Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 184 i Bow International

Welcome to 2025 and Issue 184. In this first issue of the year, we hope you will find much to inspire you, this indoor season and beyond. We bring you an exciting update on the legendary Coach Kim; we present our top gear picks from the annual ATA archery show in the US, the biggest trade show in the world, that never disappoints when it comes to market innovations. Sophie Meering teaches you how to set meaningful goals like a Pro. Duncan Busby continues the theme of counterfeits with an interesting piece on big-brand efforts to fight back, backed up by some invaluable bits of advice when buying equipment to avoid disappointment. Lucy O’Sullivan debunks some archery training myths, and Felicity May presents her pick of inspirational matches from this…

On Sunday 19 January, GB’s Penny Healey captured gold at the fourth Indoor Archery World Series event in Nimes, France, securing her space in the Finals set to take place in the middle of the World-famous Vegas Shoot in Las Vegas, on March 8. The 19-year-old Olympian, who represented GB in Paris earlier this Summer, produced a very mature performance against her finals opponent, Italy’s Lucilla Boari (27), an archery veteran and an individual Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist. Penny and Lucilla matched each other early on, but Penny dug deep and continued with great consistency, shooting twelve perfect arrows to surmount the podium. “Mind blown right now”, commented Healey to WA. Congratulations, Penny and the best of luck in Vegas! Penny had previously won the Indoor Finals in 2022, and…

Lim Sihyeon (21), Paris 2024 triple gold medallist, won a prestigious MBN Women’s Sports Award for second year running. The 13th instalment of the MBN awards was held at the Grand Ballroom of Ambassador Seoul’s Pullman Hotel on Dec. 4; Lim is the first sports person to win the award consecutively. She received a grand prize of 10 million won (app. £5,500) and a commemorative plaque. “I’m so honoured to be able to win the Grand Prize consecutively following 2023. Thank you for giving me a big award. It’s my second year as a national team member, and I think it’s a start and I’ll try to show better performances in the future”, said Lim, the world ranked number one and student at the Korean National Sports University, in her…

The Coach Kim Hyung Tak Archery School in Goesan-gun, central South Korean province, opened its doors to the public on August 24th, 2004. Since then, if not all, then most Korean Olympic and compound champions have set foot on the School premises at one time or another. In fact, it’s hard to think of an elite archer, a champion, or a national team that has not visited Kim Hyung Tak, aka “Coach Kim”. From the Dutch compound legend Mike Schloesser (Mr Perfect) to the Brazilian recurve star Marcus D’Almeida, India’s veteran Deepika Kumari, and the up-and-coming new blood, the USA’s Casey Kaufhold, many have sought the sharp eye and simple, solution-oriented instruction of the legendary Coach Kim. This year the School doors will be shut for good. What’s next for…

“ Genuine companies invest in their products, care about customer safety and will never be evasive…” Everyone loves a bargain, especially when it comes to high-end items, and as the cost-of-living crisis deepens a lot of archers are looking for ways to afford new kit without spending big bucks. It’s understandable that some of us may be drawn towards online deals offering massive discounts on premium brands, but it’s worth remembering that if it looks too good to be true, it probably is. WHY WE PAY MORE FOR GENUINE ITEMS Counterfeiting has become a major problem in every industry; the rise of online selling platforms in particular has fuelled a rapid increase in the sale of fake merchandise around the world, which according to a report has reached the value…

MERLIN ARCHERY ANNOUNCES LONDON BRANCH AND COLLABORATION WITH ARCHERY FIT IN GREENWICH London archers – rejoice! A long-awaited and much-needed archery shop is set to open in Central London in 2025. The location has been confirmed – Archery Fit in Greenwich. Archery Fit will celebrate its 10th anniversary this April, whilst Merlin celebrates its 50th. Dubbed by many as “the best indoor club in the UK”, Archery Fit has gone from strength to strength and has opened its doors almost every single day of the year in the last decade, running classes for beginners and intermediates every single day. A great business model worthy of emulating if one aims to popularise archery. Take notes. Merlin Archery have been branching out for some time now from their head office shop and…

Legendary Armless Archer, Matt Stutzman, announced his retirement following an amazing 14-year career. Now forty-two, Matt was born without arms and uses his legs and feet for most activities; he was the first armless archer to really push the boundaries of what is possible in archery. The armless archer represented Team USA at the Paralympics in 2012, 2016, 2020, and 2024, winning a silver medal in London in 2012 and a gold medal in Paris in 2024. The inspirational “badass” of the sport has announced his next challenge – attempting to fulfil his childhood dream of becoming a professional race car driver! “Now is time to chase those dreams”, said Matt on social media. Originally from Kansas, and a father of three, Matt shows no signs of stopping. We wish…

WOMEN’S BAREBOW FINALS SATURDAY, JANUARY 25TH The Barebow Finals is one of the most anticipated events in the Classic’s programme. Spectators love it for its unpredictability in the form of its sudden-death-round-style podium shoot-offs. In the Classic’s unique format, X10 counts as 11 points, and an additional 12 ring can be claimed once per end. The Finals were set with four ladies and eight gentlemen. There were many upsets. The power couple and crowd favourites, Lina Björklund and Erik Jonsson, didn’t make the final cut - only one Swede, Fredrik Lundmark, did. It was the first Classic for Erik, and three-time Classic and back-to-back ladies barebow champion Lina was in the coach box to support him. He qualified 4th and exited the game in the 5th spot. The ladies match-up…

The world’s biggest archery show, the annual Archery Trade Association (ATA) Show, took place in Indianapolis, Indiana USA, between January 8 and 10. It is a place and time for new product releases and a meeting place for like-minded people. Though much of the convention is aimed at the compound archer and targets the bowhunting community, there is much that can come in useful to any other archer, 3D and Field in particular. Furthermore, many of the market innovations can serve as inspiration for any archer who wishes to expand their horizons. As in the case of last year’s show in St Louis, where we had to delay our return flights due to extreme winter weather, this one has also been beset by unfavourable travel conditions. This time Bow was…

SWISS OPEN – LAUSANNE – RECURVE WOMEN BRONZE MEDAL MATCH REENA PÄRNAT (EST; 31 Y.O.) VS CHIARA REBAGLIATI (ITA; 28 Y.O.) The first event on the World Archery Indoor World Series roster started at the home of World Archery, at the World Archery Excellence Centre in Lausanne, Switzerland (see summary in issue 183 of Bow). For finals of World Archery indoor events, the ‘Vegas’ triangle WA18 faces are now used, because they look better on television. It can sometimes throw archers off going from a vertical WA18 face to the pyramidal ‘Vegas’ face, whilst some find it advantageous. In the women’s recurve, three out of the four finalists were Olympians. The three-time Estonian Olympian and third seed Reena Pärnat took bronze, putting on a superb display; shooting against the fifth…

When it comes to any kind of physical training there are always myths. Some are from outdated ideas, while others are from misunderstanding. So let’s tackle some of the most common ones today. 01 YOU NEED TO HAVE FLEXIBLE JOINTS TO BE GOOD AT ARCHERY. TRUE OR FALSE? False: While flexibility aids movement, excessive flexibility can hinder stability. Archery demands functional mobility, particularly in the shoulders, spine, and wrists, but hyper-flexibility increases the risk of instability and overextension. Advice: Focus on exercises that enhance mobility without compromising joint stability. Dynamic stretches, yoga tailored for archery, and warm-ups like arm circles and scapular activations are excellent. Avoid static stretching before shooting, as it may temporarily weaken muscles. For detailed warmup routines for all archers, check out my video on O’Sullivan Archery…

Spain’s 2012 Olympian, Elias Cuesta, was named USA Archery National Head Coach this December. Thirty-nine-year-old Cuesta was head coach of the Spanish Olympic Team for six years and was also a coach at the Madrid High Performance Centre. He is a highly experienced international coach and has many accolades. However, in the wake of this announcement in early December 2024, some have suggested that the USA may follow the example of the French team, who hired a South Korean Coach halfway through the Olympic cycle. Elias Cuesta will have the right kind of energy for team USA and it will be interesting to see what changes he will bring to the table. His predecessor Kisik Lee served an 18-year tenure for team USA and established the NTS (National Training System)…

RECURVE MEN • WISE Alex - Bowmen of Walker • HUSTON Patrick - Bowbrook Archers • TITTENSOR Paul - Eccles Archery Club RECURVE WOMEN • HEALEY Penny - The Audco Archers • COSTALL Megan - Hafren Foresters AC • PIPER Louisa - Woking Archery Club COMPOUND MEN • DUNCAN Tom - Meriden Archery Club • WHITE Christopher - Meriden Archery • DAVIS Luke - Andover Archers COMPOUND WOMEN • GIBSON Ella - Deer Park Archers Ltd • SCOTT Chloe - Bowmen of Wadebridge • ANNISON Layla - Wymondham Archers BAREBOW MEN • LAWRENCE Philip - Lichfield Archers • ANNALL James - Bath Archers • BEKKER Rene - Clophill Archery Club BAREBOW WOMEN • WILSON Anastasia - The Foxes • FINNEGAN Evie - Bowmen of P&S • LEDWICK Nikki - Eagle…

Kaminski, with his wife Heather and his European partners, have branched out from the US, and begun a new and exciting European venture, promising nothing less than high quality gear and more educational content for all the archers out there. For those who are not familiar with Jake, suffice it to say that this double Olympic medallist from the USA has taken Youtube by storm with educational content looking at NTS form, equipment tuning and reviews. Jake became really active online around five years ago following his retirement from professional sport in 2018. Many, myself included, see Jake as one of the top reference resources. Jake, tell us a bit about the history behind Kaminski Archery. JAKE: Before our European partnership, my wife Heather and I were partners here in…

The famed English Longbow has long become a cultural icon, despite many uncertainties and misconceptions about its history. What makes a longbow ‘English’? Certainly not the material, which in the Middle Ages was mostly yew wood imported from Italy or Spain, while bowyers in later centuries preferred a laminated construction. Of the tens of thousands of bows used by the English during the Hundred Years’ War alone, not a single fragment has survived. Were they identical to their similarly lost predecessors from the Welsh and Scottish Wars? Did the warbows differ significantly from those used for hunting? When were the horn nocks, now a distinctive feature of any ‘English’ longbow, first introduced? RULE AND HARDY: WARBOWS OF MARY ROSE The history of the English Longbow is full of mysteries and…