Whistling Arrowheads

For fun I got out my whistling arrowheads today and did a few long distance shots with my vintage 1972 Black Hawk Avenger (40 lbs) recurve bow. One of my favourite bows.

Whistling arrowheads don't really have a practical purpose in modern times, beyond having fun with them. Historically they were used as signal arrows or warning arrows.

Mongolians and Tibetans also reputedly used "howling arrowheads" in combat, which sounded like a ghost from a distance, and in warfare would demoralize the enemy as it would "sound like death coming towards you". The howling arrowheads used a different design which created a different pitch when the arrow flew through the air.

Below: My Black Hawk Avenger with two arrows tipped with whistling arrowheads.

Below: Four photos of the same thing, from slightly different angles while I play with the focus lens.

And lastly, because it was there, I take a couple shots at the deer painted on the target to get it in the heart zone (I used field points for these shots instead of whistlers).

Boxing Training Methods

Boxing training is one of the toughest out there

[Image Credit https://twitter.com/bangtanbxtch]

To keep fit and maintain our health and well-being, training and exercising on a regular basis is essential. It’s that simple, really. A healthy body usually results in a healthy mind, as they say.

With a vast array of training techniques out there, with all different kinds of athletes training in different ways depending on what suits them and their body best, we’ve decided to focus on boxing and the typical excises and fitness routines that a boxer might undertake.

Whether you’re looking to become the next Rocky Balboa - a phenomenon that has spawned numerous movies and even online games - or simply keen to keep fit and maintain a healthy lifestyle, boxing training is arguably the hardest training to do and the most effective way to achieve any fitness goals you might have.

Actor Sylvester Stallone had to train like a boxer and a bodybuilder for the role, which he certainly aced, didn’t he?

Below are a few typical training exercises that a boxer might undertake ahead of a big fight or even just enjoy during a light exercise routine.

The Dragon Flag

We’re starting a bit extreme here, admittedly. First coming into prominence following the Rocky films, ‘The Dragon Flag’ exercise is a highly effective ab exercise which forces the muscles of the stomach to eccentrically contract. They are in tension, but lengthening. This is very similar to the downward phase of a bicep curl.

How to Dragon Flag:

1. Lay on floor whilst holding onto something stable with your hands by your head
2. With only your head and shoulders in contact with the floor, raise your entire body from the floor
3. Keeping as straight as possible, lower yourself to the ground
4. Pause for one second when at the bottom of the exercise
5. Then return back in an upright position
6. All the time ensuring only your head and shoulders are in contact with the floor

[Image Credit https://twitter.com/ProBodyweight]

Strength Training Myth

A theory even Rocky’s trainer in the movie had, that to win fights and be at peak performance, strength training and therefore building muscle tone is vitally important. According to the Strength and Conditioning Journal, despite this theory coming from a classic movie, it’s actually correct.

They say: "Many boxing traditionalists and trainers mistakenly believe that strength training will have a detrimental effect on boxers, making them slow or muscle bound. The boxer can greatly benefit from the proven effects of a proper strength-training program.”

Jump Rope Sans Rope

Jump rope is a boxing exercise most of you are probably familiar with. Either you’ve attempted it yourself as a standard jump rope warm-up or you’ve seen a boxer do it, perhaps. Believe it or not, though, you don’t actually need a rope to carry out this exercise. Simply take a minute to jump in place, moving your arms in small circular motion as though you are actually holding a jump rope. It’s an excellent way to get the heart pumping at the beginning of your workout session and will certainly wake your whole body up before you get into full flow.

Shadow Boxing

Boxing fans will certainly be aware of this one. It really is the pièce de résistance. You don’t necessarily need pads to gain the full effect of this exercise. By simply punching the air, keeping your fists up to your face, keeping your knees soft and your weight forward on your toes, shadow boxing for a few minutes can certainly tire the body out.

Underwater Archery

TORONTO ARCHERY LESSONS

As unusual exercises and bizarre sports go, Underwater Archery should certainly rank up there.

It is certainly feasibly to do, but the range a person can achieve accuracy, the speed of the arrow, and even visibility is significantly reduced.

The problem is that the density of the water (as opposed to air) slows the arrows down significantly, so the distance a person can shoot is immediately hampered during the release, and the arrow slows quickly.

The usable range would be similar or less than a speargun or harpoon gun, which have an operational range of about 10 meters.

So do people compete at Underwater Archery?

Nope, not yet.

Could someone organize an Underwater Archery tournament? Probably someone could do it as a joke. It would be more amusing than anything else.

It doesn't make sense for fishing either. Bowfishing is easier to do from the surface when you are shooting at fish that are in relatively shallow water, that way the arrows are not slowed down too much upon impact.

As demonstrated below Underwater Archery is mostly for the purposes of photography.

The Assassin's Trail - Archery Fantasy Book

Hello Archery Fans!

Some of my archery students know that I also write fiction and non-fiction. eg. I sometimes publish articles in Archery Focus Magazine.

Regarding my fiction work back in April I published a paperback of one of my older books, The Assassin's Trail.

The Assassin's Trail paperback is available on Amazon.ca for $10.43.

Or if you prefer the ebook version, you can get The Assassin's Trail ebook for $2.99.

Plot Snippet:

Five years after undergoing the Test of Manhood, young Wrathgar is tasked with bringing back the head of the murderer Muddenklaw who sought vengeance against his own people and murdered innocents. But Muddenklaw has escaped from the Snowfell Mountains and fled south past the dreaded Ogre Swamp to the more civilized lands to the south, becoming a murderer-for-hire. Will Wrathgar be able to find the murderer, and bring about justice for those who were killed? Or will Muddenklaw escape into a world of assassins who hide in the shadows waiting to strike? Who will win in the showdown between the barbarian ranger and the assassin?

So is there archery in the book? Of course there is. Lots of it, plus also tracking, woodsman skills, flintknapping, murder, mayhem, magic and more! I am currently editing Book Two of the series, wherein Wrathgar and a team of other characters are faced with even deadlier dangers fighting the priests and followers of a dark god of murder. I am hoping to have Book Two available before Christmas 2019.

Happy Reading and Happy Shooting!

Sincerely,
Charles Moffat
CardioTrek.ca

Archery Biathlon Scoring

Q

How does scoring work in an archery biathlon?

A

In the regular biathlon (skiing with rifles) the Biathletes ski as fast as they can, then they must quickly calm down to shoot a target the size of a loonie 50 meters (55 yards) away from a prone position and shoot a second target the size of a Tim Horton's coffee cup lid from a standing position. Each time they miss they have to ski a penalty loop that is 150 meters long, which costs them a lot of valuable time.

Thus it is definitely a race. The first one across the finishing line wins.

So technically there is no scoring. You either get across the finishing line first or your don't.

There are also a number of challenges the biathletes face: How much wax they have on their skis, whether the snow is soft or hard or muddy, wind, rain, snow, fog. It is a true challenge and every competition will be uniquely different due to the snow and weather conditions.

The Archery Biathlon is very similar. They still have the challenge of skiing in adverse conditions and then calming down to shoot, but shooting a bow is much more challenging as they have to be very calm to get more accuracy.

So what are the differences?

#1. Archers don't shoot from a prone position, although they could in theory shoot from a kneeling position.
#2. They shoot three arrows instead of two bullets.
#3. They must hit a 20 cm wide target that is 20 meters away. It doesn't matter where they hit on the target (center or edge), so long as it is a confirmed hit.

So for every arrow that misses they still have to do the penalty loop, which is normally* 150 meters.

* The exact rules of archery biathlons can sometimes vary upon who is hosting them. The hosts make the rules.

Note - During the summer archers could still do something similar if they wanted to. "Run Archery" is a similar sport, but archers could also in theory use roller-blades or other methods of transportation to create their own sport. eg. Equestrian archers could use the above rules to compete on horseback.

Fun Fact

The Norse god Ullr is quite literally the god of the archery biathlon.

Trust the Norse to actually have a god for this sport, which back then was also a matter of hunting, survival and warfare.