Ever since I watched Katniss Everdeen in the Hunger Games trilogy, I’ve wanted to try archery. You know that scene where she shoots her arrow through an apple out of the pig’s mouth? Turns out that’s not as easy as it looks…
I joined forces with LovePopUpsLondon and headed to Archery Fit where we were invited to review their class.
What is Archery Fit?
Archery Fit is a family run indoor archery club in London, located a 5 minute walk from Deptford Bridge DLR Station, near Greenwich. They are open 7 days a week and have two separate archery ranges; both 18m long (the standard distance for indoor world championships) and both extendable to 30m (the standard indoor archery length), so you can play at the level you are comfortable with. Their goal is to deliver the best archery experience in London.
Archery is one of those sports which when played properly, can help you boost your body’s strength. Aside from being a fun activity, it is also a great sport when looking to improve your cardio and stretching.
The Experience
Upon arrival, I was greeted by 9 friendly blogger strangers who like me, had come to review the event. It was nice to meet likeminded people with the same hobby as myself.
The venue is pretty cool and is split into two halves; the reception/chill out area, (which has beanbags and coffee machines to relax in whilst getting your archery briefing) and the arena; where the actual shooting takes place.
Sitting amongst the beanbags, we were introduced to Alice. She taught us about the different types of bow and the pros and cons of using each one. For example, the Traditional Long Bow was designed for those on foot, whereas the Recurve Bow is small and curved; more appropriate for those on horseback. We were also shown a Crossbow, a Compound Bow, and the bow used in the Olympics (which is the one we used).
Once we were briefed, we made our way into the arena and were each given our own personal bow to use for the evening. Our tutor for the session was Kristina, who is one of the club’s top instructors. A long standing barebow archer, Kristina is the 2 time winner of Archery Fit championships in Pro groups (men & women together). She is also a history fan, working on her postgraduate dissertation “Revival of Archery Practice in the 18th Century Britain”, making her the smartest person on archery history in the club!
She taught us everything, from how to stand, where to aim, to the placement of our hand on our cheek, when we pull back our shooting arm. We were each provided with 4 arrows, which we continued to shoot for a few rounds in order to help us practise for the competition later on in the evening. By tracking where our arrows hit, we could adjust our position and aim for a more accurate shot each time. I managed to hit the board every time which was good, although it was difficult hitting the gold centre rings. For one of the rounds, they attached balloons on to the target, and after 7 shots, I eventually managed to pop mine (yeyy).
Finally, it was time for the competition. Each of the rings within the target are valued differently, where the innermost circle, or bullseye, is 10 points, and the scores decrease by 1 the further out you go. After firing our arrows for the last time, our scores were added up and the results were revealed. I came in 4th place out of 10, which I was pretty happy about! 🙂
Overall, this is a great activity for those who love trying something new and are interested in learning an extreme sport. The teachers are extremely knowledgeable and helpful, and offer training courses if you decide you would like to be certified.
For more info on Archery, their classes, and how to book, see website: Archery Fit
Disclaimer
* I received a complimentary ticket to review this experience