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Archery: Shooting Technique, Archer Form, Target Archery And Taxophilite
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Published: June 19, 2007
What could be more fun than sending a razor-sharp arrow rocketing at a large innocent red bullseye? Nothing, which is what makes the sport of archery so much fun in the first place.
An archery enthusiast is known simply as an archer. However, a more technical term for an archer is a a toxophilite, which is someone who is devoted to or is a lover of archery.
There are different kinds of archery. Some actually use a bow and arrow when hunting wild game. Whether hunting wild boar interests a person or not, as a beginner it's best to start off with the more popular type of archery: target archery. Target archery is just what it sounds like, shooting arrows at a target. Once a person has their equipment in hand and their target set up, they need to understand the fundamentals of archery before they can go around telling everyone that they are a pro or a toxophilite.
One of the most important parts of archery is the shooting technique. Without the proper shooting technique, there is no accuracy. First and foremost, an archer needs to maintain a consistent grip. After much practice, the hand will actually begin to feel accustomed to the grip when it is done properly. There are also accessories that can be purchased which may or may not increase an archer's accuracy. Items like these include an arm guard or a finger tab. However, just buying these items doesn't necessarily mean that someone will become a pro. Beginner archers must understand that accuracy equals forgiveness. In the world of archery, forgiveness is defined as the ability of the bow to tolerate some human error without penalizing the shooter severely.
Form is also important. An archer has to be confident that they are utilizing the correct form and follow through. There are many common errors in shooting technique, errors that may even be too obvious to pay attention to. Some errors that affect form include: bad follow through, improper stance, poor vertical body alignments, and overdrawing a short arrow. Having a proper stance is important because it allows the archer to keep his or her shot consistent. Although some might consider it foolish, mental focus can be a big part of improving an archer's shooting technique.
The key to good focus is having a solid mental program to go by, especially for those interested in archery competitions. A mental program is basically just a list of procedures that someone goes through during a competition to keep them focused and relive tension. The procedures differ from one person to another, but the main goal is just to be comfortable. One way to go about feeling comfortable is to not immediately concentrate on just hitting the target. Once a person feels comfortable enough to begin some target archery, they should have a process of mental relaxation which allows them to be able to focus on the target and concentrate when shooting.
Once the mindset is where it needs to be, the next focus should be practice. A person can't get better at something without trying it over and over again, and the same goes for archery. Practicing how to hold the bow correctly and learning the correct position will ensure a better shooting technique and most of all, a more impressive form.
By improving archery skills, archers are not just increasing their strength. They are also increasing their focus, flexibility,and attention. These are the basics that are essential to the sport of archery. So for someone who is still interested in becoming an arrow-wielding athlete, go ahead, take your best shot.
Sources:
Winke, Bill. "Small tweaks for better shooting.(CenterShots)." Bowhunting 17.2 (March-April 2006): 18(2). InfoTrac OneFile. Thomson Gale. Columbia College Library (Chicago). 1 June 2007
http://find.galegroup.com/itx/infomark.do?&c ontentSet=IAC-Documents&type=retrieve&tabI />Lee, Alex, Marianna Todd, and Ching-Huai Chen. “Archery: Sport of Champions.” ThinkQuest. 1999. 7 June 2007. http://library.thinkquest.org/27344/heavy.htm
Toxophilite- definition. The Free Dictionary. 2007. Farlex, Inc. 7 June 2007.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Toxophilite
An archery enthusiast is known simply as an archer. However, a more technical term for an archer is a a toxophilite, which is someone who is devoted to or is a lover of archery.
Related Articles
One of the most important parts of archery is the shooting technique. Without the proper shooting technique, there is no accuracy. First and foremost, an archer needs to maintain a consistent grip. After much practice, the hand will actually begin to feel accustomed to the grip when it is done properly. There are also accessories that can be purchased which may or may not increase an archer's accuracy. Items like these include an arm guard or a finger tab. However, just buying these items doesn't necessarily mean that someone will become a pro. Beginner archers must understand that accuracy equals forgiveness. In the world of archery, forgiveness is defined as the ability of the bow to tolerate some human error without penalizing the shooter severely.
Form is also important. An archer has to be confident that they are utilizing the correct form and follow through. There are many common errors in shooting technique, errors that may even be too obvious to pay attention to. Some errors that affect form include: bad follow through, improper stance, poor vertical body alignments, and overdrawing a short arrow. Having a proper stance is important because it allows the archer to keep his or her shot consistent. Although some might consider it foolish, mental focus can be a big part of improving an archer's shooting technique.
The key to good focus is having a solid mental program to go by, especially for those interested in archery competitions. A mental program is basically just a list of procedures that someone goes through during a competition to keep them focused and relive tension. The procedures differ from one person to another, but the main goal is just to be comfortable. One way to go about feeling comfortable is to not immediately concentrate on just hitting the target. Once a person feels comfortable enough to begin some target archery, they should have a process of mental relaxation which allows them to be able to focus on the target and concentrate when shooting.
Once the mindset is where it needs to be, the next focus should be practice. A person can't get better at something without trying it over and over again, and the same goes for archery. Practicing how to hold the bow correctly and learning the correct position will ensure a better shooting technique and most of all, a more impressive form.
By improving archery skills, archers are not just increasing their strength. They are also increasing their focus, flexibility,and attention. These are the basics that are essential to the sport of archery. So for someone who is still interested in becoming an arrow-wielding athlete, go ahead, take your best shot.
Sources:
Winke, Bill. "Small tweaks for better shooting.(CenterShots)." Bowhunting 17.2 (March-April 2006): 18(2). InfoTrac OneFile. Thomson Gale. Columbia College Library (Chicago). 1 June 2007
http://find.galegroup.com/itx/infomark.do?&c ontentSet=IAC-Documents&type=retrieve&tabI />Lee, Alex, Marianna Todd, and Ching-Huai Chen. “Archery: Sport of Champions.” ThinkQuest. 1999. 7 June 2007. http://library.thinkquest.org/27344/heavy.htm
Toxophilite- definition. The Free Dictionary. 2007. Farlex, Inc. 7 June 2007.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Toxophilite
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