Archery

I became involved in archery right after I moved to Canada to begin my graduate work at the University of Alberta. I stumbled across 'Zen in the Art of Archery’ by Eugen Herrigel. It is a fascinating history of Herrigel’s experience with Zen Buddhism and Kyudo (Japanese traditional archery) under a Japanese master. It was clear that I was not going to find a Kyudo master in Edmonton, but I did find that there was an active archery club that had an outdoor range and welcomed beginning archers.

Knowing nothing about archery, I marched off to the local sporting goods store which had a selection of bows and let the salesman talk me into a hunting bow and a set of arrows. I am 6’4” tall and a short hunting bow was completely inappropriate for me. Later, I found that my draw length was 32”. The thing I was sold was a very short bow with a draw weight of 45 pounds at 28”. If I had managed to pull it back to 32”, it likely would blown up and taken my head off . . . but what did I know.

I packed up my new bow and arrows and trundled off to the archery club to become a ‘Zen archer’. As I was unpacking the equipment, the man running the shooting range came over to welcome me to the club’s facilities and evaluate my skill level. One look at my gear and he immediately knew that not only was I inexperienced, I was probably dangerous. He took the bow from me and tossed it back in the trunk of my car. As it turned out, he was Stu Bowman, one of the top professional archers in Canada.

There was a coffee machine at one side of the range. Stu got me a cup of coffee and we sat and talked. For some reason we hit it off. As it turned out, he was close to my height and told me that he had a ‘Black Widow’ Olympic recurve that he wasn’t using any more. He offered me his whole Olympic kit, the bow, sight, stabilizer and a set of arrows which were the proper length and spine for my draw length. We set up his bow and he spent the evening getting me started in the sport.

My Introduction to Archery

My Backyard Archery Range

Needless to say, I bought the bow and fell in love with Archery. Stu and I became good friends and with Stu's help, my skills improved and I began to place high in local tournaments.

Eventually, Stu introduced me to Ron Genge (An Olympic coach living in Edmonton) and he took me under his wing. I spent a couple of years training with Ron. He was a generous, talented coach and my time with him was very special. Ron was one of the first coaches to treat archery as an athletic event. He had me swimming a mile every morning, doing weight work, and practicing kinesthetic exercises. I was never good enough to qualify for the Olympic trials. However, as I was loading the truck to move from Edmonton to British Columbia, my last day in the Province, I received a phone call inviting me to shoot with the Alberta Provincial Archery Team. Obviously, I was unable to accept the offer, but it was a wonderful way to end that phase of my archery experience.

A 'Black Widow' take-down recurve from the same era as mine. I shot mine for years and still regret selling it.

A BIT OF HISTORY

1956-1988 – 1440 Round - This was the era during which I competed.

The World Archery Congress in 1955 adopted the 1440 Round as the standard for world championships. It ended the tug-of-war between long and short distances, different styles and sizes of target faces and the varying number of arrows.

Men shot 36 arrows each at 90, 70, 50 and 30 metres. Women shot 36 arrows each at 70, 60, 50 and 30 metres.

The two longer distances were shot at 122-centimetre targets faces and the two shorter distances were shot at 80-centimetre target distances. All targets had 10-ring scoring but used the colours – gold, red, blue, black and white – from the English-style target.

The maximum score for men and women was 1440.

These would be the standardised rules that would take archery back to the Olympic Games.

1988 the format changed to a Grand FITA Round and that year also saw the first team event competitions in addition to the men's and women's individual events. In 1992 the new Olympic Format was introduced, which was then simplified in 2008 to make it more interesting for the spectators and for TV coverage.

ARCHERY AND MEDITATION

I guess the big question is what has all of the 'bow and arrow' stuff to do with Zen Buddhism and Zen Meditation?

To answer that question I need to go back to what originally brought me to archery - Kyudo and to Herrigel's 'Zen in the Art of Achery'.

I was beginning serious Buddhist training when I first read Herrigel's book. It was the parallel between the instruction I was receiving as a Buddhist trainee, and Herrigel's narrative that attracted me to archery. Despite the fact that my actual experience of archery was through the Western competitive sport of archery, I never lost track of what had originally caught my interest.

Here is a quote from kyodo.com, a site devoted to traditional Japanese archery.

"No one knows exactly when the term kyudo came into being but it was not until the late nineteenth century when practice centered almost exclusively around individual practice that the term gained general acceptance. The essence of modern kyudo is said to be synonymous with the pursuit of truth, goodness, and beauty.

Truth in kyudo is manifested in shooting that is pure and right-minded, where the three elements of attitude, movement, and technique unite in a state of perfect harmony. A true shot in kyudo is not just one that hits the center of the target, but one where the arrow can be said to exist in the target before its release.

Goodness encompasses such qualities as courtesy, compassion, morality, and non-aggression. In kyudo, goodness is shown by displaying proper attitude and behavior in all situations. A good kyudo archer is a person who maintains his or her composure and grace even in times of great stress or conflict.

Beauty both enhances life and stimulates the spirit. In kyudo, truth and goodness, themselves, are considered beautiful. Beauty can also be found in the exquisite grace and artistry of the Japanese bow and the elegance of the traditional archer's attire. It is also present in the refined etiquette that surrounds the kyudo ceremony. Etiquette, which is simply common courtesy and respect for others, is an essential element of kyudo practice."

Obviously, the 'Mind of Meditation' is the concern here, not what form of target archery one is engaged in. For me, archery became a Zen activity, like Cha-No-Yu - a means of transitioning elegantly from the Zendo to life in the world.