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April/May 2021

Casey Kaufhold & Mackenzie Brown: Aiming at the Top

Youth Bow Setup Consistent Bow Hands Online Coaching Bearʼs Recurve Side Product Showcase Reports

Apr-May21AW001.indd 1 4/6/21 1:15 PM USA is proud to present a new educational video series: TUNE WITH THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO THETHETHE PROSPROSPROS RECURVE AND COMPOUND BOW TUNING

Step into our pro shop with iconic archery legends as they take you through every single step of their processes to set up a bow, brand new out of the box, to tuning for tens on the tournament trail.

WITH JESSE BROADWATER WATCH THE TRAILER AND

2 Archery World - February/March 2021 - Subscribe free at ArcheryWorldMagazine.com LEARN MORE AT USARCHERY.ORG

Apr-May21AW002-005.indd 2 4/8/21 11:24 AM USA Archery is proud to present a new educational video series: TUNE WITH THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO THETHETHE PROSPROSPROS RECURVE AND COMPOUND BOW TUNING

Step into our pro shop with iconic archery legends as they take you through every single step of their processes to set up a bow, brand new out of the box, to tuning for tens on the tournament trail.

WITH JESSE BROADWATER WATCH THE TRAILER AND BRADY ELLISON

LEARN MORE AT USARCHERY.ORG 3

Apr-May21AW002-005.indd 3 4/8/21 11:25 AM IN THIS ISSUE 26 TOM CLUM ON ONLINE COACHING The restrictions surrounding the pandemic have led to more archers seek- ing online coaching. Level IV Coach Tom Clum o ers advice on how to nd a dis- tance-learning coach and a program that makes sense for you. The image at right is from the Coach’s 6 Eye app that he uses CASEY KAUFHOLD, MACKENZIE BROWN with students that SHINE AS OLYMPIC HOPEFULS cannot meet with him in one of his popular archery Twenty-six-year-old Mackenzie Brown and her clinics or at his Denver-area pro shop, Rocky Mountain teenage friend and rival, Casey Kaufhold, share what Specialty Gear. it’s like to train and compete with some of the world’s best recurve archers. That’s Brown, above, shooting in 31 the 2020 Olympic Trials. By Rachel Givens. ACHIEVING REPEATABILITY WITHOUT CONTROL WITH OUR HANDS Until it becomes second nature with carefully guided practice, holding a bow and launching an with consistency and accuracy goes against the way we use our hands the rest of the time we are awake. Level IV Coach Larry Wise can help you learn to coop- erate with, rather than fruitlessly seek to control, your archery equipment.

18 BEAR ARCHERY’S RECURVE HERITAGE Operations Manager Neil Byce (above) and Product Manager Chris Parrish were our guides to the “softer side” of Bear Archery. There are plenty of CNC machines and skilled technicians cranking out Bear’s wide line of compounds at the Gainesville, Florida manufacturing plant. However, there are also craftsmen skilled in work- ing wood and berglass into the company’s highly- regarded traditional bows. 4 Archery World - April/May 2021 - Subscribe free at ArcheryWorldMagazine.com

Apr-May21AW002-005.indd 4 4/9/21 6:25 PM 40 ARCHERY ACTION Edited and written by Rachel Givens, our archeryworldmag.com summary of tourna- archeryworldmagazine.com ment and association news includes Holly Publisher Helton’s promotion Anne Dehn to S3DA Executive Director. Helton has Editor had an extensive edu- Rachel Givens cation in business and accounting that will Coaching and Tuning help her lead the youth Larry Wise, Tom Clum archery association. Equipment Testing Anthony Barnum

Editorial Advisor 56 Tim Dehn BOW TESTS ------The V3 31 at right is a new hunting Send Advertising Inquires, Editorial Submissions, model from Mathews Comments & Questions to: with an extremely Publisher Anne Dehn long and stable riser [email protected] for its overall length. Phone (320) 515-0387 Anthony Barnum tests ------this model and Elite’s new 34-inch Remedy Subscribe On Our Website or Email: hunting bow for this [email protected] with your name, issue of Archery World. email address, state/province and country. ------62 PRODUCT Subscription Information SHOWCASE Subscriptions are available free of charge to Archery World’s Six pages of accu- online edition. Archery World is published six times a year racy-enhancing prod- (February/March, April/May, June/July, August/September, ucts for the archer October/November and December/January) by Archery or bowhunter. World Publishing LLC. ------68 OUTFITTING A © Copyright 2021 All rights reserved. We encourage links to YOUTH BOW this publication and individual features, but apart from that, Setting up a youth reproduction in any part and by any means without written bow with accessories and can easily cost more permission of the publisher is prohibited. Neither the publi- than the bow itself. Our feature written by Rachel cation nor the publisher assumes responsibility for unsolic- Givens will help you match the quality of the bow and ited material sent to or returned by Archery World. Archery accessories to help get the best performance for the World Magazine is a trademark of Archery World Publishing money spent. LLC, 508 4th Street SW, Rochester, MN 55006. 5

Apr-May21AW002-005.indd 5 4/8/21 11:26 AM By Rachel Givens Kaufhold, Brown Shine as Female Olympic Hopefuls The Olympic Games are seen as the pinnacle of lives of these two Olympic hopefuls, we sat down with sporting events; to compete in those Games means both Kaufhold and Brown to talk about the games, the you have truly achieved success within your sport. In regimen required for preparation and their lives outside the world of archery, you may have heard the name of of the quest for gold. Olympian Mackenzie Brown, who has advanced swiftly Kaufhold was born on March 6, 2004; the 2017 at a comparatively young age. Even younger up-and- World Archery Youth Championships were her break- comer Casey Kaufhold is now trying for a spot on the out tournament, followed by the 2019 World Archery 2021 team. Brown and Kaufhold are well-acquainted Championships in the Netherlands and the 2019 Pan through the competition circuit and are renowned as American Games in Lima, Peru. At Peru, she shot the two of the most accomplished archers for their age and women’s individual recurve event, which is where her gender demographic. To give you a glimpse into the specialty lies, and earned bronze. She then went on to

Kaufhold is all smiles at the 2019 World Archery Championships U.S. Team Trials. 6 Archery World - April/May 2021 - Subscribe free at ArcheryWorldMagazine.com

Apr-May21AW006-017.indd 6 4/8/21 11:31 AM the 2019 World Archery Championships in ‘s-Hertogen- 2019 Stage 1 in Medellin, she took bosch, Netherlands, where she and Team USA nished silver for mixed-team shooting. Kaufhold also holds the 17th in the women’s team recurve event. Later, at the junior world record for the 72-arrow, 70-meter ranking round: 675 out of 720. Brown is currently aged 26, having competed for a spot on the U.S. Olympic Archery Team when she was 16. She currently holds two medals from the Pan American Championships and has experience with the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) as well as USA Archery’s Junior Olympic Archery Development (JOAD) Program. Kaufhold rst began shooting traditional archery recreationally at age 3. She was 8 when she rst began shooting competitively. Archery was strong in her family; her grandfather was an avid bowhunter. Kaufhold’s father Rob took up the sport and became so passionate about it that he grew an entire business around Brown representing Team USA at WAC 2017. archery: what we know as Lancaster Archery, the distributor and retailer

Brown warming up at the 2020 SoCal Showdown. 7

Apr-May21AW006-017.indd 7 4/8/21 11:32 AM based in Pennsylvania. This is one reason Casey Kaufhold it, but she was involved with Lancaster’s JOAD program and her brother began shooting at such a young age. since age 8. Brown began shooting when she was 10 years old, Brown also moved into JOAD, shortly after NASP. having become involved with NASP through a fth- Scoring high at a state tournament and JOAD’s involve- grade P.E. class. She was the rst person in her family to ment in educating the teachers at her school for the shoot competitively; some of her cousins bowhunted NASP program contributed to this change. but not regularly. When Brown was introduced to Both Brown and Kaufhold have chosen recurve archery at school, she was on the swim team, hop- over compound because of their Olympic dreams; the ing for Olympic honors in that sport. Finding out that Olympics are recurve-only unless you are in the para archery was also an Olympic sport, and one that was a division. Brown, however, does dabble in compound much better t for her, she switched disciplines. shooting every now and again, having gone bowhunt- As for Kaufhold’s other extracurriculars, she partici- ing for the rst time this past season and found it enjoy- pated in competitive gymnastics for seven years. After able. She stated that she “could potentially have some an accident resulted in a broken kneecap, Kaufhold had compound success in the future.” to put gymnastics on hold. During her recovery time, Kaufhold also bowhunts with a compound and is she devoted more of her energy to archery, eventu- used to the discipline from 3D shooting when she was ally transitioning to the competition circuit. Soon her younger. archery prowess became greater than her gymnastics Brown’s success was facilitated by the coaches she skills and she devoted herself to the sport. She was worked with since the beginning of her archery career. never involved in NASP, since her school did not o er Her P.E. coach put her in contact with a JOAD coach,

Kaufhold and Brown celebrate gold and silver at the 2018 USA Archery Indoor Nationals Final. 8 Archery World - April/May 2021 - Subscribe free at ArcheryWorldMagazine.com

Apr-May21AW006-017.indd 8 4/8/21 11:35 AM who gave her the basics of how to shoot and what the mental aspect of archery. archery entailed. Around two years after she began USA Archery o ered many stepping stones that to shoot a bow, Brown took on a personal coach to allowed both Brown and Kaufhold to advance. Brown advance mentally. She stated that learning the physical cited Explore Archery and JOAD as two of the many aspect of archery is always the rst priority for a begin- helpful programs that USA Archery provides for young ner, but later in life, the archer must learn a lot of mental archers. From there, she recommended building up strategy in order to keep up the con dence to per- experience at tournaments. She also acknowledged form competitively. Brown emphasized that leaning on the Regional Elite Development (RED) Team program, another’s experience makes the sport a lot easier, but whose camps provide coaching and camaraderie for she also believes that an archer can get pretty far with- young archers. It was known as the “Junior Dream Team” out a personal coach helping them – though coaching when Brown was growing up. The RED Team camps are is crucial to the mental aspect. Brown herself has never held throughout the year in six regions and bring in the worked without a coach in some form. help of some of the best coaches in the USA. Kaufhold’s rst coach was her father Rob. Once the Brown recalled her experience with the Junior Lancaster Archery Academy was built, she had access Dream Team; her father had made her aware of her to many USA Archery Level 2 certi ed instructors. As educational opportunities when she was younger. He she progressed and became serious about the sport, became enrolled in the Level 2 course in Oklahoma, she worked with Coach Heather Pfeil one-on-one to which was a notable distance away from the Browns’ improve her mindset, then Canadian Olympic Coach home in East Texas. Mackenzie Brown came to the same Dick Tone. Though she is aware many archers are self- area for JOAD Nationals that year. Her father used this taught, she highly recommends looking to a coach for opportunity to introduce her to Coach KiSik Lee at the

Left-handed Kaufhold and right-handed Brown shooting back to back at the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials - Archery, Stage 2. 9

Apr-May21AW006-017.indd 9 4/8/21 11:36 AM Nationals. This is what led to Brown leaving for a Junior professionals. She talked up the structure of these pro- Dream Team camp when she was around age 13. grams, which gives escalating goals and ensures every- She cites the Junior Dream Team as being intensive one has thorough coaching in small groups. Kaufhold in its workload. Students would shoot until sundown herself began working with USA Archery when she day after day. Because Brown is social and enjoys meet- made the World Cup team in 2018; she was still working ing new people, she never felt lonely at the camp and with personal coaches at that time. The only time she enjoyed building new relationships there. Brown was left home for a training camp was the national camps the youngest person in attendance at the time but held by Lancaster; otherwise, she stayed close to home. said that did not hinder her, since she tended to make USA Archery is very good about providing nancial friends with people a couple of years older than her support to its young archers. Each archer can negotiate anyway. speci c sponsorships with archery manufacturers. The From the Junior Dream Team, Brown continued, U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) funds athletes are funneled into the Resident Athlete (RA) recurve teams to attend World Cups. Kaufhold added program, which Brown is currently in. Brown, along that most World Cup events are funded. with other high-pro le archers like Reo Wilde, has gone Recurve competitions usually do not yield much back to help other archers follow the path she took. prize money, Brown said. Most national events yield She attends the JOAD Nationals often to encourage $2,000 for rst place, $1,000 for second and $500 the younger archers. Within the past ve years, she has for third. Brown noted that the USA Archery Indoor worked with Coach Lee as well as Mel Nichols and Chris National Final provides one of the biggest payouts for Webster. recurve archers, as does the Lancaster Archery Classic. Kaufhold also gave kudos to JOAD and the RED That is why most recurve archers try to make it to those Team for their work developing young archers into two events in particular. A typical United States Archery Team (USAT) Series Quali er Event can vary depending on the year. Brown and Kaufhold explained to us the events they shoot. The USAT event will open with 72 arrows for quali cation, with six arrows per end between scorings. That equates to 12 ends. These ends decide ranking for the match-play section of the tournament, where archers are pitted against each other in brackets to shoot a set system of three arrows per end. Whoever has the highest value is awarded two points; the other will get none. If the archers in a set tie, then each is granted one point. The rst to reach six is the winner. A 5-5 tie will result in a one-arrow shooto . Recurve target competi- tions are shot at 70 meters on a 122-centimeter face. This system was implemented in 2009; Kaufhold has only known it but Brown remembers when scores Brown scores arrows at the 2019 World Archery Championships U.S. at tournaments were cumulative. Team Trials. In those days, there were four or 10 Archery World - April/May 2021 - Subscribe free at ArcheryWorldMagazine.com

Apr-May21AW006-017.indd 10 4/8/21 11:36 AM ve ends of three arrows each; cumula- tive score decided match play. While the new system is a little more di cult to follow, Brown and Kaufhold said, it gen- erates more audience interest. Shooting for cumulative score means it is easy to project who will be continuing in match play after a certain amount of time. The new set system favors the underdog; a bad end is followed by a clean slate, and it is more di cult for the audience to predict the victor. Brown said she has not changed how she practices because of this; she still shoots to win every end, as

Casey Kaufhold and her father Rob at the 2019 World Archery Championships. Rob heads Lancaster Archery, a business known for its expertise in serving competitive archers as well as bowhunters.

Kaufhold and Brown on the line at the 2019 World Archery Championships U.S. Team Trials. ey are shooting 70 meters (76.55 yards) at a 122-centimeter target face. 11

Apr-May21AW006-017.indd 11 4/8/21 11:37 AM she did before. She did note that she has lost matches level, there will be a mixed-team round that yields med- where she had the higher cumulative score because of als. A mixed team consists of one man and one woman. the set system: an experience Kaufhold knew as well. There are also events for teams divided by gender. Another change to the system is that at the Olympic Kaufhold believes mixing the teams promotes team spirit. More time shooting, less time re- etching (ACTUAL SIZE) In USA Archery Target Nationals, Kaufhold explained, competitors • DURABLE AND ACCURATE will shoot two days of quali ca- tion arrows to nd the most con- • FLIES TRUE IN ANY TYPE OF WIND sistent shooter before proceeding to bracket shooto s. Brown noted • SPINS TWICE AS FAST: TWISTED RIBBON DESIGN that this was to keep with the tradi- tion set when these tournaments OLYMPIC RECURVE VANE used to be Grand FITA, requiring 1.0 in. (25.4 mm) 288 arrows per score. This changed to the standard FITA amount of 144, 0.21 in. and these days, as mentioned, the 5.3 mm number is 72. Brown and Kaufhold had some time to re ect on the atmosphere VIRTUALLY INDESTRUCTIBLE: at the Olympic qualifying events WON’T TEAR OR CRIMP EVEN ON A PASSTHROUGH! in which they have participated. Brown shoots for bronze at WAC 2017. Brown stated that for Tokyo, the The revolutionary Olympic Recurve Gri n® Vane is made of extremely durable, nondeforming material featuring rst stage of the 2020 U.S. Olympic scienti cally developed contours that aid in arrow rotation and provide stable, accurate  ight. www.bohning.com

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Apr-May21AW006-017.indd 12 4/8/21 11:39 AM More time shooting, less time re- etching (ACTUAL SIZE) • DURABLE AND ACCURATE • FLIES TRUE IN ANY TYPE OF WIND • SPINS TWICE AS FAST: TWISTED RIBBON DESIGN

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Convenient, secure, holds any arrow diameter. Attach to pocket, belt or pack! Prevents damage to arrows and unclutters your pack. Made in the USA. www.bohning.com 13

Apr-May21AW006-017.indd 13 4/8/21 11:40 AM Trials for Archery used the quali cation rounds from The 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials for Archery are Nationals. The second stage was held in conjunction Kaufhold’s rst Olympic Trials. She stated that it felt like with the 2019 Texas Shootout USAT event, followed by a normal competition with more mental pressure due a cut to the top 16 and a set of round-robin matches to to the high honor of getting that far. She noted some of further ranking. There will be two additional stages of the ways in which it di ers from a USAT, including team Trials in 2021 before the team is nominated. round simulations. Kaufhold got her rst experience Brown attended trials for the 2012, 2016 and 2020 with such simulations at that tournament. She has built Games and enjoys her memories from all three. She her practice regimen around the Trials. She stated that stated that each felt di erent to her due to her varying most of the competition was friendly; competing with skill level each time she tried out. The further along so many people who are older than her was strange in the trials you go, she said, the more competitively at rst and made her somewhat nervous, but it has intense it becomes, with a new challenge each day. become easier. Kaufhold described the competition Competitors are overall excited to have the opportu- as “cutthroat but in a nice way” due to how they are nity, and this went double for the 2021 quali ers after amicable to one another while vying for the same goal. the COVID-19 delays. Most everyone is friendly to one Brown and Kaufhold have become friends through another because they have seen each other in the this competition circuit. They met at the annual Lancaster competitions leading up to quali ers. Brown said that Classic in 2016. Brown recalled her rst impression of the groups who shot for London, Tokyo and Rio were Kaufhold: the latter was displeased because a snow- distinct from one another even though they featured storm had interrupted the post-quali cation matches many of the same athletes. The archers have a rever- for the shootup and prevented the particular compe- ence for the gravity of these trials, Brown said, everyone tition that would have allowed Kaufhold to try for it. having put in the past four or ve years getting ready In 2017, Kaufhold and Brown shot against each other for these particular Games. Everyone who registers in shoot-o s. Since then, they have participated in for the Trials has likely worked hard and put in the many matches together, neck-and-neck in competition. commitment. Kaufhold said it could be anybody’s day when the two of them step up to the line. The two have a good friendship both inside and outside of archery. Brown noted that she has enjoyed seeing Kaufhold grow from quiet and introverted to a more social person. Brown has stayed at the Kaufhold residence many times, training for competitions there, and is grateful for that relationship. She and Kaufhold have their own in-jokes and use tour- nament trips to go out to dinner or movies together. Both Brown and Kaufhold shoot Hoyt bows with Formula Xi risers and Velos limbs, though they stated that all brands of recurve are permit- ted. Both of their setups include an Achieve XP sight from Axcel, a sta- bilizer bar that is from 28-30 inches long and two side V-bars from 10-14 inches depending on the situation, out tted with weights and vibration A jubilant Brown steps up on the podium at the 2016 U.S. Olympic dampers. Both shoot carbon arrows Trials - Archery, Stage 3. with aluminum cores, tungsten points 14 Archery World - April/May 2021 - Subscribe free at ArcheryWorldMagazine.com

Apr-May21AW006-017.indd 14 4/8/21 11:41 AM and pin nocks. Their etching of choice is a spin-wing-type vane from the Spider com- pany run by Brady Ellison and his fam- ily. Because Kaufhold draws 40 pounds and Brown draws 48, they need  nger tabs to prevent too much strain on their  ngers. In the other hand will be a bow/ nger sling for the bow to natu- rally fall away in fol- low-through without hitting the ground. Armguards provide even more safety and Kaufhold also wears a chest guard so the has a clear path Kaufhold at full draw. No peeps, mechanical releases or scopes are allowed in this to its brace height style of shooting. without catching on her shirt. Both keep their arrows in hip for easy one. Brown never likes to take o more than two or access. three days in a row. Their setups do di er in some places, though. Kaufhold shoots seven days a week, stating that Recurve sights di er from compounds in that their she is prone to feeling sore if she takes a day o . She lenses cannot provide magni cation if lenses are used will shoot about 200-300 arrows per day and around at all. Brown prefers to use a zero-magni cation Clear 1,750- 2,000 arrows per week, focusing on consistency. Target lens with a dot in the center of a Vortex optic Depending on her school schedule, she tries to get while Kaufhold simply uses a ring with a pin in the cen- her  rst practice in by morning. Most days, she shoots ter. Brown uses Shrewd’s ex recurve peep aperture, from 1-4:30 p.m., has a break that includes dinner, then Shrewd and Revel stabilizers and a custom-built Rogue shoots from 6-8:30 p.m. Her aunt lets her use a business . Her Easton X10 arrows feature the Spider warehouse for practice year-round; Kaufhold shoots in vanes. the aisles between product, where she can practice at Kaufhold utilizes a Beiter plunger, Conquest the 70-meter distance that will translate to USA Archery Archery stabilizers and a LAS custom string. Her Easton and Olympic events. The only time she truly takes o is X10 arrows feature TopHat points and Spider vanes for travel days or family vacations where she physically and nocks. cannot bring her bow, the latter of which has to be In between rounds, Brown shoots six days a week, between or after seasons. Due to the crowded compe- with four days of full-day shooting and two half-days. tition schedule this season, such breaks won’t be pos- On a typical day, she will shoot from 9 a.m.-12 p.m., sible for her until the Olympics end. take a lunch break, then shoot from 2-5 p.m. Her arrow Brown and Kaufhold are the top two women among counts vary by day but average out to 1,500-2,000 per 16 left in the running for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Archery week. If training for a competition, any time she takes Team that plans to compete in 2021. Each country o still involves a little bit of shooting to maintain has to qualify quota spots at the Games, and cur- muscle mass and skill; mentally, she is more focused rently archers are vying for single men’s and women’s on resting, but still maintains an arrow count, if a lower spots. There will be a chance at the Final Quali cation 15

Apr-May21AW006-017.indd 15 4/8/21 11:42 AM Tournament alongside the Paris World Cup this year for tailoring or graphic design. the U.S. to earn another two men’s and/or two women’s Brown said that one of the biggest moves she quota spots, but that is no guarantee. As of now, Brown made to become successful was competing against and Kaufhold are competing for that last spot to ll the male archers, comparing her scores to the USAT men’s team. Currently, Kaufhold is in the lead of the running. bracket. How she shoots against the men in a particular Connect with Both New She emphasized the importance of trying to win more quali er will give her a good picture of how she will spots so that more women can attend the Games; at shoot against women on a world scale. She recom- Rio, Brown was the only U.S. woman in archery at the mends this to young women who are interested in & Avid Archers Olympics and that includes among coaches and medi- excelling in archery. cal sta . This all, of course, depends on a tournament Kaufhold recommended goal-setting, saying that Who Want to Shoot Better schedule that goes to plan; the current global pan- without a goal, you are simply “shooting to shoot.” To demic hopefully will not cause any changes. become skilled at archery, you need to track your prog- Outside of archery, Brown has many interests and ress through your goals and give yourself something to is not sure which is the best option for a career. She look forward to. She recommended starting with small intends to give the matter a lot of thought. A frontrun- weekly goals such as “80 percent of my shots this week ner idea for her is to give back to the sport by becoming will have strong follow-through.” From there, you can an archery coach. Currently, all her energy has to be move on to making particular USATs your goal. focused on the Olympic training. It seems that overall, the biggest contributors to Kaufhold also has not had much time between the successes of these young women are their hard Advertise in Archery World training to think about a career outside of archery but work and commitment to archery. Shooting a bow and has interests in sewing that may lead to an occupation arrow spoke to them in a special way and they have as a tailor. She considers herself a creative person and followed that calling. They never would have known would like to generate income both from shooting without trying, however: something to keep in mind if her bow and doing a more artistic vocation, such as you are wondering whether or not to give it a shot. Reach great candidates for your products & services.

Download our media kit at ArcheryWorldMagazine.com or Kaufhold and Brown take gold and silver at the 2020 SoCal Showdown. contact Anne Dehn using [email protected] 16 Archery World - April/May 2021 - Subscribe free at ArcheryWorldMagazine.com

Apr-May21AW006-017.indd 16 4/8/21 11:43 AM Connect with Both New & Avid Archers Who Want to Shoot Better

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Apr-May21AW006-017.indd 17 4/8/21 11:44 AM By Rachel Givens Bear Archery Continues As Major Supplier of Stick Bows Bear Archery is one of the most well-known manu- actually patented his  rst bow glove in 1937, hiring facturers in the archery business. Many a hunter has master Nels Grumley to begin making bows taken prize game with one of its selection of com- full-time under the company name “Bear Products by pounds. However, Bear Archery as a company predates Grumley.” In 1946, Fred patented his  rst bow . the introduction of compound bows; it was built on the A year later, he moved the company from Detroit to heart of traditional archery. We caught up with Product Grayling, Michigan. In 1949, the company began to Manager Chris Parrish to talk about the role these clas- mass-produce the Polar, Grizzly and Kodiak bows as sic bows have played in Bear’s growth and history. well as advocate the use of  berglass in bows. Bows that It all began with Fred Bear, a traditional bowhunter included  berglass laminations in the limbs could be who began to build his own bows in the 1940s. You stronger and better performing than bows whose limbs have probably heard that name before, as Fred was an were built solely from layers of wood bonded together. inspiration to the archery industry as a whole. “Every Fred’s love of hunting extended into wanting to company today that builds archery equipment at some create his own equipment to take a eld. However, he point was in uenced by Fred Bear,” Chris said. Fred also had a desire to inspire others in his community to discover the joy of and the outdoors and so began to build bows for sale so he could share that passion. Fred saw bowhunting as a potential bonding experi- ence for families or other groups. It seemed to him a great avenue to spark interest in the outdoors, as the bowhunting season allows more time a eld than the  rearm hunting season. Chris described him as “the grandfather of modern archery.” Fred  lmed many of his hunting adven- tures and used them to inspire an interest in bowhunting and the outdoors among

rough his magazine articles, books, hunting  lms and lec- Fred Bear is shown with James Dickey tures, Fred Bear (above) helped popularize hunting with the (right) in this vintage photo from the and gave legions of people another reason to original production facility in Grayling, enjoy the great outdoors. Michigan. 18 Archery World - April/May 2021 - Subscribe free at ArcheryWorldMagazine.com

Apr-May21AW018-025.indd 18 4/8/21 11:52 AM Neil Byce is holding the EXP model of the LES ’59 Kodiak bow in this photo from the 2020 Archery Trade Show. Neil is the operations manager at Bear Archery’s production plant in Gainesville, Florida. As such, he oversees both traditional bow production and the production of Bear’s many compound models.

the public. He traveled the country showing those lms up and put the web of the palm closer to the shelf of and speaking to the public about conservation and the riser, where the arrow sits. Later on in the 1970s, hunting topics in venues like rented high school audi- this bow was retooled to feature a  atter grip. For the toriums. Archery World’s Editorial Advisor Tim Dehn, as 50th-anniversary edition Take Down, Bear has taken the a young boy, had his own interest in archery sparked bow back to its roots, giving it that heel-horn grip and when his father took him to one of Fred’s presentations a bubinga black-on-black coloration that made a more in rural Minnesota. old-fashioned black phenolic stripe as opposed to the Fred’s bows did not take o in the marketplace until usual red. It is meant to be a near-exact duplicate of the the early 1950s. Of course, he only built recurves and original Take Down to meet customer request. at that time. Eventually, his passion turned The Take Down is designed to be sold as individual into a company that we now know as “Bear Archery.” parts rather than an entire bow; the limbs detach from This company moved from Grayling, Michigan to hav- the riser. Currently, two handle styles and two limb ing o ces in Evansville, Indiana and a manufacturing styles are available. The A handle is shorter with a lesser plant in Gainesville, Florida. In the 1970s, compounds sight window while the B handle is longer and features had grown in popularity, so Bear branched out into a longer sight window. The #1 limb style is the shorter them. However, Fred was always a traditional archer at of the two sets; with the A handle, it will make a 56-inch heart; “That was his forte,” Chris said. The year 1970 was bow and with the B handle, it will make a 60-inch bow. important to Bear for another reason more related to The longer set is the #3 limb style, which will create the traditional market: the Take Down recurve. a 60-inch bow when paired with the A handle and a The Take Down celebrated its 50th anniversary 64-inch bow when paired with the B handle. last year. It featured a heel-horn grip that set the wrist This o ers a lot of adjustability. A 56-inch recurve 19

Apr-May21AW018-025.indd 19 4/8/21 11:53 AM is fairly short for a hunt- that is 20-25 pounds lighter than the com- ing bow and will make a pound you usually shoot, as a recurve will not temper smoother draw for those the draw weight with let-o and its draw weight will who have draw lengths of be the amount you actually draw back and hold while less than 27 inches. If your aiming. draw length is more than Another plus regarding the Take Down is its porta- 27 inches, you will probably bility. This is what made it Fred’s favorite bow despite want to shoot a bow of 60 it being preceded by the Kodiak and the Grizzly, Chris inches or more. For those said. You can easily disassemble it to put it in your lug- who have 28.5-inch draw gage on the go if you are a traveling hunter the way lengths or more, a 64-inch Fred was. bow will be smoother and Fred died in the 1980s but his e ect on the archery stack less. The Take Down’s industry is still felt among manufacturers. As his legacy, various combinations Chris stated, Bear is the number one manufacturer in allow you to create a bow traditional archery in terms of units sold. that will suit your shooting Traditional archery is very di erent from shooting style and draw length. The a compound, Chris emphasized. It is much more of a limbs can also be made challenge to master and requires you to shoot game from 30-70 pounds. Chris at closer range. As mentioned, traditional bows have recommends choosing a no let-o . Most traditional archers shoot either instinc- tive or point-gap styles, which require regular practice; Modern itera- tions of the Bear Kodiak are repli- cations of a clas- sic model from 1959. is bow incorporates Purpleheart wood and Bolivian Rosewood in the riser, has a leather grip and leather rest plate and fea- tures a classic rest formed of feathers. As a one-piece bow, it is light to carry. Bear builds it in both left-hand and right-hand models, starting at a 35-pound Fred Bear (in this vintage photo with Glenn Cotton) worked draw weight and as a pattern maker in the automotive industry before found- topping out at 60 ing Bear Archery. e patterns shown at right are for di erent pounds. ose bow models and go in a press to help shape the wood and weights are  berglass laminations under heat and pressure into the bow measured at a stage you see stacked above. Shaping, sanding and multiple 28-inch draw. coats of clear  nish will follow. 20 Archery World - April/May 2021 - Subscribe free at ArcheryWorldMagazine.com

Apr-May21AW018-025.indd 20 4/8/21 11:54 AM Chris recommended even daily practice to become may be hesitant to pro cient. A traditional bow also features no room for begin because of the a sight or a peep. di culty level, Chris This is why Chris enjoys shooting traditional him- o ered the follow- self; “There’s so much more to it that it creates a whole ing advice. First, do di erent pleasure in shooting.” Of course, he does also the proper research shoot a compound and enjoys doing so. to know how to tune To the archer who is curious about traditional but your bow and match

e appearances of these handle sections help explain the di erence in cost for Bear models. At left is the economical Grizzly, at center the Cheyenne and at right one of the Bear Take Down risers, this one the B length riser with the African bubinga and phenolic. e Bear Grizzly is shown full length at right and is the company’s best-selling traditional bow. 21

Apr-May21AW018-025.indd 21 4/8/21 11:54 AM arrows and equipment. “Traditional archery is more of a lifestyle as a bowhunter than it is just choosing the weapon,” Chris said. There are innumerable factors that go into setup, including the choices of arrows and broadheads. You also need to forgo entering the eld with major expectations. The traditional bow will require a completely di erent skillset from a compound and require you to shoot game at much closer range than you would with a compound until you have mas- tered it. Mastering it will require regular, sustained prac- tice. If you’re the type of archer who wants to leave the bow in its case until a few weeks before hunting season, traditional archery is not for you. The traditional archery community is growing rapidly and has many online resources; Chris also recommended you seek these out and speak to other traditional bowhunters to see what knowledge they have to share. The amount of traditional archers on the market nowadays is dwarfed by the number of compound archers. The market is much smaller in that regard. Nonetheless, it is growing in a couple of demographics. The second-most-likely group to pick up a traditional bow is younger men who are just getting into archery and inspired by the nostalgia and romance of the early days of Fred Bear. The most likely is the archers aged 50 years or more, who want a greater challenge after mas- tering the compound. Fun and simplicity draw these people to the traditional market, as well as a hearken- ing to bowhunting’s roots. The Midwest has seen strong sales in traditional bows, as has the Eastern U.S.; the Western U.S. is catching up. The Take Down is the third-best seller to come from Bear’s traditional division, Chris noted. It is seen as a higher-end bow and is priced accordingly, which is part of what holds it back from the number one spot. The absolute best seller for Bear’s traditional divi- sion is the Grizzly recurve, followed by the Montana

Two of the longbows available from Bear Archery are the Montana (far left) and Au Sable, which is named after a river that was near Bear’s original factory in Grayling, Michigan. Longbows are easy to distin- guish from recurves in that the strings touch only at the limb tips and do not rest against recurved limbs. ere is a slight de ex to the limbs of the Au Sable, which are overlaid with two layers of bamboo. e addition of the bamboo to the maple and  berglass laminations and the re ex/de ex design help add speed and smoothness and explain the higher price point. e Montana is priced at $419.99; the Au Sable with its distinctive bubinga riser is priced at $599.99. 22 Archery World - April/May 2021 - Subscribe free at ArcheryWorldMagazine.com

Apr-May21AW018-025.indd 22 4/8/21 11:55 AM . These bows were designed to be price-point-driven, with high quality for being entry-level bows. The manufacturing area for Bear’s tra- ditional bows is a separate section of the Gainesville plant. The making of a compound bow and a traditional bow are extremely di er- ent. A compound with its cams and limb cups is machined from aluminum in a process that only takes a few hours per bow. Those program- ming the machining centers and swapping out the raw stock and  nished parts are trained in a process that’s highly automated and regi- mented. A recurve or longbow requires many more hours put in by expert with an appreciation for styling and tradition. Wood and  berglass laminations are cut, sanded and glued up in molds that apply heat and pressure as the epoxy is curing. Tips are glued on and veteran employees shape the tips, the grips and the sides of the limbs. The bows are given their  nish, sanded, -screened and lightly Fred Bear was a supporter of sharing the experience of sanded again. Additional  nishing and sand- archery with people of all ages. e photo below was taken ing steps may be needed before the bows pass on the range outside the plant in Gainesville, Florida. inspection and are ready to be boxed for ship- ment. This is the same method Fred Bear used to create his recurves one at a time. Recurves require a lot of testing before they are market-ready. Re-releases such as the 50th-anniversary Take Down must be exact duplicates of the originals; they are in demand because archers want those nostalgic models that feel like they came right from the 70s. Once a recurve is built, it is tested vigorously on a draw board to make sure the limbs, limb tips and laminates hold up through many hundreds of draw cycles. It is shot to ensure the proper tuning will result in satisfactory arrow  ight. Strings are also tested to determine the correct like billiard balls and Bakelite handles for cookware. material for each recurve. Phenolic is extremely dense and rigid: just what you Most Bear recurve limbs are made from hard maple want in a bow riser so the  exing can be con ned to the with  berglass. The tight grain of maple lends it a working section of the limbs. strength that it shares with  berglass; however, the two Of course the power of those limbs needs to be are  exible when combined. Laminating them together transmitted to the arrow through a string. Any recurve results in lots of strength and consistency, resulting in or longbow can handle a Dacron string, which is often exacting weight tolerances when pressed. The handles the choice for those who want to get the most longev- of these bows can be made of any of a variety of hard ity out of their bow. However, some traditional bows woods; African bubinga is used in some models for its have limbs and limb tips designed in such a way that beauty. So is phenolic, a precursor to composites that they can support Fast Flight . Because they  rst entered the market around the 1900s in products stretch less, these more modern string materials o er

23

Apr-May21AW018-025.indd 23 4/8/21 11:55 AM more power and speed for the bow. Within the recurve department, the employees vary. There can be a few, up to 10-12, per area depending on how high the production level is and what process is being sta ed. Chris pointed out the contributions of Neil Byce in particular; Neil’s father was a chief bowyer for Fred and worked with him for years. Neil continues that legacy in his work as Bear’s operations manager and chief bowyer. “He is the master,” Chris said. Neil himself worked with the brand’s namesake on the Signature series of bows that is prized by collectors. In more Fred Bear’s customer service philosophy. recent years, Neil has helped recreate famed styles for limited-edition series of 250 bows, instance, Neil may be closer in interests to the tradi- working with  berglass suppliers and other vendors tional department but is also required to oversee and to help his sta duplicate the look and feel of hunting troubleshoot the compound department because of bows that may have been out of production for half a his position. Also, if recurve production slows down century. Those include the ‘59 Fred Bear Kodiak: a bow enough, some employees may be transferred from that that looked so great and shot so well that Neil said it is line to the compound line to help assemble limbs, limb something like a Holy Grail among collectors. pockets and strings. However, this is a very rare occur- Neil is responsible for the whole Gainesville plant rence, and most times, the two bodies of employees and about three-quarters of that workforce is occu- remain separate. pied with compound-bow production. There is some Bear prides itself on the customer service it o ers crossover between the compound and recurve depart- for its traditional bows. If you were to call in with a ments at Bear depending on the circumstances. Those complaint about your traditional bow, you would be higher up the ladder have to be versed in both. For able to speak to a human being immediately or else

leave a voicemail to be called back. Recurves are protected by a year- long warranty. Most of the time, Bear will replace the bow entirely,

While Chris has many product- management responsibilities, traditional archery holds a spe- cial place for him, as it is where Chris Parrish with the Alaska caribou he brought down with a bow and he got his start in bowhunting 42 arrow in 2014. years ago. 24 Archery World - April/May 2021 - Subscribe free at ArcheryWorldMagazine.com

Apr-May21AW018-025.indd 24 4/8/21 11:56 AM though small repairs like re nishing can also be performed. Most Bear cus- tomers are repeat custom- ers, Chris emphasized, so the importance of treating them well is paramount. Bear wants no customer to walk away dissatis ed. Feedback from the cus- tomers assisted proves Bear is accomplishing this, Chris said. Based on the recent pattern of growing popu- larity, Chris anticipates an increase in traditional market sales. Bear is also planning to build new tra- ditional models that will bolster the market. Chris remarked that the future looks good for Bear, which currently has a lot of market space and brand recognition. The manufacturing of traditional bows seems to re ect the mastery of the art of shooting them in that time and care are required to be put in to achieve quality results. Those who dedicate their energy to learning to shoot a recurve will nd that the product they use already has a lot of heart put into its make. Bear works hard to ensure the recurves that leave its production facility are of the highest stan- dards for the end user, the company said. After all, it is what Fred Bear would want: to inspire the traditional bowhunter and allow them to take pride in what they bring into the woods.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Bear Take Down, it is available in this commemorative edition with bubinga black-on-black coloration. For the most part, limbs and risers are sold separately from Bear’s traditional department so you can customize your own model. ese #1 limbs can be used to make a shorter bow. 25

Apr-May21AW018-025.indd 25 4/8/21 11:57 AM By Tom Clum, Level IV Coach Bene ting from Online Coaching For decades, I looked for any information I could nd and from anywhere I could nd it on how to become a better archer. I bought books and videotapes and later searched the Internet for this information. I was very frustrated with what I found: a huge amount of con icting content from folks who all appeared to be experts. I diced through all of it for the golden nuggets that would help me become a better shooter. One person would give advice to burn a hole in the target, then draw the bow while swinging it up to the target, anchor and release when it felt right. That person would say that to aim with the arrow would cause you to choke at the moment of truth and that everyone could Here I am speaking to the student in relation to a cer- learn to be an “instinctive shooter.” He would also tain element about the holding position with a visual say to leave your chest fairly open to the target for demonstration. better vision (this causes great muscular strain and severely shortens draw length). While this type of shot information and YouTube is not the only source. In cur- can be accurate at short range for a while, this shot can- rent times, the huge advantage of the Internet is that not achieve any accuracy at longer ranges and, if used you can nd online coaching in the form of courses, to exclusion, will produce repetitive motion injury to webinars and direct verbal and visual communication. the shoulders and encourage target panic. There are not a large number of highly quali ed online Another person would give information about coaches available at the current time but that is chang- body alignment and teach gap shooting. At the time, ing as coaches discover the tools that I will talk about it appeared to me to be a “target style” and not con- in this article. ducive to hunting. I now know that this person was The best way to become a better archer is to receive giving good advice on how to be consistently accurate hands-on, one-on-one instruction from an experienced but at the time, I had thought of myself as a traditional coach. Finding a great coach in your city or state may bowhunter, and the rst guy made more sense to me. be impossible and it is not practical for most of us to As a person that has had extensive training in archery travel to a di erent state in order to receive one-on- coaching, I recognize now that much of the information one attention. The next best option is online coach- on YouTube about shooting will not produce accuracy ing. There are interactive virtual classrooms, seminars, and in some cases is dangerous to the archer’s joints. webinars, counseling, coaching and chats going on all I was a dedicated bowhunter who also loved to com- the time now. We can all do this now from our laptop pete in 3D tournaments. I still had no way to sort out computers, iPads and phones. Anyone can download good information from bad information nor nd or get Skype or Zoom (or other such apps) for free and quickly coaching. That has all changed now with the advent of learn how to use them. online courses and coaching. As I am a Level IV archery coach, many people do  y The Internet is now the primary means to nd to me for one or two days of one-on-one coaching, but 26 Archery World - April/May 2021 - Subscribe free at ArcheryWorldMagazine.com

Apr-May21AW026-030.indd 26 4/8/21 12:02 PM now I have added online coaching as an option for those folks who cannot come to me. I will admit that it is not quite as good as getting to work hands-on but I have found that interactive sessions where I can still see my students shoot are highly e ective. I can demonstrate positions and angles of movement and watch them respond. I cannot physi- cally guide them with my hands but as I watch them slowly do a movement, I can give them direct feedback. For example: “Nope, right there! You just broke the draw-force line. Start again but keep that movement linear. Here, let me show you.” Then I can visually show them what I want them to do. We can dice out concise, high-level form right in the moment. The student or I can back up from the phone or com- puter for a full-body view. For another option, I can rearrange the view from my phone or laptop to give a close-up view of the string placement on each  nger and then describe weight distri- bution on each  nger. Except for the lack of ability to physically guide posi- tions by manually moving the student with my hands, it is just as good as hav- ing them in my range. Other than using a Skype or Zoom type interactive tool, I use (and any coach of any sport should use) a partic- ular virtual coaching tool: an app called “Coach’s Eye.” With Coach’s Eye, you can record or download videos to the app. You can view the video at actual recorded speed and you can also use a  nger slide at the bottom of the screen to produce a frame-by-frame replay. The app also has replay buttons for 1/8, 1/4 and 1/2 slow-motion speeds. On top of the views for video or still frame, the Coach’s Eye allows the user

With the Coache’s Eye app, I can send a reviewed video back to a student with my voice over the footage. I can draw lines like the ones seen here to show movement on or o of the line or to show concepts like direc- tion of tension.  e horizontal line shows the desired angle of elbow travel to the follow-through position.  e playback will actually show the elbow moving on or o of the desired travel path and can be viewed in slow motion. 27

Apr-May21AW026-030.indd 27 4/8/21 12:03 PM to draw straight or curved lines wherever wanted. The user can create triangles that show degree measure- ments right on top of the video. You can also create and overlay rectangles, boxes, grids or arrows. Any or all of these can lay permanently over the video. Another really cool feature is that you can import a video from a remote student, then create a new video from the original. You start the original video under a whole new record button that creates an entirely new recording where you draw your lines, use the nger slide, play in one of the slow-motion speeds or show the video at a stop, all while recording your voice over and during the new video. During the creation of the new video, it can be displayed in your choice of slow motion, actual speed or stopped while the student listens to your voice describing what is being done well or what corrections are needed. You build this new video with your voice over it, then send the video back to your student. The new video of the student shooting will be much longer, as you will have slowed it down, stopped it for commentary or drawn lines to show Here I am viewing the student performing a certain where the movement should have gone. You can position or movement so I can give them immediate also show how the student moves along a line that feedback and/or correction. you have drawn to let them know the movement is correct. It is an awesome and versatile tool for either in-person or remote coaching. The coach that you pick should be experienced within the style of bow that you shoot and the venue where the bow is used. Are you a hunter, a eld archer, a 3D shooter, a 20-yard indoor shooter or all of the above? Some coaches are versatile but some are specialists. A great Olympic coach may be great for a bowhunter but also may not be. That particular Olympic-level coach may not be versed in high anchors, canted bows, di erent aiming meth- ods for barebow or how to shoot well from under a bush. The coach might be great for both traditional and lists coaches in your area and their certi cation levels. compound shooting or they might not. When you nd Any Level IV coach has coached for many years, spent a a potential coach, just ask them where their strengths week at the Olympic Training Center, completed inten- are. sive written testing and passed a tough verbal exam A great way of nding a great coach is from a per- from our Olympic Coach. Most can teach elite-level sonal reference. Ask highly-accomplished shooters that mechanics but if you are a bowhunter and they are not, you may know or can communicate with where they it may not be a good match. Not all Level IV coaches are learned to do what they do. There are shooters who quali ed for you. There are lower-level certi ed coaches become highly accomplished on their own but these that are highly e ective but if that coach has not been folks are rare as unicorns. If a shooter credits a personal mentored under a high-level coach, their knowledge coach, that would be a tremendous place to start. will be limited. There are non-certi ed coaches who are Social-media or message-board recommendations can very good. You will nd that they have been mentored lead you to some ne coaches. The USA Archery website under good coaches and they have a proven record of 28 Archery World - April/May 2021 - Subscribe free at ArcheryWorldMagazine.com

Apr-May21AW026-030.indd 28 4/8/21 12:03 PM 29

Apr-May21AW026-030.indd 29 4/8/21 12:04 PM In this screenshot from the Shot IQ website, Joel Turner introduces the Controlled Process Shooting course.

helping folks become accomplished shooters. Be skeptical of all coaching that you receive. A coach should be able to communicate the “what, how and why” of everything that they teach. Lots of questions are recommended from the person being coached. Some parts of high-level shooting are at rst counterintuitive to the stu- dent. If a coach cannot explain every concept in such a way that you can understand the “why” of it, it may be better to nd a di erent coach that you have con dence in. You need to “buy in” to the program or the simple enjoyment of the process will be diminished. There are online shooting courses such as my own “Solid Archery Mechanics.” It is a seven-hour intensive course broken up into 39 indi- vidual teaching modules. It is primarily directed to the recurve/longbow/ barebow archer but has a module on compound speci c di erences. It is found at shootsolid.com. Joel Turner has a course called “Controlled Process Shooting.” It is a course on the mental management of an archery shot. It has extensive information on the core causes of target panic and teaches the archer to completely manage that target panic. This course teaches an archer to perform at peak levels even under extreme pressure. It can be found at shotiq.com. Each course is a one-time $200 purchase, has an active question-and-answer section under each module and is regularly updated with more in-depth information about subjects already covered or addi- tional information. The world is ever-changing and the availability of high-quality infor- mation and coaching will only get better. 30 Archery World - April/May 2021 - Subscribe free at ArcheryWorldMagazine.com

Apr-May21AW026-030.indd 30 4/8/21 12:06 PM By Larry Wise, Level IV Coach Achieving Repeatability Without Control With Hands At some point in our history, I believe we humans developed thumbs that oppose the other ngers on our hands. That enabled us to hold and control the items we found in our lives, like rocks, sticks, spears and eventually, man’s rst complex tool, the bow and arrow. For some 50,000 years, man has been shooting archery and using his hands to do so. Today, we’re no di erent; we control almost every object we come in contact with, including modern archery equipment. Most archers I observe use their hands to manipulate their bows and release aids in an e ort to “make the bow shoot the arrow in the middle.” They grip their bows and their release aids in a control- ling manner, with a desire to dominate them. I nd their e orts interesting and a reminder of my early days in archery when I tried to do the same. I tried to control the bow and arrow and failed. I had to learn a better approach and state of mind when I engaged my archery gear. I had to learn the rst principle of archery, which I will state here.

THE FIRST PRINCIPLE OF ARCHERY: is cave art from Vallorta, Spain dates back over Archery is a simple two-step sport. 21,000 years. Clearly, the archers depicted on Step One: Learn to hit the mark. those cave walls understood that the  rst principle Step Two: Repeat Step One! of archery was to learn to hit the intended mark and then repeat. Like these ancient archers, who Now, this all sounds simple but this principle has each have a second arrow ready to shoot, we mea- been around for thousands of years. In fact, it was sure our own ability to repeat every time we keep painted on a cave wall in Spain some 21,000 years ago. score; that’s the challenge of archery. In that drawing, several archers are depicted shooting at deer-like creatures and we know they are trying to what can we apply from it to our own shooting today? repeat their e orts because they each have one or Dominating the bow by “making it” shoot the arrow more arrows shot into the deer and another arrow in the middle actually prevents you from repeating drawn and ready to launch into the same animal. They the act of shooting. What I’m saying is that you cannot knew about rst hitting the mark and then repeating repeat all of that “tension lled action” even twice out of the e ort. a hundred tries. Go ahead, try to repeat the act of mak- Obviously, some of them succeeded in this e ort, ing a st exactly the same two times consecutively and procured their food, survived and reproduced. You and you will experience what I mean. I are here today as a testament to their “ability to repeat.” Instead, if you “blend” with the bow and So how did they do it? What secret did they learn about in order to allow the bow to shoot the arrow into the the bow and arrow that allowed them to succeed and middle of the target, you will succeed at your highest 31

Apr-May21AW031-039.indd 31 4/8/21 12:09 PM level. Use fewer muscles and you can repeat the act at a higher rate. This is like the Zen teachings that tell you to “become one” with the bow and arrow, acting as a complete unit with it. In this way, you can create the best conditions for getting the results you want. You just have to avoid controlling the bow and the release with your hands. You must give up on the idea of impart- ing your will on the bow and decide to join it as an equal partner in a joint venture. Archery, in this regard, is humbling and a good teacher; know anyone who could use a little of this philosophy in his or her daily life?

THE BEGINNING AND THE END My mentor and coach, Archery Hall of Fame member Bud Fowkes, was instrumen- tal in much of my learning about shoot- ing form. He taught me how to see good form and to understand the timing of good All day, every day, we grip and manipulate the tools in our lives. archery. As part of that, he taught me that Maybe they include a wrench, a drill, a computer, a cooking pan the archery shot begins and ends with bow or the steering wheel of a car. Whatever the tool is, you can usu- hand placement. ally control it and make it do what you want but when you try Here’s what that means: the bow hand to control a bow, you defeat the purpose; you cannot repeat the is the rst body part to touch the bow as shot process when you introduce hand tension in order to con- you set up for the shot (that’s step three in trol the bow or release aid. my Core Archery form steps) and it’s the last body part touching the bow as the arrow crosses the Placing the bow hand on the bow is counter- arrow rest on its way to the target (that’s step 10). This intuitive. In other words, it’s the opposite of what the makes bow hand placement on the bow’s grip section students are used to doing and that makes it di cult to extremely important. You have to do this form element learn. Learning to “refuse to control”  ies in the face of correctly and at the correct time if you want to reach everything we do all day long but that is exactly what your full potential in archery. you must do in order to get consistent and accurate From the time you set your bow hand on the bow archery results. grip, you must decide if you are going to either control it or work with it. Every time you or your students nock THE BOW HAND PURPOSE an arrow, the bow hand placement decides whether What exactly is the purpose of the bow hand? What the shooter will force the shot to happen or allow the are you supposed to do with the hand when you put it shot to happen naturally. on the bow’s grip section? The answer is simple: place Most of my students, 98 percent of them, don’t the hand on the bow in a manner that allows the arm know how to place the bow hand on the bow correctly. bones to resist the force loads generated by drawing (It’s the same 98 percent in golf.) They grip the handle and holding the bow. in some way or they sti en the ngers and thumb in an You thought it was all about the hand, didn’t you? e ort to get consistency. They are doing exactly what Well, it’s not about the hand; it’s about the arm bones. they do all day with their hands: control, feel, manipu- Good archery form, including bow hand placement, is late, bend, push, squeeze or pound. They have not about your body’s core - your skeleton - and how to use separated archery from daily life because they haven’t it e ectively. been taught that they need to. The bones of the lower and upper arm must be in 32 Archery World - April/May 2021 - Subscribe free at ArcheryWorldMagazine.com

Apr-May21AW031-039.indd 32 4/8/21 12:09 PM line so they can resist the bow’s draw force. Liken this to how you use your leg bones all day when you’re on your feet. You use enough muscle – and it’s not much – to keep your leg bones in line between your butt and the oor. If you didn’t, then your backside would be dragging on the oor and the seat of your pants would be worn out. What remains then is to learn what hand parts should touch the bow han- dle, what bones should be in line, what muscles should be relaxed and what muscles should be contracted. With that knowledge, you can begin to get the bow hand placed correctly. It’s time to point out the phys- ics at work in the bow handle during the power stroke. When the string is released, it and the arrow move toward the target but the bow handle moves To shoot accurately and consistently, you should place the bow in the opposite direction. The handle in front of the radius bone in your forearm and your upper arm’s moves away from the target accord- humerus bone so those bones can resist the draw force of the bow; ing to the law of physics that states your hand just happens to be at the end of these bones. Obviously, that for every action, there is an equal when these bones are in line, as shown, you use less muscle to resist and opposite reaction. During the two- the bow and reap the bene ts of that through repeat performance. hundredths of a second (.02 sec.) that the bowstring is moving toward the target, the bow handle is pressing back into the bow hand and there- fore, a relaxed bow hand at the end of in-line arm bones is the most consistent way to resist this initial action of the bow handle. Tense the hand and you can’t repeat. Bending your arm at the elbow recruits a far greater number of muscle groups than keeping it straight does. Try stand- ing with your knees bent for just one minute to feel how many more muscle groups become active and, of course, how much these If you choose to bend your bow arm, then you must recruit all of the muscles muscles fatigue. Your bow of your arm to hold that position. Fatigue and inconsistency become your ene- arm undergoes the same mies. Couple that with a tense bow hand and your ability to repeat is severely fatigue if you use lots of compromised. 33

Apr-May21AW031-039.indd 33 4/8/21 12:09 PM muscle to hold it bent while at full draw. Keep your arm e cient by keeping the lower and upper arm bones in line while at full draw and placing a relaxed bow hand between them and the handle.

THE TOUCH PAD The lifeline that runs down the palm of your hand separates your hand into two regions. The thumb pad portion is called the “thenar eminence” and only this pad should be placed on the grip area of the bow handle. Place more than this pad on the grip and you’ll transfer torque to the handle. The hand diagram shown above indi- cates the proper pad to place against the bow’s grip section. It also shows the line across this pad that should be placed on It’s simple: place the star on the bow grip. And don’t place any the bow handle. This line must be vertical part of the palm on the little- nger side of the life line on the grip. when the bow is drawn to full draw posi- To make sure this happens, turn your knuckles so they are at a 45 tion so that it matches the vertical attitude degree angle to the bow handle. of the bow handle. To vertically orient this thenar emi- nence line requires your bow hand to be rotated so your large knuckles are at a 45 degree angle to vertical. In this position, only the thumb pad (thenar eminence) can touch the bow’s grip while the rest of the palm cannot. Note to beginners: this also Christian Bowhunters of America is a ministry to the bow hunting keeps your forearm out of the path of the and archery world; seeking to exalt and serve Jesus Christ by lead- bowstring. ing lost people to HIM and encouraging Christian growth.

RELAXED FINGERS AND THUMB Next, you must learn to relax your bow hand  ngers and thumb. These append- ages must all be relaxed before the bow hand touches the bow grip. No exceptions! If they’re tense when you touch them to the bow grip, then they will most likely stay tense through the entire shot sequence and that promotes inconsistent pressure. You do not need your  ngers and thumb to hold the bow. You should be holding the weight of the bow with your Coaches teach new archers to make a stop sign with the bow release hand, since you’ve already hooked hand so the knuckles make a 45 degree angle with the bow han- the release to the bowstring. This allows dle.  is ensures that only the thumb pad, marked with the star To learn more or to join CBA: you to keep your bow hand  ngers and here, touches the grip section.  is also keeps the forearm out thumb relaxed at the  rst touch and from in front of the bowstring. Call 1-877-912-5724 www.christianbowhunters.org 34 Archery World - April/May 2021 - Subscribe free at ArcheryWorldMagazine.com

Apr-May21AW031-039.indd 34 4/8/21 12:10 PM through the rest of the shot process. the bow force; bone repeats better than muscle, so The wrist should be held in a moderately bent keep the shoulder down. position. Remember that you’re trying to position the in-line arm bones between the bow and your shoulder TEACHING BOW HAND POSITION but the hand is in the way of this. Therefore, you must I prefer to introduce bow hand position by having place the thumb pad center, marked with a star in the my students stand in the archers’ “T.” In this position, aforementioned diagram, directly onto the bow grip they can rst set the stance and then hold both arms because that is the point on the hand directly in front straight out from their sides. When their shoulders are of the radius bone of the forearm. It’s this radius bone set back and down, I teach my students to make a “stop” that you want to resist the bow force at full draw and a sign with the bow hand. This position places the thumb moderately bent wrist helps with that. pad vertically to match the bow grip. From this point on, you have this stop sign image THE FOREARM BONES to use for reference. Until your students learn correct The forearm has two bones: the shorter radius and hand position, you’ll have to constantly refer to what the longer ulna. They lay side-by-side at the lower end they learned in the archers’ “T.” Strong visual images to form the wrist joint. At this end, the radius is larger, are great but actually doing an action makes a longer is located on the thumb side and forms the main part lasting image. of the wrist joint. At the upper end, these two bones Here’s a set of steps for getting the bow hand join to the humerus of the upper arm to form the placed correctly. elbow joint. 1) Slide the web of skin between your thumb and When the radius is lined up with the humerus, they index nger into the pivot point of the bow grip section. form a rigid resistance to the bow. If you can keep your 2) Relax your ngers and thumb. bow shoulder down, then this resistance is anchored 3) Allow the thumb pad to lightly roll down onto through bone-to-bone contact to your back. Raise this the bow grip. shoulder and more muscle has to be recruited to resist 4) Check the position; a properly-placed thumb

Christian Bowhunters of America is a ministry to the bow hunting and archery world; seeking to exalt and serve Jesus Christ by lead- ing lost people to HIM and encouraging Christian growth.

To learn more or to join CBA: Call 1-877-912-5724 www.christianbowhunters.org 35

Apr-May21AW031-039.indd 35 4/8/21 12:10 PM will point toward the target. 5) Avoid putting too much pressure on the grip with the bow hand. 6) Hold the bow hand in the proper position throughout the raising of the bow to the tar- get level. 7) During the draw, the bow will press into the bow hand at the target and aiming level, yielding optimum bow hand consistency. Learning and following this routine is vital for your students’ success in establishing correct bow hand position. Without a set routine to follow, placing the bow hand becomes a lot- tery event; sometimes it hits and sometimes it doesn’t. Use this routine to repeat your e ort. After you place your thumb pad onto the bow grip, you must learn to relax your ngers and thumb so you avoid transferring torque to the bow han- INTERNAL DYNAMIC OF dle. A relaxed thumb points to the target and is a key element that coaches SHOOTING THE BOW look for when evaluating an archer’s form. You may have watched hun- dreds if not thousands of archers shoot their bows and arrows but what are you seeing? And what is it that you can’t see that is really important to repeating your shot process? This answer gets to the heart of good archery and the most important part of the shot. The answer to repeating your archery shot is a word and con- cept you probably are not using much: “transfer.” You can’t see it happen inside other archers but you can see the results of it at the target. You can feel it inter- nally when you learn to do it. And when you do, your archery game will improve dramatically. “Transfer of holding” is the act of transferring the e ort you use to draw the bow from Your bow hand ts naturally onto the bow grip if you allow your wrist to your arm into your back mus- bend a medium amount. Don’t force it; just allow your wrist to bend while cles. Continuing to hold the bow you lower your thumb pad onto the grip of your bow. Keep it relaxed. 36 Archery World - April/May 2021 - Subscribe free at ArcheryWorldMagazine.com

Apr-May21AW031-039.indd 36 4/8/21 12:11 PM with your arms has low repeatability while holding the bow with your back muscles and thereby relaxing your holding arm is far more e cient and highly repeatable. Transfer, then, is the most important part of the archery shot. Transfer efficiency, however, begins with your release hand and how you hold your release aid. If you hold it with a tight  st, then you reduce your ability to transfer your holding e ort to your back. If you rotate the back of your release hand up against your face or engage your little  nger, you also lessen your ability to transfer holding. Let me explain why. It should be obvious that holding your bow with your back requires that you contract your back muscles. Relaxing your pinky and thumb while holding a T-handle release aid To complete the release of the shot allows your forearm to relax and when it relaxes, you can then transfer requires a slight increase in this con- the holding of the bow into your back muscles. You then become more traction. You must also realize that e cient at both holding and releasing. Rotating your release aid so the contraction in your back muscles back of your hand is against your face will inhibit your ability to trans- is automatically accompanied with fer holding into your back; keep the hand near level so your back can expansion of your chest muscles. do the work e ciently. Back contraction causes the rota- tional force on the holding elbow that helps you execute the shot with a release aid, so if you contract both your back and chest simultaneously, your shot process will stall. Here’s the deal with engag- ing either your little  nger and/or thumb. They both link with muscles and other tissue up your forearm and upper arm and into your chest via the pectoral muscle groups; they contract the chest. Turning the back of your release hand against your face has a similar e ect; it contracts your chest. Making a  st also tightens the forearm muscles, which keeps the holding e ort in your arm and prevents e cient transfer into your back. In all these cases, you limit your Flat knuckles and a straight wrist both promote a relaxed forearm. ability to transfer and thereby limit Bending your knuckles or making a  st tightens your forearm, so avoid your ability to repeat. holding your release aid with a  st. Here’s the e cient way to hold a 37

Apr-May21AW031-039.indd 37 4/8/21 12:11 PM T-handle release: 1) Make a hard hook with the two end segments of your ngers. 2) Relax your thumb and little nger. 3) Keep your knuckles  at (no making a st). 4) At full draw, hold your release aid no more than 30 degrees above level. Hold your index trigger like this: 1) Adjust the length of the release aid handle and strap so that you can wrap your index nger around the trigger at the second crease. Do not use your ngertip or the second segment. 2) Gently curl all ngers and the thumb. To get the best long-term results with an index trigger, you should hold it with 3) Hold the back of your the second crease in your index nger.  is makes sure that the highly sensitive hand rotated no more than ngertip is not touching the trigger; you don’t want your conscious mind to be 30 degrees above level. connected to the trigger at any time. Now you can hold the bow with your back, 4) Maintain a relaxed, tightening those back muscles and all ngers at the same time to get that sur- straight wrist. prise release you hear so much about.

BACK MUSCLE CONTRACTION PRACTICE ROUTINE What happens when you maintain your release Practice with a purpose is always far better than just hand as described? By allowing the holding e ort to plain practice. Practice with the idea in mind to improve leave your forearm and transfer into your back, you your hands using the preceding information is the only gain the e ciency of the back-tension process. Holding way to become better for the long term. The questions your bow with your back muscles – rhomboids, levator become “How do I practice?” and “What do I do during scapulae and trapezius – allows you to further contract a practice session?” those muscles and place a rotational force on your During practice is the time for you to use your con- upper arm and elbow. In other words, picture your scious mind to guide your learning of a new skill. Since elbow rotating about your shoulder joint and using your conscious mind can only have a single thought that motion to execute the release of the arrow. This at any given time, you must work on only one skill at e ort occurs only on your dominant or holding side. a time and for now, that skill is “bow hand placement” This process eliminates the need for you to pull the or “release hand holding.” Through this kind of guided bowstring further from the target. Pulling takes lots practice, your subconscious will gradually take over the of muscle while rotating takes just the back muscles hand routine; it will become a habit. mentioned. Your bow-side arm will resist the force of To ensure that your conscious mind can remain the bow while your holding side will develop the rota- focused on the bow hand, you’ll want to practice close tional force needed to discharge the release aid. The to the target butt. “Close” means 4 or 5 yards, with no “push-pull” method is far less e cient because it uses target faces on the butt. You don’t want the eyes aiming far more muscle compared to the more e cient “resist at anything, as this distracts the conscious mind from and rotate” method of back tension. guiding the bow hand. In fact, the best way to do this kind of practice

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Apr-May21AW031-039.indd 38 4/8/21 12:12 PM is with your eyes closed. Without visual distractions, day for three weeks. You’ll have to remind yourself or your conscious mind can do its best job of remaining them that Rome wasn’t built in a day, so they need to focused on one of your hands for a period of time. It can practice, practice, practice! focus on how the bow hand feels as it rst touches the grip, during the raise and during the draw. At full draw, CONCLUSION you can best feel if your ngers are relaxed by  exing There are no secrets in archery. Beginners and pro- them a little to be sure they are limp and then nish the fessionals can and must all do the same form steps to shot through the release. experience success. Those that practice them the most Every practice session should begin with 30 shots at e ectively get the best results and the most important the blank bale with your eyes closed. There can be no of those steps involve the placement of your hands. exceptions to this for weeks to come. If I were coach- Get them right and relaxed and you will set your bow ing basketball, the rst 20 practice sessions would start free so it can repeat its performance without human with everyone at the foul line blindfolded, learning to interference. The bow will do its job if you do yours by feel the shot. eliminating over-control with your hands. If shooting at other distances is part of a practice Keep well; shoot straight. Larry Wise session, then the bow hand must be checked during each shot. At the close of the session, a student must Editor’s Note: Larry Wise is available to conduct one- return to the blank bale to shoot at least 10 more day and two-day Core Archery Academies on shooting closed-eye shots, focusing on the feel of the bow hand. form. Reach him by email at [email protected] or Always start and end by working on your single objec- call him at (717) 436-9168. Wise has a DVD title: “Core tive for the practice session. Archery Back Tension: De ned and Demonstrated.” The Since it takes humans about 20 days to learn a new DVD is available at www.larrywise.com for $19.95. habit, you or your students are looking at practicing For information about Larry’s online coaching, see bow hand placement or release hand holding every the February/March issue at archeryworldmag.com.

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