London 2012

[Torch Flame]

Im thinking of choosing archery for my Olympic event for London 2012. My friends dad is in the army and says it will be easier to learn then sport shooting which also appeals to me. Do you think this is true or is he winding me up?

[archerybob]

i think your...........AN IDIOT

[Nathan]

yer.. umm how old are you

[Ja]

ignore him. Archery is a LOT harder then what it seems depends how committed and dedicated you are, id say sport shooting would be easier to learn.

[Nathan]

i dont mean any disrespect but what are you talking about. You are gonna start training now to be in the olymipcs?

[Sandy Hancock]

Im thinking of choosing archery for my Olympic event for London 2012. My friends dad is in the army and says it will be easier to learn then sport shooting which also appeals to me. Do you think this is true or is he winding me up?

The latter. He probably thinks you are very foolish
What do you think it takes to make an Olympic team? In any sport....
When you wake up tell us about the rest of the dream.

[Quackor]

Wow you guys sure are supportive o_O
I think archery is way more difficult than sport shooting, but also more fun ;) Whichever you choose, good luck, you will need to work really hard to make it to London.

[Cartz]

You know, he could be from one of those pacific islands... Entry to the Olympics may seem easier then....

[New Tricks]

Rock on torch. If you think you will enjoy the sport then give it a crack. There is no reason that with the right attitude and a whole lot of practice you can't be there.

[Betty-Anne]

An australian that I know qualified for selection for an Olympic team when they had been shooting for 13 months so one could imagine that five or six years may well be enough time. But I'm not sure that one should start with the plan to be in the olympics.

[Dr Fire]

You know, he could be from one of those pacific islands... Entry to the Olympics may seem easier then....


i Agree with this but in that case he will have to qualify to go to the olympics.
i think that it's not impossible, but just training is not enough you will have to love this sport to get to an olympic level, without passion i think that is barely impossible, consider that you will have to spend most of your spare time shooting and training if you dont enjoy what you are doing you will quit soon as you see how hard archery really is.
And another thing is... anyone knows wich is the average time that takes an archer to reach at least 1200pts? (wich is not competitive) and 1300!! you will have to work really hard and with a good coach! but good luck! i think it is worth to try!

[New Tricks]

It is all about wanting it. You have to have a goal to be able to achieve it. Too many pretenders with no heart around these parts. Get amongst it I say.

[rabbitz]

Although slightly off-topic, As one who once had dreams of Olympic glory in prone rifle, it is obvious that those who claim "archery is way more difficult than sport shooting" have obviously never shot any of the Olympic rifle disiplines.

I have shot both competitive rifle and (some would say uncompetitive) archery and I believe that each is very difficult and each has it's own challenges. The mental game is very similar.

To dimiss rifle shooting as easier is a joke... As an example, at 50m in Prone Rifle the difference between a 10 & a 9 is a sight alignment of around 0.0016mm. Another example is in Standing Air Rifle the 10m target has a 0.5mm 10 ring, which is measured to 10ths of that for finals count back.

As for chosing between Archery & Rifle I would have to say that you need to find which one you have an aptitude and hunger for, they are both physically different and given that hunderds of hours a month need to be dedicated, you better choose the one you like more.....

FWIW
Rabz

[The One]

Any sport will be hard to get to the Olympics in - you will always have to compete against the best in the world. With different sports it's not equitible to compare them by saying how 'difficult' one is.

[Jay.G]

sounds alot like recurve and compound ;)

[Torch Flame]

Thanks for the advice. I am 17 and I have decided to try archery AND sport shooting to see which one I like the best. I have 5 years to become world class which is loads of time to get really good. I am confident I can win a medal for Great Britain but anything less then a silver would be an absolute disaster.

My timetable is that it will take two years to learn everything about archery or sport shooting then another two years to become one of the best in the country. The fifth year to become world class and qualify for London 2012!

My PE teacher told me to write down my attributes for target sports. I wrote that I have perfect 20 20 vision and that I am very tall and strong for my age. He says that with dedication and these attributes I will beat all the other boys in my age group and be competing against the men within a few months.

[enseth]

We will watch your progress with interest.

[Archangel]

I have 5 years to become world class which is loads of time to get really good.
It's not loads of time, it's pretty much the bare minimum. I wouldn't want to put anyone off the idea of aiming for a competition like that, but you've _seriously_ got your work cut out for you. Good luck, you're going to need it.

[lewkowski]

My timetable is that it will take two years to learn everything about archery or sport shooting then another two years to become one of the best in the country. The fifth year to become world class and qualify for London 2012!


I say go for it. I had the same vision while watching the Athens Olympics in 2004 and I will still try to get to Beijing 2008, so thats a 4 year Olympic plan, even if I don't make it at least I have tried.

So I went to my local archery club in October 2004 and started shooting. I am now ranked top 9 in Australia for Target and this is with shooting below average arrows (Cartel Triples). My highest Mens FITA score is 1253 and this is with less than 2 years in the sport. I have just built my new X10 arrows and am hoping for good results to come.

My advice to you is to be very careful who you listen to. This sport is full of so called 'Experts', if you can sort through the rubbish you may just find the treasured information you need. You also need good clear goals and a lot of dedication and physical effort. I have also found that once you gain the skill level and physical level you need for Archery it very much becomes a mental game. You need to have the correct focus and right attitude to succeed (which some of the people replying to this thread obviously don't have :-))

I would say that 6 years is more than enough time for a right minded potential Olympian to get there. Good Luck and don't let the negative comments get you down.

[New Tricks]

I say the time frame is more than enough. I actual fact, I believe it is 3 years more than enough.

As another War Story, I picked a bow up mid last year and nearly 12 months to the day came 5th at the World Field Champs. 1 year. That is all. To be fair, I did shoot in my youth over 10 years ago but began shooting with a completely different style and vastly different equipment to the point that I had to learn everything from scratch including, form, aiming, equipment selection, bow fitness and muscle memory.

What I did still have with me was an attitude that I got from other sport. That attitude is along the lines of 'Don't be a soft Cock'. What I mean by that is you will not succeed if you are not prepared to change, adapt and learn.

Often in the sport of archery, people seem to have a sort of attachment to bows and companies and style. They will usually ask for help but refuse to listen. I personally went to the 4 most knowledgable archers I knew and asked them what equipment I should shoot, how should I set it up and what information sources are out there. I was constantly looking at these information sources (web sites actually) for tricks and hints to get me bigger scores. If something worked, I stuck with it, if not, I dropped it ASAP. The best resource I have found is photos. Look at all the top shooters and see what they are doing the same. There will be a basic core of form and equipment. Do what they do in common and buy what they commonly use.

As lewkowski touched upon above, there are many 'experts' who will tell you absolute rubbish information. The trick is to be able to know who to trust and who not to. This comes back to my advice about studying the top shooters. You will see that some 'traditional' thinking about things is often worthless if you cannot consistently apply it and this is where your natural feel has to come in.

What I have discussed so far is probably about 5% of your archery as you can achieve all of that in a few weeks. As we are talking about a number of years of shooting for you, the rest is right between your ears. You need to get that right. Simulation of real world shooting environments, sounds, people, duration and volume are essential.

I personally came unstuck with this one in our State event this year as I ended up tied for first and had to have a shoot off with another bloke. We had about 50 people crowded around us as we shot off. I have never practiced this type of shooting and needless to say, I choked (nerves) and lost in the third tie breaker. The winner was a guy who shoots a type of archery where they have a shoot off scenario every week nearly exactly like the one we had to shoot.

I could crap on for hours about this stuff but as long as you learn and adapt you will do well. Plus, 'Don't be a soft cock'.

[Eberbachl]

I think 5 years is ample time for the right individual given the requisite amount of hard work and dedication to the sport, along with good coaching, etc...

I've seen people involved in the sport for far less than five years show extremely good potential, and display outstanding results.

Go for it, and best of luck.

;)

[NOCK HUNTER]

I agree with Luke, but you will need a good coach to reach your full potential
and final goals.

Good Luck :smile:

[Mervwho]

Im thinking of choosing archery for my Olympic event for London 2012. My friends dad is in the army and says it will be easier to learn then sport shooting which also appeals to me. Do you think this is true or is he winding me up?

If this is your dream and you are totally committed to this, then go for it and do your utmost to achieve it. Listen to the advice offered by the more knowledgable ones on this forum and take in what they say.
Good luck

[2Dogs]

Go for it!.

Do it while your young and have people to support you.

Get's way harder later in life when you have to earn your keep.

[alexvpaq]

Once I express that idea of being a great archer one day and all i got was haha go get a life !
and i got really angry about that and I thought I just have to show them that i can get good score with that ****ty PSE Optima, and I worked a lot on m technique and all that stuff and I am now the best male recurver in town gosh and after that everyone are like ahah it's a joke isn't it? No one can believe it because i once had been the baddest shooter in town... and no what? I'll never stop increasing my score because I am tired to be the ''last one'' I wan't to achieve greater and greater score!

[Brocky]

This is hard, but I agree with with 2dogs ;) the older you are the more knockers you will get.

[SBR]

Its very possible to do, I believe Gena Davis made the Olympic Trials in just over a year

[Torch Flame]

Thanks for the advice. I think I will need a coach if I am to become World Class as soon as possible. Who is the best coach? I want a sponsor to sponsor me and pay my expenses. I was thinking of asking Strongbow but I suppose everybody asks them and they get really sick of it. Im only 17 so itmight be illegal anyway as I cant drink in the pubs yet. I look a little bit like Tiger Woods so I will ask Nike if they want me as well. How much do you think they would pay for a tattoo on my arm because thats much better then a hat or Tshirt? I think

[StevenB]

Guus Hidink is a very good coach, has to be one of the best

[CMB50]

[QUOTE=Torch Flame] I look a little bit like Tiger Woods so I will ask Nike if they want me as well. How much do you think they would pay for a tattoo on my arm because thats much better then a hat or Tshirt? I think

[New Tricks]

Don't forget Kleenex CMB50. Lucky you get them free.



p.s. Hah. IP matching please on this dude.

[Stace]

p.s. Hah. IP matching please on this dude.

What? You're suggesting it's a wind up

[starts crying after putting mortgage on him to win olympic gold]

[recurve boy]

[QUOTE=Torch Flame]Thanks for the advice. I think I will need a coach if I am to become World Class as soon as possible. Who is the best coach? I want a sponsor to sponsor me and pay my expenses. I was thinking of asking Strongbow but I suppose everybody asks them and they get really sick of it. Im only 17 so itmight be illegal anyway as I cant drink in the pubs yet. I look a little bit like Tiger Woods so I will ask Nike if they want me as well. How much do you think they would pay for a tattoo on my arm because thats much better then a hat or Tshirt? I think

[Mike13]

[QUOTE=Torch Flame]Thanks for the advice. I think I will need a coach if I am to become World Class as soon as possible. Who is the best coach? I want a sponsor to sponsor me and pay my expenses. I was thinking of asking Strongbow but I suppose everybody asks them and they get really sick of it. Im only 17 so itmight be illegal anyway as I cant drink in the pubs yet. I look a little bit like Tiger Woods so I will ask Nike if they want me as well. How much do you think they would pay for a tattoo on my arm because thats much better then a hat or Tshirt? I think

[Jay.G]

I really don't think the sponsors would sponsor you just because you said 'I want to become a world class champion, now pay my expenses to get there'

you've got to show that you can be in the olympics before they sponsor you because i mean if they pay you all this money and you can't do anything, then everything goes down the drain for them. Now im not been very harsh here, you can say 'well i know i can do it' but your potential-sponsors don't know that and everything they invest in you must have a gain so if they think this might gain nothing, they ain't gona do nothing.

:rofl:

[Jay.G]

im really not sure if this guy is serious or sacarstic or extremely optimistic.

[gt]

I believe Gena Davis made the Olympic Trials in just over a year


Big misconception. Geena trained for four years including lessons four times/week and shooting 6 days/week ~200 arrows/day and while she did make it to the (open) 2000 US Olympic Trials, she finished something like 20th in a nation with a very weak women's recurve roster (at the time).

And, Geena is what I would call a talented archer, she dropped a 116 12 arrow pass on me more than once when we would occasionally practice together in Los Angeles.

[Eberbachl]

[QUOTE=Torch Flame]Thanks for the advice. I think I will need a coach if I am to become World Class as soon as possible. Who is the best coach? I want a sponsor to sponsor me and pay my expenses. I was thinking of asking Strongbow but I suppose everybody asks them and they get really sick of it. Im only 17 so itmight be illegal anyway as I cant drink in the pubs yet. I look a little bit like Tiger Woods so I will ask Nike if they want me as well. How much do you think they would pay for a tattoo on my arm because thats much better then a hat or Tshirt? I think

[Eberbachl]

p.s. Hah. IP matching please on this dude.

It would seem that our Torch Friend is the only user posting from his current IP address at this time.

[2Dogs]

Shall we Tourch the Flame? :D

[Betty-Anne]

If Torch Flame isn't already on drugs, maybe he should be!

[Jay.G]

:rofl:

[Flame]

Shall we Tourch the Flame? :D


:fist: :-D

[2Dogs]

Did I say "Smokey Fire"...... No!

Hence not referring to you ;)

[New Tricks]

So anyway, I look forward to competing against this dude in 2012. Betty and 2knobs, you gunna carry my gear for me?

[Brocky]

:rofl: 2 dogs will still get knocked because of his age and the way he carries his hand bag opps bags.

[Jason]

im really not sure if this guy is serious or sacarstic or extremely optimistic.

Dont worry your not the only one...

[Jay.G]

I'm voting troll...

I second that.

[alexvpaq]

20000 Euro For nothing! Duh that is stupid XD

so did you start shooting? at least LOOOOOL
Guyz c'mon 20000 euro for nothing
if you get those, i should be able to get aroune what 40000? LOL hey i ain't the best but i know it is just impossible for a nowhere guy that no one knows about that will get for no real reason 20000 Euro XD just because he tell : Heyy man one day, I'll be an olympian... C'mon that's crap LOOOOL
stop making me laugh LoL

[Archangel]

For those of us that aren't totally au fait with such things, what exactly does LOOOOOL stand for?

[2Dogs]

2 dogs will still get knocked because of his age and the way he carries his hand bag opps bags.

Hey Bitch :D..... I'd make a dam sight prettier Caddier then you ever will :cool:

[Mervwho]

Talk about getting sucked in...... always good for a laugh, and don't you just love the sincerity of this '"innocent 17 year old". I think this one would be better off in Light Relief!!!!

[Torch Flame]

Im having my first beginners session at Derwynd Field Archery Club on Saturday. I cant wait!

[alexvpaq]

For those of us that aren't totally au fait with such things, what exactly does LOOOOOL stand for?

Lot Of Laugh
but really extended :)

and good luck for your first session!

[The One]

lots of of of of of laughs...

[Archangel]

Oh right - I always thought it was Laugh Out Loud, so Laugh Out Out Out Out Out Loud didn't really make much sense. I feel enlightened now :roll:

[alexvpaq]

Oh c'mon just push i could have said OOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMGGGGGGGGG
just to extend ... oooooooooooooooooooo myyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy goooooooooooooood

sorry :(

[Archangel]

sorry :(
You are forgiven.

[Buzzlightyear]

Hey Bitch :D..... I'd make a dam sight prettier Caddier then you ever will :cool:

Sure in your pink leotards and trike!! LOL - If you define prettier as comparing having not to see his hairy legs with Bingo Flaps vs his pink tards....ROFL.

I'll sponsor this 17 yo a slab of Castlemaine XXXX! Helps clear the cobwebs...

[Brocky]

:rofl: on both accounts.

[Eberbachl]

I'll sponsor this 17 yo a slab of Castlemaine XXXX! Helps clear the cobwebs...

Sponsoring someone a slab of XXXX?

The poor bastard!

:rofl:

[Torch Flame]

Sponsoring someone a slab of XXXX?

The poor bastard!

:rofl:

Castlemain is alcohol like Strongbow so I dont think you can sponsor me. I cant have a drink in a pub until Im 18. Could I just have the money?

I couldnt shoot at Derwynd Archery today because they are shooting in Kendal tomorrow instead. Barry said I would have to train at Preston first and then I could have a go at shooting his animal simulations in the woods! I really want to shoot an elephant but thats probably too easy.

[Eberbachl]

Castlemain is alcohol like Strongbow so I dont think you can sponsor me. I cant have a drink in a pub until Im 18. Could I just have the money?

I couldnt shoot at Derwynd Archery today because they are shooting in Kendal tomorrow instead. Barry said I would have to train at Preston first and then I could have a go at shooting his animal simulations in the woods! I really want to shoot an elephant but thats probably too easy.

You sir, are a classic!

:rofl:

[hoyt for life 2]

Castlemain is alcohol like Strongbow so I dont think you can sponsor me. I cant have a drink in a pub until Im 18. Could I just have the money?

I couldnt shoot at Derwynd Archery today because they are shooting in Kendal tomorrow instead. Barry said I would have to train at Preston first and then I could have a go at shooting his animal simulations in the woods! I really want to shoot an elephant but thats probably too easy.
torch flame I bet you $20 you wont have a higher world ranking than me in 5 years. It shouldnt be hard concidering I shoot 1 offical matchplay a year.

[JamesW]

At your age I wish you the very best of luck, heck my kids say "Oh dad why are you going off to play silly bows and arrows"

Moral of the story, don't have kids :)

[alexvpaq]

At your age I wish you the very best of luck, heck my kids say "Oh dad why are you going off to play silly bows and arrows"

Moral of the story, don't have kids :)
LOL !
Those kids needs some discipline :P

[alexvpaq]

Hey so finally what happened with torch flame? he's missing me... he was so full of hope... :rolleyes:

[Hannah]

Hey so finally what happened with torch flame? he's missing me... he was so full of hope... :rolleyes:

My guess is he got sick of all the cynical negative nancies around here :rofl:

[Betty-Anne]

No he's gone to get a sponsor to help him secure the best equipment and coaches possible, and will train in secret for the next 6 years and turn up at London in 2012 and win with a world record! Oh ye all of little faith in the lad.

[burt666]

Mind you he was entertaining... i kindda miss him...

[machinegunjones]

when you become a grand master and win all sorts of Olympic medals, have a clicker, boxer shorts and 3rd world children named in your honour, reckon you can gimme some pointers on self promotion and tips on being awesome?

A pair of signed (unused) boxers would be extra sweet too!


Castlemain is alcohol like Strongbow so I dont think you can sponsor me. I cant have a drink in a pub until Im 18. Could I just have the money?

I couldnt shoot at Derwynd Archery today because they are shooting in Kendal tomorrow instead. Barry said I would have to train at Preston first and then I could have a go at shooting his animal simulations in the woods! I really want to shoot an elephant but thats probably too easy.

[Hannah]

This sounds like a perfect place to quote "I'm sorry I can't hear you over the sound of my own awesomeness"...

[alexvpaq]

This sounds like a perfect place to quote "I'm sorry I can't hear you over the sound of my own awesomeness"... ahah this is going to be in my signature :D