Kathleen M. Haywood PhD - Archery: steps to success

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Haywood, Kathleen.

Archery : steps to success / Kathleen M. Haywood, PhD, Catherine F. Lewis, Med. -- Fourth edition.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references.

1. Archery. I. Lewis, Catherine, 1957- II. Title.

GV1185.H38 2014

799.3'2--dc23

2013015444

ISBN-10: 1-4504-4468-7 (print)

ISBN-13: 978-1-4504-4468-2 (print)

Copyright 2014, 2006, 1997 by Human Kinetics, Inc.

Copyright 1989 by Leisure Press

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We thank St. Louis Bowhunters in St. Charles, Missouri, for assistance in providing the location for the photo shoot for this book.

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Get ready to climb a staircase, one that will lead you to become an accomplished archer. You cannot leap to the top or skip stairs; you get to the top by climbing one step at a time. The steps to archery success are arranged in order so that each step is an easy and safe transition from the previous one. This fourth edition allows you to progress to an intermediate stage in your preferred type of archery, be that traditional archery, competitive target shooting, competitive 3-D shooting, or bowhunting, by building a solid foundation of fundamental archery skills.

Archery is a sport that involves the use of many pieces of equipment. Your first step is to fit the equipment to your unique body structure and strength level. Even if you plan to learn on simple equipment and buy better equipment later, your equipment needs to fit when you are learning to shoot. Ill-fitting equipment can cause beginners to develop flaws that become habits that are difficult to change later.

The next step is learning how to handle archery equipment safely. Target archers and bowhunters alike must be aware of the harm an arrow can do if they do not exercise care at all times.

The next step is to learn to shoot with good technique, first by mimicking shots and then by shooting arrows. The early emphasis is on building good technique and consistently executing that good technique. Just about any beginner can hit the bulls-eye once if he shoots enough arrows. The goal of the technique steps is to learn how to hit the bulls-eye consistently. Even if your interest is bowhunting, your success on that one important shot is likely to come after hours of practice hitting your target consistently.

Subsequent steps allow you to refine your technique and adapt it to both your unique body structure and the type of archery you want to shoot. Accessories are added gradually at just the right time to improve your accuracy. Throughout the steps you can engage in specific learning activities and practice exercises to advance your skill and break the monotony of the typical archery practice session.

Additional steps build your mental skills for shooting and teach you multiple ways to analyze

your performance to correct the minor flaws that affect your accuracy. Upgrades in equipment can help improve your scores, but you need to be a critical consumer. You also will learn to adjust your equipment to achieve smooth arrow flight and to maximize scores. Near the top of the staircase you will learn to prepare and adapt your equipment for specific types of archery, especially competitive target archery and traditional archery, competitive 3-D shooting, and bowhunting.

Whether you want to shoot in a recreational league or in a competitive tournament, to enjoy the bowhunting season or shoot 3-D rounds year-round, you will improve your performance and enjoy shooting more as you develop greater competence and learn more about archery and archery equipment. Archery: Steps to Success provides a progressive plan for developing your shooting skills and building confidence in your ability to hit your mark.

Follow the same sequence with each step:

1. Read the explanation of what is covered in the step, why the step is important, and the focus of the step, which may be on a skill, a concept, the use of equipment, or a combination of the three.
2. Study the photos and illustrations, which show exactly how to execute aspects of the shot.
3. Read the instructions for each exercise. Complete the exercise and record your score.
4. At the end of the step, review your performance and total your scores from the exercises. Once youve achieved the indicated level of success with the step, move on to the next step.

Make Archery: Steps to Success part of your successful climb to the top. Learn the fundamental form that provides a solid foundation on which to build your skill. Use a systematic and gradual approach to advancing your skill and using equipment accessories. You can specialize in a form of archery, but all successful archers and bowhunters use the same basic form. Consistency is the name of the game for archers. Even when you reach the top, the exercises in this book can keep your shooting sharp, and you can learn more about how archery equipment influences shooting. The tools for analyzing your performance can be used no matter what your level, experience, or type of equipment.