Savannah Tovar, May – We all have to follow rules, but why so strictly? No matter where you go, there are always rules and oftentimes those rules are to keep you safe. NASP® focuses really hard to ensure the safety of all of it’s archers especially by creating efficient rules. Some of the most common rules to forget in a tournament is to stay in your lane, keep behind the line while your lane partner is shooting and to just have fun.
Do you ever tend to scoot towards the center line when on the line preparing to shoot? We all do, and sometimes we even go over the line dividing our space. Staying in your own lane is hard, especially when you feel like you have a bad angle on the target. It is important to stay in your own lane because other archers need their own space too to shoot, just like you. Second, if archers are too close together, there is a likelier chance that equipment may bump others and mess up another archer or even hurt another archer.
Another rule many of us forget to follow is to stay behind the line near the target while someone is pulling their arrows. Sometimes, especially in practice, I will find myself in front of the line or on it and I then I will move back a step or two. On occasion, arrows are really hard to pull out for on reason or another and when I finally get a grip on it, it comes out much faster and harder than intended. Standing behind the line is another safety precaution because, for example, if that arrow comes out really fast and hard it could hurt you. It is safest to just stand behind that line when waiting to pull the arrows.
While having fun is not exactly a rule, it is a good thing to do. I have become better at this nowadays, but I remember being in elementary school shooting and when I got what I thought was a “bad arrow” I would get really sad. I certainly was not having fun when I was sad, and the arrows not always improved afterwards. From my experience, keeping a positive attitude and simply just having fun while shooting goes a long way and I can almost guarantee you that at least trying to have fun will make shooting a lot funner. Try talking to other archers in between rounds, that always makes archery funner! Also, make archery even more fun than it already is by playing a game or even trying some friendly competition with another archer or coach.
While it is not always easy to stay in your lane, wait behind the line while an archer is pulling their arrows, and to have fun, it is all very important. It is really important to follow the rules. Sometimes we forget the rules, others we just don’t listen. Whatever the reason, oftentimes the rules are to keep us archers safe and so we also still have fun. Next time you shoot, have fun and follow the rules!