Posted in Archery Stories on November 27th, 2011 | No Comments »

Hello Archers,

You may not know this about the Williams family, but they are HUGE Georgia fans. Football fans in particular. Take a look at this video. It is so wonderful to see Hunter up and around, looking so good. Keep healing and keep on that road to recovery Hunter!

We’ll see everyone starting back on January 7th!

Coach Kevin Cully
Forsyth County Archery Club

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Posted in Archery Stories, Club News on November 24th, 2011 | No Comments »

Hello Archers,

Today is Thanksgiving, and one of the things I’m giving thanks for is my archery family. It is my pleasure and my honor to call you my friends and my family. I hope that you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Here’s a slide show / video that I put together from the photos that Brent Weber took at the Archery Festival. What a beautiful day.

The updated numbers: You all raised over $3,795 for the Hunter Williams Trust Fund. Well done and a million thanks to all of the volunteers that helped make the Festival a success!

Get better Hunter! We’ll be waiting for your return to archery!

We’ll see you all starting back January 7, 2012.

Coach Kevin Cully
Forsyth County Archery Club

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Posted in Archery Stories, Club News on November 6th, 2011 | No Comments »

Thank you volunteers and sponsors! Could not have done this without you all.

To Hunter, please get better. Your archery club will be waiting for your return with open arms and open hearts.

Coach Kevin Cully
Forsyth County Archery Club

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Posted in Archery Stories on August 19th, 2011 | No Comments »

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Posted in Archery Stories on August 6th, 2011 | No Comments »

This past week, we did a special event “Pop Quiz for Pops”. The ‘pops’ was the frozen pops, great memories from when we were kids. Everyone loved the event! The coaches asked questions of the archers and they did their best to answer correctly and earn the frozen pop. We have beginner, intermediate and advanced archers so these questions were tailer posited to the appropriate groups.

Here are some of the questions in no particular order. The answers are given below. How well will you do?

1. Where will the 2012 Summer Olympics be held?
2. When we shoot archery, which muscles do we use?
3. How many spots were there on the 2008 USA Olympic Men’s archery team?
4. How many spots were there on the 2008 USA Olympic Woman’s archery team?
5. What is the first step in the archery shot process?
6. What is the last step in the archery shot process?
7. What is the maximum distance shot in the normal Olympic tournament events?
8. What percentage of an archers weight should be on the balls of his/her feet?
9. Can a mechanical release be used in competition by a recurve archer?
10. What do you call your hand that “holds” the bow?

Answers:

1. London, England starting July 27th and ending on August 12th, 2012
2. All of them! From the top of our head, to the tips of our toes, we use all of our muscles to make an archery shot.
3. Three: Richard “Butch” Johnson, Vic Wunderle, and Brady Ellison
4. Two: Jennifer Nichols, Khatuna Lorig
5. Stance, the act of getting to the line and positioning our feet. Posture is sometimes included in this step but can be split out as it’s own step.
6. Followthrough, although alternative answers can be “Evaluation”,
   “Feedback” and “Relaxation”.
7. 70 meters is the longest distance in the normal events, but bonus points go to the archer that answers 90 meters in some of the qualifying rounds.
8. 60% of an archers weight should be on the balls of their feet with 40% on the heel.
9. No, while technically possible to use a release with a recurve bow, the use of a mechanical release is not allowed in competitions.
10. The “bow hand” is the hand that holds the bow. Our young archers way over-thought the answer to that question.

So, how did you do? Some easy, some are more difficult. Thanks for playing!

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Posted in Archery Stories, Olympic News, Recurve Archery on July 29th, 2011 | No Comments »

View more videos at: http://www.nbcsandiego.com.

Joe Fanchin and Jake Kaminski are two pieces to a deep, talented U.S. men’s archery program ranked No. 1. in the world.

Source: America’s Archers Take Aim | NBC San Diego

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Posted in Archery Stories, Shops&Equipment on July 19th, 2011 | No Comments »

Hello Archer Enthusiasts,

As an archery coach, I am often asked for bow recommendations. If you search this site, you can find my Youth Recurve Bow Recommendations and Youth Compound Bow Recommendations. The very next question is typically, what kind of arrows do I recommend. As with everything about target archery in the USA, it is hard to make a recommendation because I can’t go down to the local archery shop and see arrows that are suitable for target archery. I feel that I’ve reached a point where I definitely have a good recommendation for entry level arrows however and what follows is what I’ve found.

I recommend the following arrow:

• Easton LightSpeed w/ G UNI Shafts
• Made To Order (MTO)
• Shaft Size: 500
• Arrow Length: Needs to be calculated to fit archer. See “Arrow Length” below
• Quantity: 12

Again, I would call into Lancaster Archery and get the arrows “Made To Order” aka MTO. When the arrows are MTO, then it will include the “Easton CB One-Piece Point” (2070039), the “Easton CB UNI Bushing” (2070001) and the “Easton G Nock” (2070125).

Cost
Currently, Lancaster Archery has these arrows for $7.50 per shaft. MTO arrows will cost more (about $15 more per dozen) but it’s worth it. The “Easton LightSpeed” arrows also come in the “3D” version but they cost $10 per arrow shaft. The “3D” arrows are slightly better in that they have a tighter straightness tolerance (.001 vs .003) but for a youth arrow I don’t think it’s worth it.

Arrow Shaft Size
Arrows come in different widths and flexibilities. An archer wants to match the flexibility with the strength of the bow. Note that a stiffer arrow does not mean a better arrow. It is a good thing for the arrow to flex as it is fired and flies through the air. Basically, the number represents the amount of deflection in the arrow when the standard weight is placed on the center of the shaft. With a youth bow, I recommend the “500” shaft size. Basically this means the arrow “should” deflect .500” but many of the arrow manufacturers fudge these numbers.

Arrow Length
If you shoot an Olympic recurve bow, arrow length matters a good bit. The key element is that a shorter arrow will fly faster than a longer arrow. Faster = flatter = better. Also, with a properly fit arrow, you can use a clicker to help you hear and feel that you have reached your full draw position and gives you that input that it is time to release. With MTO arrows, the arrows are cut to the length that you specify. With youth arrows it is always good to leave some growing room. Too short of an arrow is dangerous if the archer pulls the arrow all the way through the arrow rest and it falls off.

So, how do I know what arrow length to order? Correct arrow length is measured from the bottom, inside of the nock groove (deepest point where the string goes into the nock) to the cut end of the shaft. Here’s a good article on measuring your draw length from HuntersFriend.com.

Fletching/Vane
The “AAE Plastifletch Max Vane” (1010015) is a good, durable entry level vane that comes in a variety of colors. I like smaller vanes to allow for faster arrow speed over a long flight to the target so get size “16”. Each arrow will have three vanes. Get two vanes in one color (I find pink is a great color to find an arrow lost in the grass or woods) and the “index” vane in another color.

Another option would be the “Bohning Blazer” vane (1480114). These vanes have a slightly higher profile than the “Max Vane” above. At this point it is all about personal preference.

Quantity = Dozen
I always recommend purchasing a dozen arrows at a time. In an outdoor target tournament you only shoot 6 arrows per end. However, arrows are lost and arrows get damaged. Over time, you’ll find that you move through several arrows. Sometimes they can be repaired, but other times they are too damaged to be repaired.

What about Aluminum arrows?
You’ll notice that the LightSpeed arrow is a carbon arrow. Anything “Carbon” is basically baked hardened fiberglass. Carbon arrows are a bit more durable and take more abuse than aluminum arrows. Aluminum arrows are cheaper for sure. However, as a youth arrow, the archer will miss the target a lot, bounce the arrows off of the target stand or trees (if they’re shooting 3D tournaments) or even off of other arrows in the target. In rare occasions, aluminum arrows can even be straightened but take my word for it; carbon arrows are worth the couple extra bucks.

Cheaper Carbon Arrows
Yes, there are cheaper carbon arrows for sale at Lancaster Archery but not all carbon is manufactured the same. My sons have owned cheap carbon arrows and they shatter and shatter badly when things go wrong. And things always go wrong. The Easton Lightspeed arrows are a good quality carbon, that is a good balance between quality and cost.

Carbon Arrow Shattering
If you shatter a carbon arrow, dispose of it safely. Immediately. Seriously. The carbon shards are extremely dangerous if they puncture the skin. If you have a broken arrow, throw it away. It’s also good to periodically gently flex your arrows and listen for any cracking. If you hear cracking, then something bad has happened to the arrow and it’s getting ready to fail. Don’t let that time that it fails to be when you or your youth is firing the arrow. That arrow is done and dispose of it properly.

Other Arrow Brands
There are many, many quality brands of arrows. In fact, a manufacturer will make a good high quality arrow, and they will also make a low-end carbon arrow that isn’t worth your money. For target archery, I just haven’t had the opportunity to shoot a lot of target arrows from other manufacturers.

Your Local Archery Shop
Remember, most arrows in the archery shops are hunting arrows and will be too stiff for youth target archery. They can order arrow shafts though and make you arrows just as Lancaster Archery can. If you like your bow technician at your local shop, by all means, please support them by ordering your arrows through that shop. They can also help you when it comes time to repair the arrows as well.

If you have questions about arrows or bows or targets or other equipment, please reach out to your archery coach. Archery coaches are there to help you as much as possible!

Coach Kevin Cully
Forsyth County Archery Club

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Posted in Archery Stories, Archery Video, Compound Archery, World Championships on July 11th, 2011 | No Comments »

Interview from the World Archery Championships 2011 in Torino (ITA). Reo WILDE (USA) – Compound World Record holder

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Posted in Archery Stories, Archery Video, Recurve Archery, World Championships on June 28th, 2011 | No Comments »

Uncut Match from the Stage 2 of the 2011 Archery World Cup in Antalya (TUR)
Women Team Recurve Bronze Match – INDIA vs UKRAINE

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Posted in Archery Stories on May 23rd, 2011 | No Comments »

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