Off the Arrow Shelf

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...

This is the second part of the shoot report for the NFAS Indoor archery championships. You can check out episode 109 for a breakdown of the event. I am going to focus on how I felt, the anxiety that manifested and how I tried to cope with this over the weekend. I’ve mentioned before how incredibly grateful I am to the archers who were there and especially those who provided my young son with suppo...

This is the first shoot report of 2025 and it is for the first ever NFAS Indoor archery championships. Yes, you read that correctly NFAS goes indoors, with a 2 day competition. In this episode I cover the 2 days of shooting 3D and paper faces, telling you how it went, targets shot, and lots more/ Offering my thoughts on the good bit and where it could be improved for next time. If there is a next...

I've put together this micro episode from a few clips I shared on YouTube and Instagram in an effort to show everyone how easy it is to make mistakes when your heads not in the game and you are trying to do some work on form and shooting down on the archery range. It's very easy to make mistakes or forget things especially if you have other things on your mind. Just remember not to beat yo...

In this episode, I'm going to do my best to explain some of the differences you can encounter with wooden arrow points or piles.  I'm going to give you some views on materials used and the merits and flaws I've encountered with some of the different shapes, I go over the difference between tapered or parallel fit, glue used and giving my own preferences. The video has been inspired by another YouT...

In this episode, I'm going to do my best to explain the concept of gap shooting in archery. First and foremost, I would like to say a huge thanks to the members of The Push Archers Listeners' Facebook group. Their help with researching and support for this video has made it possible. So a really big and heartfelt thanks. Gap shooting is something I personally struggle with to accomplish. I'm purel...

In this episode I recount how the start of December has floored my completely due to ill health and resulting in a trip to Accident and Emergency. With my heartfelt thanks to all you looked after me. Thank you Also, a shout out to Rich at Archery Geek Outdoors, for a speedy recovery and if you get chance have a listen to episode 67 with guest Maddie Hammond. https://open.spotify.com/episode/7bcoiw...

I recorded this episode shortly after the National Field Archery Society annual general meeting, but due to my own and families ill health I’ve not had chance to finish editing and writing this blurb until now. Sorry as this is a little late in reaching you. When I’m feeling up to it, I’ll give you a breakdown on what’s been going on here as its been a rough couple of weeks, but for now lets focus...

A few months back I organised a very simple poll on a Facebook group in an attempt to gather some facts and opinions from archers on what they felt slowed a shoot down. My thanks to all those who took the time to vote and provide feedback on what proved to be a complex issue In this episode I review the results from that poll an offer some thoughts on what can be done to answer or sort those issue...