Perpendicular to the target, straddling the firing line, almost motionless and relaxed body position, the archer draws the bow, aims, relaxes and lets go. Historically legendary and today largely unknown, archery attracts a handful of fervent enthusiasts, including Philippe Xypolitas, who invites us to enter his world.
Si tell you Artemis, Cupid, Robin Hood, or Ulysse and Legolas in the saga The Lord of the Rings. What are you thinking about ? What do they have in common ?
They are all equipped with a bow, arrows and excellent in the field.
Archery, which got the better of the Achilles heel by the skillful hand of Paris, is an activity known to all but still little democratized.
However, in these days and the need for freedom, escape and the great outdoors, this is the ideal activity. It is not Philippe Xypolitas, president for 5 years of the Corsican association of the archers of Ajaccio who will say the opposite. Even less with the beautiful days which arrive.
« Archery isn’t just about having a bow in your hand and shooting arrows, it’s a far cry from that. It is above all a sporting activity in which we can be a competitor and whose driving force is well-being. », Indicates the president, also archer for 7 years.
Passionate, he likes to talk about this sport which is divided into several disciplines: indoors, on an English target, in the form of a course with the distances indicated or on foam animals. For this one, ” we have a course of 22 or 24 targets and different animals are represented in foam. We must send two arrows into a vital area at a totally unknown distance ».
Everyone can find their happiness there. Whether for fun or for competition. ” We have evolved in the infrastructure of the association to be able to train in the various competitions. We have a distance of 50 m for recurve bows, then for the youngest at 30 m and another at 60 m for the more advanced », Specifies Philippe.
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Anyone can get started
Young and old, people with disabilities, men, women: the sporting activity of archery is accessible to all. ” To the Following some physical problems, I was looking for a sporting activity that would allow me to forget my handicap. I thought to myself ‘why not archery?’ And I quickly got caught up in the game », Testifies the president of the association. All audiences, of course, but we must not forget that a bow is a weapon. Safety rules are therefore essential. ” As soon as the projectile is an arrow with a point, it is dangerous. I focus my archers a lot on safety. »
Generally, it is forbidden to shoot outside the firing point, it is necessary to check that there is no one there and not to bend an empty bow to avoid damaging the equipment. In short, avoid sudden gestures and have a calm and composed attitude.
Work your mind
Disregard the passing car, the neighbor who sneezes or the weather that is not necessarily good: when you practice archery, you have to work your mind. ” It has an influence: if you are disturbed, you have to take it upon yourself and it is difficult », Indicates Philippe, specifying that the secret to getting it right is above all the will, the work, the rigor of the training sessions as well as the repetition of the gestures.
Far from Sherwood forest, archery activity is gradually developing in Corsica with clubs popping up all over the region. The beautiful days are coming and it can be an opportunity to get started and try to extricate yourself from your sports routine.
What material?
To start archery, all you need is a bow, arrows, a quiver and protections. “The protections are important, we put one on the forearm to protect, because the rope can hit when released, especially for beginners. The second protection is at the rope hand to protect themselves. the fingers. When letting go, a friction solicits some nerves and this can create numbness at the fingertips “, says the president of the Corsican Association of Archers of Ajaccio stating that the club can provide all the equipment for newcomers, as long as they are initiated.
