#176
Post
by AndyF » Tue Nov 05, 2013 12:05 pm
This rules stuff at Trad' shoots seems to be a right old can of worms eh?
For me, the shoots at the likes of Wiseman's and HVTA etc etc are all about fun, first and foremost. That said, as anyone who knows me will testify, I love the competitive side too.
The problem with 'Trad' rules is basically that, unlike our friends shooting freestyle recurve and compounds, there's virtually no standardisation in our equipment. If you think about it, unless you're shooting a Hoyt Buffalo or similar, or perhaps even a Bear Montana, Tomahawk, Great Plains, Martin longbow, then the rest of us are shooting something that amounts to 'home-made' equipment. Never mind the longbow, English longbow, horsebow, Mongolian, Turkish, Korean variants on a theme - and let's chuck Kyudo gear in there for good measure (would love to see someone do The Challenge course with one of those).
So, let's face it, unless there are specific divisions for modern longbow with R/D, flat bows, laminated with no glass flatbows, laminated english longbows, english longbows (self bows), English warbows, sort of flatbow selfbows, horn, sinew and fish glue horsebows, modern horsebows with glass...you get the idea, then there will never be like shooting exactly against like in the more specialised areas of our wonderful sport/pastime. For a start, can you imagine how long the awards bit would go? "First (and only competitor), Girls Cubs, Horn and Sinew Mongolian with thumb ring...etc".
Yes, I think there should be one or two categories for say horsebows, selfbows or primitive etc. But from what I've seen most people shooting those are doing it for 'fun'. If you really want to pick up a certificate for being the only person shooting a home made pvc pipe bow (not exactly 'Trad anyway), then you're probably shooting for the wrong reason - in my opinion.
My point is, if you really want to 'compete' at Trad shoots, shoot in a competitive division such as wooden recurves and modern longbows. Be a small fish in a big pond. You'll have lots of good competition and if you do well you'll probably deserve a bit of paper at the end. End of story. (Funnily enough, I've noticed that when the top shots from these bigger divisions decide to shoot selfbows etc i.e. Guy Layton, Howard O' etc, guess what? They usually win. Because they're good archers.)
Arrow rules at Trad shoots should be easy. Woods with feathers, or bamboo if you must. (Why do people keep buying 200 **** bamboo shafts from China, shoot them for about two months, realise they're ****, then go back to proper woods? Stop wasting your money!)
I'm happy to go with the various longbow rules from IFAA, FITA, AA etc and shoot my 'fast but twitchy' R/D locator grip longbows against Nick Lintern's 'forgiving' straight-handled flatbows and Big Kev's take down Black Widow (shot with a bow sling). The slight variances in our gear will never be as important as having arrows that are well-matched to your bow and doing the hard yards getting your technique sorted.
Enough of my waffling. Champagne and my Melbourne Cup lunch beckons.
A