Archery Information Resources

This web site has been designed to answer, as far as possible, the information needs of archers using the Internet. I used a questionnaire to establish those information needs and I hope that this site will satisfy the people who took the time to respond to my questionnaire. If you would like to suggest any other information resources to which I should provide access, then please contact me, Sarah Ellis and I will do my best. I look forward to hearing from you.

It would seem that archers, as a rule, enjoy sharing their experience and ideas about the sport. There are a number of ways this can be done, including word of mouth, coaching, local clubs and stores and with the "information superhighway" new doors of communication are open such as the two newsgroups alt:archery and rec.sports.archery.
If you would like to check out the kind of subjects that interest these newsgroups then take a look at this selection of Usenet threads.
It would also be worth taking a look at the FAQ's, you might find that your question has already been answered.
There is a blackboard provided by the Sagittarius Twente University Archery Club where you can leave messages and read the responses. Their web site is so inventive that I am convinced they can't have much time left for their shooting!

Associations

As yet our redoubdatable leaders have not generally latched onto electronic communication and those that have do not appear to have realised the full potential of this resource. If you can read Italian then the FITARCO site is well worth a look. I hope more associations will follow the Italian lead. The NAA are developing their site, it has a lot of potential and I look forward to there being less pages "under construction". Their magazine Nock-Nock is now on view.
Angus Duggan has set up an unofficial site for the Scottish Archery Association which includes details of clubs, suppliers and tournaments.
The Australian site is provided by the Australian Sports Commission and is still very much under construction.
If you are interested in Scandanavian archery (and you speak the languages) have a look at the Finnish and Swedish sites. They both provide details of staff, clubs, rankings, tournaments and results.
The German speakers amongst you may care for a look at the Deutschen Schuetzenbund site.
Bownet provide a list of major national and international events which includes the addresses or telephone numbers of a number of national associations.
Terry Trier maintains the Archery FAQ's which include an extensive list of association addresses, it includes the email addresses of those who supplied the details.
If you are interested in the history of the sport then it is worth finding out more about The Society of Archer-Antiquaries. They have published a number of articles and a detailed bibliography of books and articles.
The Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) homepage provides details of period equipment suppliers, competitions and articles about the history of archery, or about the role of archers in history (?)

Technique

A Guide to Shooting will take a while to upload, but if you have no other archery coaching books available, it is worth a look. It is aimed at target archery beginners and you should find brief answers to queries about the basics of archery; everything from eye dominance, to brace-height, to stance. If you prefer to read tips and pointers from experienced archers then there is no better starting place than the FAQ's, they are, after all, designed to answer novice's questions about the sport. Sagittarius Twente provide 10 Basic Steps in Archery which is a sequence of diagrams and advice taking you from Stance to Follow Through. Although all of the above sites are useful resources they do not replace a coach and the best source of advice for beginners should be their club or local archery dealer.
Wales Archery provide a concise guide to bow-tuning. For more detailed information about walk-back or paper tuning, including a large number of ASCII diagrams, check the FAQ's.
I have found the following books particularly useful when working on my technique: On Target for Understanding Winning Archery by Al Henderson edited by Glenn Helgeland, published by Target Communications Corporation in Wisconsin in 1983 (this is a very easy read) and Archery Anatomy: An Introduction to Techniques for Improved Performance by Ray Axford published by Souvenir Press Ltd in London in 1995 (this looks at the physical mechanics of the bow and at skeletal and muscular operation. The aim is for the optimal coupling of body, mind and weapon. It might be useful to have a medical dictionary beside you when first reading this book). Quicks have published a number of book reviews and there is an extensive book list available amongst the FAQ's usually including full publication details which make it a lot easier to find the books.
A member of the SCA has written an article devoted to bow maintenance (recurve and longbows only) which is worth reading, as are the FAQ's on Servings and Repairs and on String Making.
If you have developed sporting injuries take the time to complete the FITA survey. I assume that they are using this survey to advise on injury prevention. (my personal solution is swimming and massage, but I don't think I work hard enough at archery to end up injured, the social side is more dangerous for me!)

Technical Information

We all want to know about the latest developments, after all, if they really do improve shooting then we want to know how and why. Manufacturers and retailers are making full use of the advertising potential of the Internet. A couple of manufacturers worth checking are Hoyt and Martin; these sites include (favourable) bow reviews. The fullest list of commercial sites is kept by Kjetil Kilhavn and is available at two sites, 1 and 2.
Use the newsgroups to find out more about new developments in our sport or to post your query about ACEs, limbs, that new riser from Hoyt, etc.
I can particularly recommend the Quicks site, which has not yet to added an online catalogue, although there are details of second-hand bows.
If you are planning to buy new arrows then you may well find the Easton Shaft Charts useful. If you are contemplating acquiring a new bow (if you are new to the sport, it is not necessary,or advisable, to buy your own bow, your local archery club should have equipment for beginners) then take a look at Buying Bows for advise on the issues you may need to consider.
I could only find a list of British suppliers and shops (courtesy of Bownet); I suppose no-one wishes to advertise their competitors. If you are looking for suppliers in your area, check the phone book and look at advertisements in archery magazines (especially useful for mail order suppliers). If you trust the electronic media with your credit card details then you could always use the on-line suppliers.

Tournaments

When you consider how easy it is to publish information on the Internet, look at how quickly the Olympic results appeared, it is incredible that it seems to take months for tournament dates and results to be published electronically. I can understand this for local competitions, but what about national and international tournaments? It is bad enough trawling through the national press to try to find anything about the World Championships but I had hoped it would be easier to find tournament details on the Internet. There are certainly plenty of sites providing details of the Olympics (Atlanta in 1996 and Sydney in 2000!!). The Internet, like all other media, has limited information about the paralympics. Other international tournaments are even less well served. The best source for details of coming tournaments is still the printed magazines, (such as The Glade and The US Archer) and communication with the host clubs. As for results: if you are in the top three at most tournaments you can be fairly certain that your name will appear in print somewhere. But full results sheets still seem to be only available from the host club. I suppose there just isn't the print space.
These are the best calendars of tournaments that I could find: Check the association and organisation sites for any other information about tournaments in your area.

Rules and Regulations

These obviously vary depending upon the bow you shoot, the country you are in and the discipline you are in. The national associations are not yet publishing rules and regulations on the Internet so you would have to contact them for detailed information.
The basic rules of Popinjay, Clout, Archery Darts, and Archery Golf are available. Contact your national association for more details.
If you are interested in British rounds then these sites provide tables of the number of arrows to be shot at each distance, both indoor and outdoor. You can also see if your latest score will change your classification.
If "re-creational" archery interests you then take a look at the Society for Creative Anachronism rules and information page.

Psychology

I have not yet worked out which is the most important aspect of this sport; the physical or the mental. With the new Olympic round I suppose the mental side is becoming more and more important. Quicks have published the first four chapters of The Mental Game which is worth reading. I have found the following books particularly interesting:
I hope you have found this site useful. If you would like to suggest any improvements, alterations or additions then please contact me
Last modified by Simon Oosthoek on 16 Februari 1997. Sarah Ellis was not reachable anymore and I thought this resource was too valuable to waste. Please direct comments to me at simon@NOSPAMmargo.student.utwente.nl. (Sarah, if you read this, please contact me!)