Cardio Trek - Toronto Personal Trainer

Archery Woes - Hair and Eye Problems

Q

Hello!

I have two problems when I am doing archery. I cannot close my left eye when I am trying to aim. If I close it I end up closing/squinting my right eye too, so much that I can barely see the target. I find I have problems aiming with both eyes open because it makes double vision.

The second problem is my long hair has a tendency to get in the way. Aside from cutting off my hair or wearing a hat, what can I do to counter my hair getting in the way of my eyes?

Thanks in advance!
Kayla N.

A

Hello Kayla!

Problem 1

I have encountered people with the problem that they cannot close their left eye before and I have a very simple solution: Wear an eye patch. It may feel silly but many archers in your position do it. Some of them even have decorative eye patches made.

Problem 2

Now you know why Katniss in the Hunger Games wears her hair in a braid. This is the quickest, most effective solution to your hair problems. Just braid your hair, tie it back, make a ponytail, pigtails, etc. You could even put your hair up in Princess Leia buns if you wanted to.

If your hair is too short to make a ponytail, braid or tie it back then I have several other suggestions:

1. Bandanna to hold your hair out of your face.

2. Hair barrettes to hold your hair in place.

3. Bows / ribbons holding your hair in place (feel free to make jokes with your fellow archers about how many bows you are using at the same time).

4. Wear a toque or knitted kufi hat.

5. Get a perm. Curly hair is more springy and won't get in your eyes so much when you are shooting.

Three Common Compound Tuning Questions

Below are three common questions students often ask when it comes to compound bows.

QUESTION 1

"I recently purchased a compound bow and I don't know how to adjust the draw length. How do I do that?"

It varies on the individual compound bow, but basically it is a matter of reading the owner's manual and then following the instructions. There are however common

Step one will typically be to unscrew the top limb bolt (where the limb meets the riser) using an Allen key / hex key. Doing so lowers the poundage of the bow on the top limb. Start by rotating the key 2 full circles.

Step two, unscrew the bottom limb bolt 2 full rotations.

Step three, repeat step one and step two until the limbs are at their maximum lowered poundage. Keep track of how many full rotations you used for both top and bottom limbs.

Step four, consulting your owner's manual adjust the pins on your top and bottom cams to the desired settings for the draw length.

Step five, rescrew the bottom limb 2 rotations, then the top limb 2 rotations, and keep repeating this process until both top and bottom limbs are back at the original settings (so the draw weight is once again returned to the same amount).

QUESTION 2

"How do I adjust the draw weight?"

If you already read the answer to Question One, this part will be easy. You adjust the draw weight by either unscrewing or screwing both the top and bottom limb bolts equal amounts until you get to your desired draw weight.

You will want to use a draw weight that you can pull back easily. If you feel like you are going to rip your muscles or that it is almost impossible to full back, then it is too heavy for you and you should lower it to a more manageable draw weight.

Note - For hunting purposes you would still need to use a draw weight that is equal to or above the legal minimum for your prey. eg. In Ontario the legal minimum for deer is 39.7 lbs, and for moose / elf / black bear the legal minimum is 48.5 lbs.

Determining the precise draw weight requires a gadget to measure to the draw pull at "the Wall" (the point at which the draw weight while pulling back is at its highest point). Most archery stores have such a gadget on hand and can tell you the precise draw weight when they setup your bow for you. Experienced archers can also estimate the draw weight of your bow just by pulling it back and giving their best guess based on their past experience.

QUESTION 3

"How do I adjust the sights on my compound bow?"

For this one you really should sign up for an archery lesson. Beginners have a tendency to make all sorts of mistakes when adjusting the sights on their compound bow so it is a case wherein you are best guided by someone who has experience adjusting the sights to help tune your compound bow so you get the utmost accuracy out of your equipment.

The short answer to this question is to make clusters of arrows on the target and then 'chase the cluster' by adjusting your sights in whatever direction(s) the cluster is in. Adjusting the sight is counter-intuitive. You have to adjust the sight in the direction of the cluster. Many beginners think if your shots are too high that you need to lower the sight. It is actually the opposite, you need to raise the sight upwards and then your arrows will go lower. Raising the sight lowers the trajectory angle of the arrow, lowering the sight raises the trajectory angle of the arrow. Huzzah for physics lessons.

Fine tuning the sights up/down and left/right is more complex than that however so if you have a friend who has experience tuning compound sights, I strongly recommend you ask them to help you out - or if you live in Toronto you can hire an archery instructor like myself.

Sometimes people also install other parts on compound bows improperly and they need to be adjusted first before you adjust the sight. For example the arrow rest should be tuned first, before you tune the sight. eg. I once met someone shooting a right-handed bow with a left-handed bow's arrow rest installed backwards on it. That was a case in which they needed a right arrow rest first, install it, tune it, and then they can start tuning the sights.

Scheduling Deposit for Personal Training Sessions / Sports Lessons

Earlier this year I decided to start insisting on scheduling deposits because of several factors which resulted in me becoming disgusted in the behaviour of 'no shows'.

First was the issue of people who don't show up at all for a scheduled session. That means I am standing there, twiddling my fingers and waiting for them to show up - and they never show up. This means I am out time, transportation costs and annoyed at the person who didn't show up for their personal training session.

Second, for every session that someone skips, forgets, neglects there is usually one or more people who contacted me asking for that same time slot - which means not only have I had my time wasted and wasn't compensated for my time, but someone else was denied the chance to schedule their session.

From March to October my schedule gets booked pretty solid so every time a client is a 'no show' it means there is a high probability that someone else was denied the chance to be trained.

Third, by insisting on scheduling deposits this allows me to focus my efforts on the students who are serious about training / sincerely want to learn. If they skip sessions, forget to show up, etc then they are obviously not very serious about it. It also means that if a student does forget/skip a session that I am still compensated for my time.

Fourth, at some point in the future I want to expand and hire other personal trainers / sports instructors who will be working for me - which means I will be responsible for their wages. If a client doesn't show up for their scheduled session I still have to pay the personal trainer / sports instructor. This means that I would be paying for wasted time out of my own pocket with nothing to show for it. I need to decrease any chance of financial losses by ensuring clients either remember to show up for their personal training sessions and don't skip sessions on a whim.

Fifth, I have determined that clients who don't pay a deposit should not be guaranteed their time slot. If they are unwilling to pay the deposit, and someone else contacts me who is more serious and willing to pay the deposit for the same time slot then I have no reason to be financially loyal to a client who has yet to confirm their interest.

Sixth, in the past whenever a client didn't show up for their session my policy has been to "refuse service" to people who are 'no shows' because they wasted my time and I don't want to take the risk again that they might not show up to their scheduled session. (Sometimes 'no shows' ask to reschedule their lesson after the agreed upon time, or ask to reschedule with less than 24 hours notice, in which case if they haven't paid for their sessions it means I am out time that could have been spent training someone. There is no financial incentive for me to reschedule a lesson for someone who has already not shown up for an unpaid session when I could give the new time to be scheduled to someone else who is both willing to pay and willing to show up on time.)

Seventh, when dealing with people who haven't paid for their session and ask to reschedule their session less than 24 hours from the time of their session - this means someone else is denied a session that could have been scheduled during that time slot, simply because there isn't adequate time for me to contact people on my 'waiting list' and confirm their availability.

Eighth, I have determined the best policy when dealing with people is to forgive all instances of illnesses / injuries / emergencies, provided I am given adequate notice. People who later claim that they wrote their personal training session time on a note and their "dog ate it" (or similarly bogus excuses) are not given the benefit of the doubt. If it wasn't an illness, injury or emergency then I don't care what the person's excuse is. At such times I point at my Terms of Service and remind people that I require at least 24 hour advance notice to reschedule a session. Attempting to reschedule a session AFTER the session's scheduled time has already happened, means the session already happened. Which means if it wasn't paid for, then I expect to be compensated for that time, or I have the right to deny service to people who refuse to pay for my time.

See Also
Rescheduling and Missed Sessions / Cardio Trek's Terms of Service

12 Ways to Get Extra Exercise

Finding ways to exercise when you are so used to taking the lazy way out can be tricky. Here are 12 ways to get extra exercise and to stop using the lazy way of doing things. Getting into the habit of doing these 12 things and you will burn extra calories and become healthier over time.

#1. Instead of chatting or texting with friends on your phone, go meet up in person and go for a walk together.

#2. Fire the dogwalker and/or gardener. Start walking the dog yourself and doing all the gardening yourself.

#3. Walk to the grocery store instead of driving. If the weight is too much to carry, get a little cart.

#4. Walk or bicycle to work if it is within a reasonable distance.

#5. Instead of picking up the kids after school with the car, walk to the school, meet them, and then walk home. Same goes with your morning routine of dropping them off.

#6. Jog to wherever you are going to for your lunch break. You can walk too, but definitely don't take your car.

#7. Don't email someone a memo if they are in same floor of your office building. Deliver the message in person.

#8. Fetch your own drinks or snacks when at work. Don't ask someone else to bring them to you. If someone offers to fetch them for you, ask to go with them. Eat healthy!!!

#9. If you have a gym membership but are feeling too tired after work to go to the gym, go anyway. When you are tired you should still go.

#10. Set your alarm clock so you get up 30 minutes earlier. Use that extra time to exercise.

#11. Want to relax? Turn off the TV and go for a relaxing walk outside instead. Take the camera or the family dog with you.

#12. Do the household chores yourself. Don't hire a maid or a cleaning service.

Exercise Quotes Hall of Fame

You may have noticed that I did not post new exercise quotes for October 2014. The reason why is because I am running out of exercise quotes to post. There is a finite supply of famous people with exercise quotes evidently. (Although I suppose I could always try making them up from scratch.)

"When first you don't like jogging, try again. And when you still don't like jogging, keep trying. Eventually if you keep trying long enough you will love jogging."