What happens to your recent beginners?

[whisky]

Just to corroborate my earlier comments. This happened at the club tonight. The names have been changed to protect the innocent.

Coach to archer 1 – you cant shoot those spin wings on those arrows off a compound.
Leader to coach and archer 1 – yeah thats right.
Coach and archer 1 to very experienced archer 2 (who was lending archer 1 the arrows and shot them out of a compound!) – Yeah they’ll be fine/its fine etc etc and they are kurly vanes not spin wings.

Need we say more

Originally Posted by whisky

Need we say more

Oh dear..sounds like the coaches are driven more by ego than knowledge.

[clickerati]

I've just discovered my club runs an intermediate course (which I've just missed ) that helps improvers learn more about their bow, tuning, etc. Wish I could've taken that course. I could use it. The more senior archers seem happy to offer advice. I'm hoping I can work with one or two of the coaches to help me work on my form and technique. I kind of feel like a bit lost, but maybe that's because I don't know anyone there yet.

[Kellog]

Whoever taught our beginners to shoot continues looking after the ones they taught, until such a stage as the beginner needs someone else, at which piont they're moved up the food chain.
Eventually to being coach by the Fitzpatricks.

[Kellog]

Originally Posted by whisky

In our club it's a power thing. The coaches all have various roles on the committee and have not shot competitively for years and have no or little knowledge about modern equipment, thinking etc. They are ok for supervising the beginners courses but little else. They'd be the last people I'd go to for coaching (though saying that I'm probably the last member they'd want to coach!).

I know exactly where you're coming from.... one of the senior coachs in the open club I shoot with is like that, and he is IMO utterly incompetent. And I'm not alone in that opinion, hence I get to do a beginners course with him, the committee no longer consider him capable to do it alone. :@

[SVL]

Well our club is new and quite small. Four really experenced members, three members of two years experience and 12 new club member beginners ranging from six years (my son) to adults. We keep a good eye on them while they shoot (sometimes they don't even notice :-)) and give shooting advise when we think it is necesary (stoping bad habits) and are always available to answer questions. We even do training sessions on equipment maintaince and let them fix their own arrows.... everybody gains on this one. Now I am looking to run the FITA beginners award scheme .... but while still waiting for that to start am going to start our beginners scoring some short rounds (not greater than 50y) that way by the end of July everybody will have a handicap and we can have a club handicap shoot with everybody shooting a round that is appropriate for them.
At the end of the day I want them to enjoy themselves and progress with their archery, that way they stay with the club and bring in new members.

Sandra

[Ffish]

Originally Posted by clickerati

I kind of feel like a bit lost, but maybe that's because I don't know anyone there yet.

It didnt have to be that way....

[clickerati]

Originally Posted by Ffish

It didnt have to be that way....

Don't make me feel bad, Andrew. You know I would've loved to join GOA, but RRAC is closer. I may well join GOA as an affiliate in the future. Anyway, I'll see you and Dan in July.

[Ffish]

Originally Posted by joetapley

Same here

After the natural wastage of the recent beginners courses, I reckon we've got a core of about 6-8 archers who I guess fall into "intermediate" category, hitting 3rd/2nd class scores. Enough to form some sort of course?

A topic for the next club meeting perhaps?

[Ffish]

Originally Posted by clickerati

Don't make me feel bad, Andrew.

LOL! Just winding you up Clicki - I understand...