is the same model used by Mrs EA, but have noticed that there are minor differences in construction between the model years. I am expecting only one more disruption of sight marks shortly as I have just ordered my first set of arrows (more of this later).
Although the temperature was into double-figures, the persistent rain combined with the strong wind served to make the round fairly unpleasant and more than once we wished we had stayed at home. However, being British we soldiered on to the end! Sixty yards actually felt a lot easier than 50m, as a Warwick round is shot on 122cm faces, rather than the 80m faces used in the Metric I round (but with 5-zone scoring, of course). Getting the sight right was not a problem in the end, taking only two misses before hitting the boss.
The first two dozen at 60yds seemed to go very quickly. I was again working on getting my draw right, going through the correct sequence to get to the point of release. This seems to be getting easier and more repeatable, but my accuracy is still not brilliant. I am sure that this will come with practice and experience. The final two dozen at 50yds seemed almost as difficult as the longer distance, perhaps because the rain was lashing down by this time. My hands got very wet and started to slip on the bow handle, and the platform tab rubbed on my softened skin and drew blood - my first injury. Later, at home, I checked the score to see what handicap it would give and was pleasantly surprised to find that it matched my personal best. Not bad given the conditions.
After the round, Andy kindly helped me measure-up for correct arrow length. We had been pinging emails backwards and forwards during the week discussing the types and spine of arrows that I should consider to match my bow and take into account increasing draw weight over the coming months. We had settled on Easton Platinum Plus xx75 1816 arrows, which have one of the higher spine values in group T3 on the Easton chart, but needed to check that my assumptions on arrow length were correct. We used a measuring arrow and confirmed that the distance from nock to button at full draw was 27.25", giving a minimum arrow length of 28.25". Andy advised that I should allow for an increase in draw length and advised that a cut length of 28.75" or 29" would allow the use of a clicker once a point had been added. Later that afternoon I priced the components for a set of eight arrows on a number of retailer websites and placed an order, and I am hopeful of delivery later this week. Maybe I will have them ready for next weekend.
Sunday morning was totally different to Saturday. Although there was a stiff breeze, the temperature at 10am was up around 15°C and the sun was out. Not only did I not need thermals, but I didn't need a sweater, either. I had to be home by midday, so I decided to spend the morning on the practice range, getting used to the new sight and trying to improve my consistency and groupings. I was fairly happy with the results, but there was a noticeable drop-off in consistency towards the end of the session, which I put down to fatigue. I am still getting used to the heavier limbs and I have yet to develop the strength and flexibility in my back and shoulders, so perhaps this is not surprising.
I am learning that it is important to record sight marks for each of the distances you have shot so that you can set the sight next time out. I have been doing this but, to date, they have been of limited use as I keep changing the specification of the bow as I buy my own equipment. Today was no exception, as I have just bought a new sight, having found the Cartel sight that I had been using was difficult to to adjust and screws would quickly shake loose. The new sight is a SF Premium Carbon sight (in blue to match he riser colour). This is the same model used by Mrs EA, but have noticed that there are minor differences in construction between the model years. I am expecting only one more disruption of sight marks shortly as I have just ordered my first set of arrows (more of this later).
Although the temperature was into double-figures, the persistent rain combined with the strong wind served to make the round fairly unpleasant and more than once we wished we had stayed at home. However, being British we soldiered on to the end! Sixty yards actually felt a lot easier than 50m, as a Warwick round is shot on 122cm faces, rather than the 80m faces used in the Metric I round (but with 5-zone scoring, of course). Getting the sight right was not a problem in the end, taking only two misses before hitting the boss.
The first two dozen at 60yds seemed to go very quickly. I was again working on getting my draw right, going through the correct sequence to get to the point of release. This seems to be getting easier and more repeatable, but my accuracy is still not brilliant. I am sure that this will come with practice and experience. The final two dozen at 50yds seemed almost as difficult as the longer distance, perhaps because the rain was lashing down by this time. My hands got very wet and started to slip on the bow handle, and the platform tab rubbed on my softened skin and drew blood - my first injury. Later, at home, I checked the score to see what handicap it would give and was pleasantly surprised to find that it matched my personal best. Not bad given the conditions.
After the round, Andy kindly helped me measure-up for correct arrow length. We had been pinging emails backwards and forwards during the week discussing the types and spine of arrows that I should consider to match my bow and take into account increasing draw weight over the coming months. We had settled on Easton Platinum Plus xx75 1816 arrows, which have one of the higher spine values in group T3 on the Easton chart, but needed to check that my assumptions on arrow length were correct. We used a measuring arrow and confirmed that the distance from nock to button at full draw was 27.25", giving a minimum arrow length of 28.25". Andy advised that I should allow for an increase in draw length and advised that a cut length of 28.75" or 29" would allow the use of a clicker once a point had been added. Later that afternoon I priced the components for a set of eight arrows on a number of retailer websites and placed an order, and I am hopeful of delivery later this week. Maybe I will have them ready for next weekend.
Sunday morning was totally different to Saturday. Although there was a stiff breeze, the temperature at 10am was up around 15°C and the sun was out. Not only did I not need thermals, but I didn't need a sweater, either. I had to be home by midday, so I decided to spend the morning on the practice range, getting used to the new sight and trying to improve my consistency and groupings. I was fairly happy with the results, but there was a noticeable drop-off in consistency towards the end of the session, which I put down to fatigue. I am still getting used to the heavier limbs and I have yet to develop the strength and flexibility in my back and shoulders, so perhaps this is not surprising.
Friday 12 April 2013
Relax
Although the outdoor season has officially begun, the club officers made the very sensible decision to move the two weekday evening sessions indoors for reasons of temperature and available daylight. The third Portsmouth round of my short career awaited.
This was to be the first proper indoor round with the new, heavier limbs on my bow and I was back to using the borrowed arrows as we were away from the clubhouse. The first hurdle I had to cross was the lack of any sight marks at this distance because of the new limbs, so the six sighters were used to best effect. I was determined to put into practice the advice I had been given the previous weekend, and to concentrate on stance and correct draw, keeping everything in line and using my back correctly. Unfortunately, this had a horrendously negative effect on my score, with arrows pinging all over the face or, a couple of times, missing the boss altogether. There were a few reasonable shots which felt right, and I did manage three tens, but my final score was 50 points below my best in that round, and the first time I had actually made negative progress.
Of course, this all felt truly awful at the time, and there was the inevitable feedback loop of worrying over what had gone wrong rather than forgetting it and trying to do it right next time. If I was to describe the round, I would say it was 'unsettled'. I am still trying to analyse what made a shot bad, whilst still trying to concentrate on the 'right' technique. It is quite telling that one of my better scores was achieved when I was not really thinking, but one of the coaches spotted that my draw arm had not come back far enough. If concentrating on technique is making my score worse, then where is the incentive to do it right?
The answer, of course, is that you will eventually reach a point where your 'bad' technique starts to have a more negative influence and will eventually limit your possibilities unless it is corrected. This is true for most things in life - you need firm foundations to build something that will last. I have the same approach when I am teaching people to ring church bells for the first time; if you don't sort out your technique early on, it will limit you in the future. I was lucky to have had some excellent advice in my early ringing career, and I try to pass it on to my learners thirty years on (including EA jnr).
Over the last few weeks my equipment has changed almost every session as I build up my own kit (new sight this weekend - no sight marks again!), but I will shortly be at the point where these variables can be forgotten. Then I probably need to chill out a little and just work on getting the basics right for a while, regardless of what the scoresheet says.
This was to be the first proper indoor round with the new, heavier limbs on my bow and I was back to using the borrowed arrows as we were away from the clubhouse. The first hurdle I had to cross was the lack of any sight marks at this distance because of the new limbs, so the six sighters were used to best effect. I was determined to put into practice the advice I had been given the previous weekend, and to concentrate on stance and correct draw, keeping everything in line and using my back correctly. Unfortunately, this had a horrendously negative effect on my score, with arrows pinging all over the face or, a couple of times, missing the boss altogether. There were a few reasonable shots which felt right, and I did manage three tens, but my final score was 50 points below my best in that round, and the first time I had actually made negative progress.
Of course, this all felt truly awful at the time, and there was the inevitable feedback loop of worrying over what had gone wrong rather than forgetting it and trying to do it right next time. If I was to describe the round, I would say it was 'unsettled'. I am still trying to analyse what made a shot bad, whilst still trying to concentrate on the 'right' technique. It is quite telling that one of my better scores was achieved when I was not really thinking, but one of the coaches spotted that my draw arm had not come back far enough. If concentrating on technique is making my score worse, then where is the incentive to do it right?
The answer, of course, is that you will eventually reach a point where your 'bad' technique starts to have a more negative influence and will eventually limit your possibilities unless it is corrected. This is true for most things in life - you need firm foundations to build something that will last. I have the same approach when I am teaching people to ring church bells for the first time; if you don't sort out your technique early on, it will limit you in the future. I was lucky to have had some excellent advice in my early ringing career, and I try to pass it on to my learners thirty years on (including EA jnr).
Over the last few weeks my equipment has changed almost every session as I build up my own kit (new sight this weekend - no sight marks again!), but I will shortly be at the point where these variables can be forgotten. Then I probably need to chill out a little and just work on getting the basics right for a while, regardless of what the scoresheet says.
Tuesday 9 April 2013
Sunshine
What a difference a week makes! This weekend I was lucky to be able to shoot arrows on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. Both times the sun was out and although the temperature was just into double figures (°C) it made for a far more pleasurable experience than the previous week (see Wind).
My archery weekend started on Friday when my new limbs were delivered. I have opted for a pair of SF Premium medium length limbs giving a draw weight of 24lbs on a 25" riser. Note to online retailers: can you PLEASE work together to standardize on the description of limb length and draw weight? I had incorrectly ordered the wrong size from a different retailer and it took almost a week to get the order amended and the limbs removed (they didn't stock the size/weight I needed). I also had a new string to fit, as the original one made by Martin seemed a little short, needing very few twists to achive the desired bracing height of 23cm. So I fitted the limbs to the riser, attached the string, marked the nocking point with a bow square and marked the nocking point with dental floss kept in place with superglue. I was very careful and was pleased with the result, so I removed the string. At this point Mrs EA took a look at the new limbs and pointed out that the one marked 'Upper' usually goes at the top......
On Saturday, after a couple of hours maintenance, I moved onto the practice range to try and get used to the new, heavier limbs. I also tried out some club arrows which were more suited to my draw weight. The EA family were playing musical limbs: I had my new ones, Mrs EA had borrowed a set of 26lb limbs to try, and EA jnr decided to tryout Mrs EA's 22lb limbs.
The afternoon session was spent concentrating on my draw technique, trying to follow the valuable advice of the coaches. There were times when it felt as though I was attempting to put my body in positions that it was not designed to do! The basic take-aways for the afternoon were
- keep the front shoulder down
- use the shoulders and back to bring the arms into line at full draw
- keep the head still during the draw. Move the bow not the head
The Sunday morning round was a Short Metric. You may recall that the last time I attempted this, I had only two hits at 50m, so I was hoping for better this time. The sighters were much needed as I had no sight marks since changing to heavier limbs, but managed to hit the boss reliably in the first half-dozen. During the round I made an effort to put the previous day's advice into practice and I think it paid off, although I have to admit that my back and shoulders were becoming tired towards the end of the round. I was pleased with my score of 51 at 50m, as this was 43 more than I managed last time. My total of 159 for the round was equal to my PB in handicap terms, which can't be too bad. However, I checked the required score for a GNAS 3rd class classification and found that it is 334, so I have a very long way to go before I reach that level. It does seem relatively harder for gents to obtain classification scores than ladies or juniors of similar experience, and many other club members seem to agree. The classifications for juniors also seem to have very large step changes across the age boundaries, which means that an 11 year old and 12 year old of similar ability might end up with dramatically different classifications. It would be interesting to find out how the classification scores and boundaries have been arrived at.
Sunday night : needed a nice hot bath then crashed into bed...
My archery weekend started on Friday when my new limbs were delivered. I have opted for a pair of SF Premium medium length limbs giving a draw weight of 24lbs on a 25" riser. Note to online retailers: can you PLEASE work together to standardize on the description of limb length and draw weight? I had incorrectly ordered the wrong size from a different retailer and it took almost a week to get the order amended and the limbs removed (they didn't stock the size/weight I needed). I also had a new string to fit, as the original one made by Martin seemed a little short, needing very few twists to achive the desired bracing height of 23cm. So I fitted the limbs to the riser, attached the string, marked the nocking point with a bow square and marked the nocking point with dental floss kept in place with superglue. I was very careful and was pleased with the result, so I removed the string. At this point Mrs EA took a look at the new limbs and pointed out that the one marked 'Upper' usually goes at the top......
On Saturday, after a couple of hours maintenance, I moved onto the practice range to try and get used to the new, heavier limbs. I also tried out some club arrows which were more suited to my draw weight. The EA family were playing musical limbs: I had my new ones, Mrs EA had borrowed a set of 26lb limbs to try, and EA jnr decided to tryout Mrs EA's 22lb limbs.
The afternoon session was spent concentrating on my draw technique, trying to follow the valuable advice of the coaches. There were times when it felt as though I was attempting to put my body in positions that it was not designed to do! The basic take-aways for the afternoon were
- keep the front shoulder down
- use the shoulders and back to bring the arms into line at full draw
- keep the head still during the draw. Move the bow not the head
The Sunday morning round was a Short Metric. You may recall that the last time I attempted this, I had only two hits at 50m, so I was hoping for better this time. The sighters were much needed as I had no sight marks since changing to heavier limbs, but managed to hit the boss reliably in the first half-dozen. During the round I made an effort to put the previous day's advice into practice and I think it paid off, although I have to admit that my back and shoulders were becoming tired towards the end of the round. I was pleased with my score of 51 at 50m, as this was 43 more than I managed last time. My total of 159 for the round was equal to my PB in handicap terms, which can't be too bad. However, I checked the required score for a GNAS 3rd class classification and found that it is 334, so I have a very long way to go before I reach that level. It does seem relatively harder for gents to obtain classification scores than ladies or juniors of similar experience, and many other club members seem to agree. The classifications for juniors also seem to have very large step changes across the age boundaries, which means that an 11 year old and 12 year old of similar ability might end up with dramatically different classifications. It would be interesting to find out how the classification scores and boundaries have been arrived at.
Sunday night : needed a nice hot bath then crashed into bed...
Wednesday 3 April 2013
Wind
Monday 1st April is a Bank Holiday (public holiday) in the UK, so what better than to use it for the first outdoor contest of the new season? This was a club handicap contest for the Collingwood trophy, and is a round of 5 dozen arrows shot from 30m on an 80cm face. The handicap figures were those achieved in three or more 'Frostbite' rounds over the previous winter season. Although I was ineligible for the overall trophy (not enough Frostbite scores) I took part just for the fun of it.
Observers of trends in UK meteorology will also be well aware that Bank Holidays usually mean some form of inclement weather, and this day was no exception. The day started fairly dull and still but, throughout the morning, the wind increased, blowing way the clouds to give some sunny intervals, but settling on a speed that could be described as challenging. The maximum temperature was also only 5°C, which must have resulted in a sub-zero figure after wind-chill effects - it certainly felt like it - and you will not be surprised to hear that thermal underwear was still required (still not shot without it - is this a record?). The reason for the unusually cold weather is that the wind had come south from the arctic, made a right-turn over continental Europe and whipped-in over the North Sea before making landfall. The club field, on the northern edge of the North Downs at an altitude of around 90m, has a lovely view over central London, but this has the downside of having no high ground between us and the Thames estuary, so we get the full force of an easterly wind.
More than one person said that this was the windiest they could ever remember whilst shooting and others declared that it would be a great leveller. Being a newcomer with limited experience, I nodded in agreement and just continued to shoot to the best of my ability, but it soon became apparent that thee conditions were challenging to many on the line. The first clue was when two of the juniors gave up shortly after sightseers and retired to the relative warmth of the clubhouse. Then one of the experienced compound archers retired: he released just as the wind gusted and pushed his arrow off the rest, sending it directly into the ground in front of him and breaking it into two pieces. With his arrows at £15 a time, I think I would have retired at that point, too! A similar thing happened to the only other compound archer, but he was lucky and came away with his arrows intact (and the medal for the best compound score).
Everyone was struggling - novices and old-hands alike. The wind was consistently strong, but there would also be stronger gusts that felt like someone was pushing you in the back (as a right-handed archer). It was even difficult to keep the arrow still enough to nock it on the string. When at full draw, holding still to aim was all but impossible, and long rod stabilisers seemed to be more of a hindrance than a help to those who were using them. A number of bows were blown over when on their stands, damaging their settings and we were advised to point them into the wind to reduce the risk.
Nineteen people made it to the end of the round and assembled in the clubhouse for some very welcome hot drinks and cake (courtesy of Mrs EA) to await the results. Medals were awarded for highest scores ins number of categories, and the ladies' competition was very close, with only four points separating the top three. The overall result takes into account the Frostbite handicap or the season, and this year it was won by a very surprised Mrs EA! I had the lowest actual score of the day but apparently I shot better than my current outdoor handicap, so it's not all bad. At least I remembered to put all the bits on my bow this time!
When I let it be known that his post would be on the subject of wind, there was the inevitable question: indoor or outdoor? Baked beans were also mentioned. So now is the ideal time to recount an incident that happened a few weeks ago during an indoor session. I had just put my new bow together and was shooting some trial arrows at the end of the line when I noticed a commotion further along. It seems that a gentleman archer had 'let one go' on the line, which would have been fine, except that he said 'pardon me' with a bit of a delay. This was too much for two lady archers, who were in stitches, barely able to control themselves, and it took one of them at let half a dozen attempts to get off her last arrow. No names but she makes excellent cakes....
Observers of trends in UK meteorology will also be well aware that Bank Holidays usually mean some form of inclement weather, and this day was no exception. The day started fairly dull and still but, throughout the morning, the wind increased, blowing way the clouds to give some sunny intervals, but settling on a speed that could be described as challenging. The maximum temperature was also only 5°C, which must have resulted in a sub-zero figure after wind-chill effects - it certainly felt like it - and you will not be surprised to hear that thermal underwear was still required (still not shot without it - is this a record?). The reason for the unusually cold weather is that the wind had come south from the arctic, made a right-turn over continental Europe and whipped-in over the North Sea before making landfall. The club field, on the northern edge of the North Downs at an altitude of around 90m, has a lovely view over central London, but this has the downside of having no high ground between us and the Thames estuary, so we get the full force of an easterly wind.
More than one person said that this was the windiest they could ever remember whilst shooting and others declared that it would be a great leveller. Being a newcomer with limited experience, I nodded in agreement and just continued to shoot to the best of my ability, but it soon became apparent that thee conditions were challenging to many on the line. The first clue was when two of the juniors gave up shortly after sightseers and retired to the relative warmth of the clubhouse. Then one of the experienced compound archers retired: he released just as the wind gusted and pushed his arrow off the rest, sending it directly into the ground in front of him and breaking it into two pieces. With his arrows at £15 a time, I think I would have retired at that point, too! A similar thing happened to the only other compound archer, but he was lucky and came away with his arrows intact (and the medal for the best compound score).
Everyone was struggling - novices and old-hands alike. The wind was consistently strong, but there would also be stronger gusts that felt like someone was pushing you in the back (as a right-handed archer). It was even difficult to keep the arrow still enough to nock it on the string. When at full draw, holding still to aim was all but impossible, and long rod stabilisers seemed to be more of a hindrance than a help to those who were using them. A number of bows were blown over when on their stands, damaging their settings and we were advised to point them into the wind to reduce the risk.
Nineteen people made it to the end of the round and assembled in the clubhouse for some very welcome hot drinks and cake (courtesy of Mrs EA) to await the results. Medals were awarded for highest scores ins number of categories, and the ladies' competition was very close, with only four points separating the top three. The overall result takes into account the Frostbite handicap or the season, and this year it was won by a very surprised Mrs EA! I had the lowest actual score of the day but apparently I shot better than my current outdoor handicap, so it's not all bad. At least I remembered to put all the bits on my bow this time!
When I let it be known that his post would be on the subject of wind, there was the inevitable question: indoor or outdoor? Baked beans were also mentioned. So now is the ideal time to recount an incident that happened a few weeks ago during an indoor session. I had just put my new bow together and was shooting some trial arrows at the end of the line when I noticed a commotion further along. It seems that a gentleman archer had 'let one go' on the line, which would have been fine, except that he said 'pardon me' with a bit of a delay. This was too much for two lady archers, who were in stitches, barely able to control themselves, and it took one of them at let half a dozen attempts to get off her last arrow. No names but she makes excellent cakes....
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