Archery iOS apps

Hey archers!

As promised, I've compiled a short list of archery themed apps and games for Apple's iOS series of products.

This is by no means meant to be an exhaustive list; there are way too many apps for me to review personally.  As such, please feel free to add your own apps below!

1) Archery Score Lite/Pro

Archery Score, written by Yakoob Ali, is a solid program that I use to score my ends at the range.  The program is intuitive, and contains enough options for the standard archer, and is cheaper than other scoring apps on the App Store.

The app allows for multiple shooting parameters (Indoor/Outdoor, FITA, etc) and target faces.  Arrows are scored directly on the target face, allowing for easy identification of scoring trends over time.  The paid app allows the user to create custom shoots.

The score cards that I have uploaded to my blog come from Archery Score; the app allows the user to email a copy of the score card via the built in iOS mail client.  A nice touch.

Archery Score Lite is free.  Archery Score Pro is available for $1.99 in the Canadian App Store, and as near as I can tell, is worth every penny.

2) Archery Memo

I love this app.  If you are like me, a bit forgetful  this app is a lifesaver, and its FREE.  Archery Memo allows you to make note of all the different measurements, settings and preferences of your bow setup.  Bow poundage, range marking for your sight, arrow length and spine are all configurable.

The app even allows for multiple entries for different equipment.  Recurve and a compound shooter?  Add both.  Use different arrows or sight setups depending on the circumstances?  Archery Memo has you covered.

Thanks to this app, I rarely get caught flatfooted at the archery store by a technical question from one of the techs.

3) Archery Terms

Alright.  Most shooters will smirk at this one, but I think this is a great app for those among us that are just joining the sport.  Archery is a technical, precision sport.  There are a ton of terms and equipment that can be difficult to get a hold of for new archers (they were for me, anyway).

Archery Terms is another free app that I think fills a niche.  Simple drop down menus allow an archer to lookup any term that may be causing difficulty.  Explanations and definitions are then shown on screen.  Simple, intuitive and informative.

4) Archer's Excuses

This one is fun, even if you are having an off night.  Archer's excuses comes up with reasons why you missed the X.

Admit it.  We've all been there: when you completely screw up on the firing line, and your buddies are behind you, giving "supportive" smirks and snickers, this app can come in handy.

Okay, not all the "excuses" are gems - but there's enough funny in here to cheer me up if I'm shooting like crap.

Archer's Excuses retails for $1.99 in the Canadian App Store.  I've got mine on quick access at club nights.  :-D

5) Archer's World Cup 2

I am not a fan of gaming on the iPhone or the iPad.  Straight up, I dislike touch screen controls.  As such, I don't have a ton of games on my iOS device.

I do, however, enjoy some Archer's World Cup.  A free game, AWC lets the user fling arrows down range and try to use "Kentucky Windage" to correct for a random wind variable.  AWC2 allows for a multiplayer experience, where AWC is just a single player experience.

Only real complaint I have with these games are that they completely ignore the silence slider on your device.  Think you are going to be stealthy and get some quiet gaming in while waiting for an appointment?  Nope.  AWC sound is on.  You've got to manually turn down the sound.


Anyway, that's what I have on my Apple stuff.  I'll look into cooking up a list for my Android people next time!

Lug05 Update - 2012 11 03

Well, its been a while, hmm?

Despite my lack of postings, my love of archery continues - so I haven't abandoned you all.

I've been fighting the good fight here, but the universe has been conspiring against me a bit.  My wife had to take an unexpected leave of absence from work recently, and my shooting had to take a back seat while I took care of her.  The good news is that she's doing a lot better, so I can get back to it!

I've been fighting with gremlins in my gear, namely in my SF Axiom Sight.  This sight has been pretty good to me, but of late I've noticed that the screws CONSTANTLY need to be checked for tightness.  Things came to a bit of a head last weekend after I took a shoot and heard an ominous *snap* immediately following my release.  I figured it was my rest, or perhaps a nock that had hit the riser.  No such luck:

Yeah, that's whats left of my aperture.  After spending a few minutes looking around, I was able to find the missing part.  I kept shooting, until the entire sight slid off the rail and hit the floor.  Frustration got the better of me, so I called it quits, and headed to South Nation Archery Supply:

Larry sold me a new aperture, and checked my bow over.  After he had exorcised a few demons from the setup, things definitely improved:

More to come!

Arrow - a review

Just finished watching the new CW network television show, Arrow.

I enjoyed it, even if the archery themed bits were few and far between.  I worried that this was going to be a slightly darker version of Smallville, with an archery based hero.

The good news is that Stephen Amell, the actor that plays the lead role appears to have taken archery lessons before beginning filming; there are no embarrassing Hawkeye repeats in this series.

I fail to see how the protagonist, Oliver Queen, picked up his ninja like skill-set.  Stranded rich playboy brat gets shipwrecked on a crappy spit of land, only to be rescued, come back to the "real" world, and kick everything that moves into a coma.  I mean, even Batman took a few lessons from the ninja's, right?!

Perhaps the writers are trying to get the viewer to be more invested in Oliver Queen before starting his origin story.  Time will tell.

Thus far, I would say that Arrow is promising.  I will be turning in next week for more.

What did all of you think of the television adaptation of DC Comic's Green Arrow?

Blargh, I am sick!

Ugh.

I am sick as a dog, and it is certainly making an impact on my archery practice time.  I haven't had the opportunity (or ability) to make it out to the range this week as a result of what may be Ebola or Honta (still waiting for the lab results to confirm/deny).

But, I picked up some new hardware that I thought I would show off a bit!

Easton Powerflight Arrows

I picked these up at That Hunting and Fishing Store in Richmond a few weeks ago.  I got them for a decent price, about $50 CAD for a half dozen made arrows.  I explained my need of target arrows to the sales person, and he recommended that I go with a slightly over-spined arrow, as I would likely be upgrading my ILF limbs in the next few months (going to a higher poundage).

The only issue I have had with them so far is that I managed to rip up the fletching on one of them to the point that I am unwilling to shoot it.  (See picture below).  I will have to try and repair the damage before I feel comfortable shooting this one again - should be fun, as I do not have a fletching jig....

High Density Foam Target

Now this was a steal.  I was surfing around Kijiji.ca, and found a local that was selling a few archery targets, including this high density foam number, which I picked up for $25 CAD.

The seller was a really nice older lady that used to shoot compound competitively in Texas, and has moved up to the Great White North to retire.  She even threw in a few free targets & target pins, just because she is awesome.

I think I am going to set up a short range target downstairs in the basement.  I'd shoot outdoors, but I live in a townhouse, and would likely incur the wrath of my neighbours or the condo association if I tried to practice in my backyard.  :-/

Chest Guard

Finally picked up one of these from South Nation Archery Supply last week.  When I first started back into archery, I never understood why the guys were wearing these things; back when I started shooting, only the girls wore chest protectors.

That all changed after I had my form corrected by Kathy Millar.  I was practicing at my usual range, when WHAM!!!  I nailed my right nipple on a string release.  Have you ever had something hurt so bad that you wanted to scream, but couldn't?  Yeah, it was like that.  So, I called SNAS and promptly ordered a new guard.  Save teh boobs!

Good archery YouTube feeds

Hey Archers!

I know there is a lot of information online concerning archery online, and it can sometimes be confusing for new archers to get into the sport.

About a year ago, when I started getting back into shooting, I decided to check around the web for useful information about my new hobby.  YouTube was a wealth of information for me;  Not only were there feeds to help new archers with their form and equipment, there were hunting and trick shot videos to watch as well.

Here are some of my favourite YouTube feeds (note: I am not affiliated with ANY of the producers of these videos):

ArcheryTV

For all of us FITA/World Archery fans, this is one stop shopping.  ArcheryTV is the official YouTube account that provides coverage of various archery tournaments around the world.  This one is good for both compound and recurve shooters.  I watch this if I ever want to be both inspired and depressed about my archery skill.  :-/

Performance Archery TV

This one is great for all us rookies.  Hosted by Alistair Whittingham, Performance Archery TV gives detailed videos explaining and demonstrating proper archery form and technique with Olympic-style ILF recurve bows as well as compounds.  There are other training videos out there, but I liked this one as I felt that it was approachable and well rounded (recurve & compound?  Awesome!).  Its a shame that this feed hasn't been updated in over a year.

Grey Archer

Ah, Grey Archer,  I love this guy.  A traditional shooter that likes to post video reviews of various bows, as well as document his adventures in the woods in Sweden, Grey Archer is fun to watch.  He is currently in a "What is?" series of videos, helping newer archers understand some of the terminology around archery.

Warning:  Grey Archer can occasionally get into "grumpy old guy mode" in his videos, and get a bit ramble-y.

The Field Archer

Okay.  I don't hunt, but if I did, I would hope that I could hunt half as well as this guy.  Field Archer is an absolutely fantastic shot with a crossbow or compound bow.  Just as a heads up, some of the videos can be a bit bloody - this is hunting after all - and as such, some viewer discretion should be exercised.

Tex Grebner Outdoors

Okay, this one is more for the comedic value.  I first learned of "Tex" after watching him shoot himself in the leg on Tosh.O (video here - Warning: Language/Violence).  Tex started putting up archery related videos a little over a year ago, and while his efforts tend to end poorly for him (see above), I can't help but like the guy for the amount of effort he puts into his videos.

Trick Shot videos:

Those crazy Russians sure love their archery.  These two videos (see below) are crazy.  The girl has to be one of the fastest shots I have ever seen (mind you, that bow looks like its about 20# draw), and the technique on the guy is apparently an old Mongol horseback trick.

Anyway, cool stuff!

Well, that's it for my favourites!  Anyone else have favourite archery videos that you like to watch online?

Range Report - 2012 08 30

I went out to the range today.

I didn't really get a good end in; I managed to score a 224. 

 I wasn't super happy with this round, as I had a form issue that was screwing up my groupings.  I managed to get it sorted, in the second round, but unfortunately I couldn't finish, as I got a call from the family that pulled me away early.  

I did manage to fire a few rounds at a King Joffrey target, which I think Tyrion Lannister would approve.

I figure that should be good enough for the Night's Watch.  

Online target options :-D

Hey archers!

Based on how popular my post on my zombie targets were, I thought it might be nice to locate some fun online targets that can be easily printed and used at the range!  After all, archery can occasionally get expensive, so anyway to save money is a good thing.

Free Archery Targets

This site is great.  They offer printouts of FITA (now World Archery) target faces in various sizes.  I've used these in the past if I forgot to pick up a pack of 40cm faces at Walmart before practice.

Dewclaw Archery

These are great options as well.  Dewclaw Archery lets you download the target in .pdf format (so you are going to need Adobe Acrobat or Foxit to view these images).  Some of these targets are designed so that you can put multiple standard sheets of paper together (8.5" x 11") to form larger targets.  Very nice for those of us that don't have fancy printers.

King Joffery Targets

How much fun is this!  If you're a fan of HBO's Game of Thrones (or the books by R.R. Martin), you are more than likely not a fan of King Joffery.  So, print out a target of everyone's least favourite boy king and let the arrows fly.  Bonus points if you listen to the "Rains of Castamere" while giving Joff his due.

Other target fun:

I know that I have already shared my hatred (and therefore love of shooting at) Zombies.  So, I have located additional zombie targets.  These aren't as nice as the Visicolor options that I shared a few weeks ago, but they offer the advantage of being free:

Zombie profile - These offer a simple silhouette of a zombie.  They also look great on standard paper.  (originally located at ZombieHunters.org)

Comic Zombie - This one is nice, as it offers no scoring lines.  (original available at: www.rem870.org)

District 9 Alien - Remember these guys?  Fire a few arrows at the "prawns" with these! (originals were found  in the Bayou shooter forums)


I hope all of you have as much fun with these as I have.  It's nice to have options to shoot at once and a while, especially on club nights or 4H/JOAD clubs.

Let me know if any of you have other options for fun targets!

First outdoor shoot!

Sorry for the delayed post!

I had the opportunity to shoot outdoors for the first time ever at my in-laws this weekend.  What a difference being outside makes! 

 It was beautiful here, high 20s, and a little humid.  The wind could get a bit gusty, but my father in law's property is tree-lined, so the wind was manageable.  I was able to get pin settings for 20m and 30m.  The best part was that I was still fairly accurate hitting a FITA 40cm target face at 30m (Stayed inside the blues).

Not competition worthy, but certainly not bad for first attempt!

Next week, I will try and post a link to some cool target faces (à la my Zombie target faces).  I;m sure there are some great options out there on the interwebs!

Zombies!!!

I had a little bit of fun at the range today.

I went to "prepare" for the zombie apocalypse.  The targets I used are available here:  Visicolor targets are usually used by hunters.

These are really nice, as they mark the impact based on the viability of the "kill shot".  In the case of the Zombies, only a head shot will do, so the head shots are lined in a vibrant green, while the non fatal shots are lined in yellow.

I figure a shot in the Zombie's nose should slow him down.  Plus, I am quite proud of that grouping!  Now, if I could only translate that kind of consistency into my FITA rounds....

I'll get there, I am sure.  Anyone else ever done some Zombie apocalypse training with their archery equipment?

Having a good archery technician

So I went to range yesterday, and I discovered that not only did my form feel better, but my bow did too.

The reason for this is a simple one; South Nation Archery has a solid bowyer, right on site.  After my one hour lesson with Kathy Millar, her husband took a look at my equipment, and it turned out that I had some problems.

1) My Hoyt was in "reverse tiller" - I had no idea what this meant, and to be brutally honest, I still don't.  The tech explained it to me that the distance between the top and bottom of my riser (the Hoyt Horizon is a 25" riser) relative to my bowstring should be slightly further on top when compared to the bottom.  My bow has this reversed; the bottom tiller measurement was slightly further than the top tiller measurement - "reverse tiller".  The tech made a few adjustments to the ILF bolts on my riser, and the entire rig shot 100% better the next day at practice.

2) Nocking point - after a few shots, Kathy was able to tell that my nocking point was wrong.  Not only that, but she told me that I would need some kind of aid to make sure that I was bringing my anchor back to the same point each time.  Most people would recommend a "kisser button", but Kathy instead recommended that I have a nocking point set, that at full draw would just brush under the tip of my nose.  Kathy said that some archers defeat the advantages of the kisser button by puckering up their lips (see this poor individual).  The nock point under the nose is more consistent, and certainly helped my practice yesterday.

3) Bow square - I already had one of these, but I certainly wasn't using it to it's full advantage - a quick discussion with the tech, and I understood exactly what the settings for tiller, brace height and my nock point were for my particular rig.  The tech even made a couple of marks on my square so that I would be consistent when working with my rig in future.

All in all, it was a worthwhile hour at South Nation Archery.  I am looking forward to taking advanced courses with Kathy in the new year!

The importance of a good coach...

Hey everyone.

I just got back from a fantastic coaching session with Katherine Millar at South Nation Archery Supply.  My biggest take away from this session (outside of some drastically improved scores) was the importance of a qualified instructor when starting out in Archery.

An hour of private instruction cost me $25 CAD.  And, if I had to nominate the best investment I have made into the sport so far (equipment, training time, membership dues), I would have to say that I got the most return out of that one hour.  Heck, I think I learned more from Katherine in that hour then I did in a 1.5 month course at another range.

Just goes to show you how important a good coach can be.  I will be working on the things I learned today at the range tomorrow.

Update to follow!

Archery can be social

Let's be honest.

A lot of the time, archers tend to be alone.  We are alone at the firing line; it's just us and the target face.  I don't know about all of you, but I prefer a quiet range to a crazy busy one.

That said, sometimes, it can be nice to have someone to chat with while shooting.  Yesterday night, I went to the range on "Club Night".  I was worried a bit that it might be overcrowded (our range only has five lanes), but I arrived to find it empty.  I fired a few practice ends, and then got down to practice.

About 2/3 of the way through my first round the club Chairperson came in.  It had been a while since she'd been shooting, so she was working on fundamentals, getting her form in check.  Since we were both kinda relaxed about our practice, we struck up a conversation about the club, the Olympics, the complete lack of Archery coverage on TV, etc.

It was nice.  I am a bit of a loner when it comes to sport - I tend to prefer the individual vs the team based activities, but it was nice to have someone to chat with while walking up the the target butts, retrieving arrows, or walking back to the line.

Maybe I will have to try and make it out to "Club Night" more often.  I just hope it doesn't get too popular.  :-D

Equipment

Archery is a technical sport - the name of the game is to be absolutely consistent, and the largest part in that process is undoubtably the archer him or herself.  The myriad of equipment that target archery uses are designed to assist the archer in maintaining that level of consistency.

Some things however, cannot be overcome with mere equipment.  If you have bad form, or habits that are hindering your performance, all the equipment in the world will not help. 

So, I figure it is a good idea to post what kind of equipment I am shooting with. 

Here is a quick breakdown of the equipment that I am using in my setup:

Riser: 2011 Hoyt Horizon Riser
Limbs: KAP T-Rex (long) 28 lbs.
Stabilizer: Sebestian Flute Axiom long rod stabilizer, 26"
Rest: Sebestian Flute Premium Arrow rest
Plunger button: Sebestian Flute Axiom cushion plunger
Arrows: Easton Jazz Arrows - 1816 Lite, cut to 30", fletched with feathers
Tips: Field points, 100 Grain

 What do all of you shoot?  Any recommendations you can make for good combinations of equipment?

Welcome!

Hello!

This will make my third attempt to get into blogging.  I like the idea, and have written in some in the past, but I always seem to stop writing them, and they eventually fall by the wayside. 

So, I figure this time, I would use to my blog to write up my "return" to archery as a sport.  I used to shoot competitively in High School, and I enjoyed it thoroughly.  I got bit by the bug again after I watched The Lord of the Rings trilogy on Blu-Ray (great Christmas gift from me to me, btw), and then was compounded after all the recent media attention to archery (The Hunger Games, The Avengers, Disney's Brave).

So, here we are.  I figure I will use this as a personal training diary, writing up my progress and challenges as I try to get myself to the point that I feel like I could compete again. 

Maybe I will stick with this blogging thing, this time, huh?