Coaching

Back for 2025!

Hertfordshire Archery Society is running a coaching programme aimed at both archers and coaches.  The sessions will cover a range of themes, covering masterclasses in bow styles; to introductions to new disciplines; and equipment tuning.

Below is a list of the sessions, including information such as location, date, and the presenter if known.  This page will be updated as soon as workshops & masterclasses have been confirmed.  The booking form will be released shortly.

Coaches:  If you attend as a coach, and work with a higher level coach as part of a session, this will count towards your CPD.

Please note there is a non-refundable booking fee of £10 per attendee per session unless otherwise stated.  This goes towards venues & refreshments

Convenors: Mr. Stuart Barber and Miss Rebecca Bourne

String making & arrow maintenance

23rd March 2025 // St. Mary's Catholic School, Bishop's Stortford // 09:30-12:30

Join us at Stortford Archery Club for a morning of string making and arrow maintenance.

Refreshments will be provided.

Field Captain Training

6th April 2025 // St. Mary's Catholic School, Bishop's Stortford // 09:30-12:30

Come and learn what's involved in being a field captain.  Learn how to take overall responsibility for safe conduct on the range, be it a practice session, club night or club round.  The session will include how to evaluate ranges and conduct basic risk assessments.

Refreshments will be provided.

Introduction to Clout

12th April 2025 // Jobber's Wood, Much Hadham // 13:30-16:00

Curious about Clout?  This session is designed to provide archers with basic Clout instruction and a taste for the discipline.  The session is presented by current County Clout Champions Stuart Barber (Gents Compound), Rebecca Bourne (Ladies Longbow), and experienced former County Champion Peter Sweetman (Gents Barebow).

Please bring your kit with you, this will be outdoors so please wrap up warm!  The site will be open from 13:00.

Participation in this session enables you to enter the Stortford Spring Clout (26th & 27th April 2025)

Bow tuning for beginners: knowing the essentials

4th May 2025 // St. Mary's Catholic School, Bishop's Stortford // 09:30-12:30

Join us for a workshop covering the basics of bow tuning.  This is a particularly useful workshop for relatively new beginners, or archers wishing to set up new equipment.

Refreshments will be provided.

Coaching archers with hypermobility & EDS

18th May 2025 // St. Mary's Catholic School, Bishop's Stortford // 09:30-12:30

This workshop is lead by Michael Hockaday, a Hertfordshire County Coach with extensive experience in coaching archers with hypermobility & related conditions such as EDS.

Refreshments will be provided.

Masterclass: Longbow

25th May 2025 // St. Mary's Catholic School, Bishop's Stortford // 09:30-13:30

This session will be led by an experienced team in making, shooting and coaching Longbow: Ben Ledwick, and Dave Chudley.  Bring your questions, bows, comfy chairs, and a cup for tea/coffee.

Refreshments will be provided.

Coaching archers with physical disabilities - An Introduction

22nd June 2025 // St. Mary's Catholic School, Bishop's Stortford // 09:30-13:30

Deb Horne is the SCAS Disability Liaison Officer, Senior Coach, and a National Judge, and Paul Browne is a World Championship  Silver Medallist and a European Gold Medallist.  Join us for a session on the basics of how to coach archers with physical disabilities, and hear from Paul first-hand what it is like to shoot for TeamGB as a wheelchair user.

Refreshments will be provided.

Masterclass: Recurve

6th July 2025 // St. Mary's Catholic School, Bishop's Stortford // 09:30-13:30

This masterclass will be presented by Hertfordshire & Team GB archer Neil Bridgewater.  We are extremely grateful to Neil for giving up his time for the session alongside his GB duties.

Neil will deliver a presentation on recurve archery at the highest level, followed by a bow tuning session.

Please bring your own kit.  Numbers will be limited.

Introduction to Field Shooting Weekend: Unmarked & Marked Distances

2nd & 3rd August 2025 // Jobber's Wood, Much Hadham // 09:00-17:00

This weekend course will cover a technical introduction to field craft, shooting at both 3D and black & yellow roundel targets.  One day will be dedicated to unmarked distances; the other marked.  Join experienced field archers and coaches Trish Lovell, John Hartfield, and Mike Hockaday.  Archers need to have sightmarks for 10m, 20m, 30m, 40m, 50m & 60m prior to the course.

Please note that this is intended as a technical introduction to field, and is not a field course.  Places will be limited at £25 per person, per day.  Refreshments will be provided, but please bring your own lunch.

Coaching: Observational skills

12th October 2025 // St. Mary's Catholic School, Bishop's Stortford // 09:30-13:30

This workshop led by County Coach Dan Smitton will focus on developing coaches' observational skills.  Spaces limited to 16.  Refreshments will be provided.

Arrow Selection & Maintenance

23rd November 2025 // St. Mary's Catholic School, Bishop's Stortford // 09:30-13:30

Join County Coach Dan Smitton and seasoned longbow archer Paul Jackson for a workshop on arrow selection, arrow materials, why the spine chart may not work for you, as well as subjects such as how it is possible to change the spine of an arrow.

Barebow Masterclass

Presented by Nikki Ledwick of Eagle Bowmen (Bedfordshire), this masterclass serves to introduce archers to barebow archery and explain the basics.  Nikki is considered to be one of the leading barebow coaches within SCAS.

Bow set up and practice time is included in the session.  Please bring your kit with you.  Refreshments will be provided.

Coaching the hearing impaired

This workshop will be cover coaching archers with visual and hearing impairments.  Presented by SCAS Disability Liaison Officer, Deb Horne.

Refreshments will be provided.

First Aid Course

This one day first aid course run by Maynard Support Services is HSE approved and covers the syllabus for first aid at work appointed persons course.  Spaces will be limited.  Bring your questions, comfy chairs, and a cup for tea/coffee.

Refreshments will be provided.  Price is £35 per person.

Coaching archers with physical disabilities - Intermediate

Deb Horne is the SCAS Disability Liaison Officer, Senior Coach, and a National Judge, and Paul Browne is a World Championship  Silver Medallist and a European Gold Medallist..  Join us for a more in-depth session on how to coach archers with physical disabilities.

Refreshments will be provided.

Coaching the visually impaired

This workshop will be cover coaching archers with visual and hearing impairments.  Presented by SCAS Disability Liaison Officer, Deb Horne experienced Level 2 Coach Stuart Barber, and Development Coach Rebecca Bourne.

Refreshments will be provided.