When you were a beginner

[Snarkhunter]

Had been intrigued by the idea of archery for a long time (a result of wargaming as a teenager, perhaps?) but didn't try it until about 17 year's ago as part of a "take control of my life" following a rough time. I located a local club through Sportsline (Anyone remember that? Ah, that pre-internet world we used to inhabit!) and completed the beginners' course.

Over the next two years I met my wife, got married and got made redundant at which point I let archery drop (paying the mortgage seemed more pressing than club and GNAS subs!).

About 2½ years ago my eldest son wanted to give it a go so accompanied him during his beginners' course. At the end the chairman of the club gave me a competence test and I joined along with my son.

No. 1 son has since given up archery and No. 2 son has taken it up and is really hooked!

[Fran C]

Originally Posted by Purple Hugs

what a great question!

Graham and I start our course tomorrow.. and I'm convinced it's for us! We wanted a hobby to do together. Had our first 'go' at archery about 6 years ago, but recently had another 'go' at a craft fair.. we'd both forgotten just how much we'd enjoyed it all those years ago.

Can't wait for the course to begin, but we've held back on buying.. although Graham nearly took a £300 gamble on a Hoyt package on ebay that was worth around £1000 according to the seller.. I stopped him due to size and weight of pull etc unknown.

For what it's worth - I always advise people to WAIT until after their course before buying a bow. Go to a club where there are various styles of bow around, and ask questions of the archers. They won't mind, and it's far better to have advice FIRST. We all started at the beginning, and we all know that beginners generally don't have the first idea about what they want. Have a look at a longbow, a recurve bow, a hunter, a compound... ask questions. Do you want to shoot barebow or might you prefer sights? Will you prefer to shoot traditional wooden arrows or up-to-the-minute carbon/aluminium ones? Until you've seen everything that's on offer you don't know what's available...

When you've decided you're ready to buy your own equipment, go to a reputable dealer. Please, DON'T get your first bow from eBay! Go to Quick's, Perris, Wales Archery, Merlin... ask your fellow club members where they go for their equipment, and let someone with experience go with you to the shop to choose a bow, or a riser and limbs, a string, arrows, other equipment - there's loads of it to choose from, and it's worth spending a day doing so if that's what it takes. Archery needn't be expensive, but it can be if you let it, and there's no point making expensive mistakes if they can be avoided.

You've been on this forum for long enough to know that it's not as straightforward as a lot of people seem to think...

Good luck - maybe we'll meet at a competition one day

[General_Lee]

I got hooked when i found out I'd be doing an Archery Leaders course for work. I'd done some have a go sessions and really enjoyed it especially the massed shoot I'd done at PGL where all the kids at the centre were given a bow and three arrows and loosed all at once like at agencourt. but i was stupidly excited when i found out we would be learning to teach it. I taught for a season then found Royal Richmond when i moved back home and got the hang of shooting further than 10yds.

[TWIW]

I never did a beginners course per se. I was taught out in Cyprus by the RAF club out there. just turn up and shoot

It took 10 minutes

[cornish george]

I used to shoot a bit 20 odd years ago, wooden flat bow in re enactment stuff, then dropped out until a mate started shooting bows as well as air guns at the local clay pigeon facility, had a go and was hooked immediately, started a beginners course around a year later but after the second lesson the coach said i was OK and to go and shoot with the Big Boys, 2 years on and here i am, still loving it every time.

[woodsplitter]

Archery was something I always fancied a go at, but never took the time to find out where to do it. Then about 7 years ago there was a small piece in the local freesheet saying that Giffnock Archers would be running a beginners' course, and giving a phone number. I phoned, went along and came home hooked. Seven years! It feels like about six months.

[Hidden Hippo]

I'd toyed with the idea of archery before my beginner's course, but I finally decided that I wanted to carry on during the course of it.