Progress Through County Coaching

26 archers took advantage of the BAA Winter/ Spring Open coaching sessions. Many thanks to Dan from South Bucks Archers for the following report-

I started archery a little over three years ago, attending South Bucks Archers once a week. I enjoy it thoroughly. The people are great, and archery is one of those few sports in which the competition is largely with yourself rather than with others. The feeling that each of us walking up to the shooting line is on a personal journey is hypnotising.

I can't help but score whenever possible, and have become mildly obsessed with cracking 500 on the Portsmouth round. In the 2023/24 indoor season, I managed to score 499. Twice. The second time was devastating.

Over the 2024/25 winter season, I've struggled with my form. My numbers have suffered, and I had slipped into some bad habits, most notably releasing way before my aim was ready.

Earlier in the year, our club secretary shared an email about some upcoming county coaching sessions, and I quickly signed up.

On the morning of Saturday 8 March, I packed up my archery kit and headed to Princes Risborough for three hours of coaching.

There were around eight coaches and perhaps 15 students, and the coaching was made up of three distinct parts.

First we learnt about warmup techniques- something I'd not factored in previously. Next, we were divided into two groups to teach us about the importance of posture. And finally, we were asked to shoot.

In that final session- by far the longest- we were not assigned instructors. Instead, we simply shot, and the coaches each wandered up and down the line watching our technique.

As I stepped back from the shooting line, one of the coaches might come up to me to talk about a specific aspect of my shooting. Next time, someone else might. Largely the advice was consistent, and I took notes on how to improve my form. Lots of notes.

There are lots of things to remember, and arguably too many things to change in one go. But I've taken to heart three or four significant changes that I need to make to my shooting following the advice from the coaches.

As expected, shooting with the changed approach was uncomfortable, and my first return to my club yielded a hugely disappointing 397. But despite the lower score, I felt more in control of my destiny. The shooting felt 'right' in my head. So I persevered.

When I shot the following week, I clocked a 486, my best for the season by some 36 points, and I had an air of confidence that I've lacked previously.

I'm hugely grateful to the county coaches for their advice. I was very much in a lull, in both my scores and my mindset. I'm certain that the experts have helped direct me, and I can feel the lull behind me in the rearview mirror. I'm confident that higher scores are within my grasp, and will look back on these times fondly.

Picture above from last week dedicated to those coaches.

Dan Harrison