Indoor Archery vs. Outdoor Archery
Indoor Archery and Outdoor Archery are NOT the Same
It’s that time of year again (thank goodness) where we move from indoor target practice to outside shooting. However, to be the best archer you can possibly be we suggest you practice both. Different settings will teach you to perform at the top of your abilities despite distractions and changes.
Indoor Archery
Indoor archery is a time to zero in on your skills without distractions. Yes, it is not as exciting, but it does provide invaluable practice time. Would you agree that archers who are not performing well indoors are not going to perform well outdoors? I think this is true.
While the great outdoors does breathe a bit of fresh air into your practice (pun intended) don’t discount the value of indoor shooting.
If you didn’t get in as much time on the range this winter, no worries. Just plan on adding it to your schedule.
While you are thinking about it, bad weather is also a great excuse to make your own arrows.
For those archers who live in warmer climates, indoor shooting should still be part of your training.
Indoor competitions are usually shorter in several areas:
- the number of arrows shot
- the time taken
- the distances shot
This can lead to a feeling of greater pressure and fear of failure for the archer because they think they have less time indoors to make up for an error within a score.
This could be why so many archers prefer outdoor practice AND competition. But I still think it holds value in the overall discipline.
Outdoor Archery
Outdoor archery (field or target) is arguably more enjoyable and intellectually challenging than indoor shooting. This mostly has to do with longer rounds, different distances, and settings.
An interesting thing tends to happen when archers move from indoors to outdoors that you should be aware of: Giving too much attention to equipment and tuning often leads to less attention on shooting and practicing techniques. Weird, right?
When we are outdoors it is easier to “blame” the weather on our performance. Even though it is tempting, don’t. It takes your focus away from your skills.
Don’t feel bad if you realize you may have been doing this. Instead, be aware of it–we all tend to do it and correct it. After all, we all just want to hit the bullseye every time.
Don’t be sloppy with your technical attention while outdoors.
The Take-Away
- Make Sure you include indoor archery in your plan to improve your skills.
- Don’t blame the weather on your performance when you are outside
Happy Shooting!