We are kicking off our "Summer School" series with a lesson in archery. It’s a sport that gets a lot of practice at this time of year, since learning to shoot a bow and arrow is a staple of summer camp programming.
Melinda Laben of Hubbardton teaches archery classes at the Middlebury Recreation Department and she’s here to provide some tips for shooting a bow.
1. Get your equipment: "I use recurve bows, because they are very basic," Laben explains. "You don’t need much knowledge to start with one."
2. Assume the proper stance: “Stand with your feet pointing to the side, with your left arm toward the target,” Laben says. After that, “extend your left arm out toward the target."
3. Load your arrow into the bow.
4. Safety check: "Make sure there’s no one standing in front of you."
5. "You’re going to extend your arm out toward the target," Laben instructs. "You’re going to grab your string with three fingers – just the tip. One finger above the arrow and one finger below."
6. Pull back: "And then you pull back, all the way to the corner of your mouth. Plant your hand against the side of your face."
7. "Let those fingers loose," and send the arrow on its way.
Ideally the eighth step would be hitting the desired target, but Laben concludes her archery lesson with a positive reminder. "You don’t have to be hitting the bullseye every time to be successful at it," she assures.
