Activity Centres Grrrr!

[English Bowman]

I am angry at the archery instructor at Calshot Activity Centre. (I have to be careful here as our club is based in an activity centre, and get a lot of recruits from their sessions, so I can't tar all centres with the same brush)
We are a club with a large proportion of juniors. Some of which are very young. One (a 10 year old)who has just finished his beginner's course and was shooting reasonably well considering his age and experiance recently went to Calshot with his school. As part of the activities he did archery, which he was looking forward to, knowing that this was something that he could do. The instructor told him that he was doing everything wrong, he shouldn't be anchoring under his chin, and he should be putting all 3 fingers under the arrow. They have undone weeks of coaching, and he was so upset by the instructor at Calshot that he wanted to give up. It was only the fact that his mother spoke to me about it that I could get her to bring him along to the club, and re-assure him that he was right and the instructor was wrong.
Have any of you had similar problems or is this a one off?

Daniel

[JohnK]

We have had kids come to our beginners courses who have shot before at some places. Invariably we have to spend the first session undoing all the stuff they were shown.

One kid in particular was very arrogant, and kept saying how he'd done it all before. Needless to say he didn't take to being coached very well and didn't join after the course.

[Sponge]

Does Centre Parcs count?

If so, its where I got my taster session. Very well run, excellent level of coaching by some top guy in field archery and tried to teach body form from the first moment.

However, at £35 per person for a 2 hours session, its a bit more expensive than most clubs.

Sponge.

p.s. Do any of the field archers know the guy at Centre Parks near Cambridge is. Claims to be ex-World Champion in Field Archery and is high up in some Field Archery organisation. Good coach, if a bit of a ego-maniac.

[Thunk]

The obvious question: Is the instructor at Calshot qualified? There should be some method of checking; from what came back with this young lad, he doesn't sound as though he has even done a basic beginners course.

[Jenny]

It's much more difficult with kids because most of them immediately believe that what they're being told by an adult is right!

I had my first taster of Archery at Center Parcs too!

Originally Posted by Sponge

However, at £35 per person for a 2 hours session, its a bit more expensive than most clubs.

that's steep! I went to Center Parcs in January and thought I'd try out the field archery (turns out I couldn't because it was way too wet because of the lovely British weather) but it was only £15.50 for the 2 hours. Anyway, ended up going to Target archery again and it was strange being able to compare what they were teaching against my beginner's course.

The instructor taught pretty much exactly the same as the beginners course, except that he said to put all 3 fingers below the arrow and to anchor at the corner of the mouth (it it barebow after all).

But the main thing I've noticed is that if people were happily shooting away and weren't struggling too much, he didn't interfere (he didn't stop me anchoring under my jawbone or where my fingers were on the string)


~Jenny~

[Trunkles]

Originally Posted by Jenny

The instructor taught pretty much exactly the same as the beginners course, except that he said to put all 3 fingers below the arrow and to anchor at the corner of the mouth (it it barebow after all).

We were taught on the Level-1 Coaching course that to start with barebow you use 3 fingers below the arrow - and middle finger to corner of mouth. Then moving on to freestyle (with a sight) you move to jaw anchor/reference. This was all new to me but sounds like the instructor at Calshot was doing this parrot fashion with no allowance for previous experience.

As ever I think instruction as apposed to coaching is what's going on here. There are good and bad coaches even within 'proper' archery clubs.

I understand a lot of field archers do shoot with three fingers under the string and sight down the arrow. OK for field, but hopless for target of any distance. I tried to have a go at Cetre parks last year but they only had 25lb Jelly bows with no sight so gave it up as a bad job. I'm sure it's OK for beginners and kids who fancy having a go. If they like it, some may seek out a competant archery club.

I remember my first introduction to archery when I was a kid, probably 30 years ago now. There was an archery thing going on in Filey, North Yorkshire, just off the sea front. I still walk past it now, sadly it's just a grass bank now with flowers in it. I always nagged my mum & dad to let me have a go every year while on Hols. It was about 50p for six arrows and no instruction. That experience, however basic stuck with me and sowed the seed for me to have a go in later life.

I think it may be better for activity centre type archery should avoid any form of instruction as long as they are safe. After all it's a one off experience.

[Small Monkey]

At a guess, the "coach" at Calshot had only taken an archery leaders course, where they are taught how to teach people barebow shooting of that style and that is all. These courses are designed for people who have never shot before to be able to run have a go sessions, and taster days like the one you described. They are not aimed at peple who actually know anything!

[Cakemeister]

Originally Posted by English Bowman

The instructor told him that he was doing everything wrong, he shouldn't be anchoring under his chin, and he should be putting all 3 fingers under the arrow.
Daniel

Hi Daniel,

What isn't clear from your post is whether the class was being taught using barebows or bows with sights.

If they were only using barebows then the coach may well have wanted them to just shoot correct barebow technique, i.e. sighting along the arrow, which requires the middle finger/mouth anchor position.

Pete

[English Bowman]

Originally Posted by Cakemeister

Hi Daniel,

What isn't clear from your post is whether the class was being taught using barebows or bows with sights.

If they were only using barebows then the coach may well have wanted them to just shoot correct barebow technique, i.e. sighting along the arrow, which requires the middle finger/mouth anchor position.

Pete

I haven't managed to find out that, as I didn't have much time to talk to the lad. I left him with our club secretary looking after him as I was teaching the first session of a beginner’s course.
That said I assume that they are teaching bare-bow as this is the norm for an activity centre. I don't have a problem with this, what I do have a problem with is some idiot instructor telling the child that he is doing it all wrong, because he is using a target technique.
All he had to do is tell the lad to aim low because there is no sight. Or if he had to change the lad’s style, explain that because there is no sight a different technique is needed.
Having worked in an activity centre myself, I am aware of the problems that the instructors face, so I am not expecting him to do anything that I haven't already done.
I must admit that I do have an advantage in that I am aware of differing techniques, (I shoot both target and field, mainly in a Longbow, but also recurve both with and without sights) but it can't be unusual for them to come across people who have shot before, and it doesn't take a genius to work out that if the kids are shooting safely and consistently it's best to leave them to it!

As for the idea that you should teach 3 fingers under bare bow technique to beginners and then move them onto sights later I think that this is a stupid way of doing things. Let the beginners find a style, and then change it, just when they get comfortable, great plan! We teach with under chin and sights from the start, and then at the end of the course if people want to move to bare bow then we help them to do so. As in my experience it is much easier to move from under chin with sights to side of face without, but that's another argument.

Daniel