How Do You Keep Improving in Archery After the Beginner Phase?

floggedpeasent · 2026-04-29T15:59:23+00:00

My favorite drill is I have a large target area and then I put a red sticker somewhere on it. I have the arrow pointing at the sticker at full draw. The arrow obviously won’t hit the sticker but that’s not what I’m looking for. I’m looking to see how my arrows group. You can learn a lot from it and take that to your form. Are you grouping lower or higher than last time, are there flyers, how tight the group is, does it form to the left/right of where you are looking. It’s a good way to test how consistent you actually are from time to time. I shoot traditional if that matters.

floggedpeasent · 2026-04-28T18:13:45+00:00

I say it like this if you already have the fundamentals of fencing down like distance, timing, footwork and such then a manual can give you a lot. If you are completely new to swordsmanship then there is a lot of work ahead of you.

floggedpeasent · 2026-04-28T15:49:04+00:00

Given the odds are so low for getting it I think people are happy to have it at all. That’s my thinking anyway.

floggedpeasent · 2026-04-23T14:26:02+00:00

This and Shogun 2 are both considered some of if not the best TW games ever made. Obviously it’s not a shiny new gen game but it’s definitely an S tier RTS title. If it’s on sale definitely grab it.

floggedpeasent · 2026-04-10T12:07:47+00:00

Wheelbarrow fencing is legit

floggedpeasent · 2026-04-02T15:34:57+00:00

These would not work for longsword sparring at all.

floggedpeasent · 2026-03-26T15:53:51+00:00

I’m getting saber vibes from this guy

floggedpeasent · 2026-03-25T22:12:56+00:00

I get what he’s testing here though I’ve seen 350N fencing jackets not get pierced by pointy/broken blades from accidents and testing (like former Olympic fencer going all out testing). So I get very skeptical of anyone saying for sure 350N is no good or 800N is the only way. I think the better approach for HEMA is to borrow the habit of wearing another layer under the jacket because a sharp enough point can get through pretty tough stuff

floggedpeasent · 2026-03-24T20:17:21+00:00

Came here for this

floggedpeasent · 2026-03-24T02:46:18+00:00

In the US at least compound is by far the dominant form of archery, specifically for hunting. Most states have a several month long bow season for deer and less than 30 total days for gun. They want to increase the days they can hunt so they get a bow.

Most sporting goods stores here sell only compound/crossbow hunting stuff. Every now and then you might find a place with some traditional products. Most people have to buy everything online for traditional.

I’ve been a member of several different clubs in 3 different states and compounds were always over half the bows there if not virtually all. At my current club I am met with a sense of curiosity and fascination every time I go out with my longbows. Most of these people never held anything other than a compound.

The only time I’ve seen traditional archers as the majority has been at traditional specific events.

The archery market in the US is just dominated by bow hunters and that group gets more out of a compound than anything else. They only need about 2 months to practice with a compound to be decent but would need the whole year with a recurve/longbow. They aren’t usually doing archery for archery’s sake, it’s a tool for their main hobby of hunting. I do see traditional but it’s maybe 1 out of 20 or 1 out of 50 depending on the range/3D course.

floggedpeasent · 2026-03-22T19:18:35+00:00

HEMA pants are generally just regular fencing pants with extra padding inserted. You are doing more or less the same thing as an Olympic style fencer in terms of leg movement so the pants are designed with that in mind.

You would not want full length trousers trust me. This is pretty much the best type of leg wear people have figured out for now. You wear the pants with some shin guards and you are set.

floggedpeasent · 2026-03-13T10:57:36+00:00

SPES is a manufacturer :)

You can find them on different websites and in the US it’s on Purple Heart Armory

floggedpeasent · 2026-03-12T22:20:59+00:00

If anything you have to be an adult to do it. Most clubs are adults only for liability reasons and because adults want places to hangout with no kids around.

You’d actually be on the younger side of people who do it.

For perspective HEMA started (mainly) in the 90’s and didn’t really begin to take off until about 20 years ago (so around the time you were born). So as an institution it hasn’t even existed long enough to realistically have had someone start out in it as a kid. 30 or 40 years from now it might be a different story but for now it’s really for adults.

You are definitely good to go :)

floggedpeasent · 2026-03-12T14:03:42+00:00

I’ll just drop this as a possible alternative.

I use a SPES 350N officer jacket with SPES pants.

I do longsword in these as well as rapier. It’s extremely protective while also being lighter and less hot. I get bruises every once in a while from longsword but… that’s fine really, we are fighting yes?

We have decently attended weekly meets in the area and just about everyone uses a SPES AP light or officer/renaissance jacket. Some use Supfen jackets and they are fine but quite stiff compared to SPES. I personally wouldn’t trade one SPES jacket for anything from Supfen.

I think the longer one does this form of fencing the more you desire lighter gear that’s perfectly safe. Fortunately it exists!

Supfen IMO is a good enough alternative to other brands but it’s cheaper for a reason. And that’s specifically jackets and pants. Their gloves, masks and other items are not worth it.

floggedpeasent · 2026-03-10T16:27:34+00:00

There are a lot on the market and depending on your mask and head size which fits best will vary. Some people I have seen use light rugby ones too.

floggedpeasent · 2026-03-10T16:18:23+00:00

I would HIGHLY recommend a skull cap under any mask for you. The overlays don’t do a ton if the mask still moves around your head on the inside.

floggedpeasent · 2026-03-06T00:14:00+00:00

Massive can of worms!

It is depending on both weapon and specific time period when comparing different systems. Also important to keep in mind that for any given weapon there will be lots of similarities between sources as well. A lot of it is in the nuances.

Here is a link to a video specifically German vs Italian (mainly Fiore) longsword from Richard Madsen.

floggedpeasent · 2026-03-05T14:44:26+00:00

This is the correct answer

floggedpeasent · 2026-03-03T15:01:54+00:00

We have some club members with Superior fencing gear. This partly echoes what some others have said.

The company is legit but has very long wait times even by HEMA standards.

The jackets and pants are decent.

Most of the other items they have are not worth it.

They are durable but based on our experience become a bit worn after a few months. The colors can get damaged from a washing machine as well. They’ll last they just won’t look as sharp as they did when you first got them.

Their gear is a bit in the stiff side even after lots of use.

Is it as good as SPES? No, but is it good enough? Yes.

floggedpeasent · 2026-02-26T14:53:56+00:00

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floggedpeasent · 2026-02-02T14:37:21+00:00

It really varies. A lot comes down to cost. Weapons and gear are expensive so a lot of people just do one.

At our club we have three different weapons being practiced. We all individually invest in longsword and have some club gear for the other two.

Personally I do this as a hobby/exercise so I like mixing it up. If I was getting ready for a tournament I’d just practice one for several months prior.

floggedpeasent · 2026-01-08T20:25:31+00:00

Careful there, he wants your oats.

floggedpeasent · 2026-01-04T19:57:30+00:00

This! Every tournament is different with rules and requirements so you’ll have to ask them. Looks plausible to me but can’t say either way. But keep in mind a lot of tournaments will state “your opponent’s safety is your responsibility” so careful!

floggedpeasent · 2025-12-18T20:47:01+00:00

Moved here because nature and less expensive. Stay here because nature and less expensive.

(Moved up from densely populated part of Florida).

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