Big Game Hunting

Ever since the Industrial Revolution employers have given gifts to good employees. Ever since the commencement of children’s sports, coaches have been rewarding their players with special prizes. And, ever since people started volunteering to coach children’s sports, appreciative parents started offering the coaches a reward at the end of the season. So, there are lots of explanations parents and coaches have for purchasing custom trophies and custom plaques.

These two things represent hard work and dedication for people who are successful at their job, children who do well in their sports, and volunteers who dedicate their time to helping youths play sports.

Employers usually prefer to give their employees rewards for mainly two reasons. One reason is to get employees involved in a friendly competition, so work that needs to be done gets finished quickly and efficiently. Also, employers like to create an incentive for good employees by giving them something to put in their office. Having a plaque can be key for a good employee to maintain a healthy confidence level so they continue to stay and do well for their employer, otherwise, without rewards, a star employee may become frustrated and leave the company in order to work where work they do will be appreciated. Keeping employees motivated through rewards is one of the best ways to ensure a company can build a strong, hard working group of individuals who will help the company be the best it can be.

Most of those who are coaches like to give their young athletes trophies at the end of the season to applaud the kids for all of their hard work during the season. It is good for kids to be rewarded at the end of the season so that they learn self-confidence that will be needed later in life. This is also a good way to give kids an incentive to work hard in the following seasons.

Finally, giving a trophy or plaque to a volunteer coach is a representation of gratitude parents like to give to a good coach because coaches often teach youths life skills they will need in the future. Also, coaches give up their time to work with children so they are able to play sports for recreation. Illustrating thanks for a good coach is a good way to motivate the coach to stay with the team for as long as possible, which gives the maximum benefit to the children the coach helps.

Trophies and plaques can be given to anyone for many different types of reasons. Usually, these two items are a representation of hard work and dedication to some type of job, either volunteer or paid or to a sport. Receiving either of these two items can give an employee, athlete, or coach the self confidence needed to continue giving their all at their job or at their sport. Rewarding adults or children for a job well done is one of the best ways to make sure everyone keeps working hard, while also giving them a sense of confidence that cannot be gained from anything else.

The first bow was probably no more than a stick that had a piece of sinew tied to it. Bows and arrows were used for myriad purposes: Hunting, delivering messages, battle and war, competition, and more. Over the centuries, not much has changed, as far as the basic concept of bows is concerned. A bow remains a stick with a string. However, the bow itself has evolved into a precision weapon, and though it may not be used anymore in warfare or for delivering messages, it is still favored equipment amongst hunters and archery enthusiasts.

Every object today has a moment back in time where the item was conceived and first put to use. Anything we have in our lives has history and roots, and the bow is no different. Early bows were no more than bent sticks strung with sinew. What’s interesting is that the basic design of the bow has barely changed over time. What has changed, however, is that the uses the bow could accomplish, such as warfare and delivering messages, have fallen out of favor. Hunters and archery enthusiasts still consider the bow favored equipment, though.

Primitive bows are a thing of the past, but the initial design of a bent stick and sinew attached as a drawstring has remained true for an incredible amount of time. Of course, past times had a wide variety of uses for bows and arrows, and most of those uses have fallen from favor, replaced by other methods, techniques, or equipment. For today’s hunters and archery enthusiasts, though, the bow retains much of its favor and is still as popular as ever.

One of the most obvious characteristics of a primitive bow is the lack of an arrow rest, a small shelf that the arrow rests on when nocked. Shooting a primitive bow requires resting the arrow on the first knuckle of the hand holding the bow. Another characteristic of primitive bows is that they are made of all-natural materials. Backing such as animal sinew helped strengthen the bow in areas where the wood alone wasn’t sufficient. Fiberglass and carbon backings were not an option and those who replicate primitive bows do not use these materials.

Don’t let the term “primitive” fool you, though. Crafting bows was and still is quite a science. One method used for increasing the strength and flexibility of a primitive bow was creating the bow from several thin layers of material. A bowyer would layer the back of the bow’s wood core with horn and the belly (the side facing the archer) with sinew. When drawn, the sinew would stretch, and on release, the horn would contract, thus adding power to the flight of the arrow. Today, bows constructed using this technique are called composite bows.

Many people taking up the sport of archery want to emulate their ancestors and use bows primitive people had at hand or want bows such as those used during the medieval ages. The most simplistic of these bows are “stick bows”. These bows are usually made from a straight piece of wood with no curve at the tips. Stick bows were most commonly used among primitive people such as the Great Plains Indians. Other bows, such as the English long bow and the short bow, have the same design. A long bow’s design was more for distance than accuracy. At the height of its popularity, a legion of archers could launch enough arrows to darken the sky. Some of these bows required as much as 150 pounds of pull and could travel great distances.

One attraction of archery is that individuals can take up the sport to emulate people who lived in medieval ages, acting as veritable Robin Hoods of the modern day. The bows used in medieval times included the English long bow and the short bow. The media often shows displays of the English long bow’s abilities, that of launching arrows to fill the sky. These bows were designed for distance, not accuracy, though they required as much as 150 pounds of pull and traveled long distances. Stick bows, another bow of the Middle Ages, were simplistic bows made from a straight piece of wood having no curves at the tips.

Aficionados of medieval times often take up archery to emulate people of past eras. The English long bow and the short bow were popular in the Middle Ages and the prowess of the English long bow is often demonstrated in the media. Archers using long bows would fill the sky with arrows, using up to 150 pounds of pull to deliver their missiles over great distances. Accuracy gave way to the need for arrows to travel far. Another bow used in medieval times was the stick bow, a simplistic type crafted from a single piece of straight wood.

Other types of primitive bows include “horse bows”, as used by the Mongols and Japanese Samurai warriors. These bows have a unique curve that allowed shooting from horseback. Another type of horse bow used by the Samurai was one where the hand grip was set off center. The archer would hold the bow lower down so that it wouldn’t interfere with riding the horse. It is easy to see how our modern day recurve bow evolved from these ancient horse bows.

There are bows that have evolved from primitive bows, such as those used by horseback riders. Mongols and Japanese Samurai warriors used bows having a unique curve that permitted shooting while riding. Samurais also used a bow that had an off-center grip, and this bow was held at a lower position to avoid interfering with riding. Modern recurve bows are clearly designs based on these types of primitive bows.

Mongols and Japanese Samurai warriors gave us another type of primitive bow that has evolved to the modern recurve bow archers are familiar with today. These uniquely curved bows were used by horse-riders and held in positions that didn’t interfere with equestrian requirements. An off-center grip was common to bows used by Samurais, though the holding position was lower down.

Whether you’re a bow hunter or just starting out in the sport of archery, you’ll have some great days at the range. There will be times when it seems you can’t miss the target and the arrows are hitting it one after another in nice groupings. However, you may suddenly realize that your bow arm is shaking slightly, and it’s getting harder to sight down the arrow. Your aim starts to suffer, and it feels like you’ve lost your momentum.

Have you ever tried to hold your arms extended for any period of time? Go ahead - try it. At first it’s easy, but after a few minutes, your shoulders start to ache, you can feel your upper back muscles straining to hold your arms up, and before you know it, inch by inch, gravity wins and your arms start to drop. Now try the same exercise holding five or six pounds. That may not sound like a lot of weight, but in that position, your body knows it is.

You can easily estimate that your bow, including all its accessories, weighs that same six pounds, give or take a pound. You’re holding the bow’s weight straight out with no support. Add to that weight the poundage each time your arms work together to draw the bow, and it’s easy to see why you can get pretty fatigued after shooting a few arrows. Here are a few tips to work up your stamina and get you into top shape for a hunt or tournament.

Take a one- or two-pound dumbbell, and lift it into the same position as if you were holding your bow. Hold the position for a count of three, and then lower the weight slowly. Do two or three sets of three repetitions each. These are basic weight-training exercises that work on the muscle groups involved in archery.

Also, working the lateral and shoulder muscles can be beneficial. When working with a bow, muscles we don’t use all that much on a day-to-day basis are put to the test. To work these groups of muscles, sit on the floor holding a straight bar, and do a rowing motion. Visualize the muscles between your shoulder blades contracting and doing all the work to pull back. If you do this exercise properly, you should feel a pinching sensation between the shoulder blades. Hold the position for a second or two and then let the weight down slowly.

The same muscle work can be accomplished by placing one knee and hand on a bench (one set for left, one for right), taking a light dumbbell in your free hand, and doing one-handed rowing motions. Lastly, there is a little gadget on the market called a Bowfit. This piece of equipment is made from elastic tubing and works to imitate the motions of your arms when you draw a bow.

To help maintain relaxation and prevent tight muscles, practice keeping your hand loose. So often, beginners feel like they are going to drop the bow when trying to loosen their grip. You can use a wrist strap attached to the handle of your bow to help relax your arm. Gripping the bow too hard can cause a jerk to either the left or the right on the release. The braided leather strap wraps around your wrist and offers a sense of security.

Remember, never to go bow hunting until you are a competent bowman.