Archery to the point
SAXONWOLD – Come and give archery a shot at Sentient Archery in Saxonwold.
If you have ever wanted to be like Robin Hood, Legolas or Katniss Everdeen, you should give archery a shot.
You would not have to go far to do so because Sentient Archery has been running in Saxonwold for the last 15 years.
Coach Alistair Gordon explained that apart from making us look as cool as characters in our favourite movies, archery is excellent for posture and working various muscles all over our bodies.
“Archery is also mentally tough because adrenaline and emotions can work against you,” he said.
“You need to ‘turn off’ and let your subconscious do the work.”
Gordon explained that the club specialises in recurve bows, but is looking at using compound bows as well.
With recurve bows, once an archer has drawn the string they have to hold it in place themselves before loosening the arrow. A compound bow has a mechanism that holds the string after it is drawn, and a trigger to easily loosen it when ready.
Thus the recurve bow is harder to use and is the bow of choice at the Olympic Games.
Lessons take place at Sentient Archery every weekend and members regularly compete in competitions at yards around the province.
Robert Whitehead has only been shooting arrows for five months but said he loves how the sport clears his mind and helps him focus.
Similarly, Francesco Pietra enjoys the mental aspect of archery. “It is not just a body sport. Everything is connected: your body, the bow and the space around. You have to be ‘here’ to shoot well.”
Gordon concluded that absolutely anyone is able to shoot a bow, whether young, old or even disabled.
He advised anyone interested in archery to contact the club about giving it a shot.
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