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?
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!
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):
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. :-/
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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!
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!
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?
