Archers at the ready

Marks Park Archery Club welcomed their new archers to a great five weeks of learning.

March 17, 2023

Neo Phashe 1 minute read

Archery students stand ready with their bows and arrows at Marks Park Archery. Photo: Neo Phashe

A new group of promising archers had their bows and arrows ready at Marks Park Sports Club to start off their beginners course.

The beginners now form part of the Marks Park Archery Club, which is one of the oldest archery clubs in Johannesburg with a history reaching back to the 1960s.

Beginners’ archery equipment. Photo: Neo Phashe

Chairperson Mike van Staden said the beginners’ course runs over a five-week period with a two-hour session each Saturday. “Once the initial course is completed, participants are invited to return for an advanced course which is a further five weeks.”
The club specialises in the recurve bow type and provides all the necessary equipment, such as bows and arrows.

Van Staden said there are various reasons why someone would be interested in archery. The most common is that people are drawn to the sport after they have seen it on TV. “This is especially noted around the time of the Olympic games when there is a higher coverage of the sport.”
He said archery is for everyone. “It does not require a certain physique or upper body strength to do well at archery. It is based on good technique. It does, however, take time to become proficient in the sport. Our head coach, Konrad van Warmelo, always reminds us that it can take seven years to become a good archer.”

Archers take part in their first class at Marks Park Archery. Photo: Neo Phashe

Though investment in a sport and fun go hand in hand, for Van Staden, one also has to fall in love with the sport to dedicate the time and effort required to persevere. “At times it can be very frustrating, because one can spend hours on the range and things don’t seem to be working out, but through perseverance everything eventually falls into place.”

It will take five weeks for beginners to complete their initial training. Photo: Neo Phashe

He added that at Marks Park, they accept that it is not everyone’s cup of tea. Since it can be resource-intensive in terms of time and money, they give people time to decide – once they have completed both the beginners’ and advanced course – before they start talking about club membership and getting their own equipment.