In the current day and age of
technology, where videos can be streamed straight to smartphones and tablets,
as well as computers, consoles and televisions, it’s almost impossible to walk
into archery without prior experience, preconceptions and, in some cases,
misconceptions about the sport. If you
haven’t been living under a rock for the past two years, you will have no doubt
seen films such as Brave, Avengers Assemble, The Hunger Games and, more recently, its sequel Catching Fire advertised on every second
bus stop up and down the country. The
poster of Catching Fire is of
particular interest as it shows the female protagonist Katniss Everdeen,
pointing a fully drawn bow at the camera.
Looking at it from a non-archery
background, there’s a certain ‘wow’ factor to the poster as the flames dance
behind her with a giant Mockingjay – a symbol for the film. Couple that with the fact that you have the
heroine, a strong female who can be idolised, and you’ve got the makings of a
good advertisement. Every little girl
probably wants to grab a bow and be Katniss.
Why wouldn’t they? She’s
incredible, isn’t she! Or is she?
Looking at the poster from an
archery related background, there are some details which have been overlooked
by the people preparing Katniss for the role.
So what was wrong with her technique, and how can it misinform people
about the actual principles for shooting a bow?
Firstly, let’s look at that finger
which she has laid over the arrow as it sits on the rest. One can only assume that, when reading the
‘how to’ on how to shoot a bow, the researchers (and I use that term loosely)
thought that the explanation of having one finger above the arrow and two
fingers below the arrow applied to both hands and not just the hand pulling the
string. In fact, to shoot this way
would, well, hurt. So much! I was tempted to give it a bash, just to see
how much, but I bottled it at the last moment.
I like the index finger on my bow hand; it has a certain sentimental
value.
Next, moving up the bow arm, she
should be looking to rotate the arm so that the crease of the elbow is vertical
as oppose to the diagonal angle it will have at the moment. This will move the forearm out of the path of
the string as the arrow is shot. Moving
further up the arm, to the bow shoulder, Katniss should be looking to bring it
round more to create a straighter line across the shoulder blades and down the
bow arm. This will allow Katniss to ‘get
inside the bow’, creating far better alignment for the shot.
Finally, Katniss wants to think
about keeping her mouth closed. By
keeping the teeth and lips together, the lower jaw won’t be moving up and down,
having a massive effect on the consistency of the arrow height in relation to
the eye (you know, that thing you use for aiming).
These hints are purely based on
the poster of Katniss shooting the poor photographer and whilst we know it’s
only a film, it’s a film which influences millions of young minds all around
the world. I’ve taught girls who have
wanted to have a bash at archery purely off the back of The Hunger Games so it’s obviously causing interest in the
sport. Perhaps you’re more of an Avengers fan though, and have been
inspired by Hawkeye; with his uncanny ability to shoot at high speed without
looking where he’s shooting, aiming where he’s shooting or pointing where he’s
shooting. Either way, it’s reinforcing
the notion that it’s almost impossible to walk into archery with no prior
preconceptions of the sport.
That is where a coach can come
in. Certainly, it’s wrong to say that a
beginner could not walk into an archery range, pick up a bow and shoot it without
some degree of success. Archery dates
back as far as the late Mesolithic/ early Neolithic periods when early man
first discovered that use of the bow was efficient as a means of hunting and,
in some cases, warfare. It also evolved
simultaneously in many different cultures, albeit with different technique and
materials, but it’s probably safe to say that the hunters didn’t have the use
of a coach to help them develop their skills with a bow. It’s also probably safe to say that, on some
days, their families went hungry.
We
don’t have that problem these days but, given the increasing popularity of the
sport and the calibre of the competition, an educated and suitably qualified
coach can help you progress as an archer.
They can give you an inside knowledge which you may not otherwise have
had; acting as both a friend and mentor, and assisting you to set both
realistic and aspiring goals to aim for (excuse the pun). A coach can help identify areas of improvement
and any problems that you may be having in order to help you improve and
progress in the sport. Above all, if
you’re walking into archery with any misconceptions about what archery is, a
coach can help educate and assist you in learning more about the sport.
It’s no secret that archery is on the
increase in popularity, and it’s no secret that films and television have
helped play a large role in that increase in popularity, but whilst it has
proven one of archery’s greatest promoters, it has also proven to be a fickle
friend by misrepresenting archery and giving the image that ‘you can pick up a
bow and you’ll hit the bullseye’. If
truth is told, you probably won’t. It’s
easy to shoot a bow but it’s not easy to shoot a bow well. However, you have the means to; you have the
club, the coaches, and the equipment. You
have everything you need to be a good archer, but you have to make use of
it. You wouldn’t expect to be able to do
quadratic equations without first being taught how, just because you saw a
picture on a bus stop. You can’t expect
to shoot a bow well without help either, but the positive side of that is that
the help is available; you need only ask.
