Joining any archery club will require you to take part in a beginners course to learn the fundamentals of the sport and how to shoot safely in a club.

We run beginner courses multiple times a year.

Each course is a three hour session over two consecutive Sundays. Visit our course page to sign up.

Target:

This consists of archers shooting a fixed number of arrows at a specified distance towards a paper target which has concentric coloured rings.

Field:

This involves archers shooting at monochrome or coloured pictures of animals. These can be either from marked or unmarked distances and necessitates walking from one target to the next. We currently have three venues, one is level woodland, one is a river valley, and the third is a combination of the other two.

3D:

This is the same as field, but we shoot at life sized foam animals.

Indoor:

The same as target, but indoors.

Barnsgate Manor – TN22 4DB

Type of shooting: Target The club meets here every Sunday morning throughout the year and Thursday evenings during April – September. Please arrive before 9.00 to set up your own equipment and then help other club members to set up the targets so that we can start shooting at 9.30. This also applies for Thursday evening shoots, therefore please arrive at least 30 minutes before the start.

Friars Gate Farm – TN6 1XH

Type of shooting: Field

During October and March, once a month on a Sunday we meet at the farm and shoot at pictures of animals in a river valley setting. Wellingtons are vital. Please arrive at 8.45 am so that we can commence shooting at 9.

Fletching – TN22 3SA

Type of shooting: Field

Throughout the year on every third Sunday we shoot at animal pictures in a level woodland setting. Walking boots are vital. Please arrive at 8.45 am so that we can start at 9. We also shoot Tuesday evenings during the summer, check website calendar for further details.

Chillies – TN6 3TB

Type of shooting: 3D

Every third Sunday during the summer we shoot at life sized foam animals. This site is particularly arduous. Walking boots are vital. Please arrive at 9am so that we can start shooting at 9.30.

We suggest that you do not purchase any expensive equipment just yet as your draw length will increase as you get more proficient. If you still want to buy something then we would suggest the following, but bear in mind that there are many different examples of each and some are better than others.

Quiver, platform tab, arm brace, Arrow puller, Chest Guard, Fletching jig. Don’t worry if you don’t know what these are yet, all will be explained during the course. All these items can be purchased from Archery shops or online as well as auction sites. See what other archers are using and ask advice. There is a wealth of experience in the club; they may also have equipment to sell. Please do not buy a bow from an online site as it needs to be matched to your requirements in a specialist shop.

A good archer does not make any exclamation on the shooting line that may disconcert a neighbour in the act of shooting.

A good archer does not touch anyone else’s equipment without permission.

A good archer does not leave the shooting line if a neighbouring archer is at full draw.

Ebay: www.ebay.co.uk

Quicks Archery: www.quicksarchery.co.uk

Merlin Archery: www.merlinarchery.co.uk

Alternative Sporting Services: www.altservices.co.uk

Custom Built Archery: www.cbarchery.co.uk

Perris: www.perrisarchery.co.uk

Recurve: Common in target archery, it has limbs that curve away at the end which help store energy. These are the only bows used at the Olympics and often includes sights and stabilizers.

Compound: Uses cams and pulleys to reduce draw weight at full draw, allowing for increased accuracy. A release aid is typically used to remove the influence of fingers on the string.

Barebow: A simplified recurve bow without sights or stabilizers. Archers rely on instinctive or other methods of aiming such as gap shooting or string walking.

Longbow: A traditional, tall, straight bow (when not strung) typically made from wood, although bamboo is now allowed.

Asiatic: Also called horse bows, they’re shorter and often used with thumb releases. Primarily seen in historical or traditional field archery.

Traditional: Covers styles like longbows or Asiatic bows, often focusing on instinctive or historical shooting practices.