June 21, 2009
Today is the first day in the 24 years of my life that I am consciously aware that (maybe somebody sometimes must have reminded me in my school days but I don't remember a case of having paid attention) its the day of Summer Solstice. The Reason? It was a God damn hot day on the field of Archery.
Today I was accompanied to the field by my friend Nileshwar (alias Anna). For his first day he outperformed my first day by miles. Indulging in a bit of self-adoration, I would say, that unlike me, he had a very good teacher! After finding his anchor point and gun point (actually its equivalent for the bow) he landed his arrows in a very close group near the target and scored a hit in his first 20 rounds - which I am guessing to be the first 20 of his life. It was also the first time I saw my bow in action and its good to see it work in third person. For my record - I fired 40 arrows (20 with each hand) and was pretty satisfied with my own group. I wouldn't say it was a marked progress (or for that matter any progress at all) over my last session.
I certainly regret of not capturing Anna's first hit on my cellphone cam. Nevertheless, for reference, following is the picture of footballers practicing in the region a bit away from where we practiced archery.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Finally I found my gunsight (read bowsight). Presently I am using my first knuckle to aim at the target (shown to the left). Shown on the top is the group of 10 arrows which have landed near the target (excuse the clarity or the lack of it). Unfortunately none has landed on the target itself. I am unsure about my anchor point but it is something like my thumb touching my ear tragus. Continuing my practice with a consistent anchor point and sight yielded significantly better results. Still, as can be seen in the image on the top, my aim is awful (the image has been captured from a point 5-6 steps away and the start point is further away by 32 steps from the target). In the later rounds I was able to land about 1.5 arrows out of 10 on the target. Breathing in while pulling the arrow seemed to have a positive effect on the accuracy - though it may just be a figment of my imagination.Archery term of the day: Let-off (Compound bow)
It is reduction in the holding weight as compared to the maximum draw weight, expressed as percentage of the maximum draw weight. Thus, due to there mechanical design, compound bows have let-offs in the range of 50%-99% (typical values). Yes you read it right - 99% let-offs are real. Also, if you extend the term to all bows, for example, a long-bow would have a 0% let-off.
To read further visit: http://www.strictlybowhunting.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=211
OR Google : "let off archery"
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Arrow Inserts: They are extensions with a screw thread, attached to the front end of the arrow shaft, to insert arrow heads in the arrows.
Grain:
I hope that bowyers have not redefined the term "grain" for archery. This is what Google says:
1 grain = 0.06479891 grams.
Thus an arrow head of 100 grains weighs roughly around 6.5 grams.
Monday, June 1, 2009
The day on the field started with the second arrow hitting bang on target (it's not the one shown to the left). The finger tab, which initially performed quite well, soon started to leave my pointing finger unprotected and a bit sore - although, I must concede, it's really difficult to hurt yourself with a 25-pound bow. The bracer, which looks a bit untidy, performed brilliantly and after a few shots I entirely disregarded whether the bow-string grazed my fore-arm; which is a bit bad as it makes you oblivious to the errors in your technique and stance.
After firing the 36th shot when I approached the target to collect my arrows, I realized that I had lost a shaft. Then I spent the remainder of the session searching for it in vain. I hope to find it some other day, somewhere in the grass, nearby to where I placed my target.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Finger Tab (Also called as shooting tab or archer tab):A piece of leather (now-a-days a variety of materials are used) which protects the fingers from the string by acting as a separator between the fingers and the string.
Bracer (Also called as arm-guard):
A protective cover for the fore-arm (sometimes for the elbow also) which protects the same, during a shot, from the fast moving bow-string.
These are the clips I took while making my finger tab. I used the synthetic leather from the sides of the purse for making the tab.
These clips are the stages of the fabrication of my home-made bracer. This time I used the material from the sides of the same purse. I derived the velcro from an old reebok sandal.
Tuesday May 12, 2009
It's quite painful to the bare fingers to release the bow string. I saw a video on graspr.com in which the instructor used a Finger tab or Archer tab which is a simple piece of leather (perhaps a bit thick) which comes in between the fingers and the bow string. I think it will reduce the pressure, reduce grazing and thus will relieve finger pain. So this is the checklist of items to be prepared for archery practice:
- Bow arm guard (also called a bracer; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bracer)
- Quiver
- A good target which can be hung from a horizontal pole and which will stop the arrow before its vanes reach the target plane
- Archer Tab (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finger_tab)
May 03, 2009 Sunday
It was not very difficult to recover from the shock of Avdhut's deceit - he went back on his promise to accompany me to Archery practice - but it was not until today that I could muster enough Eac
The practice was not good in particular and I barely managed to hit the target (shown in the image). The target distance was 32 steps (which I am guessing to be about 20 meters).
There are few problems in my technique, the major one being the grazing of the string against my bow arm. Perhaps I should wear a string guard to solve this problem. Correcting the stance may also be one of the solutions, but I think I already have an oblique stance which seems to be good.