Bowmen of Bruntwood are a successful and enthusiastic archery club, with more than the average number of regular shooting members. The club is frequently represented at competitions at both senior and junior levels.

Some of the long-standing members of the club will be aware of the coaches available to provide assistance to many archers. Many already avail themselves of this and are comfortable about seeking help.

However, newer members may not be aware of the support available to them and how they should go about seeking it. It is with this in mind that this coaching protocol has been adopted.

The club has a group of coaches that are qualified through formal training. They are available to provide help ranging from beginners classes to the  coaching of any archer of whatever bow type and level of expertise and give guidance on the purchase of equipment.

A coach will not presume that an archer wants coaching. The archer may be  perfectly happy with the way they are shooting at that time. Therefore, it is up to the archer to ask for assistance. They may ask any of the coaches, but a new archer should, in the first instance, ask the coach who undertook their beginner’s class.

No archer should be reluctant to seek help as it is willingly given. If a coach feels they cannot help, perhaps because of existing commitments, they will help the archer to find a suitable alternative.

No charges are made for coaching by the club coaches.

But remember – coaches like to practice themselves, especially during the Summer months, when making arrangements for coaching sessions.

A coach will work out a strategy for the development of an individual archer. An archer acting upon advice, provided on a casual basis, by a well meaning third party can easily upset that strategy and do more harm than good. For this reason, it is important that an archer has only one coach. If a third party offers advice, an archer’s coach would not expect it
to be acted upon until it had been discussed with him.

The principal of one coach for one archer is respected by all club coaches. However, they do work as a team and are prepared to consult one another if they feel this will benefit an archer. They will also advise an archer’s coach if they notice something that they feel should be brought to his/her attention.