Enough Arrows to Shoot in the Shade

What do you mean you've all got electric bikes? I don't!

In sports there are many feats of great endurance. The classic Marathon (26.2 miles). The Ironman Triathlon (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile cycle and 26.2 mile run). Any of the mountain stages of the Tour De France. All take massive commitment to training, fortitude and willpower to overcome. So, why are we talking great endurance today? We can already hear you saying, "You said archery is fantastic for upper body strength, posture, getting your steps in and mental wellbeing but it doesn't compare to the above .. does it?"
Yes, we are giving you that condescending look again! .. So does it? .. Oh yes, and its more brutal than you can imagine. So much so that even though it’s pretty easy to attempt (given enough shootie time), you can really hurt yourself attempting it if you aren't well prepared. Let’s look at archery's most gruelling challenge making the all day 150 arrow (with sighters) WA1440 look like a caf break. It’s The 1000 Arrow Challenge.

The 1000 arrow challenge is simply shooting 1000 arrows consecutively in one training session. To save time walking to the target .. its shot blank boss at a couple of meters and ends are at least one dozen arrows usually more. Even shot quite briskly this will take around 8 hours of constant shootie. The fastest we've found that anyone has completed this challenge was a few minutes over 6 hours although an insane 5 hours is hinted at in some docs from Team USA's Chula Vista training centre. At 6 hours duration, a rate of one arrow shot and pulled every 21.6 seconds is required. Relentlessly! For 6 hours! Compare this to a recent "serious" training session by one of the club's dangerously obsessive types. Four hours shooting totalling 270 arrows at 18m. Admittedly there was goss, caf, collecting arrows and a surprisingly large number of fillings in a roll for sustenance. But even removing the down time, that's only one arrow every 50 seconds and our archer was starting to reconsider the extra 2 ounces he added to his riser and pondering "are steroids really THAT illegal in archery?"

1000 arrows or bench press me 21 times .. your choice dude!

What does this endurance feat actually entail? Purely from a physical point of view, a 37lbs bow drawn 1000 times = 16.5 tons. 1000 arrows pulled out of the boss is another considerable physical effort. One where copious use of arrow lube might well be a sound investment. You need to keep your form perfect through every shot because you have no leeway for poor technique. Over this number of shots, you will hurt yourself with bad form. There can be no sloppiness on the clicker as there is zero spare energy for coming down and resetting. You need to keep your focus with good timing and control. Mental toughness is key as this is a boring challenge with no scoring or competition to make it interesting. Just shot after shot after shot, where the mind can wander resulting in poor form and thus injury. Even the most resilient and dedicated archer will start having thoughts of "Am I done yet? Am I done yet? Am I done yet?" as muscles start to burn and fingers ache.

According to archers who have completed a 1000 arrow challenge, a subsequent WA1440 feels barely like a warmup. A 300-400 arrow training day is just for LOLs. Once achieved, the mental strength developed by the archer is considerable. These psychological benefits reduce stress and pressure on the archer who won't be worrying about a piddly 72 arrow qualifying round after proving they can handle the big K. However, this is not something the casual archer or even the regular intermediate archer should attempt. The dedicated archer needs to make it the goal of a long training cycle - months of training building up to that moment. It should also not be attempted on your own without at least another well experienced archer/coach who has authority and maturity to get you to quit if you start to struggle.

That was a new face 20 minutes ago!

Where do coaches stand on this? Coach Ki Sik Lee (now retired from Team USA) saw the 1000 arrow challenge as the culmination of a training cycle. The graduation exercise, if you like, before taking time off. Leaving on a massive high that sustains the archer’s motivation through the down time. Alternatively Koreans, with their “Winners never quit and quitters never win” mindset, see it as pretty much business as usual. In 2005, a 21-year-old unnamed Korean archer, wrote "In high school I shoot 1000 arrows a day. Morning 6am to 8am I run then school till 1pm then shooting to 10pm. Koreans shoot blank bale a lot." And if you want a look at what forges a Korean archer "My bow is 46 pounds. I shoot this 7 days a week. Many students drop off from the team because they can't handle it. I also almost quit but parents don't allow. Now I am used to it already. 1000 arrows a day is easy." Getting an inkling why Koreans win so much yet? To the rest of the world, 1000 arrows is the laudable culmination of a significant training cycle. To Koreans, it literally is Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday etc.

So there you have it. The archery equivalent of an endurance challenge. Next time you hear someone belittle archery as an "armchair sport"* .. tell them about the 1000 arrow challenge. Might change their opinion .. especially if you elaborate its the equivalent of lifting 21 cows!

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Insights into Korean archery can be found in this article
“Winners never quit and quitters never win.” Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi
* Insert your own compound joke here.
Cycling Image by Andreas from Pixabay
Cow Image by JackieLou DL from Pixabay