Stockton Archers

Secretary: Alan Kay Tel: 01325 401202 or 07710 340718

The club is affiliated to the Grand National Archery Society and covers various disciplines of archery. Individual members enter local club competitions and can progress to national level if they choose and are successful. The club offers a six week training course for beginners at a cost of £15. This money is taken from the membership fees if the new member decides to join the club. The section meets every Tuesday evening from 6.00pm until 9.00pm

Introduction to Archery

Even before the beginning of the last millennium, the bow had already evolved into a weapon of war. Two vastly different bow types were emerging. The longbow was set to dominate in Europe and the composite Asian bow, would do likewise in the vast areas between China and Europe.

The longbow of medieval Europe was made from Yew. Bows found in the wreck of the Mary Rose were estimated to have draw weights of between 100 and 180 lbs. and confirmed the theory of some historians that archers of the time could shoot arrows up to 300 to 400 yards. The much shorter in length composite Asian bows, which are still in use today in Eastern Asia, are made from bone and sinew and are shot with amazing accuracy from horse -back. The longbow was first used in Britain by the Welsh and it was their skill and success that convinced the English to use the bow as the principle weapon. During the One Hundred years war the Longbow had a fearsome reputation and the French were frequently overwhelmed by the power of the English armies. English archers were were superbly drilled, being able to shoot up to ten arrows per minute. To maintain this dominance a law was passed that every man in England, including young boys, had to own a bow and practice every day. Even to this day it is still every man’s right to own a bow.

The Present Day

A wonderful array of bows are available to the modern day Archer. The traditional longbow is still used by many and is more often made up of a number of different woods. The modern Recurve, which owes its design to the Asian composite bow, is perhaps the most popular bow used by Target Archers. These are usually ‘take-down’ bows, being able to be dismantled to allow easy transport. The handle, or riser, can be made from magnesium or aluminium with the limbs being made from a composite of wood, glass fibre and sometimes carbon. These bows are fast, powerful and very accurate. The compound bow is an American invention and uses cam wheels to allow the archer to draw very heavy bows. There are also numerous other bows available such as American flat bows and shorter wooden recurve bows intended for field archery.

Archery is a sport for all. All abilities, all ages, for all of your life. It is enjoyed by families, disabled people and even people with impaired vision. If you are interested in taking up this challenging, skillfull, relaxing and friendly sport then contact Alan Kay.