Tabs

[Ham Man]

Yesterday I completed week 4 of my training with the Bowmen of Minchinhampton. I used a tab for the first time. The tab I used was described to me as a beginners tab-basic in design and adjustable with a pair of scissors!

My question, would it be worth me investing in a better tab or is it wiser to stick to the beginners tab at this stage? Tabs are not so expensive (after browsing through Merlin's excellent website), or is there a reason a beginners tab is used in training?

I could of course have asked the club but the question didn't come until this morning!

I would appreciate your help.

[worthipa]

Originally Posted by Ham Man

Yesterday I completed week 4 of my training with the Bowmen of Minchinhampton. I used a tab for the first time. The tab I used was described to me as a beginners tab-basic in design and adjustable with a pair of scissors!

My question, would it be worth me investing in a better tab or is it wiser to stick to the beginners tab at this stage? Tabs are not so expensive (after browsing through Merlin's excellent website),

No, wait until you've got more of an idea, talked to various club members, had a look at them shooting and listened to the Ledge, no ledge, Soma 1 v No Soma 1 debates and had time to make your own mind up.

Originally Posted by Ham Man

or is there a reason a beginners tab is used in training?

mainly because it would cost the club too much to have a range of good quality tabs in Sm, Med and Large for beginners to use.

[Ham Man]

Thank you. It certainly makes sense to do that, I will wait.

[archer_thom]

Not certain I agree here, in certain conditions.

1- Is the beginner tab basically a piece of leather?
2- Do you want to shoot target recurve with sights and stabilisers?
3- Are you using a sight atm?

If the answers to all these are yes, get a relatively cheap tap with finger separator and chin shelf such as the A&F. It's not as nice as a good tab like the Cavalier (my personal favourite) but it will serve for about a year. Furthermore it is cheap, and when you decide to try out others take a look at the Archers Mart, you might find some tabs there.

Basically it is MUCH easier to learn proper recurve shooting if you have a consistent anchor (which the shelf provides) and better stuff will always help. I would also not recommend that you take stuff said on here very seriously, there are more opinions here than archers, and what works for someone else PROBABLY WON'T work for you.

Rule #3 of archery is that you will buy lots of things to find out what you like best. This is good. You can sell them on eBAy or the ARchers Mart section afterwards.

[King Custard]

If you are going into target archery, you will buy and sling out at least 3 tabs..... dont be in a hurry to waste money and complicate the learning curve at the moment. Each tab has advantages over others. My first tab was A&F, and still is after trying several I always come back to the A&F...cheap reliable and offers ability to shoot with a square or inclined draw hand. the platform helps to drop the back of the arrow a couple of mm- so will help with distance as you are fairly new...and if adjusted properly to fit you will alert you to whenever you start to draw with a fist, rather than a relaxed hand- as it will dig into your forefinger just behind the knuckle.

Nice cheap tab
You are going to buy one anyway, aren't you? you have the bug don't you? you need some equipment of your own to put next to the bed at night, don't you?...yeah i been there.
Go A&F for starters

[archer_thom]

Originally Posted by King Custard

you need some equipment of your own to put next to the bed at night, don't you?...yeah i been there.

So true. [I didn't know there was a minimum character limit]

[Alexam]

King Custard is so right !!!! I have only just had my first lesson and am already tempted to but my own Tab .......... so that I can put it next to my bed and call it my own. I may even give it a very unique name! ( Tabby perhaps?)

Although only a lowly beginner, I certainly have 'the bug' and have been reading books and magazines over the last few weeks prior to starting the beginners course...... and this has helped a great deal.

But what a great bunch of archers to meet up with ........... so helpful and understanding of a fumbling, aged optomist looking to compete in a serious area of opportunity in which I intend take advantge of .

I will be buying my own anchor tab before the next lesson, as it was brought up and have decided that in the 'unlikely' event of me not making the grade, I can at least donate those items to the club that tried to train me.

I greatly appreciate all the useful, amusing and sometimes contriversial information I have read in these interchanges. It makes my day to read through the various threads and replies and I have spent many hours of enjoyment reading your comments. Thank you all.

Malcolm

[archer_thom]

Well we "aim" to please - (do I hear a groan?)

Actually a lot of the time we aim to annoy each other as wildly conflicting viewpoints are what archery is all about. Or was that "hitting the middle"? I can never remember.

[monkeyfinger]

I would say get yourself a tab. What are we talking about here, a tenner? Get yourself an A+F (which seems to be the consensus on a good starter tab), and if you don't like it, or decide you want something else, you've only spent a little bit of money.

Originally Posted by archer_thom

Actually a lot of the time we aim to annoy each other as wildly conflicting viewpoints are what archery is all about. Or was that "hitting the middle"? I can never remember.

Hitting the middle? I don't think it'll catch on...