Ivan (7) shot an excellent score and won the cubs section for boys.

Mush Nichols.

Henk du Plessis (right) was the referee at the water shoot, where archers shot at ½-litre water bottles. The winning archer is the one who hits the bottle with a good shot so that the water can run out.

Henk du Plessis with some of the many children that attended this year’s shoot at Sterkrivier, all enthusiastically shooting their traditional bows.

By Rean Steenkamp

Concentration is probably the most important component of traditional shooting, says Mush Nichols, recent winner of the traditional annual shoot held on Henk du Plessis’ farm at Sterkrivier. Many new archers attended this year’s shoot, which shows a defin ite growth in interest in the sport.

“Regular practise is equally important and many traditional archers do not practise enough,” he continues. “A longbow or recurve is not like a compound bow. You can’t leave it in the bow case and only take it out a few days before a competition or hunt. You must practise at least twice a week. Time is a problem for most people, but how long does it take to string your bow and shoot six shots?”

Mush has been shooting with a traditional bow for 15 years. He says it is important to participate in competitions. Mush lives at the coast but makes an effort every year to attend the shoot at Sterkrivier. He entered for the first time in 2003 and finished second. He achieved the same position last year. This year he clinched first place with an excellent score of no less than 982 points out of a possible 1120. That’s pretty good shooting in traditional terms.

“It’s important to shoot with the right equipment,” says Mush. “Most equipment is good for 3D-shooting, except when the arrow is grossly spined, but when it comes to hunting, you must make sure your setup is correct.”

Mush says you must also know the flight of the arrow. When competing in a competition, you must know whether your arrow will clear an obstacle or if it will miss an overhanging branch.

“The only way to know your arrow flight is to practise often.” Mush says his aim at a shoot is to have fun and not necessarily win. “If your only intention is to win, then you probably won’t anyway. It is important to be relaxed when competing and you can’t relax if you are stressed out about winning.”

Mush particularly enjoys watching young people’s enthusiasm for traditional archery and their enjoyment of the sport. During the most recent competition a young man in his group shot the longbow for the first time. The young archer only managed around 100 points on the first day, but after coaching from Mush and other experienced archers, the rookie managed to triple his score on the second day. “To me, that’s what makes shooting the traditional bow so exciting.”

Henk du Plessis, Mr Longbow of South Africa and winner of most previous Sterkrivier shoots, ended just behind Mush with 974 points. “Just shooting many arrows is no good”, he says. “Quality is better than quantity. You have to reflect on every arrow you’ve shot. It is best to shoot one arrow at a time.”

He adds that it is important to shoot a bow you can handle. “Being overbowed compromises your form, and form makes up 99 percent of archery technique. An archer only needs a threemetre distance to practise form, nullifying the excuse of having too little space in which to practise. When shooting at this distance you do not concentrate on the spot you are shooting at, but rather on your form.”

Henk won’t tell an archer how to stand when shooting, but recommends finding a comfortable stance and sticking to it. “Don’t chop and change all the time. However, your whole bodymust be relaxed when you shoot. The more you worry about hitting the spot, the less your chances are of doing so. But be positive about every shot. Don’t give up on it before you have tried. If you believe it will be a good shot it probably will be.”

“If you are a right-handed shooter, keep your left hand dead still until the arrow hits the target. The release hand must stay close to the face and not fly away after the release. The hand that pulls the arrow must do so in a straight line and the elbow should not go up or down. The arrow and the front arm must be in the same line and the elbow on the same level as the arrow. You must be on target two-thirds through the draw and before you anchor. The incline at which you are holding the bow may differ from that of another archer, although the incline should be just enough to get the eye in line with the arrow.”

“Shoot one arrow and think about the shot,” Henk continues. “If you shoot at one spot all the time your brain becomes bored. Rather shoot every arrow at another spot and change your shooting distance.

That way your brain learns how to better judge various distances. It’s not all about winning but enjoying the sport.” Henk often competes with a newly built bow he hasn’t yet used. This is not the route to success, however, since it is better to stick to one bow and one type of arrow of the same length.

“The arrow flight must be perfect. It’s either right or gone,” he says. “When a bow is tuned it’s forgiving, if it isn’t you cannot expect to shoot accurately with it.” Johan Smit, who won the recurve section and achieved the third highest score overall is a snap shooter. With his shooting style it is especially important to concentrate on a specific spot on the animal before and during the draw and release of the arrow. It is also important that your style is clinched and your release clean.

“This is important, whether you are a snap shooter or not,” he says. “Additionally, you have to shoot a bow you can manage. Many archers start off with bows that are too heavy for them. This is a big mistake. Practising regularly is very important, but do not shoot too many arrows in one go. Rather shoot more often than trying to do everything in one day, and don’t try to group six arrows.

Rather shoot three or fewer arrows per round. This gives your muscles a chance to keep up the pace. It’s no use shooting when you are tired, as this only encourages bad habits.”