Coaching Corner

So you have finished your Beginners Course and have come to the stage that you have acquired your own equipment, where do you go from here?

Unfortunately, most clubs in Australia experience a lack of coaches, operating at club level, which have advanced and high performance coaching knowledge. Sadly, this situation has plagued Australian archery now for a very long time with no real answer in sight

As such, new members wishing to advance their skills have to seek information and shooting tips from other, more experienced club members and/or internet sources. Even though this information is readily available and is only for the asking, it might not necessarily be up to date and technically accurate, but as you might say, better something than nothing. There is a lot of conflicting information, even between individual more experienced archers and as such a standardized approach is needed.

Obviously, we do not all wish to become world elite archers, proficient enough to go to the Olympics or World Championships, but there are technical basics in archery that do apply to all archers recurve and compound alike. Using the correct technique will not only add to your enjoyment of archery, but more importantly, will prevent injuries as well, especially shoulder injuries.

So what are the acceptable basics techniques that should be applied by all archers, beginners and experienced alike? The techniques I am going to share with you are proven techniques, which have been developed by one of the most experienced and talented archery coaches in the world, Coach Kisik Lee. His archers have won some 15 Olympic medals and an additional tally of some 30 medals in FITA World Championships. Of course, there are always distracters, but at the end of the day the proof is in the pudding.

So how can we assist you in becoming a more accomplished archer?

Well, help is near. As there was a large vacuum in the coaching area, archers were "screaming out" for information. As I had been working very closely with Coach Lee since 1998, we got together in 2003 to write the book Total Archery, which we published in 2005. This book proved to be a world archery best seller and has been translated in some six other languages and has become the coaching manual for a number of countries. As a result I have designed, developed and run the website www.kslinternationalarchery.com, of which parts have been translated into 17 other languages. All the information for you to become a better archer, be it at club, national or international level is there at your finger tips

As a start I would suggest you visit the Technical Section and specifically the KSL Shot Cycle, which will provide you with the 12 basic steps in technique.

As you browse the site you will find many technical articles, including breathing techniques, slow motion videos, photo sequence gallery showing all steps in detail, angular movement, how to Focus, Sport Psychology, Physical Training exercises plus some sixty FAQ which have been answered in detail. The rest of the website contains a wealth of other archery information to assist you in becoming a better archer and through becoming a better archer providing you with greater satisfaction and enjoyment in your chosen sport.

Robert de Bondt
AA Regional Coach KSL High Performance Coach