Archer Spotlight - August Edition: Club Secretary & Level 2 Coach, Phil Beadle

“Coach Phil, please do tell us - how did you discover Archery?”

I got my first bow for Christmas in 1958, or 59, when I was ten, or eleven? It was a while back, so I’m hazy on the date. I was a very lucky boy, or maybe I was a pain in the bum? But mum and dad bought me the whole kit, with a Slazenger bow, wooden arrows, a quiver, arm guard, tab and, most useful, a straw boss. I shot in the garden, with a brick wall behind the straw boss. I think it was a 60cm boss? I soon discovered that wooden arrows and brick walls are not very compatible. My dad showed me how to replace the brass tips on the shortened arrows. Fortunately, they usually broke at the tip, and I was able to use the arrows up till they got significantly shorter.

I eventually outgrew my little 16lb bow and moved on to guns. My dad had been in the Royal Marines in WW2 and got his marksman badge (for extra pay). Dad taught me to shoot at fairgrounds, as soon as I could see over the counter. It was airguns to start with and then 0.22 rifles. Guns would come and go for me, as I discovered other interests (various sports and girls) but at one stage me, dad and two of his brothers shot for the Port of London Authority.

“That's incredible, so what other sports did you get into?”

Other sports have come and gone: Canoe slalom being my real love and something I got “quite good at”. At the ripe old age of 30 I retired from serious competition and took up cycling. I wasn’t going to get too serious about that, but the competitive spirit soon kicked in, and I competed mostly in time trials, from 10 miles to 12 hours, with a bit of circuit and road racing thrown in. My family got involved, with son David and wife Rose riding to a real good standard (possibly better than me, relatively, but fortunately a bit slower? I have my pride?). Jane was into horse riding but came out on the occasional club run and post event dash to the pub. Golf followed and I got down to 5 handicap.

“So how did you get back to Archery?”

Golf is an annoying sport, where a “perfect shot” can get a “bad” bounce and things turn nasty. I was getting bored with it and went to an archery “come and try day”. Memories came flooding back and I was hooked. I tried to sign up for a Beginner’s course but was informed it was fully booked. Subsequent trips to Perris for lessons, and lots of cash spent on a proper recurve set up.

First Class Archer took me a few weeks, and I was trying to make Bowman, which became quite a challenge. In those days, you had to shoot 100 yards to make Bowman. This meant moving up the poundage to get the distance. More “upgraded” kit, limbs, arrows etc. Meantime, Perris had a really nice Hoyt compound bow that kept calling out to me.

“I see where this is going…”

My Coach suggested I might like to shoot compound (he did) and promised to get me to Bowman, within two months. He enjoyed spending my money and said, “leave it to me, I will get you a deal”. He put together all the necessary and asked Andrew what the bottom line was. All I had to do was part with the money? I was converted. It took less than a month but was not easy.

“So that’s how you got into shooting compound! Then how did you go from being an Archer to an Archery Coach?”

As I got better, I would always help people, if there were no Coaches available. I can’t stand back and watch people struggle. This raised some Coaches hackles! “He’s not a Coach”. So, that is how my coaching journey started. At one time, I was going to do the County Coach course, but took a dislike to the Course Tutor, who seemed more interested in impressing me with how good they were than anything else. I decided I was not going to be able to cope with this attitude for a year and blew it off. I therefore remain a humble Level 2 Performance, or Development Coach. However, so far, I have mentored one Level 2 and eight Level 1 coaches to their qualification. Hopefully, people will continue to take advantage of my experience and advice.  Meantime I shoot all the bow types for a giggle but prefer the Dark Side for the more serious side of things.

“Do you still shoot at home?”

Nowadays, I have two bosses at home, again these are stuck in front of brick walls, for safety. The only difference is they are foam, rather than straw and I don't smash my arrows against the walls. I use these for bow tuning and very short distance practice of technique.

Phil Beadle, BSA Club Secretary & Level 2 Performance Coach.

“Thank you for sharing your Archery journey Coach Phil, such a lovely introduction to the sport by your family, and an amazing way for a parent and child to bond, creating fond memories. Also, knowing you have been competitive in multiple sports, not just archery, adds more value to you as a Level 2 Performance Coach. It’s not just a title or a qualification. You have lived it.”

Until next month, happy shooting.