As usual, the session started with us stringing our bows, selecting the correct length arrows and going through a number of warm-up exercises. In the first half of the session we were shooting at 80cm targets at a distance of 20yds, with the aim of consolidating all that we had learned in the previous for weeks. New for this week, though, was that we scored our shots.
Scoring is very straightforward as long as you don't make any mistakes! The scoring sheets are pre-printed, and there are variants for each type of round. For this (pretend) round we were shooting, there was a row of twelve boxes, divided into six-arrow ends. Each six had a sub-total box and each (dozen) row had boxes for hits, golds, score and running total. The scores for each end (six arrows) are called by the archer in sets of three, repeated by the scorer, entered into the boxes and then totalled. After two ends, the number of hits and golds is counted and entered, and the total of the two ends entered into the score box. Finally, the running total column is updated by adding the score to the previous value of the running total. Because we were shooting only four arrows per end, our final two boxes always recorded MISS-MISS.
All of this is very straightforward, even if it does tax your brain cells a little, but it is also very easy to start writing a score into the wrong place on the scoresheet, especially at the start of a round. I have done a fair amount of scoring for my wife and son in the last year, yet I still managed to put the scores in the wrong place. If a correction is required, it must only be made by the Field Captain, who will make the change and initial it, to ensure that there are no shenanigans going on! Another rule that ensures fairness is that an archer must not record their own score; the scorer is usually the third name on the scoresheet, but someone else must record this person's score. There were two of us on the same target at this session, so we simply recorded each-other's score. At the end of the round, the scoresheets are totalled and signed by both the scorer and the archer before being passed to the records officer for checking and recording. It is not unknown for the records officer to make comments in red pen on the state of completion or the accuracy of arithmetic!
So, what does the records officer do with the scoresheets? The first thing he does is to check them for accuracy,and then enters the information into the club records. An archer's score for a particular round is used to generate a handicap figure - the lower the figure, the better the performance. There is a book of tables for generating handicaps from scores in each of the recognised rounds. As well as being a way of measuring individual progress, they also show how you are doing against others and are used in some competitions to ensure fairness between archers of different ability. An initial handicap can only be given after three rounds have been scored, and is the average of the handicaps for these rounds. As you shoot further rounds, the handicap is recalculated and, if it is lower, your new handicap is the average of the existing and new handicaps. If it is higher, you maintain your existing (lower) handicap, which means that, during a season, you handicap can only go down. At the end of a season, your best three handicap figures are averaged and this becomes your starting handicap for the next season.
Your scores are also used to qualify for classifications, which are awards for progress. The GNAS (Archery GB) classifications are:
- Third Class
- Second Class
- First Class
- Bowman (or Junior Bowman)
- Master Bowman (or Junior Master Bowman)
- Grand Master Bowman
Classifications up to and including Bowman (or Junior Bowman) can be gained during club shooting sessions, but classifications for the higher awards must be gained at competitions or events run to certain criteria. For each round, there is a qualifying score for each classification, and to make the classification you must achieve or exceed this score in three separate rounds (which may not necessarily be the same type of round). GNAS publish a set of tables with the qualifying scores in their Shooting Administrative Procedures. Last year both my wife and my son gained their Second Class awards having learned in April, so I think I should be aiming to at least match their progress this year. Our club awards badges for each new classification earned, which are usually worn on the quiver. To keep continue wearing your award, you must requalify in that classification in the following season.
During the coffee break, A demonstrated the last of the target archery bow styles: barebow. This is simply a bow that uses no sights and must be shot using a simple tab - platform tabs are not allowed. A used a recurve bow with the sight removed, but you can use any traditional bow that is not a longbow. There are a number of differences between the barebow style and the sighted recurve style we have been using:
- The drawing hand holds the string below the arrow
- The anchoring point at full draw is when the knuckle of the second fingers is at the corner of the mouth
- the arrow is aimed by lining up the tip of the arrow with the gold on the target
Following coffee, the coaches decided to let us have some fun by pinning balloons to the targets and getting us to burst them. Now this may seem quite straightforward, but is is much trickier than it looks. If an arrow does not hit the balloon somewhere near its centre, the balloon is simply pushed sideways and stays intact. Our target also had less balloons than the others, and more long, thin ones than fat round ones. I suspect the coaches had a higher expectation of us than we did! We did manage to burst quite a few balloons, and it is childishly satisfying to hear one go bang!
This session seemed to go a lot quicker than most and it was soon time to unstring the bows, bundle up the arrows and do a cool-down. Finally, we were all told that we had successfully completed the course and were presented with our certificates by A (who is also the club chairman) and had a group photo taken for the club website. We were also invited to join the club as novice members, and invited to shoot at the club field that afternoon.
Many thanks to the three coaches Martin, A and B, as well as the field captain, S, for all of your advice, encouragement and patience over the last five weeks. I certainly intend to join the club and look forward to shooting with you in the very near future.
I hope the readers of this blog find something of use in its pages and, now that the course is over, I will be blogging on my progress as I join the more experienced archers at the club field.
EA (left) and A (right)
The successful novices with the coaches
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