You can go revolutionary or traditional for your archery in the Peak District with this centre offering you the choice of either a classic archery lesson or a session of new school Laporte SkyBow archery. The traditional bow and arrow you know and love are both still present but for the sky bow version the foamy targets are fired into the air presenting moving objects to aim at. It’s tense thrilling and highly addictive – and we love it!
On both types of hour-long archery lesson you’ll need to hone those all important basic archer skills that’s to say stance aim and release. These are just as important for success whether you are trying to hit moving or static targets with your arrows. If you’re new to archery then the team of Manchester instructors will guide you through all of these basic techniques such as nocking your arrow sighting your target and loosing your arrow with a smooth steady hand.
You’ll then head out to the outdoor arena to take aim at the regular round targets. If you fancy the Laporte style then your instructors will show you the adaptations you need to make in order to hit bulls-eye when the targets are flying through the air. Similar to the skills required for clay shooting for moving target archery you need to track the board and judge both speed and distance before letting your arrow fly.
The Manchester centre uses archery targets made of foam so they don’t splinter or break when struck or upon landing and can be fired from the traps again and again until you meet with success. The arrows and bows are fairly regular but come in different weights and sizes meaning this arrowed activity can be adapted to suit children as young as ten. Be prepared for more than a few misses (it’s tricky to be on target!) but we are sure that after only one or two attempts you’ll be desperate to keep going until you hit gold.
With a maximum of 12 archers per lesson this is the ideal place to try either this new archery craze or give the stock version a go. For all first-time archers this can be a total revelation into how a traditional sport can be turned on its head and even if you’re an old hat at this archery lark Sky Bow lessons offer something new and exciting pushing your arrow-wielding skills to the limit. It’s archery in the Peak District – but maybe not as you know it it’s totally up to you!
