Due to the Coronavirus Outbreak my archery lessons are temporarily unavailable.
I am going to be using this break to spend time with family, work on some writing, read a few books (currently I am reading the Witcher series and also a series of books by British writer Anthony Ryan, which I totally recommend people check out), and perhaps do some woodworking/bowmaking.
Whenever the virus outbreak gets sorted out I will be resuming my normal routine of archery lessons, but for now I suppose I am on an "extended vacation".
So for now my bows are just going to hang for a bit until they are ready to be used again. (Asides from me getting some personal practice, of course.)
Where can I do archery? Is it safe and legal to do it in my backyard? Is there a designated place to do archery in my city?
In Toronto the best place to do archery is at the Toronto Archery Range, located in E. T. Seton Park (near the Ontario Science Centre). Visit archerytoronto.ca/Toronto-Archery-Range.html to see maps and parking info.
The legality of doing archery in your backyard depends upon how safe you are doing it. If a neighbour complains about your lack of safety precautions and police investigate they could charge you with reckless endangerment with a firearm. Since Toronto has a public archery range however it is generally accepted that you should really be practicing archery at the archery range.
What is the cost of equipment? Do I have to shell out big bucks or can I do it on a budget?
Either. Nobody is forcing you to spend a lot of money. A typical beginners budget for equipment is about $350 CDN to buy bow, arrows, arrowheads, arrowrest, shooting glove or tab, bowstringer, etc. Alternatively you could just make your own equipment if you are skilled at woodworking and want to try your hand at bowmaking / fletching arrows.
What kind of equipment do I need to start out? Should I just get a bow and some arrows or is there anything else I need?
Yes. You will want:
Arrowheads
Arrowrest
Shooting glove or tab
Bowstringer
A bag or box for carrying your equipment to and from the archery range.
Various optional items like a quiver, arm guard/bracer, arrow nock bead, paper targets, portable targets, 3D targets, and a variety of other accessories.
Do I need archery lessons? Can I just go and shoot or do I need to be instructed on technique, safety, best practices, etc...?
No, you absolutely do not need lessons, but it is definitely helpful to have archery lessons and you should definitely pay attention and abide by all the safety bylaws as they are for your own protection and to protect others.
What types of bows are there? I have seen some complicated contraptions and more Robin Hood looking bows, but what is the difference and which should I choose?
The most common styles of bows are:
Recurve Bows
Longbows / Flatbows
Horsebows / Shortbows
Olympic Recurve Bows
Compound Bows
Recurve Bows are the easiest to learn how to use. Longbows/Flatbows and Horsebows/Shortbows are stylistically similar, but have a more difficult learning curve. Olympic Recurves are more specialized and use gadgets to help the archery increase archery. Compound Bows are typically decked out with every gadget you can find. The biggest difference between the styles is how much the individual archer wants to embrace specific traditions or whether they prefer to use gadgets to get extra accuracy.
How long will it take me to be good? Is it a long process or will I pick it up quickly?
It varies significantly upon a number of factors.
Whether or not you get archery lessons.
How many archery lessons you get.
Whether or not you buy/read any archery books or read websites about improving your archery form.
How good is your posture.
How often your practice.
What your definition of "good" is.
It takes years to get really good at archery. It isn't something that happens overnight. Getting archery lessons / reading a good book on the subject really speeds up the process.
What types of arrows are there? What do you call the feathers at the end? What is the best arrow I can buy?
There are many types of arrows, usually made from wood, bamboo, carbon fibre, aluminum or fibreglass. The feathers are called fletching. The "best arrow" depends on what you are using it for. An expensive arrow doesn't necessarily mean it is better at a specific task. Eg. A lightweight arrow would be better for long distance (flight archery), but a heavier arrow can often be better for hunting purposes. So it really depends. Historically "footed shaft" arrows were considered to be the best of both worlds because they were heavier on the front and lighter on the back, which improved accuracy.
One of the things I have done over the years of teaching archery is that I have started keeping records of how well my students do.
For example during the first lesson, which involves Field Archery Practice at target balls, I keep track of which students have managed to hit the target ball at the furthest distance.
During the first lesson the student starts shooting at a target ball at a distance of 10 yards. If they hit the ball I move it back 1 pace (roughly 1 yard). If they hit it twice in the same round, I move it back 2 paces.
Five times? Clearly that distance is too easy. Move it back 5 paces.
By the end of the lesson most students are shooting at the target balls at a distance of 21 to 25 yards. However some students have been quite good at this and manage to hit the ball enough times to get the ball out to an impressive distance.
The record for a beginner student during their first lesson is 37 yards (111 feet).
Recently one of my archery students managed to tie that record, and I got it on video. So now there are two students who managed to hit the target ball at 37 yards during their first lesson.
Competing Against Yourself
Keeping track of your personal record at various distances is handy and fun to do. It lets you know how much you have improved. For example I know my personal record at 20 yards when shooting at a 40cm FITA archery target is a perfect 50 out of 50, but I also know I only managed to get that score on a day when:
I was well rested and well fed.
I was mentally focused and not distracted.
There was almost no wind.
I was using a particular bow I had been shooting with for years.
I was using brand new arrows.
I had been trying to get a perfect score for almost a month.
Getting to that perfect score out of 50 was very hard. I got a lot of 47s, 48s and 49s. I could get four 10s fairly easily, but getting a fifth was proving to be extremely difficult.
Getting that perfect score basically required everything to be alignment (like the moon and stars, etc) and I only ever did it once.
Once I did do it however I moved on to other things, like seeing what was the best score I could get at 33 yards (30 meters / 99 feet), also on a 40cm FITA target. I don't think I will ever get a perfect 50 at that distance on a target that small. (The 10 point circle only has a diameter of roughly 4 cm.)
Competing Against The Record
Find a record set by someone else that you think you could potentially beat.
For example the most amazing shot I have ever seen done by any of my students was last year when I was teaching one of my older students Clout Archery.
Clout Archery involves shooting at a flag pole at very large distances. So far away you need something like a flagpole so you can see what you are trying to hit.
One of my students hit the flagpole, right on the flag where it was attached to the pole, the middle point of it - and hit it so hard the flagpole fell over.
The distance was 85 yards (77.7 meters). For reference Olympic archers shoot at 70 meters.
In the video below you can hear me grumbling about how I need to come up with more difficult challenges for this particular student, who after so many years of lessons continues to amaze me with his ability to beat a challenge.
The 14 day weather forecast shows there being a slight dip in temperatures starting Wednesday until Saturday of this week, and then it getting a lot warmer in a hurry on March 1st.
By March 4th it will be 5 degrees outside and sunny.
For Toronto's Archery Community this means a return to shooting outdoors regularly, and seeing friends many of us haven't seen since October or November. (Sadly archery is very much a seasonal sport, even for private indoor locations the sport is largely seasonal.)
Speaking for myself I have been missing archery during the Winter so it is going to be a joy to be shooting again very soon.
The Toronto Archery Range on a Cloudy Day
Browse my archery lessons page to learn more about rates / discounts.
Read my archery lesson plan so you understand what you could be learning. Eg. Want to learn how to shoot long distances? Sign up for at least 3 lessons.
Lesson 1 - Short Distance Field Archery.
Lesson 2 - 20 Yard Target Archery.
Lesson 3 - Long Distance Field Archery.
Lesson 4 - Moving Targets.
Want to learn more about what is involved? Just email cardiotrek@gmail.com with any questions.
4 Things You Need to Know Before Setting out on Your Weight Loss Journey
Guest Post
How many of us have woken up on a Monday morning telling ourselves that the “diet starts today”, only for it to be ruined by lunch time? We have all been there, and the more we try and force ourselves to get through fad and crash diets, the less likely we are to stick to it. Losing weight isn’t easy, and with processed and high in fat food being so easily accessible, it is very common to fall into bad eating habits that can seem impossible to get out of.
However, it is important that you look after your weight, as being overweight can cause an increased risk of suffering from life threatening conditions, such as diabetes and high blood pressure. Therefore, we have put together some of the things you need to know before setting out on your weight loss journey that may help you along the way.
Starving Yourself Won’t Work
First of all, don’t make the mistake of thinking that if you starve yourself and dramatically cut down the amount of food that you eat each day, you are going to suddenly drop two dress sizes. In reality, those who follow crash diets are much less likely to continue with their journey as they give in to the temptation of high calorie foods.
Instead of cutting down the amount of food you eat, you should plan three healthy meals a day that are both nutritional and tasty. Nobody wants to eat just salad for the rest of their life, and thinking that you can is not going to work. So, stop thinking about the bad foods you can’t eat and focus on the good foods that you can!
Get into The Right Mindset
If you can get yourself into the right mindset that is needed to see you through a successful weight loss journey, then you are already halfway there. When we start a diet at the beginning of the week, many of us don’t take it very seriously, which is why it rarely lasts past lunch time. So, start by telling yourself that you are ready to make the changes to your diet and transform how you feel about yourself.
Decide Your Why
While a medical professional would tell you that your main motivation for losing weight should be for health reasons, there may be a variety of other reasons that have you led you to your weight loss journey. While losing weight for the benefit of your health will likely be a considerable factor, you may decide that you want to feel good about yourself again, something that has been unobtainable to you since gaining the weight.
You may even have a special event coming up that you want to look good and feel comfortable for. Whatever it is, decide your why and focus on it to keep your motivation up.
There Are Extra Tools Out There to Help You
Remember that you don’t have to struggle through your weight loss journey alone, and there are extra tools and resources out there that will be able to you through. You may be interested in weight loss groups or HGH injections that can boost energy levels, so make sure you should consider the online purchasing options available to you.
The decision to start your weight loss journey can be both daunting and anxiety provoking, and it is important to remember that it is completely normal to feel nervous about trying to lose weight. However, by following these tips and advice, you can start off on your successful weight loss journey.
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!
