Archery: from what age and what are the benefits?

History of archery competitions

Archery developed with the introduction of this sport into the second Olympic Games, which were held in Paris in 1900. However, shooting did not become popular. And in 1924, it was decided to exclude it from the mandatory program of the Olympics and mark it as an additional competition. It was only in 1972 that the sport returned to the international stage and began to gain popularity.

In the USSR, archery gained recognition in the 1960s. And the most successful performance of the Soviet team was in 1980 at the Summer Olympics in Moscow. Soviet archer Ketevan Losaberidze won gold in the women's individual championship.

At the moment there is a World Championship and a World Cup in archery. The official organization dealing with the problems of this sport is World Archery.

Types of archery competitions

Target shooting "FITA"

Shooting is carried out at standard FITA targets, the size of which varies depending on the shooting distance. For example, at the Olympic Games there is only one discipline - 70 m, target size 122 cm. Targets are divided into full with points from 1 to 10, center from 6 to 10 and hit/miss. The complete target includes white, black, blue, red/pink and yellow from the edge to the center. They are made of paper and attached to shields made of durable material so that the arrow remains in the shield, but does not pierce through it.

Field shooting

Field shooting takes place outdoors in the forest. This is reflected in the position from which the athlete shoots, the distance and the nature of the flight of the arrow. If in target shooting the athlete shoots from a known distance at ground level and from a certain position. Then in the field form the shot occurs at any distance not previously established, on an ascent or descent. Light and wind are more stable in normal shooting. In the forest, these parameters may change depending on weather conditions. In addition, the athlete does not shoot from a designated line, but moves from target to target.

Skiark or archery biathlon

This sport takes place in winter and is similar to regular biathlon. But instead of a rifle, the athlete has a bow and arrows, which he carries behind his back. A black and white paper target, 16 cm in diameter, is located 18 m from the athlete. The center of the target is at a height of 1 m relative to the firing line. The athlete shoots either from a standing position or from a kneeling position. Archery biathlon takes place in the following format: individual race, mass start, relay, sprint or pursuit.

Vertical shooting

The athlete shoots at targets in the shape of balls or barrels attached to a pole. The archer who shoots down the most balls wins. The difficulty lies in shooting upward rather than horizontally.

3-D shooting

An archer shoots at targets that look like real animals, life-size, in a natural landscape. In this case, shots down from an elevation, up, through obstacles and along slopes are possible. Hits are scored according to the actual kill zones of the animals represented by the corresponding targets. The animal figures are marked with zones worth 8, 10 and 11 points. The rest of the figure is worth 5 points. Hitting horns, hooves, other parts specified in the rules, targets that imitate grass, and stones are not scored.

Sports and recreational archery

In the USA, China and some European countries, archery is considered a recreational activity. Adults sign up for special archery clubs, and schoolchildren practice in physical education classes.

Target shooting.

The vast majority of modern archers shoot at targets and typically use a sight system or a point of aim system to do so. Competition programs usually include three main exercises.

Shooting in series.

In competitions, target shooting is carried out in series, which consist of a different number of arrows fired at certain set distances. The most famous series include the following:

York Series (men): 72 arrows at 100 yards (91.4 m); 48 arrows at 80 yards (73.1 m); 24 arrows at 60 yards (54.8 m). Metropolitan Series (men): 30 arrows at 100 yards (91.4 m); 80 yards (73.1 m); 60 yards (54.8 m); 50 yards (45.7 m) and 40 yards (36.5 m). American Series (men and women): 30 arrows at 60 yards (54.8 m); 50 yards (45.7 m) and 40 yards (36.5 m). Columbia Series (women): 24 arrows at 50 yards (45.7 m); 40 yards (36.5 m) and 30 yards (27.4 m). Metropolitan Series (women): 30 arrows at 60 yards (54.8 m); 50 yards (45.7 m); 40 yards (36.5 m) and 30 yards (27.4 m). American Junior Series (boys): 30 arrows at 50 yards (45.7 m); 40 yards (36.5 m) and 30 yards (27.4 m). Columbia Junior Series (girls): 24 arrows at 40 yards (36.5 m); 30 yards (27.4 m) and 20 yards (18.2 m). Men's Team Series (teams of 4 men): 96 arrows at 60 yards (54.8 m). Women's Team Series (teams of 4 women): 96 arrows at 50 yards (45.7 m).

Shooting at the canvas.

The panel is a kind of target, which is colored and marked in exactly the same way as a traditional target, but at the same time it is 12 times larger than the latter in size, having a diameter of 14.6 m instead of 121 cm. Such a target panel is stretched horizontally on the ground, and in its very center there is a white flag. At this target, male archers shoot 36 arrows from a distance of 165 m, and female archers shoot 36 arrows from a distance of 110 m.

Shooting a stick.

Such a “stick” is a white pole with a diameter of 5 cm, made of soft wood. Such a pole is stuck vertically into the ground so that a 1.8 m long segment remains above the surface. Archers send 36 arrows at this target - men from a distance of 91 m, and women and youth athletes from a distance of 55 m.

Shooting at a distance.

Participants in this type of competition compete to see whose arrow will fly the longest distance. They use a specially designed bow and arrow. Competitions are held in various categories, which are determined by the strength of the bow - that is, the amount of force in kilograms required to pull the bow over the entire length of the arrow (usually it is 71 cm). For male archers, there are the following categories: 1) bows with a tension force of up to 18 kg inclusive; 2) bows with a draw force of up to 25 kg inclusive; 3) bows with a draw weight of up to 33 kg inclusive; 4) bows with a draw force of up to 40 kg inclusive; 5) bows with unlimited draw weight. Corresponding categories for female archers: 1) bows with a tension force of up to 18 kg inclusive; 2) bows with a draw force of up to 25 kg inclusive; 3) bows with unlimited draw weight.

In long range archery, the archer can use his feet. In this case, he lies on his back, inserting his feet into the strap loops on the bow handle, and draws the bow string with both hands. This position of the bow allows the athlete to use more powerful bows and achieve better results in this type of competition. In competitions for arrow flight distance, athletes using bows with a draw force of up to 18 kg inclusive send an arrow at a distance of up to 590, and bows with a draw force of 25 kg to 40 kg inclusive can give results from 900 to 1000 m and beyond.

From what age

Children are officially accepted for archery classes from the age of 11. There was no point in sending a teenager to shoot before.

A training bow (for children) weighs from 500 g, and for an adult athlete it can be weighted up to 4 kg. The bow's tension force is 17-20 kg, which is quite a strong load for beginner athletes. Unfortunately, our realities are such that there is not enough children's equipment in sports schools; often young athletes have to train with adult equipment.

Olympic silver medalist Ksenia Perova joined the archery sports section at the age of 10. While archer Vladimir Kazantsev came at the age of 28 after completing his boxing career.

Stages of sports training

Bow draw

The movement of all links of the right half of the upper limb belt must be coordinated so that the string moves in the plane of the bow. When it is tensioned, the position of the fingers on the bowstring and the general position of the hand relative to the plane of the shot should not change.

The bow is pulled simultaneously by the muscles of the right arm and back. The initial phase of drawing (the first phase) of the bow is carried out mainly by the muscles of the right hand. The middle (second) and especially the final (third) phases of bow tension are performed mainly by contracting the back muscles that adduct the scapula to the spine.

The final phase of drawing the bow is the most important because... immediately before it begins, the hand involved in tensioning the bow passes (or is fixed, depending on the type of technique) through certain points of contact located on the face (the tip of the nose and the middle of the chin or just the chin, etc.). In the event that the hand is fixed under the chin, it has some varieties depending on the position of the fingers: submandibular, premaxillary, cervical.

Currently, the most widespread is submandibular fixation, when the hand is under the chin, the thumb and little finger are relaxed as much as possible. After fixing and clarifying the aim, the hand, due to contraction of the muscles of the back and arm, continues its movement along the jaw bone. This movement after completing the fixation is usually called “reaching out”.

With another version of the technique, the right hand touches the face at the same points (the main thing is that these landmarks are always constant), but does not stop, and as the aiming becomes more precise, it slowly moves back along the jaw bone, i.e. the effort to draw the bow does not stop.

During the final phase of drawing the bow, when the hand, being under the chin, moves back along the jawbone due to the contraction of the muscles of the arm and back (the main work in this phase should fall on the back muscles), the arrow comes out from under the clicker, a click will be heard and the release. The main requirement for the final draw phase of the bow is that it must continue without stopping after the click of the clicker and while releasing the arrow.

When drawing a compound bow, its character changes. this is due to the design features of the weapon (bow). The main force for pulling is developed in the initial (first) phase (70% of the bow's tension force). In the second phase, there is a fairly sharp decrease in the magnitude of the force (30% of the bow's tension force). When performing the third (final) phase of bow tension, muscle tension is significantly less than in its first phase. It is approximately 30% of the bow's tension force and practically does not change as the hand approaches certain fixation points on the face.

Given these features, it is necessary to pay special attention to the position and work of the hand holding the bow, because increased demands are placed on it to maintain reliable support in the bow both during the first and during the second phases of its tension.

It should also be noted that when shooting with a compound bow using a breaker, the right hand in the final drawing phase is usually located to the right of the face and touches the right cheek, and is not located under the jaw bone, and the draw as such is not performed. However, the tension of the muscles of the back and arms, which perform tension on the bow while fixing the hand and lowering (releasing) the bowstring, should be sufficient to hold it, and its increase should even be subjectively felt. This can prevent the back and arm muscles from relaxing uncontrollably and causing the right arm to “give in” forward.

The movement of the finger performing the release (pressing the release button or the trigger of the disconnector) must be smooth and autonomous so as not to cause an uncontrolled increase in tension on the muscle groups directly involved in the execution of this movement.

Girls and boys

Despite the stereotype that it is a male sport, archery is also popular among girls. In some cities, the number of girls in the section even exceeds the number of boys. Everything depends on the popularization of this sport in each region separately.

In our country there are more Olympic medalists among women than among men. For example, famous female archers in Russia: Inna Stepanova, Ksenia Perova and Natalya Erdynieva. However, girls come to sports later due to the fact that they are usually less physically developed and, in principle, weaker than boys. But in the end this does not affect the result in any way.

arbalet-airgun

The formal answer to this question is very short - EVERYWHERE! As usual, not everything is so simple and smooth.

First, about the pleasant things.

All bows (up to 27 kgf/60 lbs) and crossbows (up to 43 kgf/95 lbs) sold by us have passed state certification and are classified as “products structurally similar to weapons” for sports, recreation and entertainment (Attention: August 2, 2022 President Russian Federation Vladimir Putin signed Law No. 280-FZ “On Amendments to the Federal Law “On Weapons” and Article 1 of the Federal Law “On Hunting and on the Conservation of Hunting Resources and on Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation.” Yes, the same one formally allowing hunting with throwing weapons! Details are in the article “Hunting with a bow and crossbow - is it possible or not?”).
But let's continue. You can truly relax and have fun anywhere. For example, in a country house or in a park, where shooting even from an air rifle with more than 3 joules will cost you tens of thousands of rubles in fines, since it already belongs to civilian weapons. This is undoubtedly a huge plus, which I enjoy using at the amateur shooting range. But without for a moment losing sight of safety precautions and organizational issues in general (see “Crossbow and archery shooting range at the dacha” and “Bow, crossbow, pneumatics: fakes, injuries, crime...”).

You must have with you the Certificate, Attachments to the Certificate and Information Sheet handed over by the seller, as well as printed “Changes No. 1 to GOST R 51905-2002”. I also recommend putting a regular 50 kg electronic steelyard in the crossbow case, with which you can measure the tension force right in the field and demonstrate the indicators to the interested party. All these papers and devices will help in possible communication with police officers.

So they began, the promised “pitfalls”.

Any of our actions, including entertainment, are of no interest to anyone until the rights of other people begin to be violated. We are not even talking about causing any material damage - here everything will be clearly interpreted as an administrative offense with all that it entails. And under certain circumstances – even to criminal prosecution. But if the mothers walking with strollers in the park simply think that you have set up an impromptu shooting range too close to the paths, and they call the police, they will definitely find a way to put pressure on the okhalnik. And that’s right: children are our everything. If you wish and use a creative approach, your actions can be summarized under a bunch of articles. Moreover, shake your nerves with forensic examinations of the crossbow for compliance with the certificate, which you, of course, present to law enforcement officers.

Again, a lot depends on the surroundings. It is unlikely that concern will be caused by, so to speak, “organized shooters” who correctly place targets in the clearing and conduct amateur competitions in compliance with safety requirements. And even teenagers, however, only with clearly semi-toy devices, like the MK-80. But put yourself in the place of a young woman who discovered, say, such a character in the bushes closest to the alley :))...

I think that people with a much stronger mental organization will tense up a little.

Hence the conclusion: in order not to even accidentally “encroach on public order and public safety,” it is better to distance yourself from society, as in the bottom photo. (In anticipation of the question, I’ll let you know: it doesn’t depict the author of the article - I’m quite older, but there are bigger crossbows :))

Simply put, find a deserted place - an open wasteland, an abandoned quarry, a field, a large clearing. The latter can also be a mistake.

The fact is that most undeveloped areas outside the boundaries of populated areas are one way or another considered hunting grounds. Including, by the way, ordinary “collective farm” fields. And hunting legislation, like any other, is drawn up according to the principle “if there were a person, there would be an article.”

Being in the area with a weapon is equivalent to hunting. In this case - without a hunting ticket, permits and licenses, and not within the established time frame - to illegal hunting. It would seem that our crossbows are not weapons. But in this case, the law has the following clause (in bold):

6) hunting tools - firearms, pneumatic and cold steel classified as hunting weapons in accordance with Federal Law of December 13, 1996 N 150-FZ “On Weapons” (hereinafter referred to as the Federal Law “On Weapons”), as well as ammunition, traps and other devices , instruments, equipment used in hunting.

How is a crossbow or bow as an “other device” worse than, say, a rangefinder? Moreover, unlike the latter, which is designed to simply measure distances, they are intended specifically for shooting. There is also this nuance: if you throw an ordinary stick on the land and knock out a quail or kill a hare with a shovel, there will be a fact of illegal hunting. So the saying about “shooting rakes” did not appear out of nowhere.

Therefore, when choosing a permanent place for recreational and recreational shooting, you should carefully consider the issue of the boundaries of hunting grounds in your area. From sin. And, again, do not forget about safety precautions; the consequences of neglecting them can be very serious. Moreover, no certificate will help here (“Popular about crossbowman’s safety precautions”).

Of course, a lot depends on our behavior and surroundings. Demonstratively placed targets, a folding table with spare parts and bolts, even “frivolous” clothing will play in our favor. But the appearance of a camouflaged crossbow archer in the hunting grounds, stalking with an allegedly predatory special forces :)) step from head to toe, will most likely end in drawing up a protocol and other related entertainment.

Now about bows and crossbows in the hunting version, that is, with a tension force exceeding 27 and 43 kgf (60 and 95 lbs), respectively. Everything that goes beyond the upper limits of the specified parameters is a throwing weapon, the scope of which is strictly limited to sports and a number of other areas of use that, until very recently, were inaccessible to ordinary citizens (about Law No. 280-FZ of August 2, 2022, read the article “Hunting with a bow and crossbow - is it possible or not?”).

For legal compound bows, the possibility of such a transformation is usually blocked by the manufacturer/seller. Because the sale of throwing weapons is already a criminal offense. And not everyone will be able to even simply stretch a 70-pound recurve (if one can be found) to the correct position. But you can fall under the punishing hand of the law by simply screwing hunting tips to training arrows. In the photo on the left are legal sports, on the right are forbidden.

Crossbowmen have the opportunity to purchase commercially available so-called “correct” or original arms with a tension force of 150 to approximately 250 lbs.
On the manufacturer’s assembly line they are located exactly with them; the production of components weakened to meet the requirements of Russian legislation is established exclusively in agreement with domestic dealers. Therefore, you should not mess with bows and crossbows offered on eBay and similar resources. All of them, as a rule, do not comply with our GOST standards and are not certified in Russia. For details, see the article On the acquisition of weapons and products structurally similar to weapons on foreign Internet resources. By themselves, apart from a crossbow, strong shoulders are not weapons (see “Are the components of a bow and crossbow considered weapons?”).
After installing them on the stock, it will turn into a forbidden throwing weapon, for which the “three geese”, widely known among the shooting public, shine - Article 222 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. In the absence of a good (and expensive!) lawyer, a very sad ending to a fun “rest and entertainment” is possible - art. 223 “Illegal manufacture of weapons.” Honestly, it's not worth it. Any more or less serious crossbow, and even more so a full-size “blocker” (“Jack of all shoulders”), even with GOST shoulders, can work perfectly at classic hunting distances of up to 50 meters. At the same time freely stitching through steel sheets. This does not mean that in this version they can be used for serious purposes and tasks (see “Crossbow for animal hunting”), but for recreation and amateur sporting events such devices are enough for the eyes. And a legal 60-pound compound bow outperforms the vast majority of legal crossbows.

pros

• General physical development

Archery, like any sport, has a positive effect on general physical fitness: the muscles of the back, abs and shoulder girdle are strengthened. Hence the correct posture. The advantage of shooting practice is the improvement of vision due to constant focusing at close and long distances. Therefore, people with myopia are recommended to take classes to correct their vision. Additionally, archers are taught to breathe properly, which leads to fewer colds.

• Psychological component

The archer has incredible endurance and the ability to concentrate. This allows you not to be upset when you make mistakes and the desire not to give up, but to continue to fight for victory. Archery disciplines and develops willpower, which affects his overall psychological development.

• Age

You can get into sports at any age, not necessarily in adolescence. And you can stay afloat for an extremely long time. For example, three-time world champion Natalya Valeeva plays for the national team at the age of 48. And Khatuna Lorig still continues her sports career, which she began back in the USSR.

How to shoot a bow

The process of archery can be described in just two actions: draw the bow and release the string. But at the same time, the technique itself contains many hidden elements, without which it will not be possible to shoot clearly at the target.

Each archer develops his own shooting technique over time. After all, it is individual for everyone, and depends on physical development, body structure, weight and other initial data.

But there are fundamental skills without which it is impossible to shoot a bow.

How to put on and remove a bowstring

Onions are stored and transported in a disassembled state. The bowstring is pulled only during training or tournaments. If it is constantly tense, it will quickly deteriorate. So the first thing a novice archer needs to do is learn how to take it off and put it on.

There are many variations that you will learn with experience, but start with the traditional one:

1. Place the string on the eye of the lower arm. To do this, take the loop in your left hand, at this time you need to hold the bow in the eye area with your right hand. For stability, you need to place your right foot between the bow and the string.
2. Bend the bow by pressing lightly with your right hand.
3. Place the second loop of the bowstring on the eye of the upper arm.

While drawing the bow, keep your right hand in line with the bow.

How to install an arrow on a bow

Before shooting, you need to place the arrow in the bowstring socket and then place it on the shelf. The boom must be installed with a shank, i.e. part with plumage. If clinker is used, the arrow is brought out under it.

Hold the bow horizontally with your right hand. You can tilt it a little.

1. Grasp the arrow at the fletching with your right hand.
2. Place the shank into the socket. In this case, the middle part of the boom should be on the lower ledge of the window.
3. With your right hand, move the arrow under the clinker, and then lower it onto the shelf. But there is a small peculiarity if the clinker has a bend at the top. With this type of clinker, the actions should be as follows: pass the arrow under the bend of the clinker, then lower the arrow onto the shelf. Only after these manipulations will it be possible to insert the shank into the socket.

A left-handed person follows directions with the opposite hand.

Shooting stand

Now you need to correctly stand in a special shooter’s stance in order to optimally distribute your body weight and be in the correct turn towards the target.

Body rotation is very important. Over time, you will remember it, but first you need to clearly see the desired direction of the feet:

1. Place the arrow so that it faces the target.
2. Place your feet perpendicular to the arrow shaft, placing them at an equal distance from the shooting line.
3. Right-handers should rotate the arrow 30 degrees to the left. It is not necessary to measure the angle with a ruler, the main thing is that it does not exceed a rotation of 45 degrees. The left-hander needs to turn the other way around - to the right of the target.
4. The position of the arrow indicates the place for the front foot in an open stance: the hips and feet are “open” to the target.
5. The legs stand parallel to each other. Don't spread your socks too much.
6. The width of the stand is equal to the width of the shoulders or a maximum of 4 cm wider.

Position your body so that a straight line drawn from your shoulders goes to the target. And it should be perpendicular to the feet.

Aiming

The position of the bow depends on which eye you have (which eye you are aiming with). If right-handed, the bow is held with the left hand, with the left shoulder facing the target and the right hand holding the string. With the right, do the opposite.

From the beginning of aiming until the release of the arrow, it is necessary to maintain a constant distance between the leading eye and the shank of the arrow. To do this, the teeth are clenched tightly. The upper part of the right hand, which cocks the bowstring, touched the chin. The string itself should be in contact with the face at the tip of the nose and chin, and not move.

By clearly fixing the position of the bow, you will be able to make an accurate shot.

You need to draw the bow by moving your hand along the jaw bone. In this case, the upper part of the hand should tightly touch the lower jaw.

When aiming, you need to point and hold the front sight at the center of the target. You will not be able to see both the target and the front sight at the same time. Therefore, focus so that you can clearly see the front sight and the target in the background.

Release the bowstring

Releasing the bowstring from the grip is the final movement during archery. You need to instantly relax the fingers holding the bowstring, all at the same time.

In this case, the bowstring quickly slips out of the relaxed fingers and leaves them with a slight deviation from the line of the shot.

Minuses

In ordinary youth sports schools, as a rule, there are no archery sections. The whole point is the lack of funding for the development of non-mass sports. Schools do not have the funds to purchase the necessary equipment for training. And the only way to start studying is to go to a private school. The price of classes ranges from 3 to 7 thousand per month depending on the region. The cost of a classic bow starts from 5 thousand and reaches 200 thousand rubles, a compound bow - from 15 thousand to 200 thousand rubles. depending on the country of origin. Bows from 100 thousand rubles. and above are considered professional. But you can meet the KMS standards and compete at all-Russian competitions with equipment that costs 50 thousand rubles.

Field shooting.

In field shooting, an archer shoots arrows from a bow at living and non-living objects located at an unknown, not determined and not announced in advance distance. Athletes involved in field shooting improve the so-called instinctive shooting system, which does not involve any measuring of distances.

Hunting.

The law allows bowhunting for deer and small game wherever rifle hunting is permitted during the appropriate seasons. In many states, conservation officials encourage bowhunting of deer on state-owned forest lands as a conservation measure and sometimes to reduce the deer's overabundance. Today, in a growing number of states, bowhunting season precedes rifle hunting season.

Shooting at an arbitrary target.

This sport involves the opportunity to wander - alone or with several other archers - through the surrounding fields, without any formalities, shooting arrows at leaves, small sticks, stumps, pieces of paper and other such objects. The archer selects all such targets at random, without knowing exactly the distance to them.

Field shooting range.

Most free-target archers are hunters first and foremost. In anticipation of the opening of the hunting season, they devote a significant part of their time to shooting training in open areas or at specially equipped field shooting ranges.

Such shooting ranges consist of separate sections, each of which has 14 targets. Two sections lying next to each other form a circle. The distance between shooting positions and targets ranges from 6 to 73 m. Targets are used in four different sizes, with circles ranging from 15 to 61 cm in diameter - the largest are intended for shooting at maximum distance. The front of the target consists of a white apple surrounded by a black circle. The width of this circle is always equal to half the diameter of the apple. In the middle of the central circle of the target there is a black aiming spot measuring 1/3 of the diameter of the apple. From the same or from different positions, 4 arrows are fired at each target. Hitting the apple is worth 5 points, and hitting the black circle is worth 3 points.

Archery golf.

Archery golf, a game where golfers compete with archers for accuracy, was originally played on a traditional golf course. At the same time, the first ones drove the balls into the holes, and the second ones sent arrows into the same holes. Later, in order to maintain the integrity of the holes, white sponge rubber balls began to be placed outside the green as targets for both. In some other versions of the same game, instead of balls, double-sided flat targets with a drawn central circle with a diameter of just over 10 cm (4 inches) were used.

Hunting series by Pope-Young.

This is the name of the competition in which participants shoot 36 hunting arrows (with a broad tip) at six targets at six different distances, while receiving 45 seconds for every six arrows.

How much do classes cost?

Unfortunately, archery is not always taught in ordinary youth sports schools. And classes are held either in private centers or on a paid basis in schools and sports education sections. Or it is entertaining in nature and acts as a one-time event for children and adults.

In Moscow, a lesson with equipment costs on average 1,500 rubles/60 minutes, without - 1,000 rubles/60 minutes. Archery prices are lower in the region. For example, in Omsk the price per hour varies from 600 to 1000 rubles. for training and provision of the necessary equipment. A subscription for 4 classes in Moscow for beginners costs 4,000 rubles, while in Chelyabinsk 12 classes per week will cost only 3,000 rubles.

Release (Descent)

Release - This is the release of the bowstring from its grip. It is performed during the final phase of drawing the bow. The main requirement for release is the instantaneous, simultaneous and complete relaxation of the fingers holding the bowstring. If this condition is met, the bowstring itself, as it were, opens completely relaxed fingers and leaves them with minimal deviation from the plane of the shot.

Relaxation of the fingers and release of the bowstring from the grip occurs when the clicker clicks, but one must always remember that the tension of the bow after the click of the clicker and at the time of release should not be interrupted.

When using a release, the fingers of the hand that pulls the bow and holds the string are not directly involved in its release. The release in this case can be called a descent, because Depending on the release design, the archer presses a special release button or trigger with the thumb or forefinger, which operates the release mechanism to release the bowstring.

When using a release, it is possible to achieve minimal deviation of the string and bow from the plane of the shot, and due to this, the deformation of the arrow is reduced, which ultimately has a positive effect on the accuracy of shooting.

Breath control

When firing a shot, the archer strives for the best stability of the shooter-weapon system. To do this, it becomes necessary to stop breathing while it is being performed, i.e. eliminate unwanted chest movements. Hold your breath for 10-15 seconds. is not difficult even for an untrained person. This time is quite enough to complete the shot. As the bow is drawn and immediately in front of it, breathing becomes increasingly shallow and is held by the archer at a natural respiratory pause, and the stop should be at a moment slightly less than half-exhalation. This is the most rational and natural cessation of breathing, in which a slight tone of the respiratory muscles remains, corresponding to the general tone of the body.

The level of oxygen in the blood and its supply in the lungs is quite sufficient for the normal functioning of all body systems within 10-15 seconds. Moreover, with training, the reflex threshold of the urge to inhale moves away when oxygen in the blood decreases.

With such a breath-hold, the archer does not experience oxygen starvation, i.e. a state of hypoxia does not occur, and therefore there is no need for hyperventilation. In case of hyperventilation of the lungs, the phenomenon of oversaturation of blood oxygen, which is undesirable for the archer, may occur, which causes slight dizziness, uncoordination of movements and loss of stability.

How to choose a section

Free archery classes in your city

Belgorod, Ekaterinburg, Izhevsk, Irkutsk, Kazan, Kaliningrad, Kaluga, Krasnodar, Kyzyl, Labytnangi, Lesnoy, Makhachkala, Nizhnevartovsk, PGT Aginskoye, Pushkin, Rybinsk, St. Petersburg, Smolensk, Taganrog, Tolyatti, Ulan-Ude, Ufa, Khabarovsk , Khasavyurt, Cheboksary, Chelyabinsk, Chita, Yugorsk, Berdigestyakh village, Suntar village

At the initial stage, you can choose a regular archery section so that your child can try it out and understand whether he likes it or not. Basic training can be provided by any shooting coach. If your child shows excellent results, and you decide to bet on big-time sports, you should find a more qualified coach or mentor with extensive experience behind him, who has already raised more than one accomplished athlete.

However, remember that being a famous archer does not guarantee that your child will achieve the same victories that he achieved himself. The most important thing is to support the student, establish and improve technique, the ability to motivate him and direct him to the right wave, so that sport is a favorite pastime, and not training under pressure.

Bow and arrow uniform

Once you have gathered the appropriate equipment, you can begin practicing your form. It's critical to learn proper form from the beginning so you can develop muscle memory and repeat the same movements every time you shoot a bow and arrow.

Knowing your dominant and non-dominant hand is important to developing your shooting style. Your dominant hand will be your pull hand, and your non-dominant hand will be your bow.

This means, for example, that if you are right-handed, you will pull the rope with your right hand while holding the bow with your left, and vice versa for left-handers. This also means that your posture should be holding your non-dominant hand or leaning slightly towards your target.

To achieve this form, imagine the position a boxer or fighter would assume in the ring. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, your non-dominant leg slightly in front of your dominant leg. Your feet should be 90 degrees from the target.

When the bottom half is set correctly, hold the bow with your hand. Proper bow grip is the key to accurately aiming and shooting an arrow. In particular, if you are learning to shoot instinctively, you should grip the bow so that the index finger of your hand is pointing at the target as you raise the bow to shoot.

While you want to keep your finger, wrist and arm aligned, don't grip the arch too hard; Maintain a relaxed grip to maintain bow arm alignment. Ideally, the arch should rest on the fleshy part of your hand between the thumb and index finger, allowing the finger to aim at the target.

This grip may seem awkward at first, but with consistent practice it becomes natural and intuitive...

Modern recurve bows have molded grips to help you achieve this alignment, but most single or longbows do not, which encourages archers to grip the bow's handle with the palm of your hand. Grasping the bow this way naturally bends the wrist and prevents the index finger from aiming at the target. You can still learn to shoot instinctively if you press your palm down on the handle, although this form is not as natural as the previous one.

Practice moving in and out of the pose and gripping a few times to get used to the position of your body and the feel of the arch in your hand. Developing muscle memory from the beginning will help you get further in your archery studio and enjoy the sport more.

Once you feel comfortable with your posture and grip, you can place the arrow in your bow. You can hold the bow horizontally with the arrow pointing up as you place the arrow and then return the bow vertically, or you can simply place the arrow on the shelf of the arrow holder while holding the bow at a slight angle so that the arrow doesn't fall away from the rest.

Regardless of how you decide to mark your arrow, make sure the arrow is on the same side of the bow as the back of the bow.

Again, try cutting the arrow a few times before attempting to shoot. When you feel comfortable touching the arrow, you can pick up the rope. Typically, archers use three fingers to grip the rope, the pointer, middle and ring fingers of their hand.

Each archer chooses the most comfortable rope position, but most archers keep their index fingers on the arrow and the other two under the arrow. Hold the rope with your fingertips between the tip and the knuckle of your first finger.

Be sure to keep a rope there; If you let it fall into your knuckle, it will affect the accuracy of your shot. Since your fingers can get hurt by gripping the rope this way, you can use an archery glove to provide comfort, although the more calluses you develop on your fingertips, the less pain you'll experience later.

When you hold the rope correctly, you can draw your bow. To draw, press down on the bow arm while pulling the string out with your fingertips. If you have difficulty pulling the rope with your fingertips, your bow may be too heavy for you and you should consider using a lighter bow instead of changing your grip on the rope.

Hold your arm in a straight line from your fingertips through your wrist, forearm, and elbow, as if your arm were an extension of the arrow itself. Most archers draw their bows until the middle finger of their hand touches the corner of their mouth, creating a precise and secure shooting reference point.

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Remember that the finger of your bow hand will be pointing towards your target. This will not only give you target accuracy but will also help you stay focused on the target. The intensity of your focus on your target is an important aspect of bow and arrow shooting that affects not only your body, but also your mind. In fact, shooting accuracy requires keeping your mind focused on the target.

See also: Best String Silencers: String Silence

Your focus comes into play when it's time to shoot. Don't pull the rope back and then aim; Your goal is to use your index finger and the intensity of focus on the target, combined with the shape and position of your body, to aim as you draw.

This way, once your middle finger reaches its anchor point, you can simply relax your drawing hand and shoot the arrow. Also, don't be too quick to remove your hand from your face: keeping it there for a few seconds after shooting will allow you to assess whether you're actually releasing the arrow from the anchor point and make any necessary adjustments to its shape or draw the technique if you haven't. .

Psychological portrait of an athlete

• The Archer has incredible patience and never gives up. You don't hit it, but you keep training.
• A balanced nervous system and calmness are the qualities of any archery athlete.
• The ability to concentrate and determination will help an athlete in everyday life.
• The archer is self-confident and moderately passionate, because it happens that the final result depends on one shot.
• By sending your child to this sport, you will teach him not to rush, to be responsible for his every step, to learn to calculate any shot and to put up with misses.

What difficulties might you encounter?

Apart from the above-mentioned problem of the cost of classes and equipment for classes, archery is a rather undeveloped sport in our country. And at times it was not even included in the Olympic Games. Currently there is only one 70m distance. The others are not considered at the Olympics, which limits athletes who specialize in shorter distances.

In addition, the sport is unpopular and constantly undergoes rule changes. They plan to equate archery with the rules of biathlon in order to create entertainment and interest in the sport.

And in terms of training young athletes, there is no funding from the state and there is a shortage of coaches. The salary of a shooting coach after university is 5-6 thousand rubles. And the whole sport rests either on enthusiasts of their craft. Or on people who are capable of opening private schools, but do not have the proper education and experience in shooting.

Let's sum it up

Archery is a sport that cannot injure a teenager. A sport that will give you confidence, teach you how to put your nervous system in order, and help you develop willpower and patience. A sport with a career for life. Where over the years you gain experience and become more resilient psychologically, which allows you to achieve high results and be yourself.

“We had kids come to us who were very disorganized. Gradually, gradually they become more and more balanced. Because if you don’t aim correctly, don’t practice the shot, don’t calm your nervous system, you won’t hit the target. So, day after day, week after week, children gradually learn endurance and patience,” archery coach Vladimir Kazantsev shares his experience.

Hunting bow, types and features of use and operation

All bows can be divided into three large categories:

• Simple;
• Composite or complex;
• Compound bows.

A simple bow is familiar to any boy, especially those whose childhood was in the 70s and 80s. In those years, films about Indians appeared, and everyone asked their father to make him a child’s bow. The one who was more independent made the children's bow himself. It is clear that a child’s bow, which was the first stick with a rope that came across, cannot be considered a weapon, but even it was able to show what archery is.

The traditional bow (simple), in its European medieval version, corresponded to the height of the archer. It is quite problematic to use such a weapon as a bow for hunting, because it constantly clings to bushes and tree branches, so hunters used smaller bows. Although their destructive power decreased, at close range they killed the beast outright.

More powerful is the compound bow. It was used by nomadic and eastern peoples. Due to its power, it was much shorter than a simple bow and made it possible to shoot from a horse at full gallop. The traditional bow (composite) was made from three pieces of wood, of varying density and flexibility. Sometimes one or two plates were made of horn.

The most powerful is the modern compound bow. Although it looks rather unusual, a compound bow is far superior to any type of traditional bow in terms of performance. A compound bow is much easier to shoot and has much more power than a traditional bow. The main advantages of a compound bow include the following:

• A compound bow does not require much strength, since the string is much easier to pull;
• Unusual appearance that attracts attention;
• High combat range;
• A compound bow allows you to easily hunt any game, as its accuracy is simply amazing (we mean high-quality models).

The compound bow is not without its disadvantages:

• A compound bow needs to be selected, or better yet, made individually (like a classic one). This is not a shotgun or other firearm that can be mass produced;
• After you choose a compound bow for hunting, you will have to customize it for yourself, for which you will need hexagons;
• You will have to insert pins into the sight yourself, and there are 5 of them.

Of course, bowhunting is an exciting activity, but before you go there, you must study:

• Techniques for safe handling of bows;
• Operating instructions for your bow;
• Learn the basics of archery.

In addition, before using a bow, it is advisable to take a couple of practical lessons from experienced “archers” who will help you master bows for shooting. You should not neglect this weapon, as a compound bow can pierce through a bull carcass.

Before you go hunting, be sure to practice hitting the target, this will help you tune your bow and understand how best to shoot. Try changing the settings, remembering to note where the crosshair has moved.