Off the Arrow Shelf

After a quick update on what has been going on over the past couple of weeks, I launch into a technique I’ve used myself and have coached other archers with. It is surprisingly straight forward and can help build confidence in distance judgement and overall shooting. If you have any questions or queries you can drop me an emailon or via the website  There is my YouTube channel if you enjoy the con...

It’s been a very exhausting couple of weeks with my Mamsfuneral, helping at a scout camp, half term with associated childcare and more. Finishing off with a trip in an ambulance and stint in thelocal hospital accident and emergency, thanks to knocking myself out at the archery wood. So in all it’s been very tiring. Anyway back to this edition. I mentioned in this episode I have recorded a video an...

This is a personal message of thanks to all those of you who have messaged me or called to offer support following the sudden death of my Mam on October 1st. I have some amazing friends and followers who have reached out to me. Thank you all. I wanted to record how I’m feeling and trying to come to terms with the grief and loss. Remember to enjoy your archery, but most of all reach out to friends...

In this episode I talk about my experiences of generating content on a daily basis for YouTube shorts. Along with what it’s taught me about the work involved, acknowledging you don’t always have to have a response or answer to every question. It’s okay to say I don’t know or I need to check that. It's also made me realise I want to focus on longer form material going into a bit more depth than...

In this episode I answer from a follower, the question was about how you go about tracking your progress and improvement in archery over time. I break the process down into tracking progress when shooting your home club grounds and when you venture out onto competitions. If you have any questions or queries you can drop me an email on offthearrowshelf@yahoo.co.uk or via the website offthearrowshel...

We’ve been looking for group 4 3D target and I’d shot a Wildcrete cane toad at an NFAS shoot a few months back and thought it was worth investing in. With the club having, recently bought this target from MerlinArchery (https://www.merlinarchery.co.uk/) I thought it about time to record this review on what it’s like and how well it stands up to being shot. It was used at the clubs open NFAS shoot...

This is the long waited for review of The Push Archery AlphaPack quiver and makes up Episode 128 of the podcast. It's an honest review of the Alpha pack quiver, following several months of using it. Highlighting the element I like about the design, how much it holds and my thoughts on using it. If you have any questions or queries you can drop me an email on offthearrowshelf@yahoo.co.uk or via...

This is a very overdue shoot report for the Lyme Valley NFASshoot back in July 2025. Warm summers day and a mixed 3D and paper face course, saw us head up the motorway to Lyme valley and shoot a nice course with some interestingly laid shots. Thanks to all involved and sorry it took so long for me to record this shoot report. If you have any questions or queries you can drop me an email on  offthe...

As is normal when rich and I get together we end up talking for hours about different topics round archery and life. This episode mainly focuses on thoughts on the recent Briar Rose open shoot, we try to be honest about the positive and negative aspects of how it went. We do though go off on a few tangents talking about 3D targets, whether 3ds are preferred to paper faces, which feeds into thought...

I’ve been really busy for the past few weeks, betweenhelping with the club shoot, taking some family time and last weekend hosting the club BBQ. The later proved a great success, with lots of people havinga good time, trying different bows and just being very social able. Talking late into the night sat round a camp fire. I’ve got several shoot reports and equipment reviews to come out in the next...

We have been experiencing a mini heat wave here in the UKand it’s resulted in several areas now having hose pipe bans and talk of droughts.  It’s also triggered a question from a follower about suitable clothing and considerations for shooting in warmer weather. In response I’ve recorded this episode where I give a fewideas of things to consider when shooting in warm or cold weather. If you have a...

I am very fortunate in this episode to have two very specialguests Austin and Courtney  Motte, owners of St Joe River Bows, over in Michigan, United States We spend the time talking about everything from bow making, shows they are heading to and being a British podcast we briefly discuss the weather. Please take some time to check out their website ( https://stjoeriverbows.com/ ) which is packed w...

In this episode I provide a quick rundown on what I've beendoing for last few weeks with respect of arrow tuning, getting ready for the Briar Rose Field Archers open NFAS shoot end of July. There are still places available, check out the clubs website https://briarrosefieldarchers.wordpress.com/ It’s also this podcasts 5th birthday, yes believe it or not you’ve been listening to my voice for 5...

A little different today as it is a short video showing the Shocq digital bow scales. I've been testing this out for a few months now and if you check out my website there is a full write up of my thougths. This is the first in a series of equipment reviews I'll be putting out and my plans are to cover everything from quivers, shooting gloves etc. If you have any questions or queries you c...

The National Field Archery Society 3D championships we held over May bank holiday weekend and this podcast provides a breakdown of the two day event. There were a couple of challenging courses and a few hiccups along the way but I’d like to offer my thanks to all those involved for their work on the runup to the event and over the course of the weekend. If you have any questions or queries you can...

With the NFAS 3D championships just round the corner I askthe question are the championships worth the cost and effort? I give my views on the costs and benefits to the society and individuals who attend. There is a huge financial and time outlay when organisingsuch an event, especially when you think that it might have between 500-700 competitors, needing parking, camping, marshalling etc. This f...

In this episode I am delighted to be able to have a very special guest on, Paul Chittenden of Dirty Gnome Leather Co. To say he is a maker of archer finger tabs, arm guards and the like is doing him an injustice. We talk about the process of making these high qualityarchery products as well as diving off down various rabbit holes of other topics along the way. Please check out Pauls Instagram ( ht...

In this episode I provide a shoot report on the Duvelle Archers NFAS open held at the end of April. It proved to be a really good 3D shoot, in beautiful weather and woodland. If you are looking for NFAS open shoots to attend I  would recommend this one, especially for new archers as the targets are set at sensible distances while still being challenging. For those wanting to book on the Briar Rose...

In this episode I give a shoot report on the 20th anniversary shoot at Black Arrow Field archers club along with some details on the problems I’ve encountered with the new bow or rather the string. If you have any questions or queries you can drop me an email on  ⁠offthearrowshelf@yahoo.co.uk ⁠ or via the website  ⁠offthearrowshelf.com⁠ There is my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@offthear...

In this very special episode of the podcast I am delighted to be chatting to author and expert Morven-May MacCallum on the subject of Lyme disease. In it we discuss her own experiences, advice on avoiding tick bites, as well as what to do if you believe you have become infected. I feel this is great information for any outdoor enthusiast to have and I hope you find this as interesting as I did. we...

In this episode I give a break down of the results from the recent round of voting in the National Field Archery Society, along with some thoughts on recent discussion of the sign off process for returning archers to the society. How is this done in societies you are in ? Let me know what you think. Should I go with plastic vanes or feather fletchings? cast your vote in the pole. I also highlight...

I hadn't planned to record anything this week as away visiting my Mam in Wales, but there has been a lot going on in the past week and a couple of things that have made me think. I wanted to share my thoughts and dare I say feelings on the topic of posts on social media. It appears I have offended some , who believe I'm having a go at the volunteers , even in-sighting anger towards them. I...

In this episode I provide my thoughts on the recent NFAS open shoot at Centaura Field Bowmen outside Derby. If you have any questions or queries, you can drop me an email on ⁠offthearrowshelf@yahoo.co.uk ⁠or via the website ⁠offthearrowshelf.com⁠ If you have any questions or queries you can drop me an email on  ⁠offthearrowshelf@yahoo.co.uk ⁠ or via the website  ⁠offthearrowshelf.com⁠ There is my...

Another quick podcast today, giving you an update on what’s been going on over the past few weeks. I’ve been spending some time enjoying a family, taking our son on his first ever skiing holiday. Then helping to sort the clubs field course, doing some coaching, taking people round the woods for their NFAS assessment, whilst trying to get rid of a persistent cough. So yes, been pretty busy. In addi...

Just a quick podcast reminding people not to give up on those New Year resolutions if you have made any. Even if your motivation has lapsed you can get back up and restart. If you have any questions or queries, you can drop me an email on ⁠offthearrowshelf@yahoo.co.uk ⁠or via the website ⁠offthearrowshelf.com⁠ If you have any questions or queries you can drop me an email on  ⁠offthearrowshelf@yaho...