Like most archery fans I'm keeping tabs on the USA olympic trials and all the athletes competing. One female recurve archer from my own club placed 9th at the Arizona cup. The final scores were very close which shows how much talent is on the field. Best of luck to my fellow recurve gal and friend Darcy in the next tournament!
Despite tons of rain, switching jobs and parenting and deciding to go back to school, I have not forgotten my own archery dreams. Most of my training right now is visual. I'm watching videos like crazy of the best to learn technique and reading resources through kisikleeinternationalacademy.com to learn more technical aspects of each shot. For example, "transferring and holding" was very vague to me. But once a friend pointed out how my shoulders should move and I practiced with my bow trainer, it became more clear and I practiced the motion to obtain that familiar feeling in my back muscles over and over. I could finally see the results of mimicking the motion after shooting my bow this past week. I could set up with correct shoulder position and load, transfer and hold much better. There are other technical feats to chase now, like my release, which although a lot smoother, is still really sloppy.
I can only get to the range once a week now so most nights after my kids are in bed, I plug in my earbuds with my favorite music and pull out my finger tab and bow trainer. Although slightly different, I try to stay as close to the form I use on the field and after a few pulls of the third band on the bow trainer, I feel much looser and my back starts responding as it should. For me right now it's about quality over quantity, resistance training, visualizing the shot process and also trusting the process. I am so impatient but I've been told 'time is your friend'. I won't be moving higher in weight until I master 30#s. It may happen by the end of the summer or in December. Whenever it happens, I will gladly make the jump into 32# or 34# winex limbs. I can't WAIT to feel that smoothness from the carbon foam again. Light as a feather yet strong and quick.
I've noticed that most risers jump out of the archer's hand and into the finger sling after each shot. Right now mine doesn't. I would put weights on the end of the stabs except my riser doesn't want to seem to move at all after the shot and I am not gripping it tight at all. I'm curious to see after this season of outdoor shooting if that will change especially if I can get higher limbs by the end of the year.
So here's to another week of waiting, learning, bow training, technical reading on the shot sequence, new job training and general life all around. I can see it will all come together eventually. Can't wait to get back to the range!
