With the start of this week the winter cold has returned to the area and the walk to archery is a cold one when starting off, but I have to admit it does wake me up after a dull day of work and going on five hours sleep. But its a good way to relieve tension built up throughout the day/week.
Tuesday was the full moon and it obviously had a great effect on my ravens as each flew straight to the target allowing me to set a new personal best for a Bray1 of 169 30/1. Yes you read it right that's thirty hits on a bray, so no misses. Still 35 off the current record but bit more practice might be able to reach it before the summer season starts. Took me two dozen to realise I had no misses and for the last three arrows of the bray one of my hands were shaking, so its actually a surprise that I achieved no misses. Once the scores were put in though they allowed me to relax by promptly missing with the next arrow.
Thursday did see a drop in performance though with two brays being shot and getting same number of hits and golds 26/2 but a difference of 18 on the score 126, 144. So definitely drop down since Tuesday but the second score isn't too bad, first one I'm a bit annoyed with but seeing as I do my best shooting on Tuesdays it must be related to how tired I am from previous nights. I've started plotting out my scores on excel to see how I am progressing throughout the seasons, and it seems I'm currently averaging just over 138, though it wasn't helped by two scores on a bad night last week of 102 and 103. Slightly off topic but still fun the weather on Thursday was a thick fog and seeing as on cold nights I wear my long black leather coat due to the thickness of the fog, I did make a few people jump as I appeared out of the dark fog with quiver on the back and bow (in bag) in hand. Now I have been stopped by the police before walking back from archery on a clear night just cause I looked suspicious one of their comments being, "Something from a computer game or horror film", so what people must've thought on Thursday would be interesting.
Congratulations to Doug Shaw for shooting enough to get a handicap with a longbow, scoring a high score of 98 (I think it was). Also well done to Steve Cox for shooting a bray with his longbow, all got to start somewhere.
With the new bow on its way, I shall be starting to work on some new arrows shortly, one problem is though the new arrow heads are being looked at with interest. After a brief talk with the equipments officer depending on what they do to bosses I may not be allowed to use them, which would be a shame as they are nice, no real shoulder, but we'll see how it goes. I may only be allowed to use them for club only/practice shoots but that would be better than nothing. Seeing as outdoors I don't really get mass grouping in one place I wouldn't think they'd hurt the boss that much. I have done a little test at home with a foam block looking at what hole it leaves compared to a field tip and doesn't seem that different. I do have some pictures which will be put on here shortly.......hopefully. So stay tuned.
Friday 21 January 2011
Monday 10 January 2011
The Winter Winds
Another week of shooting as flown by, but unfortunately its not been one of my best, but then again its only partly been one of my worse ones, or at least compared to recent shoots.
Tuesday's practicing went fairly well, most grouping together, but did see a pile getting stuck in the boss, no real problem getting it out with pliers, yes I'm aware I should have pushed it through rather than pull its out, but due to indoor bosses being tightly tied together rather than undoing and forcing it through it was just as easy to pull it out again using needle nose pliers. But apart from that went well.
Thursday was a Bray 1 day, being a new month best to put in a new score early and improve on it later, but my shooting was fairly erratic and I had a shocking amount of misses, out of a possible 30, in two Brays I only hit with 21 and 24 respectively, which recently is rather bad for me, as I normally have 2-4 misses. But as the scores weren't too far off my personal best (PB) despite the erratic shots the ones I hit were making up. For example one end of 6 arrows were scored as 10, 10, 7, 10, 1, M = 38 which for an end with 3 tens in is pretty bad, but can't be helped now. Suffice to say I've not made the longbow team this month (yet). After starting the first Bray with an end of 3 misses in a row, one archer quipped that it was very surprising because while practising, I'm normally consistently in the target, hovering around the centre.
So Sunday was a new start and was a Postal Portsmouth, which the past two I have done have been improvements, and up till then had no misses. But Sunday proved to be the fatal day where one arrow, for reasons known only to itself flew off above the target missing the paper completely favouring the saw colour. During the ends I was noticing that my shooting would be nicely grouped and then scatter shotgun style, so I'm obviously doing something wrong, bracing height has slipped a bit so might have to correct that, I'll figure it out when I get time. Though despite the miss I managed a score of 407 59/6 which, not being my best, is better than the first one I did, so despite being tired still shooting fairly well. Oh a congratulations to Shaun Allen for setting a new club longbow record of 524 for a Portsmouth, well done to you. Also well done to Doug Shaw for investing in a longbow, though you compound archers might moan a bit more.
Still think they should put a longbow archery event in the Olympics seeing as its one of the origins of archery, and has yet got no modern equivalent. Recurves stem from the old composite bows, compounds.......well dunno what they are based off but I'm guessing it was an American who came up with it (I'll have to look that up). But I'd also like to see more clubs to be friendly towards crossbows, ok people say the damage the bosses, but if you put limits on the heads do they damage them anymore than other types of modern bows?
Didn't help much that the pile I re-glued came loose and just pulled off again in my hand, think its time to invest in some new glue, and let it set for longer next time. I need new glue for making arrows for my heavier bow anyway so not put out too much.
Since I've not been sleeping much over this past week, this may account for the erratic shooting. With the Chester shoot looming, and being my first external shoot going to be practising as much as possible, might even try to straight some of my more banana shaped arrows, but a bit wary to doing this incase I make them worse, though I suppose never know until you try.
Till next time, happy shooting all.
Tuesday's practicing went fairly well, most grouping together, but did see a pile getting stuck in the boss, no real problem getting it out with pliers, yes I'm aware I should have pushed it through rather than pull its out, but due to indoor bosses being tightly tied together rather than undoing and forcing it through it was just as easy to pull it out again using needle nose pliers. But apart from that went well.
Thursday was a Bray 1 day, being a new month best to put in a new score early and improve on it later, but my shooting was fairly erratic and I had a shocking amount of misses, out of a possible 30, in two Brays I only hit with 21 and 24 respectively, which recently is rather bad for me, as I normally have 2-4 misses. But as the scores weren't too far off my personal best (PB) despite the erratic shots the ones I hit were making up. For example one end of 6 arrows were scored as 10, 10, 7, 10, 1, M = 38 which for an end with 3 tens in is pretty bad, but can't be helped now. Suffice to say I've not made the longbow team this month (yet). After starting the first Bray with an end of 3 misses in a row, one archer quipped that it was very surprising because while practising, I'm normally consistently in the target, hovering around the centre.
So Sunday was a new start and was a Postal Portsmouth, which the past two I have done have been improvements, and up till then had no misses. But Sunday proved to be the fatal day where one arrow, for reasons known only to itself flew off above the target missing the paper completely favouring the saw colour. During the ends I was noticing that my shooting would be nicely grouped and then scatter shotgun style, so I'm obviously doing something wrong, bracing height has slipped a bit so might have to correct that, I'll figure it out when I get time. Though despite the miss I managed a score of 407 59/6 which, not being my best, is better than the first one I did, so despite being tired still shooting fairly well. Oh a congratulations to Shaun Allen for setting a new club longbow record of 524 for a Portsmouth, well done to you. Also well done to Doug Shaw for investing in a longbow, though you compound archers might moan a bit more.
Still think they should put a longbow archery event in the Olympics seeing as its one of the origins of archery, and has yet got no modern equivalent. Recurves stem from the old composite bows, compounds.......well dunno what they are based off but I'm guessing it was an American who came up with it (I'll have to look that up). But I'd also like to see more clubs to be friendly towards crossbows, ok people say the damage the bosses, but if you put limits on the heads do they damage them anymore than other types of modern bows?
Didn't help much that the pile I re-glued came loose and just pulled off again in my hand, think its time to invest in some new glue, and let it set for longer next time. I need new glue for making arrows for my heavier bow anyway so not put out too much.
Since I've not been sleeping much over this past week, this may account for the erratic shooting. With the Chester shoot looming, and being my first external shoot going to be practising as much as possible, might even try to straight some of my more banana shaped arrows, but a bit wary to doing this incase I make them worse, though I suppose never know until you try.
Till next time, happy shooting all.
Monday 3 January 2011
Holiday Flights
Happy New Year readers, the holidays are over, or are close to being over and a whole new year full of possibilities. Plus a whole new year of shooting =D
Well the gifts of Christmas brought about some new arrowheads, short bodkins. But according the the rule book bodkins are not allowed, but seeing as they aren't like old fashioned bodkins I may be alright, I'll have to see. I may have to have a second set of arrows to shoot competitively with and just keep the bodkins for practice. Though I've not been told the weight so will have to see if the club has a scale for measuring the grain.
Since I last posted up here, the club has had the Christmas fun shoot. This involves team shooting in games like pontoon. For those who don't know how to play a suit of cards is strung up diagonally on the boss and your team shoots at it trying to get close to 21 without going over. If you go over your bust, picture cards count as 10 and Ace counts as 1 or 11. Plus just to make it a bit interesting some of the ends were timed so whole team have to shoot in 1minute, 45/30 seconds. But careful sometimes random rounds chosen by the judge are won by the lowest score (without going bust). But watch the other teams as a few inventive ways of scoring occur ed.
Next team game was a balloon popping race, of which your team went in turns to shoot a single arrow at a boss covered in balloons and the first to pop their balloons get lots of points, next fastest gets less and so on. This was fun and longbow archers were off the line almost as soon as they got on. A note goes to Steve Dunn for his amazement/frustration as he put an arrow through a balloon without bursting it, and just to prove nothing in archery is certain every compound archer managed at least one arrow where they didn't pop a balloon.
Sunday just gone was meant to be the January Frostbite, but fate obviously decided that I need more sleep and didn't let my alarm go off, so I woke up way after the shoot had finished, so missed. BUT this coming Sunday is the postal Portsmouth, so its gearing up and practicing for it.
Until next time happy shooting everyone.
Well the gifts of Christmas brought about some new arrowheads, short bodkins. But according the the rule book bodkins are not allowed, but seeing as they aren't like old fashioned bodkins I may be alright, I'll have to see. I may have to have a second set of arrows to shoot competitively with and just keep the bodkins for practice. Though I've not been told the weight so will have to see if the club has a scale for measuring the grain.
Since I last posted up here, the club has had the Christmas fun shoot. This involves team shooting in games like pontoon. For those who don't know how to play a suit of cards is strung up diagonally on the boss and your team shoots at it trying to get close to 21 without going over. If you go over your bust, picture cards count as 10 and Ace counts as 1 or 11. Plus just to make it a bit interesting some of the ends were timed so whole team have to shoot in 1minute, 45/30 seconds. But careful sometimes random rounds chosen by the judge are won by the lowest score (without going bust). But watch the other teams as a few inventive ways of scoring occur ed.
Next team game was a balloon popping race, of which your team went in turns to shoot a single arrow at a boss covered in balloons and the first to pop their balloons get lots of points, next fastest gets less and so on. This was fun and longbow archers were off the line almost as soon as they got on. A note goes to Steve Dunn for his amazement/frustration as he put an arrow through a balloon without bursting it, and just to prove nothing in archery is certain every compound archer managed at least one arrow where they didn't pop a balloon.
Sunday just gone was meant to be the January Frostbite, but fate obviously decided that I need more sleep and didn't let my alarm go off, so I woke up way after the shoot had finished, so missed. BUT this coming Sunday is the postal Portsmouth, so its gearing up and practicing for it.
Until next time happy shooting everyone.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)