Have trouble deciding if Archery is the right hobby for you? Here you will find the reasons why you should start archery as a hobby and all of the benefits it will bring you.
And of course, a few pitfalls to watch out for. So, what are the main benefits of archery? I will list them here for you.
Below you will find the main takeaways from the entire article.
Archery gives you many benefits. The main ones are:
– It develops your upper body strength
– It teaches you to intentionally relax and focus, which comes in handy in other areas of your life
– It is estimated archery burns between 200 – 250 calories per hour
– It gives you a chance to go out of your comfort zone by meeting new people
But what are some of the drawbacks of archery?
It can’t all be sunshine and rainbows, right?
Correct!
There are some drawbacks which I will mention down below which should not at all distract you from the fact that archery is one of the safest and coolest hobbies around.
I am biased, of course.
So, let’s get a bit more into details here.
It Develops Your Upper Body Strength:
The very act of drawing a bow activates your shoulder muscles, bicep and tricep muscles chest muscles, and of course your back muscles.
The force required to draw a bow back can range from 25 lbs to 55 lbs. Now imagine holding that tension for a while you aim at a target. It’s a neat way to develop your upper body strength for sure.
Oh, and let’s not forget your core muscles, meaning your abs and lower back also get activated.
So chances are your first shooting session will leave you nicely sore the day after.
That’s a good thing!
With the correct training over some time, the soreness will go away and what will take its place is a better built upper body.
This is not as cool as the next benefit you get from archery, we will get to that in a moment.
So make sure you start slowly, choose the bow that requires very little force to draw, and in the beginning simply focus on the correct posture and technique.
You can progress to the bows that require more force to draw when your muscles adapt to the motion.
Your safety and correct technique comes first.
It Teaches You to Intentionally Relax and Focus
In my opinion, this is the best reason why you should do archery.
Do you ever feel stressed? Yeah? Me too. Thousand thoughts running through your head, not all of them good.
Here is where practicing archery can help. It teaches you to tune out the noise. Focus on what’s in front of you, breathe out, and just relax.
No matter the noise around you, you know you have only one task at hand, you ignore the tiredness of your muscles and you simply focus on what’s in front of you.
Once you practice archery long enough you develop the ability to focus intentionally and relax. You tune out everything else and focus on what you have to do.
This can help you in your job when you feel stressed, you intentionally tune everything out and get the job done.
Just like in archery.
If you’re dealing with a breakup, you tune everything out focus on, going for a walk. It won’t make you deal with a breakup.
But it will help you take the first step in the right direction to do so.
The skill of intentionally relaxing and focusing on just one thing is of immense value.
It is Estimated Archery Burns Between 200 – 250 Calories per Hour
The headline here says it all. Obviously, the number varies based on your current physical condition, age height, etc. But there is no denying the fact that you will burn off calories while practicing this skill.
Not just because of the consistent act of pulling the bow but also since you have to walk to the arrow and walk above every time you empty your quiver.
Depending on where you do it, you can also get some extra sunshine in. This nicely leads us to the next point.
It Improves Your Social Skills and Confidence.
I don’t know your situation. But for me, it’s not easy meeting new people.
So if you feel stuck in your comfort zone, archery can be a great tool to get yourself out of the comfort zone.
What do I mean?
Think about it. You have to go to an archery range to practice. You have to call and arrange archery lessons as a beginner. Put yourself into situations where you talk to new people. And as time passes you get more comfortable with people in your local archery range.
Maybe even meet outside of practice hours?
There is potential for some cool friendly relationships to develop. If you decide to compete at some local events even more so.
The fact is social skills improve with practice. And practicing archery gives you ample opportunity to practice interacting with other people as well.
If you are an introvert, it’s an easy way to push yourself out of your old habits into a low-key environment to socialize without massive crowds.
I don’t like massive crowds, to be honest, so I am very fond of this benefit archery brings.
For those who consider themselves to be shy, this benefit should really light you up!
What Are Some Disadvantages of Archery?
As you might have guessed, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows, as you will see in a second. If you start doing any activity with no care whatsoever, there are consequences. I discussed these disadvantages in my article on the drawbacks of archery, so click here to check it out.
So here are some disadvantages of archery
The String Slap:
I can describe it to you, but let me show it to you first.
Looks painful, doesn’t it?
It’s the result of the bowstring hitting (or slapping) your forearm. It happens to beginners mostly. The main reason is poor form. Which can be easily fixed. If you correct your forearm or invest in some cheap guard your forearm will be left with zero bruises.
The next disadvantage?
Archers Elbow.
It’s basically when the tendons in your elbow get inflamed, due to repeated use.
Fact is, here as well form plays a role.
If you can’t maintain proper form, while drawing your bow then it’s very important to reduce the draw weight of the bow, until you can maintain proper form.
If needed it also helps to additionally strengthen your arm muscles to reduce the need for your elbow tendons to over-work themselves.
Again, if you maintain proper form and don’t over-exert yourself. You should be able to avoid it.
The Upfront cost:
So what does it cost to do archery? While you can get away by borrowing a bow and some arrow at a local range sooner or later you will have to invest in some gear.
A quick rundown on Amazon shows you can get a basic beginner archery set which includes a forearm protector (arm guard), a bow, and some arrows for between 50 and 75 dollars.
These beginners archery sets are perfect if you’re starting out.
Why is that?
Well, the actual bowstring on the bow is easy to pull back. This allows you to focus on the most important thing, maintaining proper form and of course aiming.
So, not a big investment in equipment that will last you a LONG time, if you use it right. It is a drawback but if you start enjoying archery, it is a small price to pay.
So, Where Do You Go To Start Practicing Archery?
You want to try out this archery you heard of. So how do you go about doing this?
Well, as you might imagine Google can help you out. Simply type in:
“archery range in (insert the name of your city)”
“Archery shops/stores in (insert the name of the city)”
You can click here if you’re from the US, insert your ZIP code and it will spit out for you the nearest archery club.
Doing this type of search should leave you with a good list of possible locations. So, if you are looking for a place to practice why did I suggest you type in a search for archery shops in your area?
It’s simple.
You can call them and simply tell them, you want to try out archery and what archery ranges would they recommend. It’s a safe bet the person working there does archery somewhere.
This means they can give you a tip on where you can go to start out as a beginner.
And as importantly they can tell you what to avoid. People love feeling like experts so if your ask their advice they will gladly help out.
This ties into one of the reasons I think you should do archery.
It helps to improve your social skills.
As you can see in this article archery is very popular, so there will never be a shortage of people you can communicate and hang out with.
In Conclusion
Here you saw my top reasons why you should do Archery. And a few things you should look out for.
In my opinion, it’s hard to find a more unique hobby to pass the time. It builds discipline, builds up your upper body muscles, and teaches you skills you can transfer to other areas of your life.
Like intentionally relaxing, ignoring distractions, and focusing on the task at hand.
Making a good shot. And having a good time.
To see if archery is fun then go to this article, where I share my opinion on that.
So if the question is, should you do archery? The answer is a resounding yes.
So this is it from my end. I hope you enjoyed this article and if you are curious about how archery shaped civilizations throughout history then click here.
Best of luck to you!