Archery clubs around the world have seen a sudden surge in club membership, with children and teenagers spiking up club registration numbers. This avalanche of prospective archers is due to the recent success of the movie and young adult novel Hunger Games, with the lead role played by a teenage girl who expertly wields her bow and arrows to fight for survival and justice.
Unfortunately, archery is not a sport that you can pick up in just three sessions but you need months and months of hard practice in order to be able to consecutively shoot arrows in the bull’s eye. This little known truth is quick to put off beginners who don’t have the patience, discipline and motivation to give archery at least three months of training before deciding if this sport is really for them.
We’ve seen this climb in interest before, when between 2001 and 2003, right after the release of the movies based on The Lord of the Ring trilogy, every kid on the block wanted to shoot an elfish bow. The same kind of interest in archery increased soon after the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where archery was given great media coverage. But few who tried it out are still shooting today!
If you decide to give archery a try or you’re already holding a beginner’s bow in your hand, here are three major benefits of archery that you might want to consider before you decide archery is not a sport you want to pursue further:
1) Archery keeps you physically fit, especially your upper-body muscles, such as back, shoulders and triceps.
2) Archery increases your self-confidence. Just think about it, how many people your age can send an arrow in a circle of 2 cm in diameter from as far as 18 meters?
3) Archery creates a good self-image. Well, yes, we all think Legolas rocks in The Lord of the Ring, Katniss Everdeen looks great in Hunger Games, and Brady Ellsion, the world’s #1 archer, rules on the shooting line. How about you?
With the 2012 London Olympic Games just around the corner, plus the recent archery publicity thanks to Hollywood productions, the sport of archery will remain in the public’s focus for some time to come. Consider trying it out. The rewards will be commensurate with the time, effort and dedication you’ll put into it.
Initially published on MySportsRock.com.
