Just Shit

Hey, odd question, but what sorts of injuries do archers tend to get, in your experience? I'm writing something that has an archer in it, and am wondering what sort of every day hurts I can give them.

Also, do you know where a "good" non lethal place to get shot would be?

Hmm... This seems like something I could make a Patreon video about in the future... 😉

BUT I know that's not an option for everyone, so short story:

INJURY MENTION BELOW

- Almost every archer (who uses finger draw) gets blisters on their draw fingers, and eventually calluses. But more intense shooting can cause fresh blisters that eventually burst and bleeding fingers if they're in too much danger/ too stubborn to stop

- If using a heavy draw bow, aches in the back and shoulder are pretty standard after a long shoot. An older archer might have shoulder mobility issues.

-bruises on the forearm (esp if they don't wear a guard), and strained fingers are also options.

- sometimes things go VERY badly, and an arrow shatters or sheds splinters on release. In these cases you can get splinters in your bow hand/arm. Many people will go their whole career without experiencing this, but I do have a scar on my left thumb from it.

hi there! first off; thank-you for this because archery is a dream hobby of mine and my question i have for you(if you don't mind of course and can answer it to the best of your knowledge) is related to a reason why i might not be able to do archery.

Sorry for the longer ranty post but, long story short, I'm what people would consider 'plus-sized' and I'm curious to know if being plus-sized would affect me doing archery at all, if I were to attempt in the future? Thanks if you can answer!

Hey, sorry this took so long to reply to! (I struggle with replying to anon messages, because the faceless nature and the fact you can only post them publicly hits some anxiety buttons for me, so I don't manage to get through them as easily as regular asks)

But anyway, this feels like it needs an answer, so here goes:

(Please remember that I do not have first-hand experience of being plus-sized in archery, so I might miss stuff, and for that I'm sorry)

That said, GO FOR IT 😁

I know I talk about archery builds, and the strength and stamina involved, and all that jazz, but

a) that's usually in the context of hypothetical fantasy 'master archers'- you don't actually NEED any of that to start archery

And b) you can HAVE all of that while still being plus-sized.

Don't get me wrong, there will be elements that will differ, or that you might find harder. For example:

If you're also generally low on muscle then you might need to start at a low weight bow and build up (or not, you don't NEED a heavy bow to be good at archery!).

If you have a large chest then you might need to look into chest guards (which protect you from the string, and are also basically asymmetrical armour therefore look badass af)

It might be harder to pick up some of the more agile styles of archery like horse archery or whatever the stuff I do is called

BUT

With practice you might even find that higher body mass helps you to make more consistent, braced shots. Certainly there are a lot of exceptional archers who did not go on the Legolas Diet.

So yeah, give it a go if you want to. There will be challenges, and some of them might even be related to your body type, but I can't see any reason why it will make you an worse of an archer.

(and if it does, who cares? Do what you love! I'm certainly not going out of my way to be the most optimal archer ever here. Just have fun!)