Review: AAE WAV Vanes

Earlier in the year (I believe it coincided with the AAE Arizona Cup) Arizona Archery Enterprises introduced a new plastic vane specifically designed for recurve shooters, the WAV vane. It also happened to coincide with when I was switching arrow spines so I decided to give them a try (limit variables? hogwash haha).

So before we get into the nitty gritty lets do some background. For the most part the gold standard for recurve fletching is the range-o-matic spin wing. There are other great vanes like the Eli, Kurly, and Gas Pro that have, in recent years, made huge gains against the spin wing but for the sake of illustration, the spin wing usually comes out on top. The primary disadvantage to the spin wing is durability. Most archers, particularly of the compound persuasion are used to just gluing a plastic vane to the back of their arrow and forgetting about it until it falls off, potentially, years later (for compound, unless it gets destroyed I re-fletch once every six months). Spin wings on the other hand are mylar vanes that are not glued on but rather taped on. If you are a top level competitor who is very nice to your arrows then the spin wing is perfect, but if you are like me and a lot of other shooters out there then: A) your arrows get smacked together a lot during practice and B) you don't want to be carting your arrow set around like they're nuclear launch codes. Which leads to a constant need for re-fletching. The purpose of the WAV vane is to bridge this gap in durability and provide a system that is equally accurate but can stand up to the run of the mill mistreatment that comes with not having a national title to your name.

Starting first with the good news, the WAV vane does seem to deliever on AAE's promises of accuracy and minimal weight but with durability (but with a caveat... put a pin in it we'll come back to that part). It is a great little vane that groups well when oriented properly and is as simple to install as a basic Bohning Blazer vane. I had absolutely no problems with accuracy and other archers conducting their own comparison tests (mostly more rigorous than mine, such as John Magera's head to head comparison of WAV's, Eli's and Gas Pros) came to the same conclusion: that under optimum conditions WAV vanes will perform as well as or better than mylar type vanes.

But unfortunately that is not the end of the story. After only a few days/weeks the collective archery community began to circulate the tongue in cheek joke that the WAV vane got its name due to their propensity to turn "wavy". Most likely due to their extremely light weight and thin profile the WAV vane will indeed begin to wrinkle under normal shooting conditions (normal being the bumps and bangs from shooting groups etc). And as you would expect the inconsistent variable of a wrinkle or wave will affect accuracy at longer ranges. It is however, MOSTLY, imperceptible indoors when shooting at an intermediate level.

So granted AAE did maintain their promise of durability, a spin wing would have done more than wrinkle in most of these cases, but I'm not sure that's what the archery world had intended.

Ultimately, I do like these vanes under perfect, fresh out of the box, conditions; but the wrinkling does bother me a bit. Not enough that I've ripped them off my arrows but it does have me questioning if I'll continue to use them. (In fairness, there are some archers who have had good luck reversing the wrinkle with heat). Unfortunately, it's time for me to place another fletching order so I'll have to decide pretty quickly if I'll be continuing to ride the WAV or try something new... again...

Out of Ammo (addendum)

On an only slightly related note and while we're discussing arrows. I've also made the decision that if I return to compound for the indoor season (unlikely) I will not be using fat shafts. The large diameter shaft was created with reasonable logic; a larger projectile will have a greater chance of cutting a line and picking up the critical extra points, but fails to account for arrow spine. Yes, yes, I know all the top pros shoot large diameter shafts... but they're not normal mortals like you and me.

A large diameter shaft is spined ridiculously stiff. I was shooting Gold Tip Triple Xs and those spine out to 0.150 for instance. Now, if a shot is executed perfect and at short distance you will never have a problem with a stiff spine out of a compound bow. However, a stiff spine out of a compound bow is incredibly sensitive to minor errors in form or execution. Think of it like walking on grass versus concrete. Yes you can effectively walk across either surface, the solid surface of concrete in fact being slightly easier even due to it's firmness; but if you trip on something, a fall on to a concrete surface is far more catastrophic.

In contrast, a standard diameter shaft of appropriate spine will prove to be much more forgiving. Obviously it won't protect you from all errors and you do give up a lot of the line cutting advantages of a large diameter shaft but a bad shot won't (typically) ruin your 300, just your X count. My recent experimentation with arrow spine and a recurve have thoroughly proven this. Finger release is notoriously sensitive yet even with a bad release, I was able to maintain gold (9 or 10 ring) at 20 yards using a properly spined arrow.  

Training Notes: Out of Ammo

As it stands, with my recent change in arrow spine, I have a grand total of three arrows plus two bare shafts. I think it's time to place another order for more arrows.

Now I normally wouldn't bother to tell the world that I'm ordering more arrows but it got me thinking about some larger picture issues that I think are worth the discussion. Whenever the time to order new consumables (arrows, nocks, strings, etc.) rolls around, I believe we all pause and consider switching to new gear. It's awfully easy to justify it with the words "...well I need it them anyway". So for me in this case I had to consider if I was going to make a switch from aluminum to carbon (or carbon/aluminum) shafts.

Easton Platinum Plus xx75

To this point I've been shooting the venerable Easton Platinum Plus xx75 aluminum shaft (1813s and then 1816s... and for those of you keeping score at home that's not a spine designation; it's an industry designation for shaft dimensions... their spine ratings are 0.874 and 0.756 resp
ectively). I chose this shaft because it's/I'm cheap and I've been moving around the board in terms of draw weight so there was no sense in forking over X10 level money (X10s run as much as my bow costs). However, now that I am at a weight I have no intention of changing weight for the next six months to a year I could theoretically entertain the idea of more expensive carbon fiber shafts. Not X10s but a nice set of Carbon Express Medallion XRs wouldn't be out of the ball park.

There are certainly merits to switching but ultimately I've decided to stick with the aluminum shafts. Carbon fiber can do great things. At almost half the weight of an aluminum shaft, an archer using a bow with a lower draw weight can more effectively shoot at distance due to increased speed. Having a lower profile, the arrow will experience reduced wind drift. And being constructed of a non-malleable material the arrow will (almost) never take a "set bend".

I don't even need hunting arrows and this makes me want to try them.

However, as alluring as all these things are; we can never forget that skilled archers were (and continue to) shoot competitive scores with out carbon fiber. Unfortunately, we as human beings often forget or get lost in the marketing jungle and assume that we just cannot live with out the latest and greatest whiz-bag and giggle-pop. As good as modern technology may be, never forget we were killing deer long before we broke the 300fps barrier; we were shooting perfect 300/60x scores before carbon fiber, and the laws of physics have not changed so we will continue to be able to do these things long into the future.
 

New FITA record, more hope for the future

A couple of days have passed so I'm clearly running a little behind on archery news as usual but we have a new world record for the Women's compound standard FITA round (four sets of 36 arrows shot at 70m, 60m, 50m, and 30m. Using the multicolor target face for a total possible score of 1440.) German archer, Kristina Berger (like the button), shot the record breaking 1418/1440 this past weekend at a FITA/WA sanctioned tournament in Ebersberg, Germany.

We could discuss her recent bronze medal finish at the World Cup in Antalya or her European Championship title but what I find to be most captivating about this young archer is she only began her archery career two years ago. Yes, you read that correctly, Berger had not taken up a bow prior to 2009. Of course prior to that she held multiple titles in pistol shooting (minor detail), so clearly some skills cross between sports but still - two years. Never say never.

So, a big congratulations to a phenomenal archer and to my fine readers, get out there and set some records of your own. It's never too early.
 

Company Profile: Precision Balance (by Doinker)

Creating alternate brand identities so as to service different price points in the market seems to be the standard industry practice in archery these days. Win&Win has Sebastian Flute, Cartel Doosung has Infitec and Cartel Midas, Easton has Beman, Fivics has Soma and now Doinker has Precision Balance. Having been in the works for several years, Doinker announced at the beginning of 2013 the introduction of a new brand and product line to be introduced during the spring/summer of the same year. I am happy to announce that Precision Balance products are now available for purchase.

Now, to back up a bit and give some history. The stabilizer manufacturer we now know as Doinker actually started back in 1992 under the name Precision Balance with the introduction of the industry's first production carbon fiber stabilizer. Since then and since the introduction of their vibration dampening device Doinker is mostly known for it's pursuit of vibration elimination.

I will say on an editorial note, Doinker produces a top notch product. I own a 4th generation stabilizer set (28inch front bar and 8 inch v-bar) and their quality and effectiveness is hard to beat. However, given that modern compounds don't kick like a mule any more and a well tuned recurve actually produces a rather pleasant "hum" I find it difficult to justify the need for vibration dampening. Take that out of the equation and a stabilizer simply serves as a stick with a weight and in which case I am equally happy with my Sebastian Flute Axiom+ gear which is available at nearly 1/4 the price.

Precision Balance (the new one), continues this legacy; introducing a vibration suppression technology that functions in a completely different manner than the Doinker products and is available at a much lower price point. From what I understand, the Precision Balance products eliminate vibration through the use of free floating weights that shift slightly during the shot and there by suppresses or eliminates vibration.

At the current time Precision Balance products are only available directly from the factory. For more information or to place an order check out their website here

Just as with Infitec/Cartel, I wish the fine people at Doinker/Precision Balance the best of luck!

Training Notes: Show me you have a spine

It is well known that in archery, like any other projectile sport, your projectile is just as important as the flingy device. It's not just as simple as picking up the nearest vaguely straight object throwing a couple vanes/feathers on it and launching it down range. Factors such as weight, length, diameter, consistency and in my opinion most importantly, spine; all must be carefully accounted for.

Spine is a term referring to or the measurement of the flexibility of a given arrow shaft. There is a standard industry test (a 28 inch or 26 inch span, depending on the rating system used is deflected using a specialized device and the resulting deflection measured in fractions of an inch) that results in a spine designation (usually a three or four digit number). For instance a "400 spine" arrow has been shown to deflect 0.400 inches. Or a "1500 spine" arrow has been shown to deflect 1.500 inches. This becomes critical as the flight of an arrow is not necessarily straight but rather the arrow bends and flexes in flight. Too much or too little flexibility will result in poor or inconsistent grouping characteristics.

I however did not realize how important this was until tonight. In the compound world you can easily get away with an inappropriate arrow spine because presumably the arrow leaves the bow in a mostly straight line (this is a slight over simplification but for the sake of illustration it will suffice). This is why, for indoor archery for instance, you can get away with shooting a "fat shaft" that has a spine of 200 or 150 and see no appreciable difference. In the recurve world, however; the arrow can be most accurately described as bending around the riser to leave the bow and the flexing characteristics of a given arrow can wreak havoc on a shot.

For the past several weeks I had the growing suspicion that I was using an inappropriately spined arrow. My groups would swing from tight to loose, rather substantially and not in proportion to my own form. After a brief chat with Tom Dorigatti and a 15 minute re-tune with stiffer arrows (a change in spine from 0.874 to 0.756)
I was stacking not only fletched arrows in the 10 ring but bare shafts (arrows with out feathers or vanes) as well. It was a night and day difference.  

In Your Back Yard

Once again my time spent at my home range never ceases to disappoint or surprise. While chatting with a fellow league shooter yesterday I came to find out that he, Mike Flier, was in fact Mike Flier - five time National Outdoor Champion (1970-1974)!

Archery is an incredibly diverse sport with participants from all walks of life and occupations. And because most archers, even a fair number of nationally and internationally ranked competitors hold day jobs; we tend to scatter across the country/world. So, I guess my ultimate point is; get to know the people you shoot with, they probably have a good story to tell.

And I thought it was a stick and a string...

While wandering the vast corridors of the internet I stumbled upon this video from 2010. It is a computer model of an Olympic recurve that has been animated to demonstrate how the various parts of the bow work. So for those of you who don't know what I do with archery, or think I'm just playing with a stick and string, take a gander at this clip. Incidentally, I currently shoot a Hoyt AeroTec (the riser used for the video) so I'm naturally a fan. Also of note, later in the video the animators demonstrate the flexing of an arrow when shot. Very informative and proof as to why a properly spined arrow is so critical.

Huge props to the animators:
Evan Atherton
Daniel Pfaff
Sargam Tyagi

Speed Freak

It is a point of perpetual amusement when I encounter archers who seem to be chasing more and more speed/power. Granted I do on some level understand the obsession. When talking 3D a faster bow with a flatter trajectory will be more forgiving to errors in range estimation and when talking hunting a bow with more kinetic energy potential can compensate for poorly placed shots but on the whole this obsessive quest is completely unnecessary. When it comes to target archery, compound or recurve, a bow with a lighter draw weight that is appropriate to the archer will far and above out perform a bow with draw weight and speed specs out the roof. This is of course because a bow of appropriate weight can be more effectively controlled by the archer; maintaining proper form and preventing injury.

Denise Parker, 1988 Summer Olympic Games

My case in point is Olympian Denise Parker. At the age of 14 Parker competed in the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games with a recurve bow that drew a whopping 28 pounds and returned with a team bronze medal. The 1988 Summer games used the double FITA round format and required shots from 70m, 60m, 50m and 30m. Now, conventional wisdom of the present day, informed by clever marketing, would dictate that she wouldn't stand a chance to reach the target, let alone medal; but medal she did.

Or consider the 11 yr-old  JOAD student (under the tutelage of Olympian John Magera) in Texas who recently earned her JOAD achievement pins for 40m and 50m using a bow that drew 16 pounds.

At the comparatively ripe old age of 26 and currently drawing 30 pounds at 27.5 inches I have to admit I was having some doubts about moving to outdoors this summer; to the point where I was considering shooting compound for the rest of the summer, but no more.

Let's go have some fun.
   

Training Notes: The Freeze

It is well trod ground to say that archery is both a mental and physical game; with the mental often superseding the physical in importance. In fact, looking at many internationally ranked archers; it becomes obvious that peak physical fitness was neither their intent nor the final outcome. (And as a tangent, there is the consistent, somewhat tongue in cheek argument that "heavy" archers actually have an advantage due to their lower center of gravity and resistance to wind. Though the basic physics would be reasonable I suppose... but I digress).

One of the greatest mental enemies an archer has is target panic (a psychological condition characterized by shot execution difficulties). It can come out of no where and can be absolutely devastating. Most archers experience it as a premature, often violent, release of the arrow but can also refer to a delayed release.

I've experienced my fair share of target panic; I refer you to my experience with my Hoyt Carbon Matrix that clicked mid draw, my Scott Black Hole release that clicked and my clicker that... well... clicked. Can you tell I have problems with things that click? Most relevant is my clicker since long ago I got rid of my other clicking gear. It took a while to confirm it but over the past two practice sessions I was able to confirm that my difficulties with delayed release was actually target panic. I can't get rid of my clicker, it is a fact of life in Olympic recurve, so finding myself in a corner I actually have to cure my target panic this time rather than run from it.

Once again thanks to Tom Dorigatti, I now am armed with an exercise to cure myself of this affliction. Initially I thought I could overcome the problem with ridiculous amounts of blank bale shooting but this is not enough. I was partially correct though, Tom suggested I shoot blank bale and a target face side by side. So here's how it works. Three shots are taken at full distance on a blank bale, where this is no target panic. Then immediate shoot a target face, looking for the same execution and form experience with the blank bale shots. If this is achieved shoot a second arrow into the target face, if not pull your arrows and restart from the blank bale. The basic premise is you are training the brain to regard the target face the same way it perceives the blank bale (where we typically experience the strongest form).

Using no scientific basis whatsoever, I think it's working. Previous symptoms were delays in release (up to 8 seconds of expansion), progressively tighter first finger pressure, early onset of fatigue and a sense of being at full expansion despite being far from the clicker's edge. After two and a half hours of this exercise these symptoms were almost completely gone. A few shots experienced a slight delay but nothing like before.     

By no means do I think I'm completely cured, so I'll be continuing with this exercise for a while but it is encouraging to see quick results. 

Hope For the Future

After briefly mentioning internationally ranked, World Champion Dietmar Trillus in a previous post I decided to do a little more research on him. I figured I should know a little more about him other than he uses a wrist strap release; and what I found out about him is truly inspiring and gives me personal hope for my own shooting career.

If I could, I would shoot in a viking hat too.

When discussing top ranked shooters, we as the general public immediately want to feel like we can relate to them and moreover, have a chance to be them. So the most immediate question asked in any interview is either "how long have you been shooting," or "when did you start shooting?" (Same question, different wording). Unfortunately for the inner ego of shooters like me who did not start shooting seriously until adulthood, most top shooters started during childhood. Such as the case with dominant competitors like Erika Jones (Anschutz) and Reo Wilde, who practically exited the womb with a bow in hand.

However, Dietmar Trillus has the distinction of not having found archery until his early 40's. Originally intending to simply hunt and having little to no interest in competitive target shooting, Trillus initially, actually had to be strong armed into competing in various local and regional shoots around Ontario and in the United States.When he eventually qualified for the Canadian national team for the 2007 World Championships (at which he took home an individual gold medal) he, in fact was not even a sponsored staff shooter.

So ultimately, I offer this up to you as an example of what can be done with hard work, dedication and a love for the sport. No doubt, to succeed in archery you have to pay your dues and spend the time but never forget, no one said all this time and effort had to be space out over decades starting from birth.

Now go out and shoot. There is much fun to be had.

Specialty Archery has a great interview (here) with him explaining his beginnings in archery.
 

Preview: Bowtech Knight

I guess today will be a video heavy day...

Bowtech released a teaser trailer for their new bow coming out in a few weeks. I'm not really a big Bowtech fan, (owned one, sold it in less than two months... we didn't get along), but I respect their product having known a decent number of shooters who absolutely thrive with one in their hand and more to the point I give their marketing department huge props.

The teaser told me ABSOLUTELY nothing, yet I want to know more. It's worse than those cliffhanger endings during a TV series season finale.

World Archery Cup: Stage 2 Videos

AcheryTV has begun to post video's from last week's World Cup Stage 2 in Antalya, Turkey.

On an editorial note, check out the anchor and overall shooting style of Colombian archer Maia Marcen. Definitely unorthodox but who's to argue with the results. I don't think I've seen a wrist strap release used at this level of competition since Dietmar Trillus and the Canadian Men's team shot against The United States in 2009 (though I by no means have seen every single video haha). Although, one could argue that it is actually an adaptation of the chin anchor found in the Olympic Recurve discipline, and in all fairness a wrist strap can just as effectively be shot with back tension as any other release.

Product Recall: Easton Axis Arrow Shafts

This may or may not be breaking news, the recall notice on the Easton website didn't have a release date; but in the off chance that you were not aware, Easton is currently recalling Axis arrows sold between February 21st and May 10th, 2013. The recall is due to a minor blemish that, at least according to them, has the potential to affect the structural integrity of the arrow.

Affected batch numbers are as follows:

• 300 spine - 13169686
• 340 spine - 13170143
• 400 spine - 13170142
• 500 spine - 13169487

If you have arrows from any of these batches, obviously stop using them (shouldn't be a problem, no wild game is in season); and trundle on over to the Easton website for instructions. On the bright side you get brand new replacements, with out the Achilles heal.  

Sorry, Occupado

As a non-hunter (not for any "moral" reasons) I'm not overly familiar with tree stands... but I'm assuming this doesn't happen every day.

For the curious, this took place in Alberta, Canada.



Thanks to the guys at AAE for posting this.

Training Notes: crawling the string

One of the things I most appreciate about being able to practice in a group setting with some of the State's strongest archers is I never know when I'll be surprised and learn something completely new. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to learn string walking from Tom Dorigatti (Author of Proactive Archery and avid archer with over 50 years of shooting experience, but more on him later).

string walking. 2nd end

As a brief explanation, string walking is a barebow technique which uses the tip of the arrow as a forward aiming reference and varies the draw point (down from the nocking point) to adjust for elevation. I didn't have someone take a picture so this slightly confusing sentence will have to suffice.

Whatever shooting technique you use, it is important to remember that at its very core, archery is archery. A good solid set of fundamentals will see you through any transition. String walking made this very clear. The anchor may have been different but skeletal alignment, draw length, release, etc are all the same and for all intents and purposes, always will be the same. Case in point observe my group during my second end ever of string walking. The group is offset from the center but reasonably well grouped and I was only able to make this transition so quickly because I've so emphasized alignment and expansion in my compound and olympic recurve practice.

Ultimately, lesson of the day: go out and try something new. Yes, you. If you're a compound guy/gal; get your hands on a long bow or trade your release in for a finger tab for a day (FS limited setup). If you shoot a sight, pull it off for a few ends and try out some instinctive shooting. You get the picture.

Training Notes: Pride Cometh Before a Fall

Well I was admittedly riding high after my 275/300, shot on Saturday and after productive blank bale shooting on Sunday I was ready to attack this week's round of practices. I was fully expecting to edge up into the high 280's/low 290's but as you can see from my shot data I took a tumble into the 250's.

I only had time for one round so it is by no means a thorough representation, but it does bring my average score down.

Chief lessons of the day:

1.  Never get complacent. Past performance is no indication of future success.
2. A drifting anchor means drifting shots. (My bow shoulder was scrunching, thus shortening my draw length and slowing my clicker... so my anchor started to drift to the right and to the rear to compensate but it only exacerbated the problem as the rearward anchor prevented proper expansion)

World Archery Cup: Stage 2 Results

It's Monday morning and the second stage of the Archery World Cup has come to a close. A huge congratulations goes out to all of the participants and medal winners.

Stage one in Shanghai ended with several surprises, pointing to the monumental shifts taking place in world archery such as the rise of the Korean women's compound team with their win against the United States (231-216). Stage two in Antalya has continued this trend, having treated us to another share of excitement and surprises.


A few finishes of note:

The Columbian Women's compound team won a historic first gold medal against the US with a score of 228-226. An interesting development as the World Cup moves on to their home turf of Medellin, Columbia for stage 3 in July.

On the recurve men's side of the competition, both Jake Kaminski and Brady Ellison fell earlier than expected with Kaminski losing his 1/16 match against Khairul Anuar Mohamad (Malaysia) with a score of 4-6; and Ellison losing his quarter final match to Italian, Mauro Nespoli with a score of 5-6.

Chinese newcomer Cui Yuanyuan defeated well decorated champion Yun Ok Hee (Korea) for the Women's recurve individual gold with a commanding score of 7-1.

For a complete list of results, and writings by better journalists than myself go to the World Archery website

Stay tuned for more excitement in Medellin coming in July!

Local Leagues: Presleys Summer 3D

Looking for a place to brush up on your 3D/range estimation skills but don't want to be chasing arrows into the brush? Presleys Outdoors will be running an indoor 3D league from July 10th - August 14th. You still might lose arrows but they'll be stuck in the wall.

So what's the skinny, you ask?

It will be a six week league, with only your five highest weekly scores counting. The league can be shot on Wednesday (12-8pm), Thursday (8am-8pm) or Friday (8am-8pm) and will consist of 30 Rhinehart targets (using the 10-8-5 scoring rubric).

Now for my freestyle division brethren, here's an important detail. There are equipment regulations this time. No scopes or magnification and stabilizer length is capped at 12 inches (this is measured from the riser... not the measurement listed on the box). And as with most 3D shoots, no rangefinders.

The league will be run with individual scores but I do recommend grabbing a pal and shooting it as a team. First, it's more fun that way. Second, it's nice to have someone to help verify your estimations. Thirdly, you can't keep your own score in the interest of fairness.


Finally, the un-fun part. The league will cost $10 per week. 

Company Profile: The Plucky Newcomer - Infitec

Strictly speaking Infitec is not a brand new, hot off the presses, archery company; but I'm running a little behind on my archery news so you'll have to forgive me. Launched in 2012 and releasing a full line of products in 2013, Infitec is actually a subsidiary or sub-brand identity of Cartel Doosung.

For years Cartel has cultivated a somewhat dubious reputation in the archery world as the cheap and only sometimes cheerful alternative; but more on that later. It appears that the creation of Infitec is an attempt to move beyond their current identity as "entry level" and begin to cultivate the intermediate and advanced level market. Their products are still competitively priced compared to their alternatives but, at least from what I can see in their catalog, they appear to be considerably better designed and built.

I am particularly curious to try out their Challenger V-bar block. Entering the market at the same price point as fixed blocks from AAE, Fivics, and Win&Win/SF but engineered as an adjustable block like the offerings from Specialty or Doinker, there is definitely a considerable amount of built in savings. Though they do urinate in an opposing direction to the bulk movement of terrestrial gasses by offering a competing product to their established Cartel Midas CR-303 block.

The company/subsidiary, also offers a full line of accessories and even a recurve set up that is on par with the well established SF Axiom package. This is no doubt their answer to the two other new entrants to the riser market, the Core Archery Spark and the Raven Prestige FX. Both of which are machined aluminum risers for under $200.

Ultimately, I really do want this new brand identity to succeed. There is a certain sentimentality I have for Cartel given their products played such a large part in my entry to archery, and the market could definitely use some more reasonably priced gear (accessory prices are a tad ridiculous now...but this is also a discussion for later); but I unfortunately am skeptical.

So best of luck to you fine people at Infitec/Cartel.

More information on Infitec can be found at their website.

Happy Father's Day

I'd like to take a moment, like many blogs are this weekend to recognize and thank dads around the world. While I personally was not taught to shoot by my Dad, I recognize the fact that archery relies on dads (and moms, mentors and father/mother-like figures, but it's not called parental archetype day so lets not steal their thunder) to help bring archery to the next generation. Maybe it is its primal roots as a tool of food production that was passed through hereditary blood lines or maybe it's some other cultural cornerstone but the sport of archery seems to thrive on fathers teaching their children. So thank you for all that you do as fathers on a day to day basis and thank you for helping ensure the future of our sport.

Training notes: Release Aid Appreciation Week

Having now jumped ship to Olympic recurve and having not used a compound or release aid for several weeks I will say that I have a growing appreciation for the modern release aid. For those of us who didn't grow up before the age of release aids and compounds (interesting tangent the release aid actually pre-dates the compound), we often take this little piece of equipment for granted.

Artemis Data 6/15/13

I definitely did, but as I've been learning; finger pressure is a tough horse to train. So I'm retroactively declaring this past week, Release Aid Appreciation Week...

So why is finger pressure consistency so important you ask? Well, variances in finger placement and pressure; even subtle ones, can drastically effect the point of impact of an arrow down range at any distance. Specifically, I've been trying to eliminate excessive first finger pressure; which sends my shot 12 o'clock high to the 7 ring at 18m/20yd. I believe I've made great progress to eliminating the issue as you can see from my score data, with only 4/30 shots in the 12 o'clock high position and in this case only out to the 8 ring.

Also obvious in the shot data are some other finger pressure issues (and probably some subtle anchor drift) that are swinging my shots laterally.

Lateral Swing

Now to wrap up on a good note. Today was the first session I've kept score with my  current Olympic recurve setup. I wasn't exactly sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised. I ended the day with a 275/300

Review: Artemis Lite First Look

Not to be confused with the marketing software, Artemis Lite is an archery data tracker created by Marcel van Apeldoorn. I've had it installed on my phone since February and quite honestly forgot about it until Jake Kaminski's APPtitune hit the market. So being that the Android version of APPtitune will probably be a ways off, and really while the goals of these two pieces of software are similar we are actually talking about two very different tools; I decided to put Artemis Lite through it's paces in the interim. 

Now lets run down the particulars of Artemis. It is a free app that runs on the Android OS and is billed as a "a personal Archery Coach for your Android phone or tablet. The only Coach you wear in your pocket!" . Which really when you boil it all down is a less complicated way of saying it's an Archery database that tracks both equipment set up and scores with integrated analytic tools. 

In full disclosure, I played around with it (entering random information) when I installed it back in February and only seriously set it up today so I have yet to fully explore all of the tools the software offers but we'll run through what I know so far. 

My ultimate verdict: great piece of software a definite buy.

Let's get the bad news out of the way first. My only issues with the software so far have been technical; finding no faults in the actual substance of the software. The early version I originally downloaded was cripplingly buggy and would crash constantly. Several updates appear to have MOSTLY resolved this issue, though it did crash twice during my practice session today. Fortunately when it crashes there is no catastrophic loss of data and I was able to restart with no problems. It is also not a particularly intuitive piece of software. If you are looking for apple-like simplicity then you will be sorely disappointed, but anyone with an intermediate understanding of technology will be able to adapt just fine. Finally, it does not yet support scoring for the NFAA indoor target face. Completely understandable given that the developer is Dutch and this target face is primarily used in the US.  

Arrow data

On the bright side, the equipment tracking tools are comprehensive and the match data tools are probably the best I've ever tried. You are able to enter data for multiple bow setups, both multiple versions of the same bow (for example an indoor and outdoor version), or completely different bows. There is also the ability to track arrows and sights. Now, when I say "ability", it's important to point out that it's actually more of a requirement. The software uses this information when analyzing the match data, so you need to enter accurate information. 



The match/score data function is, in a word, beautiful. I've tried other apps that are specifically built just to track scores and they have all been fiddly, buggy or just completely unhelpful; but Artemis Lite has it polished to perfection. You create individual matches, with the flexibility to adjust for target face (mainly FITA and IFAA faces), distance, ends and shots per end. For today's practice i was shooting 18m, 300 rounds and was able to set up a match in about 30 seconds. Actually entering the information once shot is where most of the other apps failed (though a couple did lose me at the set up phase), but I was able to enter the information quickly and in not much longer of a time frame than had I been using a pen and paper. 

Group Analysis

Match data entry

Of course the cherry on top is the software actively analyzes your groups and arrows. I was able to see my average group area and adjust my sight (this was done by my own volition, the software didn't make sight suggestions, though it will according to the website) and it pointed out an inconsistent arrow. 

Over the next few weeks, once my score database is a little more thorough (three, 300 rounds is not really a sufficient data set by any standard) I'll start playing wit the analytical tools and report back. But for the time being this program gets my full support.

As a side note, I should point out that this software does not do anything that most serious shooters should be doing now, and have been doing for decades. The equipment database is essentially a flashy version of equipment notes we already keep on paper and the score database is a graphic version of a score log. Simply, Artemis Lite makes the tracking and recall of this information easier and makes use of technology we are already hooked to. 

For more information visit the Artemis Lite website 

Presleys Archery Spring Openhouse

So you saw Hunger Games and you want to be Katniss... Or maybe you curse your genes because you feel you should have been born an elven warrior... Well I'm sad to say I can't change your genes or legally change your name to Katniss Everdeen but as a consolation here's your chance to give archery a try at no cost and at no risk.

On Saturday, June 22nd from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Presleys Outdoors will be hosting an archery range open house in partnership with Extreme Archery/CenterShotRob. In addition to getting to meet all the fine people who keep the range running I've been told by fellow league shooter and nationally certified coach, Robbie Stouffer (CenterShotRob), that there will be opportunities to get your feet wet with kinetic targets, sporting clays and other festivities.

All ages are welcome so bring out the family, brush up on your British accent (you know the one you tried at that party in college that you were told never to use again... ever) and call your self Robin Hood.

Robin Hood costume not required, nor recommended

Preview: APPtitune

One of my favorite recurve archers, Jake Kaminski (working in collaboration with compound shooter Jesse Broadwater) has just released a mobile tuning guide app. Unfortunately I don't have an iphone so I'll have to wait for the android release, but I can't wait to get my hands on it. More information

The app promises to:

"Learn the ins and outs of your equipment. In-depth coverage of many aspects of setup including; Limb alignment, Cam Alignment, Stabilizer setup, Group tuning, Torque Tuning, Broadhead setup, Vane Selection, Broadhead alignment and tuning, Hunting arrows, Bareshaft tuning, Walkback tuning, Paper tuning, Yoke tuning, Creep tuning, Third axis leveling and Arrow setup.

Learn from the best of the best featuring Pro tips that reveal the preferred tune and secrets each Pro has discovered in their combined 53 years experience."

If any shooters out there have an iphone and care to try it out, let me know what you think and I'll publish your review.

Field Archery: IAA Outdoor Target Championship

On June 29th and 30th the Pekin Archery Club will be hosting the IAA Outdoor Target Championship. The competition format will be a 900 round; which is three sets of 30 arrows shot at 40, 50 and 60 yards; and divided into 5, six-arrow ends per distance. It is shot using the 122cm, multi-color face with a maximum scoring zone of 10pts.

122cm target face

Early registration (before June 27th) is $30 for adults, $20 for cubs or youth. (more information can be found at the Illinois Archery Association website)

Can you guess where I'll be on the 29th? Come and check it out!

Oh for you shooters out there, the IAA runs divisions for: Freestyle, Freestyle Limited, Barebow, Bowhunter, Bowhunter freestyle limited, Freestyle limited Recurve/longbow, Traditional, and longbow. So pretty much everyone can come and play. (Sorry crossbow guys)

World Archery Cup Stage 2

In international archery news the second leg of the World Archery Cup began this week in Antalya, Turkey and will continue through the weekend.




Some quick video clips of Stage 2 and several Stage 1 (Shanghai, China) full matches are available on the ArcheryTv youtube channel

Live scoring for the event can be found on the World Archery (formerly FITA) page

To Ponder Freestyle Limited

When discussing archery competitions there are a vast array of divisions in which to compete. I've spent the past year and a half in Adult Male Freestyle; in other words, you get to shoot whatever equipment strikes your fancy (edit: anything within reason that is.. lasers and holographic sights are less than accepted). This is the division that produces perfect scores and is the home of magnifying lenses and precision release aids.

With my re-entry into the Olympic Recurve division, which is stringently regulated (a recurve bow with no magnification, no peep/rear sight, and no release aid), I've begun to consider equipment that exists as a happy medium between the sensual (as in, pleasing to the senses) joy of shooting a recurve and the near ridiculous accuracy of compound freestyle. In my mind at least that compromise is Freestyle Limited. This may be an over simplification, but in order to avoid a lengthy discussions and quoting ad infinitum organizational literature, Freestyle Limited is essentially a division for finger shooters (no release aid). Typically, a compound bow is used but a recurve would not be against regulations.

Now to clarify, I thoroughly enjoy Olympic Recurve and fully intend to continue in this discipline but for the pure enjoyment of the sport in casual competition and shooting it would sometimes be nice to break the "rules". So I think in the next few days I'll be adding bits and pieces (primarily a peep sight) to my back up rig and test the waters.

Brace yourselves for pictures and more information to come.

Simple Genius, the pitch counter

Pitch counters are a fairly common sight on the shooting line. Usually attached to the archer's quiver, they're typically used to keep track of the number of shots during a given practice session. I even used one for several months, that is, until it broke from use haha.

However, during the Pekin Archery Club's Spring Opener I stumbled across an alternate use that was so simple and so genius I had a brief mind blown moment. Fellow shooter Steve uses it to avoid having to do the messy math to tabulate scores post round. Simply, for each point dropped (shots sent anywhere but the max scoring circle) a point(s) is added to the counter. At the end of the round that total is simply deducted from the known max number of point.

And I thought I had it figured out with my +/- system.

Field Archery: 2013 Pekin Archer's Club Spring Opener

Well this post is definitely way after the fact since the event in question was hosted on May 19th. It was before I had conceived of this blog and even though almost a month has gone by the Spring Opener was such a fun and informative event I think it bears mentioning.

So for those of you who don't know, a field round is an outdoor competition composed of 28 targets at various marked distances from 30 feet to 80 yards and set at various angles of inclination/declination. It is shot using the black and white field face with scoring zones starting at 5pts and involves ends of 4 arrows per shooter. What truly makes this format compelling is the physical challenge and the sense of community with fellow shooters. If you've done the math you'll realize a field round consists of 112 shots, plus the hike from target to target. It's definitely an endurance test, especially for shooters with an indoor background (typical indoor rounds are 30 or 60 arrows and no hiking ha). So really at the end of the day, if you're still standing then you've done well.

Fortunately you don't have to go it alone. Typically archers are sent around the course in groups of four. So it becomes a nice day of hiking in the woods with new or old friends while you joke around and send pointed objects off into the blue.

At the end of the day I finished the round with a score of 503/560, which given that it was my first ever field round and in terms of training rhythm I had peaked about two days earlier; I'm not too disappointed. I will say it could have been far better though. There were definitely some embarrassing moments on the last target of the day, when I let the wind push me off the target at 80yards and then shot the ground at 60 yards... two big fat zeros.

I also have to say thank you to all the fine folks out at Pekin Archery Club for hosting the event and making me feel at home; and a specific thanks goes out to Steve for both being my guide and for pressuring me to actually shoot the event.

I didn't have the foresight to actually take any pictures of the event... a practice picture will have to suffice.

Chief lessons for the day:

• Don't be afraid to let down if the wind kicks up. 
• If you let down, keep your thumb off the trigger/don't get your release aids mixed up. 
• A proper grip on your release aid will help alleviate crippling finger stiffness that sets in around target #15
• The "Bunny" target is a cruel mistress (the "bunny" is a small target face shot at distances measured in feet rather than yards. Very difficult due to parallax phenomenon... that's another topic for another day)
• Sit whenever you can, there are no awards for standing all day.

Mid Day Inspiration

Review: Toxonics Double Lock

Ok, so this isn't exactly a review of a single product, it's more like an object lesson in financial responsibility.

Thanks to clever marketing and human nature it's very easy to get sucked into the trap of "increased accuracy through aggressive spending". I've been there trust me, I used to own 8 different bows. And really, having a ton of equipment isn't necessarily a bad thing but you don't have to have every new gadget and gimmick that rolls off the assembly line.

This will be a recurring theme when I talk about equipment, and I'll attack it from several different angles, but tonight I'll be discussing used equipment...

First, as a matter of full disclosure, I do own a nice sure-loc sight that is less than 5 years old and I have bought sights new from the factory.

Exhibit A: My trusty Toxonics Double lock (I think) Sight

I bought this sight off of ebay back when I first started shooting seriously and it hails from an age before Spongebob Squarepants (early to mid 1990's). It's not exactly pretty but it's built like a tank and has been on about six different bows that I've owned. I paid $30 plus shipping which is a huge amount of savings over buying new. 

In fact, most of my equipment is used. For those on a budget, you can often get intermediate or advanced level equipment for the price of basic if you're willing to forgo the shiny factory packaging. 

...Just don't buy used kisser buttons... that's just gross

Home On the Range

One of the turning points in my early shooting career was joining an archery range. Whether you are experienced or a beginner it is perhaps one of the best, non-equipment investments you can make (a distant second to hiring an actual coach). Not only does it provide you with a location to shoot at, but more importantly it (as a broad abstract entity) can function much like a coach.  Shooting in public with other archers opens your own abilities up to scrutiny and it is this scrutiny by shooters more experienced than you that become teachable moments.

Now, when choosing where to put down your archery roots it is important to note that not all ranges are created equal. If you are so lucky as to have several options in your area, don't be afraid to shop around and carefully consider the following variables... undoubtedly I've forgotten some but off the top of my head...

1. Safety - No doubt you have, or should have, heard this a million times. Bows are weapons and broad head or not, they can kill. So safety should be a top priority.
   
   While I fortunately have not see it, I've heard of ranges staggering the shooting line rather than the target bales to establish different distances. Of course this means that you have one archer in front of the other in the line of fire. I don't care how far apart the two are, accidents happen. Look for a range that maintains a single shooting line.
   
   Also, make note of both the condition of the bales and their stands. A full sized (48x48in) bale is HEAVY and I personally would not want to have one fall on me. 
2. Indoor/Outdoor - Some ranges are both indoor and outdoor; some are only one or the other. It is up to your own preferences and goals to decided which is for you. Personally my two cents is, if you can't have both indoor and outdoor, go with indoor as you will be able to shoot year round (this is assuming you experience winter). 
3. Community - Generally speaking archers are friendly people, but like all humans; not always. Pay attention to the atmosphere. Are people talking and socializing? If not then, well, good luck getting advice or making friends.
4. Community pt2 - This may not matter too terribly much but it does factor into the equation. If, for example, a range fosters a community primarily around bow hunting and 3d, but you are shooting FITA recurve; then well you will be a bit of an oddity (not exactly a bad thing) and may not be able to get an abundance of advice or other resources. Probably make some fun friends though.

 And now if I may make an only thinly veiled promotional statement... For those of you in the Peoria area looking for a range to call home I would highly recommend Presleys Outdoors. It's been my archery home for the past year and I couldn't be more pleased. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable, great community of target shooters and hunters, and they run regular leagues (both 3d and paper). Oh and they're a Hoyt authorized dealer.

Presleys Outdoors

Prologue

So before we jump in to the good stuff lets have a quick recap to summarize where I've been and where I'm going. That way my training notes and other content will make sense.


While I had shot before on a very very very informal and recreational level, my archery career really began about two years ago (2011) when I made the personal commitment to train seriously and begin competing. I began with a compound in one hand and a FITA/Olympic recurve in the other (figuratively speaking) but quickly learned that I had to narrow my focus. So I chose compound and trained for a year and a half in that discipline.

My first target compound bow

Then, during the Spring of 2013; despite my very solid score record, I inexplicably decided to jump disciplines and return to FITA/Olympic recurve. As ridiculous as it sounds to change disciplines so abruptly (especially right at the beginning of Field/Outdoor season), I have found cross training to be a huge benefit.

2012 Presley's Midwest Open

Now looking forward to the future I am perfecting my FITA/Olympic recurve technique for the 2013 indoor season and working on my wind management skills for (outdoor) Field rounds.