Robin Hood's

Got nothing on me.

I never got around to mentioning this last term, but five weeks before Easter holiday we started learning archery. I absolutely love it! We have it every Monday from either 18.30 to 20.00 or 20.00 to 21.30. We’re divided in two groups and swap every week who is late and who is early.

The pity is that we are only to have archery for 10 weeks, so three more weeks now and I have to say good bye to the bow and arrow. 

Now, for a few basics. Before we started shooting we had to find out which of our eyes was the dominant one. Do you want to find out if you’re left or right eye dominant? I’ll tell you how. 

1. Find a target. It can be anything. A spot on the wall, a picture frame, whatever. Found a clear target? Good.  

2. Now lift your hands up in front of you, keeping your arms straight. Use index finger and thumb of both hands to create a square – just like a camera. Focus your “camera” on your target and look at the target through the square with both eyes. 

3. Focus on your target with both eyes. 

4. Now, as you continued looking at your target with both eyes, start moving your hands toward your face. Make sure your target stays in the middle of your square. 

5. Don’t stop until your hands are basically touching your face. 

Have you read all these steps? Good. Now do them, one after the other. Don’t read on before you have. 

Have you completed the 5 steps? Fantastic. Now let me ask you, which eye is your square now centred around? Are you looking through your camera with your left or your right eye? Well, this eye is your dominant one. If you’re right eye dominant – such as me – then you will hold the bow with your left hand and the arrow with your right. If you’re left eye dominant, then do it the other way around. 

                How to shoot: 

Grab your bow and an arrow. Stand with your side toward the target, so your shoulder and the side of your hip are pointing toward the target. Now look at your arrow. All arrows have one tail feather of a different colour to the other two. This is the index feather, and should be turned toward you when you nock the arrow. Lift your bow and pull the arrow back to your chin. Fire. If your arrows continuously hit low on the target, try moving the hand holding the arrow down a bit, and if your arrows keep hitting quite high, try moving your hand up. 

But before you let yourself loose completely, here’s the number one rule in the archery society:

If someone yells “fast!” stop shooting and put down your bow immediately. This is the ultimate code word for danger. It could be anything, someone injured, that there is someone behind the targets, anything dangerous. 

The reason why it’s not “danger” or “careful” or any other word one might think more fitting, is because “fast” is a short word that is quick and easy to say and hear. It is a universal word used throughout the world. 

Be safe. 

(to nock an arrow = the action of putting it on the bow string, preparing to shoot it).