This summer, for something different, try your skills with the bow and arrow at The Archery Academy in Greenhills, a new archery place in the metro drawing in the children and teens who'd rather aim the bulls-eye in real life than tap buttons and swipe screens of video games.
Rica Tai shares that she and Gio Endaya have been shooting since five years ago. "After that, we both decided to start teaching kids," she says. Rica and Gio, along with their other partner Rachelle Sison make up The Archery Academy, an archery center which started last year in Metro Manila. They started without any space to call their own, holding classes inside a fitness center. The fascination with the bow and arrow took hold on many, and Rica noticed that majority of the people interested to know more about archery were children. Soon, first-timers became frequent shooters, becoming regulars at The Archery Academy, some young students even investing in their own personal archery equipment. Their community started growing; it was time to get their own space. Now, they are located at the fifth floor of Intrawest Center on Annapolis Street, Greenhills. They formally open their new space with summer classes and other archery programs beginning April.
Most students of The Archery Academy are children, and at the center, they can accommodate students as young as 9 years old. "This is however depending on the kid if he or she is strong enough to pull the bow," Rica shares. Gio adds that they will also first assess the strength of the enrollees. "With height, a minimum would be around 4 1/2 feet; as long as we see they're strong enough." What to wear? Be in comfy attire: closed shoes (rubber shoes/sneakers), jogging pants or shorts. Bring a water bottle, in case you get thirsty.
As a first time archer, I was curious about all the equipment needed for my first archery class, and learning all these new names and terms can fluster. There are different kinds of bows and arrows, and each one has specifications and different parts, strings. Also, gearing up with the proper protective gear will introduce you to different things one again. "It's going to take a while to get to know the equipment, so first we recommend that you let us worry about the equipment for you, then slowly we teach you about the equipment." Gio tells me.
As our coach for the morning, Gio was able to get our group comfortable with the proper way to handle equipment, and match it with the correct shooting stance and form. For left-handed students like myself, a quick test on eye dominance was done (mine is my left eye) as this determines which eye will be your 'shooter.' I also used a different bow, and pretty much the demonstration during the class with my right-handed friends, I had to do a mirror-image of. I absorbed everything that I can from my first class like a sponge, and after fumbling on the first couple of arrows (there is a proper way of getting the arrow from your belt quiver), I began to shoot successfully. Students are also taught the proper way of retrieving arrows, to prevent any damage and accidents.
The Archery Academy makes the entire experience more entertaining and fun with different painted murals lining up their walls. The coaches also change your targets to different kinds of prints: we had bunnies, a lonely dinosaur, and a bunch of hungry zombies that serve as our shooting target. "Aim small, miss small," was a tip I got from coach Gio that helped a lot in my shooting accuracy, concentrating on the littlest of targets instead of a bigger one (ex: instead of the shirt, aim for the button). To add more fun, we had a round of shooting where small balloons were our targets, and that immense satisfaction of hitting the target with a loud pop! was enough to keep as all (briefly) smug — move over, Katniss Everdeen.
I can see why this recreation is taking flight with the younger folk, Hunger Games and Arrow fever aside. Once somebody gets a hold of his first bow and arrow, and finally hit that bulls eye, it does send in that thrill, perhaps like that special adrenaline-pumping way a slam dunk or a hole in one creates. A solo sport like this also challenges your concentration and patience, clearing your mind that may tend to overthink. Finesse and flow is the key and before you know it, you are rewarded with a bulls-eye, and knowing you did it all by yourself is an even greater high than hitting your target.
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The Archery Academy will hold their annual summer program beginning April 2015, with 2-hour classes thrice a week (MWF) for 8 sessions at only P8,500 for First-time enrollees. The fee includes all the things newbie archers will need for his sessions: own strings, arm guard, finger tab, and an Archery Academy shirt. Returning students will only have to pay P6,500 for the program. Year-round Weekend Program (P5,600/new student, P3,600/returning student) also available, which includes 4 sessions (2-hours per session), 9-11am of Saturdays and Sundays. They also offer a per session rate of P550/head for 1 hour. They can accommodate a maximum of 8 persons at a time, so call ahead to reserve your slot.
The Archery Academy is open MWF and Saturday-Sunday, from 8am to 4pm. Contact 0917-8037422 for reservations.Like on Facebook (/TheArcheryAcademy) and follow on Instragram (@TheArcheryAcademy).
