When you first join an archery club, shooting 3 dozen arrows at 20 yards and hitting the middle feels like it's all there needs to be. Archery has so much more to offer and we want you to discover it.
Whether you are highly competitive or just shoot for fun, improvement and satisfaction in your archery is unlikely to happen just by chance. Getting regular coaching helps you develop your technique and avoid developing bad habits that may hinder you later on. Like most things, it's practice that makes perfect, and lots of it. Practising on your own shooting the same round repeatedly may help you to cement what you have learned in controlled conditions, but what you really ought to do is learn to shoot your best archery, whatever the format, whatever the occasion.
At Sway Bowmen we encourage you to join in with our club tournaments, leagues and challenges. These are designed to help you get used to shooting alongside other people, shooting a variety of recognised rounds, pushing out to different distances and learning to shoot according to the 'rules of shooting' that govern our sport.
However grown up you think you are, most of us like a reward for our efforts. At Sway Bowmen we love a badge. You can earn some personal awards that are recognised throughout the whole Archery community (find out more in the all about scores section of the website). We also have some trophies and awards that are specific to our club. You can earn these by participating in our tournaments, summer challenges and winter league. More information can be found below.
Tournaments
Our tournaments run every year and are an opportunity to earn prizes, medals and trophies. Some of our tournaments are purely for fun, but we still take them seriously. Some of our tournaments are designed to test your archery ability, but we still have fun.
Tournament Calendar 2024 (2025 Calendar will be posted early October 2024)
Summer Challenges
In 2023 we introduced the idea of a Summer Challenge. A series of rounds with a small reward at the end. Shooting at your own pace across the outdoor season, either in pairs or larger groups. We hope to add more challenges so you can choose which one you want to do, or you can do them all.
Metric Marathon (Explanatory Notes)
(coming new for March 2025 'The Imperial Sprint' and the 'Aussie Adventure')
Winter League
In the winter we offer indoor shooting once a week (Tuesday evening) at Brockenhurst College. Open to all members. To add a little spiciness we run an indoor league with Divisional Shields being awarded at our club AGM in March.
Indoor Shooting and Winter League 2024 (Explanatory Notes)
Winter League 2024-25 (Shooting Schedule)
If you need any further information please contact your Tournament Organisers (Jem Mason and Hannah Diffey)