Greetings once more readers, seems like ages since doing my last update. But this update I'm going to do slightly differently from the previous ones. Reading over the last ones talking about rounds and scores one by one is getting more of a track record rather than what I wanted this blog to be.
Though saying that, this past month has certainly been a record breaking one, for those that don't know I keep a track record of all the shoots I do, scores, averages, percentages and the odd graph thrown in. Yes I know much too technical for the simple longbow archer, but I still do it. Well since last update I've shot eight rounds outdoors and of those rounds, six have been new personal records. Also I've managed to achieve my third (and fourth) Bowman classification score, so the new badge is on the way.
One of the shoots I went to was Pontifract, which is a shoot I enjoy. This year though I wasn’t enjoying it as much, mainly for the reason I was scoring. Now I don’t mind scoring generally, even though it was for six people, which is pretty common at longbow shoots. It was because we had to fill out these score slips at the end of each dozen. Again not a major problem but shooting three arrows, coming off the line and then going back on to shoot three more, you don’t get much time to do it and you end up rushing shots to get it done and making mistakes on the score sheets. Now if we did ends of six then it would be better but as it was it was a real rush and ended up rushing shots just to get the scores done. It wasn’t just me struggling with this, but seems quite a few scorers were having difficulty with this and a few had to have two people to help do it to get it done in time. So I think some improvement could be done there. There are a few things I like about Pontifract, which if you go back to last year you can probably find out. But I’ll remind you, firstly it’s not a recognized round, its 10 dozen at approximately 50yds shot within castle walls. Second it also has speed shooting (which I wasn’t far off winning this year) a 3D bear hunt and wand shooting. All of which I didn’t do very well on this year, though this year was a lot of head to heads as the chance for a prize spurred on archers skills. In fact one of our very own managed to win the bear hunt David Shackleton, well done Dave. I myself brought back the best gold trophy and left with is as well after once again taking out the cross leaving just a fraction of one stick of it left. Unfortunately I didn’t take a picture of that, should have done really to go with last years.
One thing that I’m realizing is that recently esp with trying to get the third bowman pip, was that I was score chasing, and that is not what I wanted archery to become for me, I shoot because I enjoy it, not because of the score. Now admittedly a high score is nice but it’s not what I want to drive my shooting, because following scores leads to disappointment. I suppose in a way it can be linked to the dark side in Star Wars. Shooting just for scores makes you sacrifice a lot of those things to get scores and if you don’t, I suppose you get disappointed that you don’t get those scores because something is standing in your way. I guess that must be why a lot of people like shooting compound, it’s getting higher score for less effort. Now I’ve probably annoyed compound archers with that statement and that they will argue that their archery is just as difficult and competitive (comment below if you have an opinion). To a degree that is true, meaning when shooting against other compound archers it’s as difficult as any other bow type to get a higher score BUT compared against another bow types and you have the advantage. The form of a compound archer may not be great but the bow compensates. If you don’t get good form with a longbow and you barely hit the target, so you see the link.
On a different note my new bow arrived recently and though it was the weight I had asked for I was surprised that it was much shorter than my previous one. Not that that is a problem, shooting it is great and after a few sessions with it I’m beginning to gain control over it and get to know it. The difference in length is making it difficult though, as the angle of the string seems wrong on the fingers for now. Also it’s taken a toll on one of my fingers, and the top knuckle is rather sore so I may have to rest it before really using it properly again. I’ll see how it goes I think.
In the mean time new bow means new arrows, so in production are a brand new set of arrows with a change in design, as well as trying modkin points I’m switching from POC shafts to Pine, hopefully they’ll work out well I’ll post pictures when I’ve finished but in the mean time they are still in production. I’m quite interested to see the results as lots of people like pine but having never tried it it’ll be nice to do some comparisons. For those of you asking what a modkin point is, imagine round version of a bodkin, so gives the medieval look, but doesn’t cut the bosses to ribbons.
Oh something interesting and new (for me) was that recently I attended Assheton Bowmen’s shoot which was a York (Hereford for ladies & juniors) and at the end of 100yds (halfway through) I was in third place, the first two positions being held by Master Bowmen level archers. So having never placed in a competition before (save a novice shoot I attended) I was excited. Unfortunately my 80yds shooting wasn’t good and I was struggling for the first two dozen of that range, which allowed a couple of other archers to catch up and overtake. Though at the 60yd range I shot very well (for me) in one end landing 3 golds (almost 4) two sevens and a five. In fact coming into the last dozen it was a buzz of excitement between myself and an archer on the next boss both of which the same level. In the end he managed to beat me by 9 points, which I might add if I got those points I would have beaten my PB by one point, so I’m not unhappy about it, though would have been nice to place.
Ok, I shall close this update with a quote from Pip Bickerstaff’s book, ‘The Heritage of the Longbow.’
Learning to shoot the longbow well is, in many ways, like learning the art of pleasing a good woman. The first few fumbled attempts do not lead to any sort of success, but as you come to understand its little ways so you come to be more at one with the bow. The more it becomes a part of you the more you can get out of it creating an accuracy which is built entirely on an instinctive and natural feel.
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