GNAS madness

[Tragic_Comic]

Like Felixity I am also new to the sport and completed my beginners course about 4 weeks ago.

On my beginners course we were not taught String Walking at all and shooting 1 above and 2 under from the off. We also did not use sights for any part of the course. The coaches were very good in drumming into us the importance of technique and consistency, and that we were to be more impressed by grouped arrows as opposed to the odd gold. I still have not put sights on the bow I use yet!

I personally think that the solution Thunk is describing is a good one, especially for shared fields, profficiency at each of the distances is a nice goal to aim for with beginners, the next set of goals then being GNAS Class 3, 2, 1 etc. I imagine.

I, like most new archers, can't wait to move up the distances but I have remained shooting at 30m and only now that I am going whole sessions without missing the boss and getting my arrows to form groups of about 4-8 inches am I planning to move on to our 50m target. I'll move up another distance when I am grouping reasonably at that distance. We're lucky, the only danger of lost arrows with us is the mower, but I still feel a certain responsibility not to lose the club arrows!

[not dead yet]

one of the North Wales clubs uses a ribbon system. ie pin badge with 50 mm coloured ribbon different colours for each distance. all arrows must be in the blue to move forward. obviously most archers will get a bad shot and put one in the white etc. but they have like a little assessment

[maxwell9699]

Many thanks to those who have replied to this thread. From the replies so far there appears to be a lack of consistency in coaching methods, Tragic Comic completed her course 4 weeks ago and was not taught to put three fingers under the arrow. My concern is one of safety. When I saw beginners shooting three fingers below the arrow and sighting along the shaft by placing the hand so high the nock was less than half an inch from the eye. Could someone clarify just where the nock is supposed to be when shooting this style?

[Trunkles]

Three fingers under - middle finger to corner of mouth

[flamingbladerider]

Originally Posted by TJ Mason

The GNAS way is NOT string walking - it's barebow shooting. The fingers should be placed on the string at a consistent position. If your club's coaches are teaching string walking, they're doing it at their own decision, not following any recommendation.

Agreed TJM, its not the beginners its down to the coaches, the reference point is finger to the corner of the mouth, so how can the nock be near the eye ?

[spavo]

We have several level 1 coaches at our club and several coaches all beginners are taught with 3 fingers below the arrow and then drawn to the corner of the mouth as far as I am aware this is the excepted method from GNAS, this was the way I was taught on my Level 1 and then re enforced on my coach's course.

Once our beginners go through the six week course we keep them to the same night of the week and then put them on to our improvers scheme until they have gone through this they can't get access to club equipment on their own (I.e. targets & tripod's) the improver must be able to score 120 in 2 consecutive dozen before moving on to the next distance (max 60yds for adults juniors vary depending on age), once this is achieved then they can come down when they want (Normal GNAS rules apply) and shoot.

[Tragic_Comic]

Originally Posted by maxwell9699

Many thanks to those who have replied to this thread. From the replies so far there appears to be a lack of consistency in coaching methods, Tragic Comic completed her course 4 weeks ago...

Tragic Comic's a HE not a her! lol

[Cimbian]

We were advised on our coach course that the beginner shall be taught two methods of shooting.

POA is simple to describe and demonstrate and is relatively simple to execute for the beginner. They get on boss quickly and the coach can concentrate on safety and the basics of form.

The fingers shouldn't be so far below the nock for the eye to be in jeopardy but the coach should be placed and focussed so that he/she can intercept any possibly danger.

We teach POA for week one (putting a face on the boss towards the end of the session and then move to sights in week two. I've never seen anything dangerous, but we do audit the kit at the start of a beginner course too.

Sounds like the 'coach' screwed-up in this case, not the system.

[Quadratus]

Originally Posted by Thunk

... the biggest bone of contention between ourselves and the football club who own the field is of course 'lost' arrows.

Why?

I shoot with a busy, active club including longbow shooters and all sorts of novices, on a field used a lot by footballers, without any problems. I suggest the answer is for the club to invest in a decent metal detector and educate the archers in the the importance of 'counting them all out and counting them all back again', not to invent yet more bureacracy and so-called 'qualifications'.

And yes, even a quarter-way decent metal detector will deal easily with all-carbon arrows and wooden shafts.

[Cimbian]

Originally Posted by Quadratus

Why?

I shoot with a busy, active club including longbow shooters and all sorts of novices, on a field used a lot by footballers, without any problems. I suggest the answer is for the club to invest in a decent metal detector and educate the archers in the the importance of 'counting them all out and counting them all back again', not to invent yet more bureacracy and so-called 'qualifications'.

And yes, even a quarter-way decent metal detector will deal easily with all-carbon arrows and wooden shafts.

Is it me or have I entered the twilight zone... ?