29 May,2011 10:23 AM IST | | Yolande D'Mello
If Robin Hood has an apprenticeship programme, this is what it would be like, says Sunday MidDay writer Yolande D'Mello. Blue Bulb Experiences organises one-on-one archery lessons with trained instructors so you know what it feels like to be Arjuna for a day
A two-hour session at their archery academy later, Blue Bulb claims you will walk away with knowledge of the basics, and a beaten and battered target trophy.
Nineteen year-old instructor with Blue Bulb, Rohan More shows Yolande
the right posture and grip required to take a shot at the target. He
warned her that exerting too much pressure while trying to pull the
bowstring could strain and injure a muscle. Pics/ Nimesh Dave
The aim was simple: to see if a bumbling rookie like me could get an arrow to hit target without hurting anything that moves.
I arrived on a sunny Thursday morning at Asmita Vidyalaya, a brightly painted school in Jogeshwari (E), to see a target course set up on the school ground. My instructor was a national level archery instructor, and all of 19 years.
The correct grip is crucial to a good shot. A coloured line on the
bowstring will mark where you should place the tips of your fingers.
It takes three fingers; one above and two below the line. The string is to
be pulled all the way till your chin and held. This acts like an anchor before
you aim and release.
Rohan More has been practicing archery for four years, seven hours daily. He stays less than 20 minutes away from the school, and we can tell he is a regular by the fondness with which greets the guard.
How does a 19 year-old become an archery instructor? He helps me with the hand support on the forearm and the finger tab, a small glove that goes over the middle finger to help you grip, while he says, "I was a major karate buff but I grew tired of it by the time I was 15. I took up archery, and after training for a few years, I can now hit a target 50 meters away."
Mimicking his stance, with my feet apart and parallel to each other, I held the recurve bow that weighed close to three kilograms. There are a variety of bows including the Indian bow made of wood which is good for beginners on account of its light weight. The Compound bow built with elliptical wheels on the ends of the limbs is for greater projectile force with less muscular power.
Arrows safely tucked away in a case on his belt, More began the session with quick a fact. "These are carbon fibre arrows. One arrow, shot at the right velocity can go through six people." Right.
While the bow itself wasn't veryu00a0 heavy, the strength needed to pull the string will be a Herculean task, especially if, like me, your daily workout includes hitting keys on a computer keyboard, albeit with vengeance. "You should do at least 50 push-ups a day," More suggested politely.
The trick is to raise the bow to your forehead and push with one hand while the other draws the string back till your chin, hold and then release. Pulling the bowstring is equal to pulling a 20 kilograms weight.
Starting off with an ambitious distance, I heaved the bow up and tugged at the string only to have the arm supporting the bow quiver from the strain. Practicing the stance for a couple of minutes and relaxing your arm muscles helps build stamina to shoot. Moving closer when no one was looking, I was able to aim, shoot and hit a circle not too far off the center.
"I had a hard time mastering it myself but the technique doesn't take too long to learn. After that, it's strength and aim that one needs to work on; that comes only with practice," More explained.
At 12 noon, two hours later, drenched in sweat, a bruised ego and sore arm for company, it felt legendary, quite literally, as I'd started on a path walked byu00a0 heroes like William Tell, Robin Hood and Arjuna. I didn't have too many holes in my target but the light was shining through that one off-centre puncture.
Sessions can be arranged at Jogeshwari, Goregaon and Dahisaru00a0 for Rs 800 for two hours.
Visit: www.bluebulb.in
Regan Rodricks, co-founder of Blue Bulb jokes, "I've tried all the activities we offer, except maybe belly-dancing, but I assure you there is no danger in that too."
Blue Bulb aims to organise out-of-the-boxu00a0 activities. The ex-advertising professional worked for a while in Barcelona, and the time there fed his adventure-junkie streak. Back home, he couldn't figure where he could satiate his hunger. That's how Blue Bulb was born.
"All our instructors are locals. There is no shortage of talent in the city; you just have to search. We will be starting a fire-breathing class by August," says Rodricks.
Blue Bulb's clients span all age groups, and their USP is the personal attention each client receives.
