1 step forward and 2 backwards

Everything has come together for my first ILF rig. Today was the first day I shot it completely together (with all my own parts.) My arrows will come back to me with veins and knocks and pins and points in a couple days, hopefully.

I have noticed major progress:

Stabilizers make my shots much smoother. It's like the difference between shooting a handgun and a rifle. They do make the bow heavier but you can rest it on the long stabilizer before each shot which helps. If I move correctly and release the shot well it's as if I am shooting of a ledge and the arrow flies in a beautiful arc through the air. There is nothing more rewarding than seeing that followed by the thunk of the arrow in the target face. Only thing that could make it better would be hitting an X!

My new sight is a DREAM. It's built like a tank and doesn't move unless I crank the dials to turn it. Then it moves in tiny increments so it can adjust to the smallest change. Well worth the money and I can use it for 20 years.

My whole release has greatly improved. I still have to remind myself to use my shoulder but when I do, everything flows better. Hold straight, engage shoulder, pull to anchor point. My coach is helping me develop a checklist for each shot. It's a lot to remember!

Slippery new things to learn:

Since I shoot southpaw style I need to bring the string to my nose at the same time my anchor reaches my chin. Then I need to keep the blur of the string in my peripheral on the right side of my riser handle. And the aperture on the far right. So it goes riser+blurry string+sight aperture on my target=baddabaddabing a nicer shot. It's a lot harder than it sounds because I am trying to manage the limb weight and line everything up. By the time I get everything on line I'm already shaking. This is where slowing down and thinking through each shot before I shoot is really helpful.

Keep my elbow down, stay up right. And I'm sure there will be another slew of things to remember once I start using my clicker. I'm hoping to have my arrows back within a couple days. Then everything will change again. I've been warned not to fight the clicker. If we measured the draw length correctly and if I move correctly, then hopefully that won't happen.

Workouts are going well. I just need to keep doing them and follow up with eating right. I can already tell I'm stronger than 2 weeks ago when I started intense workouts. I was sorta letting my cardio go because I was focusing so much on my arms and core. But really I need to do that too, not only for keeping in shape and getting stronger, leaner legs, but also for the mental discipline. Lordy oh lordy...am I going to need it.

I had to stop shooting today, due to fatigue, much sooner than I wanted to stop. But I was only training bad habits and shooting very shaky shots, so there was no point in continuing. It's so hard to stop when I look forward to it each day of the week. But now since I have my own equipment I can shoot every week on my own. It's good to receive instruction but it's also good to shoot on your own with a quiet mind and without interference.

Maybe if I can get in enough practice, I can compete in the club tournament at the end of the season.

My first ILF rig

Well, I've been shooting with a borrowed ILF rig from a friend/coach for a couple months now. The first time I shot with it, I knew I wanted to head into olympic recurve style for sure. It was always my main goal and I was happy to confirm it.

Wading through the best traditional recurve bows seemed tough, but this is a whole new world!

Do I stick with ILF or try out Formula limbs? Do I go all out on a sight or save money on a cheaper one? Which riser geometry do I like better? Compound that with the fact that it's very hard to try left handed equipment before you buy it, meaning the riser and the sight, and I felt completely overwhelmed!

But then I took a step back and more experienced archers encouraged me to start cheap which determined an ILF rig. Then it was a matter of SF forged plus riser or something else available sooner. Luck would have it, there was an Infinitec riser for sale on eBay and it was LH! Said friend said it would last me 1 or 2 years and since the price was right plus I bargained, I took the plunge and bought it. My very own lovely, erm, mustard yellow lefty riser.

Next, I had to answer the limb question; do I keep borrowing or buy my own? I really want to go shoot every week, not every 2 weeks so I bit the bullet and decided to buy my own limbs. The same friend came through again and found a pair of used limbs comparable in performance and cheaper than the ones I was looking at brand new. It's such a significant price reduction that I'll buy them on Sunday. This same friend also got lucky in his own major haul from Rod White and has a intermediate clicker and plunger to lend me. Did I mention that he's also making me a string? This is guy is a archer girl on a beer budget's true pal.

I also need to shout out to the person who lent me his riser and limbs for so long. Without you I would have progressed at a snail's pace and had a much longer and harder road to plough. You've put me leap years ahead of that and I am truly grateful. I'm looking forward to many more club days of shooting with you.

Now-arrows! Since I want to eventually be shooting a very thin spine for optimal flight and apparently, the arrow's spine size will change according to the poundage, it was best to start cheap yet again. (I know, I know-I'm still researching all this scattered information that seems passed down from teacher to student rather than in a good ol' book. Thank goodness for the www!) Friend making the bow string recommended two types to choose from: carbon express medallion xrs or easton apollos. Xrs are over $8 an arrow while apollos are under $6 an arrow, so I picked the latter. The next step is truly, accurately measuring my draw length, which I will do, again, this Sunday at the archery club. Then I can type in a number, press ship-and I will have new arrows and corresponding points (the arrow tip), nocks and pins. Again...I will be lent blue fletchings. But whether they are still passable after I'm ready to move on to a different spine, I don't know.

That being said, a new sight will be under way too, the shibuya ultima, so it's one I'll never have to replace. And while I'm at it-why not buy a new case to haul all this stuff around? I'm looking at the Easton Club XT Recurve Pack in blue. It's cheaper than Hoyt and will do the job well. I guess I'll have to get over the fact that it looks like it has a diagram of CNS on the outside. Sorry Easton, design team, I guess you thought it looked like a dynamic arrow?

The riser and limbs will eventually be replaced. So will the clicker and plunger. I have others that are pricier on my wish list, but they can wait.

Wait-there's more!

On the workout front-I really have to get stronger. Shooting itself is a good workout but I'm rounding it out with core and ab workouts 3 additional times a week. I also plan on leg workouts with cardio and the occasional SUP on a lake nearby. I am consciously reaching for protein, veggies, healthy fats and whole grains over sweets and empty calories in chips and I can really tell the difference already. I increased my free weights mostly from 5lbs in each hand to 10 lbs in each hand. I am going to price out gyms in my area so I can get access to weight machines that will strengthen my back. This is all for improving my shooting and maintaining a healthy weight and lifestyle. (I do have the occasional treat-I'm human ;)

So, it's been a long time researching and weighing and finally I can make some purchases. I can't imagine not shooting right now-I'm simply not very happy when I can't shoot my bow frequently. Along with my kids and the support of my family, archery is really a lifeline for me and giving me a much needed direction for my life.

I will post pics as soon as I can upload them!

Equipment Decisions

Part of the fun of archery is picking out equipment!

I have so many questions....what's the difference between Hoyt grand prix gpx risers and gmx risers? Are they ILF or formula? Often the answer I get is personal preference. But I don't have a preference until I can try it out. Too bad I don't live in Lancaster PA-or taking a trip there soon-hah!

So until then, I am scouring the internet for sales, information and insight. A riser that will click with me when I pick it up and try it out-and won't break the bank.

I know it is well worth it, because it's one of the few things that make me happy these days. Nothing better than kicking my personal life and legal world to the curb right now and shooting in a sunny field with the blue sky and soft clouds above me. I can't wait for the day when I can merely pick up my equipment and go to the range.

Workouts keep happening. I keep working on my core and arms and shoulders. I consciously have to remind myself how to move my shoulder for the correct release. One day it will come, the muscle memory will kick in. Until then I'm a newbie working to get better every day.

Back to the drawing board...

Later

strand count? string length? strand number in my string? What's the difference between 1/4# and 1/8#? what do I need?