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(More customer reviews)Book Review: Precision Archery
202 Pages, Edited and Written by
Steve Ruis and Claudia Stevenson
Retail Price $19.95 (US dollars)
Precision Archery is a new book brought to you by the folks who publish this magazine. The book is a collection of articles written by some of the foremost experts in archery today: Rick McKinney, Don Rabska, Larry Wise, M.J. Rogers, and several others. It is geared toward recurve and compound target archers who wish to raise their shooting abilities and increase their general archery knowledge. You will find chapters dealing with shot execution, physical conditioning, and advanced form for recurve and compound archery, as well as an inspirational chapter entitled "Embracing the Spirit of Archery."
When I first saw the cover an immediate alarm bell rang. It appeared to be yet one more book that was trying to be "everything to everybody." The phrases "target shooting, field competition, and bow hunting" seemed to imply that this book may be taking on too much. Anybody who claims be an expert on all these areas is probably a master of none. When I saw that it was, in fact, a collection of works by multiple authors it made more sense; each writer stays within his or her range of expertise.
Rick McKinney, one of the world's greatest Olympic-style archers, contributes a fine chapter called "Exploring Competition." In it, he lays out why competition may be good for you (if you're not doing it) and (if you are) how to better prepare for it. Don Rabska, one of the top technical gurus, writes on "Advanced Form for Recurve Archers." While I don't shoot recurve, I still found this to be one of the best chapters in the book. He starts with proper stance, and moves on to each component of an archer's form: bow hand, shoulder placement, and form execution. His final section is called "Connecting with the Target" and explains something I have personally found very mysterious. Why are my shots smooth and effortless close to the target but not further away? I found Rabska's answer to this phenomenon most enlightening.
Compound archers have their technical guru, too; namely Larry Wise. Larry details the steps in shot execution with many photographs. I found it curious that there was no photo showing the release hand anchoring on the jaw, given the importance of this. While there is no doubt that Larry's explanations are technically accurate, I didn't always find the information useful. For example, Larry defines back tension as ". . . the contraction of the dominant or drawing side rhomboid muscles, aided by the levator scapula muscle, which causes a micro sliding rotation of the scapula toward the spine." Right. I'll keep that in mind next time I'm at full draw. (I think not!)
Tuning recurve and compound bows are covered by Rabska and Ruis. If you have been around archery for long, this material may not be new for you, but it's still worthwhile to have for a reference. The chapter "Perfecting Practice" does cover some new ground. Relatively little has been written about this, which is puzzling to me. More efficient use of practice time will make far more difference in your tournament results than about anything else you can do. While the author makes a good start on this subject, I feel it still needs to be explored further. If you consider the volumes of material that have been written on training for other sports, material on training for archery seems nearly non-existent.
Other chapters include "Executing the Shot" by Ruis and Stevenson, "Tuning the Mind" by Lisa Franseen, "Achieving a Physical Edge" by Annette M. Musta, "Coaching and Being Coached" by M.J. Rogers, and many others (14 chapters total). I found the last chapter, "Embracing the Spirit of Archery" by Claudia Stevenson very inspirational. This chapter puts into words many of the feelings that have been at the back of my mind about archery for years. Stevenson attempts to answer the question: just why do we frustrate ourselves with archery? She cites the power of self knowledge that archery can teach us and the sense of community that archers develop as two of the reasons.
I found "Precision Archery" a very worthwhile addition of my archery library. It is well written, attractively bound, and has a nice reference in the back, listing sources for more information. One note of caution: if you are looking for material on bowhunting, this is not the book for you, even though the cover suggests otherwise. Actually, the phrase "bow hunting" was on the cover by mistake. The editors told me that book is strictly for target shooters, although I suspect bowhunters would learn a lot about shooting a bow from it. And while much of the material was not new to me, it is very convenient to have it located in a single source. I doubt that there is a single archer who will not learn something from this book. For example, much to my dismay, the recent elevation of my indoor scores may be due entirely to the "Hawthorne effect." What the heck is that, you ask? Well, you will just have to read the book to find out!
Precision Archery Table of Contents
Chapter 1. Exploring Competition
Rick McKinney
Chapter 2. Advanced Form for Recurve Archery
Don Rabska
Chapter 3. Developing Your Compound Archery Form
Larry Wise
Chapter 4. Executing the Shot
Steve Ruis, Claudia Stevenson
Chapter 5. Achieving a Physical Edge
Annette M. Musta
Chapter 6. Tuning the Mind
Lisa Franseen, PhD
Chapter 7. Tuning Recurve Bows and Arrows
Don Rabska
Chapter 8. Tuning Compound Bows and Arrows
Steve Ruis, Claudia Stevenson
Chapter 9. Coaching and Being Coached
M.J. Rogers
Chapter 10. Dealing With Difficulties
Steve Ruis, Claudia Stevenson
Chapter 11. The Joys of Arco Nudo
Ty Pelfrey
Chapter 12. Perfecting Practice
Steve Ruis, Claudia Stevenson
Chapter 13. Testing New Equipment
Steve Ruis, Claudia Stevenson
Chapter 14. Embracing the Spirit of Archery
Claudia Stevenson
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Attention, serious archers: If you're looking for the advanced techniques and strategies to help you refine your skills and thoroughly prepare for competition, Precision Archery can help you achieve your goals.
Relying on the expertise of some of the nation's top coaches and competitors such as Rick McKinney, Larry Wise, and M.J. Rogers as well as the publishers of Archery Focus magazine, this comprehensive book covers all aspects of competition for all disciplines within the sport. Whether you're a target archer, field archer, or bowhunter, you'll discover the subtleties of technique that will give you the competitive edge—and you'll learn how to tailor your approach to specific conditions and events.
Precision Archery covers advanced technique and form of recurve, compound, and barebow archery. It provides in-depth instruction to help you perfect your stance, align your body, engage the right muscles, and flawlessly execute every phase of a shot sequence, from predraw through release.
You'll also learn how to
-select and maintain equipment, with detailed advice on bow tuning and setup, arrow tuning, and testing new equipment;
-employ mental preparation, focus, and relaxation techniques to improve your consistency and accuracy;
-adjust your technique for various weather and terrain conditions; and
-use fitness training to condition your body in ways that will directly enhance your archery performance and skills.If you're ready to go beyond the basics of shooting and bow stringing to develop pinpoint accuracy, turn to Precision Archery for the edge you need.
