My wife said she wanted to do some archery on Thursday so we went to the range and I took some photos and kept our son Richard company while she did some shooting.
I posted some of the photos and videos of my wife Debie shooting on my Instagram account at instagram.com/charles.moffat. I frequently post lots of archery and outdoor related photos and videos on my Instagram account so if those are things you enjoy, please subscribe.
If you watch the videos you will often hear our son cheering each time his mommy shoots.
Later this year, when Richard turns 2, I will be teaching him archery.
Normally I don't teach people under 16 years old, but I am known to make exceptions. Especially if a person is really determined to learn archery and is serious about the sport.
Spring is almost here. The first day of Spring is just a few days away, on March 21st.
Today I went to the Toronto Archery Range and took some photos to see the condition of the range. Just give it a few warm days and it will muddy, but the snow and ice will be gone.
Hello, I live in the beaches area of Toronto and was looking for a
contact or someone who can do one-on-one or small group sessions on
throwing the javelin. I am an athlete in many sports but haven't had
the opportunity to try the javelin. I would like to learn or at least
try to see how good I could be in this sport and was hoping to have a
few lessons to see if I like it before joining a throwing club and
making a big financial commitment. When I was quite young I threw the
shot put but that was many years ago. Also throwing the discus might
interest me as well.
I will be 17 next month
and am presently in grade 11 and will be participating in the TDSB track
and field team in spring for my school. I usually sprint and compete
in the long jump but this year I would like to see if I could
participate in the javelin only if I could gain some experience and see
if I am good enough through some private or a few group lessons with an
experienced thrower. I was hoping you might be able to help me.
Thank you.
David T.
A
Hello David!
I tried javelin myself in
high school and rather enjoyed it. I even made my own spears and a
trident, for fun, while I was a teenager. (A few years ago I was
visiting my parents and my brother-in-law broke my old trident.)
However
I haven't touched a javelin in over 20 years and I am certainly not
qualified to teach it. If you wanted archery lessons I could help you,
but you don't seem to be interested in that. Although if you are, let me
know and we can arrange some archery lessons.
My
recommendation would be to find someone who competed in javelin,
however briefly, and ask if they would be willing to teach a few
lessons.
Another possibility you might look
into, just because it is similar, is spearfishing. I personally think
that would be fun to try. Legally, spearfishing in Ontario is governed
by the same laws as bowfishing.
You might also ask around at various Toronto high schools and see if any of them have a javelin program. There should be a few Phys Ed teachers who teach it.
You could also try contacting professional Canadian athletes or their coaches, and ask if they can recommend someone in Toronto.
I am going to
do a post on my website however and maybe (hopefully) someone will
contact me who knows more about teaching javelin, and then I can refer
you to them.
Best of luck to you!
Sincerely,
Charles Moffat
CardioTrek.ca
Follow Up
I really appreciate all your input and information. It's great to
hear about your experiences. Thank you very much for your advice and
I'll continue to research all avenues and hopefully find someone
nearby. I'm also going to think about the archery.
Training is always good and useful for you. Thanks to regular exercises you can get a good physical shape, cope with depression, improve sleep, mood, and indeed, prolong the youth of the body. In practice, it has been proven that fitness classes are not only beneficial for the figure but also help to give up bad habits (smoking, alcohol abuse), adjust diet and lead a healthy lifestyle.
Fitness for women allows them to quickly recover from childbirth and avoid the development of postpartum depression. For men's health, regular exercise also benefits; it is an excellent prevention of non-specific prostatitis, stagnation in the pelvic organs and erectile dysfunction.
We all understand and know these benefits, we all know that we need to be engaged on a regular basis and do not miss training. But sometimes it’s just laziness ... Especially in autumn or winter. After all, this time is the laziest. The sun is not enough, most of the day is dark, it is cold outside, and the body, besides its usual expenses, spends its energy on keeping warm. And how often, coming home after work, everything is needed to turn on the TV, read a good book with the cup of tea and cookies... But not to go into a fitness center to do sports. And it does not matter that the subscription is purchased for several months in advance.
Experts note that in the cold period of the year, many clients of the fitness centers decrease their activity. In addition to the reasons already listed, the motivation to go in for sports is lost in winter frosts; after all, people walk in warm clothes and do not show their figure to anyone. Motivation returns sharply in spring and closer to summer. But, as a rule, this time is not enough to bring the body into shape.
But what to do to overcome this laziness and motivate yourself to act?
Here are the top 10 proven ways to get rid of laziness:
1. Create a list of benefits
Think about why it is needed to lose weight: to become stronger, hardier, faster, gain muscle mass, lose weight, increase flexibility and coordination of movements, increase the speed of reaction, accustom yourself to hard work and patience, or perhaps something else? Take a piece of paper, a pen and write down the list of benefits that is possible to get from workouts. Looking through notes can help to feel responsible for actions. Besides the fact that it helps to put thoughts in order, there is some magic; the recorded goals are executed more often than those that were not recorded.
2. Hire a coach or personal trainer
It is very important to have a professional coach or certified personal trainer who simply forbids being lazy at the right time and corrects all actions. But there is another side to the medal: economic. Athletes involved with a coach, often go to the gym. The fact is that a prepaid training does not give a chance to pass by the fitness center. Lost money scares people more than laziness.
3. Divide the elephant into pieces
Often laziness is not only a lack of motivation but also a hidden fear that something might not work out since it was taken on a too complex task. For example, lose weight by 30 kg per month. Naturally, without damage to health, it is simply impossible and such tasks can be pretty scary. Therefore, it is easier for your psyche to make you lie down on a sofa or eat another portion of your favorite dessert. Therefore, the goal should be divided into several parts. For example, set a goal of 4 kg per month. Doesn't it sound so scary? And 4 kg per month is clearly better than zero. Therefore, concentrate on small goals, not big ones.
4. Change the type of activity
If the power training is already bored to the edge, find out what other activities your club provides. Go to yoga, Pilates, Tae Bo, spin the pedals of the exercise bike in the end! The more interests we have with the club, the more willing we will be to visit it. And as soon as favorite activities and instructors appear, motivation to go to the gym increases. Starting a workout will be a welcome time in the schedule.
5. Planning is a key
For all this, it is needed a well thought-out plan and a competent training program. Also, a very useful thing will be keeping a diary, where at each workout it can be recorded all results. This is the most effective way for this situation.
The coach can be asked to help make up a training plan, and also it is possible to make it without any help. It can be a long-term plan for a month, for three months, six months, a year. The main thing is that everything should be planned in detail.
6. Visualize the final result
Often, to achieve goals, people practice visualization. This is the creation in the imagination of images of the desired reality. If a goal is to lose weight, it makes sense to transfer thoughts mentally to the future when the goal is achieved and present yourself the way you want to see yourself. That is, imagining ourselves slim, we figuratively draw a picture in our head, and then it’s all for the all-powerful subconscious. The main condition for the effectiveness of visualization is complete relaxation. Suppose that at this moment all matters will fade into the background, and close people will allow you to be alone with yourself.
7. Just do it
Just start, the appetite will come with eating. Action without thoughts is the best motivator, regardless of mood, desire, weather conditions. The only thing that will be needed is some effort at the start. But in 10-15 minutes you are already sufficiently immersed in the activity. Begin training through strength, and in the third exercise, it will be forgotten about any laziness. Moreover, after training session, it will be guaranteed a great mood and a desire to return as soon as possible.
8. Go to the gym at another time
There are people who are dependent on different phases of the moon and the sun. Especially for these guys, clubs create flexible visit system – it is possible to come whenever you want. Though early in the morning, at least late at night. This is not a problem at all. The main thing is that the visits are really regular and lined up in a more or less efficient system.
9. Download new music
To fill up the playlist with new cool songs is a good move for additional motivation. After all, it is no longer news that those who train to the music are engaged longer and more actively than those who prefer to swing in silence, with the clank of iron. Also, scientists have found that music can serve as a natural painkiller and helps move more actively. Since listening to music while exercising contributes to the development of positive chemicals in the brain, such as dopamine and opioids - which improves mood, dulls pain and reduces fatigue.
10. Find company and friends
More fun to do together. It is a fact. When we go to the gym not alone, we are better motivated to exercise. Here, you should add your best friend to the classes and inspire him or her with the idea that together you will overcome all the trials of weight loss. If no one wants to go it makes sense to meet someone directly in the hall. Communicate with others involved, share your results, ask about the achievements of others. Act! And elastic belly and beautiful muscles you are guaranteed.
Guest Poster Biogrsaphy
My name is Erica Fleming. I support the effective adoption of new technologies or ways of working within writing by communicating complex information in an informative and inspiring way. You can access my works at freebooksummary.com. I’m fond of writing articles for students, helping with essays.
Okay, so this is not the first time I have written an equipment guide for my archery students. It is however the first time I have endeavoured to write The Ultimate Archery Equipment Guide for Beginners!
And by that I mean it will be the most complete guide I have ever made, covering every topic in annoying excruciating detail. And because of this factor, this will actually be a series of different posts. Today we are talking about bows.
Part 1. Finding a Good Starter Bow
Getting a decent starter recurve bow isn't that hard honestly, you just need to find a 3-piece recurve bow that is between $120 to $200 CDN, and there are plenty of recurve bows to choose from. They are very common style of bow.
The Samick Sage
The Samick Sage is a very common choice, and it typically sells for about $150 CDN. This is the same bow I got my wife years ago, so that tells you a bit about the fact that I trusted the brand and the model to be a good match for her.
There are other brands and models to choose from of course, so here is the rundown of a few other models worth looking at:
The Jandao - $120
The Jandao Junior - $100 (Youth Bow, meant for kids 14 or younger.)
The Martin Jaguar - $149
The Martin Sabre - $199
The PSE Razorback - $135
The Ragim Matrix - $130 (No warranty.)
The Ragim Wildcat - $130 (No warranty.)
The Samick Polaris - $120
The Samick Sage - $150
Note - Prices may change over time and prices will vary from store to store.
The real challenge of finding a good starter bow is finding one that is a good poundage (draw weight) for you to start with. Lighter is always better in this case, so most beginners really should start with a bow that is in the 18 to 25 lb range. (Children and youths should be looking at bows in the 10 to 18 lb range.)
And I cannot stress this enough, starting with a lower poundage will always be better for your form and accuracy. If you want to build muscle and have more power, then just get a 2nd pair of limbs (say 30, 35 or 40 lbs) and alternate between focusing on your form and building your strength.
Far too many beginners try to be macho about it and get a heavier bow, and then they discover over time how exhausting it is. Using a lighter bow is better for your endurance, and while strength does help, endurance matters more when it comes to building good archery form. Eventually the macho facade falls to the side and the beginner archer who picked the heavy bow ends up becoming discouraged by their poor accuracy and inability to survive what is essentially an endurance test. Then their bow ends up collecting dust in a closet and they rarely shoot.
Thus my advice to students is to always get the lighter bow when you are first starting out.
The beauty of the 3-piece recurve is that you can always go get stronger limbs later on and use them instead or alternate which set of limbs you are using.
What about 1-piece recurve bows? What about longbows or horsebows?
One piece recurve bows tend to be higher poundages. Thus they make a good bow for someone who is more intermediate or experienced, and thus have a better idea of what they are getting into.
I don't actually recommend longbows or horsebows to beginners. The issue is one of learning how to cant the longbow, which is an extra form and accuracy challenge that is harder for beginners to learn how to do. It is better for beginner archers to learn proper form and how to shoot using a recurve first, and then switch to a longbow or horsebows later on.
The other problem with longbows and horsebows is that are frequently sold in poundages that are 30 lbs or more. It can be rather difficult to find a longbow or horsebow that is only 18 to 25 lbs. Thus this is another reason why beginners should wait until they are more experienced before attempting to make the switch.
One last issue is that longbows / horsebows / 1-piece recurve bows is that they are often more expensive, typically $200 or more, which will put them out of the price range of the average beginner who needs to also buy arrows, arrowheads, arrowrest, nock bead, bowstringer, archery glove or tab, bracer/arm-guard, dampeners, quiver, and anything else they need/desire. eg. Whistling arrows is clearly a desire and not a need. Suddenly they have spent $350 to $400 on archery equipment. If you raise the price of the bow and you are trying to stay within a beginner's budget, well then you can't spend $300 to $400 on the bow and expect to stay under budget when it comes time to buy everything else you need.
Shopping Tip - If you are in Toronto and looking for longbows, I recommend Gary's shop "Basically Bows". Expect to be spending closer to $500 to $600 to get everything you need however, as like I said, longbows are typically more expensive. Again, you really should start with something like a 3-piece recurve, which is why it is a good thing Gary also sells those.
What about compound bows?
If you are thinking about going the compound route there are two compounds bows that I recommend for beginners:
The Bear Cruzer (shown left below)
The Diamond Infinite Edge (shown right below)
So the reasons why I recommend the Bear Cruzer and Diamond Infinite Edge to beginners is because of multiple factors:
They are both highly adjustable, with poundages ranging from 5 lbs to 70 lbs.
They also have adjustable draw lengths.
They can be adjusted without any need for a bow press.
Both are reasonably priced.
Both offer speeds of over 310 FPS.
Both are great for practicing, bowfishing and bowhunting.
Both are marketed as the first and last compound bow you will ever need.
Both offer great value for money.
Now I should note that both Bear and Diamond have come out with different variations of these models over the past few years, making versions with different features, are faster, have the word "Pro" in the name, but they are more or less the same bow. They are just modifying the basic design to intrigue the interest of potential customers.
Another issue here is price. Compound bows can get very expensive, so the budget for someone getting into compound archery needs to be higher than someone getting into recurves. Instead of a budget of $350 to $400 for recurve equipment, expect to be spending closer to $600 to $1000 CDN to get everything you need to practice compound archery.
Hot Tip - Don't be one of those silly people who go and spend $2000 on a fancy compound bow you don't even know how to shoot and then forget to buy a case for transporting it, arrows, arrowheads, a full set of imperial allen keys, an arrowrest, a sight, a mechanical release, bracer/arm-guard, a D-loop for the bowstring...
Are there other styles of bows not listed here?
Of course there is, but none that I would recommend for beginners. Here is a list of examples:
Reflex Bows
Deflex Bows
Decurve Bows
Olympic Recurve Bows
Penobscot-style Longbows
Yumi Bows
Double-limb Recurve Bows
Cable-backed Bows
Scorpion (Spring Powered) Bows
Frankenbows
DIY Stickbows or Self Bows
Pyramid Bows
Propeller Bows
Prehistoric Replica Bows
Seriously, learn how to shoot a normal recurve bow before even touching one of those. Likewise, learn how to shoot a longbow before trying a Penobscot-style longbow.
To use a car analogy, you don't go and buy a Bugatti Veyron (or any other kind of hypercar) when you are 16 years old and first learning how to drive. It is too much car for a beginner. Start slowly with something easier.
The same concept applies to archery. Buy a simple bow that is affordable. Learn how to shoot that bow really well. There will be plenty of time later to get a fancier / more exotic bow.
If you really want to spend more money, spend it on getting a few archery lessons instead. $170 CDN to get 3 archery lessons with an experienced archery instructor is well worth it when you consider how much you will fast track your learning process (and save yourself from breaking/losing a lot of arrows).
Looking to sign up for archery lessons, boxing lessons, swimming lessons, ice skating lessons or personal training sessions? Start by emailing cardiotrek@gmail.com and lets talk fitness!
