| The Bit We Can't Teach
Whenever I coach anyone for the first time, I explain that I will mention swimming and riding a bike in my coaching, as they have strong similarities to archery. In swimming and cycling there are bits we can't teach. We can make the learning environment safe and helpful to the learning process, but in the end, the students have to make that final step for themselves. In swimming, it is the learner who finds out how to float. In cycling it is the learner, again, who learns how to balance.
Once they can float they very soon become swimmers. Once they can balance they very soon become cyclists. Until that time, everyone knows that they are not swimmers or cyclists.
In my opinion,there is a part of the shot that can't be taught.It is that part that takes place while the arrow is on the string after the fingers have started to relax.It can be given a safe environment in which to develop but it is the students that learn it for themselves. This is where archery and the other two activities differ. In archery, the part that can't be taught, can be left till later because it is possible to shoot arrows quite well without first learning to execute the special part properly.
I wondered if anyone else has views on this aspect of the shot sequence.  |