Q: I have poor eyesight, can I still do archery?
A: A common misconception of archery is that good eyesight is required. In fact, it is often argued that poorer eyesight will improve your shooting as the archer will focus less on the aiming and more on his technique (the more important part of archery). The previous world champion and Olympic gold medalist Im Dong-Hyun has a 20/200 eyesight, technically blind, and he refused to have corrective eye surgery.
Q: I have skinny arms, can I do archery?
A: Of course you can! Mordern bows are designed to delivery more energy to the arrow so that they are less physical demanding to the archers. We also teach archery with very low poundage bows. Rememebr: archery is not a strength-based sport, it's all about your technique and mental abilities.
Q: What kind of distances do you guys shoot?
A: From March to October, we shoot outdoors rounds, an typical FITA round involves shooting a total 144 arrows at four distances: 90m, 70m, 50m and 30m. During the indoor seasons, we normally shoot 18m and 25m, with much smaller target faces.
Q: Where/when do you normally practice?
A: Beginners courses will be held in ULU upperhall every Sunday from 10am to 1pm. Experienced archers can practice in UCL dungeon range 2-3 times a week, depending on availablity. Outdoor range belongs to London Archers, who has kindly agreed to let us us it. It will be open from March to October, and it's located in Hyde park. We are currently negotiating a new archery range in Maida Vale, so above details are subject to change.
Q: Do I have to have my own bow and arrows?
A: The club currently has 10 beginners bows, and we are looking to purchase more in the near future. For the beginners course, everything will be provided so you won't need to bring anything. However, after the course, we would prefer if you purchase your own equipments as we will soon be holding new courses for the new beginners. In fact, if you do enjoy archery and would like to continue and to compete, you should seriously consider buying your kit, the club kits won't get you very far as they aren't very accurate.
Q: I want to buy my own kit, how much does it cost and where to buy?
A; A new kit including everything you need to shoot will cost around £250 to £400, this is a one-time investment. After the beginners course we will take you to local archery shops where you can try out different bows. We will also measure you up so you won't end up buying the wrong ones.
Q: What kind of bows do you shoot?
A: The club is predominantly recurve-based, there are some compound archers, and some longbow archers and barebow archers. We do not allow crossbow due to the heavy poundage and safety concerns.
Q: Can you hunt with a bow?
A: No, bow hunting is illegal in the UK. Attaching broadhead to the arrow is also not allowed.