New Barebow classifications

[ChakaZulu]

I'm curious as to what other people think of the level at which the new classifications for barebow have been set. This is my first outdoor season and I've just got 1st class. I got it by shooting 3 long Nationals. I've never shot a round at 80yds without getting a 1st class score. The question when shooting the long National is whether I'll get to the 234 required within the 4 dozen at 80yds or whether I'll need a half-dozen at 60.

Now I'm not saying this to boast. It just seems to me that there are sighted archers whom I consider to be much better than I am who aren't getting 1st class scores.

Anybody else shooting barebow want to comment on the level required?

[Furface]

Thanks for this. As with the Longbow classifications when they were introduced a couple of years back, the amount of data available to set the levels was very small, so may well have been skewed. We need feedback like this to see how accurate we have been, and to review the situation in a couple of years time.
Of course, it's possible that you are genuinely talented!

[Flying Whale]

I am not a bare bow'er myself, but our club has a relatively new archer who is shooting barebow. I am club and county records officer, so am watching her progress. She went to first class fairly quickly (and wants to push for bowman), though no faster than some other regular recurve archers. Along the way she has broken a number of county records.

What does this say...? I am not sure. Breaking county records at first class might indicate that the classification levels are quite high (i.e. she should already be bowman)?

I am more of the opinion that the bare bow ffraternity is small, so as Furface says the data to establish classification bands is sketchy at best.

In the end it depends on what you think classifications tell you. If it really is to compare between bow types, then I think a lot more data is needed to stand any chance, and even then I am not sure it will ever do a uniforrmly good job. I think the demographics of who shoots what bow type may make this a very hard job. In the past most people start with recurve. Therefore there is possibly a large group of relatively inexperienced recurve archers at any one time. I may be wrong, but it is my feeling that compounds tended to be shot by people who had already got to a reasnoable level with recurve. Thus the base level of abaility may (and I stress may, because it is not based on any hard facts) be higher in compound. The stated intention behind the classifications is that each level should reflect a fixed percentage of the archery population for that bow type. So are the top 15% or compound archers better archers than the top 15% of recurve (or barebow)???? I don't know and wouldn't presume to answer.

From personal experience I have made it to Bowman for the last 2 years with recurve. This year I have started shooting Compound unlimited too, and have basically made it to Bowman in about 2 months (even with the newer higher scores needed). Maybe this is indicating that the new levels are about right. Relatively, I have achieved about the same level....


Coming back to your original questions. Don't know. I think you should just enjoy your achievements.

[bkupris]

I am going to shoot my first barebow outdoor target round (American) in early July and that will be with little or no practice between now and then. I will let you know how I get on...

[Joester]

I'm glad someone has posted this, because I was thinking about doing so, but I thought it might sound like I was blowing my own trumpet.

The barebow classification scores seem woefully low.

This is my first season shooting outdoor target, before this, I have done plenty of indoor target at 20 yards, and plenty of unmarked distance field archery. Both barebow.

So I was really looking foward to pitting myself against the new classifications...

I've tried various rounds, shooting at 80, 60 and 50 yards, I seem to have been getting over double the score required for 2nd class rounds, and about 100-150 on top of the score for first class rounds.

Admittedly, I haven't yet tried my hand at any round with 100 yards in it, but I don't really think I should be topping 1st class scores within a few weeks of getting into outdoor target.

So, until I can try the St George/'New' Rounds, and subsequently the York/FITA, I have given up measuring my performance against these tables.

I understand the required scores are based on scores submitted to GNAS, the problem seems to be that people only generally seem to shoot (outdoor target) barebow for novelty/entertainment value, rather than specialising in it.
With this in mind, the scores aren't likely to be very good.

Perhaps they will be more sensible next year - where do I send my scores?!

[Furface]

Originally Posted by Joester

...the problem seems to be that people only generally seem to shoot (outdoor target) barebow for novelty/entertainment value, rather than specialising in it.
With this in mind, the scores aren't likely to be very good.

Perhaps they will be more sensible next year - where do I send my scores?!

That is probably right. One of the aims of introducing classifications was to get more people to take barebow target more seriously. However, until they do, and there is a significant body of scores, any review would be likely to be as inexact. So it will be a couple of years yet before the next review - hold on to your scores though.

[ChakaZulu]

I don't so much have a problem with being rated 1st class (obviously). I'm shooting scores that would be decent second class for sighted archers, and the other day I was 3 points ahead of some pretty good sighted archers after 4 doz at 80yds. But at that point I was about 15 away from a first class already, so maybe a little tweaking needed...

[FlourPower]

I hit well above a bowman score on tuesday shooting a new national, I only generally shoot the 'new' rounds so I've never shot less than 1st class (other than a national where I couldn't get 1st class at the first outside shoot.) However bowman scores were out of reach really until I upgraded my limbs from Winner Strikers to Border TXBs and actually started being able to see the 100yds boss when aiming. I think over 40lb draw and the longer rounds make it easier to get bowman and there will be some men that wont manage that poundage and will struggle more. I dunno. I think they seem fairly easy to 1st class then there was a wall for me that equipment and tune has got me past however MB is going to be an ass to get even though I was hitting a few 'end targets' for it. As for GMB well that's just an impossibility! Half the recurvers I know couldn't hit that in a FITA/York! In fact using the scores per distance tables made by someone on here I only ever hit one GMB level end of 6 arrows at 100yds so to get 12x that will take a lifetime to get!


But is that not the point?