It is widely believed that archery is one of most dangerous sports. Archery, according to the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System or NEISS (National Electronic Injury Surveillance System), is less hazardous than either golf or fishing but slightly more risky than scuba and bowling. For competitive archers as well as serious athletes, excessive training can pose a threat to your ability compete. These are the top 4 methods to prevent injury from archery.
1. You can be gentle with your self
Most archers start out as beginners, especially men. They want to succeed immediately. In order to achieve this goal, many archers sacrifice technique and strength for endurance or brute force. This may make it look impressive, but in the long-term, you will be unable to shoot as well. You may not feel any strain days after you shoot an arrow because there is a rest between shots.
Simply put, quality and consistency in training are more important than quantity. Your shot would not improve if 100 arrows were fired per day. You can improve your skills by shooting 10-20 arrows per day for three months if your body is given the right amount of work and rest.
2. Find equipment that fits you
A bow that is too small or too large for beginners can cause injury. A bow too large, small or heavy is a common mistake for beginner archers. A bow hunter should use a heavier-weighted bow in order to get a clean kill. However, practicing with a bow much heavier than your body can handle is almost guaranteed to cause injury. You should be able to draw a bow 20 times in one go.
Cross Training Cross Training
Archery, as you might have noticed, is an excellent exercise for your mind and upper body. However, archery does not cover all of your fitness needs. You should do more than just archery to enhance your shooting ability and avoid muscle imbalances.
Cardio exercises such as rowing and swimming can improve the quality of your breath and make you more flexible. Yoga, weightlifting and bodyweight resistance exercise are great ways to add variety to your fitness regimen.
4. 4.
The biggest mistake you can make when training with cold muscles is not to warm them up. Inability to get blood flowing to your muscles in preparation for training can cause strains, tears and swelling of the spine and connective tissue. Warm up and then cool off with resistance bands or gentle stretching.