On the day that I turned 13 I came home from school to find a bow placed on top of my bed with a card wishing me a happy birthday. When I saw it I cried because archery was something I had wanted to get into forever, but I had no idea what I was really getting myself into. Becoming an archer came with so many perks, and not all of them are quite what I expected, so here are some of my five favorites.
1. It's not a mainstream hobby that people have so you always feel cool
Raquel Gonzalez
While the archery community is actually pretty well sized, it's very rare that I meet someone in my life outside of the range that is also an archer. So, it's pretty typical that when people ask what my hobbies are, and I say that I'm an archer, people are awestruck, and intrigued. They usually end up asking tons of questions, and at some point tell me how cool it is that I'm into archery, and while I'm no attention hog, it's a pretty great feeling.
2. It makes for some great pictures.
Raquel Gonzalez
Since archery isn't a fast moving sport, it's pretty easy to get some great pictures of you doing it. You don't have to wait on anyone else to make something happen so you can take the shot, and it's possible for you to hold your bow's draw while someone snags a picture of you. Not only are these pictures just cool to have, in the same way athletes enjoy having pictures of themselves from games, they make for some great Instagram posts. I doubt very many other people on your feed have pictures of them shooting a bow.
3. It teaches you how to focus out of one eye.
Raquel Gonzalez
When you learn to shoot properly, you learn that you have to close one of your eyes and look exclusively out of your dominant one while you aim. When you shoot for a long time it's almost like looking out of that eye alone, is the same as looking out of both of your eyes together. This wasn't something I thought would ever be useful, but the more I went through school, the more I realized I was wrong. I'm not much over five feet tall, so it's not too hard to be taller than me. So in classes, it's pretty common that people sit in front of me and block some degree of my line of sight, so being able to have no problem focusing while being unable to see in a full range of sight has really saved my life a few times.
4. It's a great way to get outside.
Raquel Gonzalez
I found this to be especially nice in Florida during the hot months where no one wants to be outside. You can set up a nice covered area so you're shooting in the shade. Better yet though, since the only part of you really exerting itself while shooting is your arms, your body doesn't overheat as fast as it would from actively moving about. So, you still get the satisfaction of being outdoors while still being able to beat the heat.
5. It's therapeutic and much cheaper than therapy.
That's the common joke among a lot of people that I've met in the years that I've been shooting, but it's not wrong. Archery is such an emotional sport. One thing I've learned over the years is that every little thing affects your performance, whether it's the way you breathe or just the mindset that you're in when you draw back on the bow. If you are not able to empty your mind and focus exclusively on the shot you're trying to make, it won't hit the way that you want it to. So while becoming a good shot, you learn to empty your mind.
Of all the things that I've tried over the years to help me manage my emotions, nothing has hit quite right like the sense of peace that I get when I go out shooting has. It's been the one thing that has gotten me to be able to detach myself from all of my negative thoughts and find a place of solace, and I leave feeling better than I ever could've felt without it.
