Loughborough Students' Archery Club

Below is various important and useful information for club members:

Safety Matters
Club Constitution and Code of Practice
Coach's Tutorials
Archer's Reference Guide (Balbardie Archers)
How to Shoot in Competitions

Safety Matters

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Archery is a dangerous sport (ask any Frenchman who was at Agincourt!!). However there's no-one in the club who can remember when an accident last happened, and if everyone follows a few basic rules we can keep it that way.

Firstly, NEVER, EVER draw an arrow back if it's pointed anywhere near a person, your fingers might just slip, no matter how firmly you're holding the string. Don't even joke about it.
Only put an arrow in a bow when you're standing on the shooting line and aiming at the targets.
Only do this if the session supervisor has told you it's safe to do so. This INCLUDES ALL committee members.
If you hear anyone shout 'Fast!' (the international safety word; it means 'hold fast') then whatever you do don't shoot. If you were at full draw, come down (this means smoothly let the bow come back to its un drawn position); if you were about to nock an arrow, don't.
Similarly, if you see some kamikaze athletes running down the side of the range or see a member of SDC staff about to unlock the target end door , then don't hesitate to shout 'Fast!' yourself. Annoying as they can be, it wouldn't be a wise move to actually shoot them.
Don't draw and then release a bow without an arrow in it ('dry fire'). They have a tendency to explode rather messily, as the energy which should have been transferred to the arrow tries to find somewhere else to go.
Be aware of other people on the shooting line. Try not to hit them with your bow, particularly when you're nocking an arrow (sounds silly until someone does it to you: learn to keep the bow upright) or because you've turned to talk to someone. We don't mind you talking on the line (we're not that serious!) but please keep facing the targets.
And, of course, follow all instructions given to you by a session supervisor (unless it's along the lines of 'take a long walk off a short pier,' or 'take up golf,' in which case you can probably use your discretion).

Members of LSAC are covered by the Loughborough Students' Union AU and GNAS insurance policies.

Club Constitution and Code of Practice

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The Club's Constitution and Code of Practice contain all the important admin about the running and existance of the Club, and any important AU rulings or codes that should be followed.

View Club Constitution (PDF file)
View Code of Practice (PDF file)

LSAC Coach's Tutorials

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Alan, our club coach, has kindly prepared a number of tutorials to aid the archer in various ways, such as advice on shooting stance and how to relax before shooting. All nine sets of notes can be downloaded from the link below as one zipped file.

Download Coach's Notes (zipped Word files)

Archer's Reference Guide (Balbardie Archers)

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Archery is a science, and an art. Much has been written about archery down the years and there are many schools of thought regarding the 'right' technique, but there is no right technique. There are hints and tips which many thousands of archers have used successfully over the years to help them find a way of repeating the same thing time, and time, and time, and time.... again! The purpose of this document is to demystify the art, explain the science and hopefully provide some of those useful hints and tips.

View Archer's Reference Guide (PDF file)

How to Shoot in Competitions

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A brief document summarising how to shoot and score in competitions and general etiquette followed at competitions, along with frequently asked questions and tips and tricks.

View Competition Guide (PDF file)