On the 24th of April 2022, for the first time in many years, Archers of Zoo Lake hosted an annual outdoor club championships. Archers came out to shoot a World Archery format 72 arrow rounds and distances ranging from 20 to 70 metres depending on their category. The day was a great success and and gave our archers a nice taste for outdoor competitive shooting. All the top scores in each category (at an official distance) are now club records as we have not had an event like this before. Congrats and a big thank you to everyone who came out to support us and participate. We really appreciate it ..read more

Over the years there has been some confusion about the difference between Sentient Archery and Archers of Zoo Lake. So here is a quick history lesson: Archers of Zoo Lake is an archery club, this club has been around since the 1950’s in some form or another but was officially named Archers of Zoo Lake in the early 2000’s. About 10 years ago, I began the process of professionalising the coaching and training at the club. There was a huge lack of infrastructure and the club was really struggling under a volunteer based system. This is unfortunately a common issue in South Africa. At that point t ..read more

Part 1 - The difference between Modern Recurve Bows & Club/Training Bows Weight Materials Functionality Performance Price Part 2 - Choosing the best Riser & Limb options for you Budget Considerations Materials & Manufacture Quality Left & Right Hand Options Limb Fitting Types Adjustability & Functionality Part 3 - Recurve Bow Length What does bow length mean? Why does bow length matter? What combinations of riser & limbs get you the desired bow length? What is the most ideal bow length for you? The tables referenced in the video are bel ..read more

In this Video Lesson, I take you through the differences between the recurve bow styles from both IFAA and World Archery competition formats. My focus here is on the differences in equipment but I do touch on the aiming methods for each style. I’ve done my best to cover the most important differences and limitations of each bow style. Below are links to resources from the federations with official rules and more in-depth information about the different recurve bow styles.  IFAA Links: International Field Archery Association - Website IFAA Bow Styles Table IFAA Bow Styles Poster IF ..read more

I have created a very extensive Modern Recurve Equipment List. The list is not exhaustive but aims to cover as much of the archery equipment an archer might require in their archery career.  This list will be a great guide into establishing exactly what an archer might need access to in order to participate and excel in the sport.  It also shows recommendations and restrictions regarding equipment for the different bow styles within the IFAA and World Archery modern recurve bow styles. Is the item left or right hand specific Are spares recommended General notes and consider ..read more

In this first video lesson, I am talking about Modern Recurve Equipment. In this video I take you through a full archery kit item by item. The video serves a few purposes: What is Modern Recurve Archery Equipment? What do you actually need?  Essential Nearly Essential Bow-Style Specific Accessories Luxury Items Exercise Items Terminology. Insight into my current personal archery kit. I have also created a live spreadsheet that covers an extensive list of all the items you could possibly need during your archery career. I have also done a walkthrough video explaining ..read more

Our Essential Intent at Sentient Archery is “To Grow and Empower a Recreational, Modern Recurve, Target Archery Community in South Africa”. There are many factors involved in working towards this goal, but arguably the most important is knowledge transfer. I have had the luxury of 20 years of experience in and around the sport, as an archer, a coach, a business owner, and a volunteer. This means I have gained an enormous amount of knowledge and understanding. This is ultimately what we have built Sentient Archery around, we teach people about the sport and our other offerings hinge around that ..read more

After skipping a year due to COVID, on the 28th of November 2021, we were able to host our annual Archers of Zoo Lake Club Champs. Over 40 Archers came to shoot the IFAA Indoor format over 3 sessions. The weather held out, as did the nerves (for the most part), and a lot of fun was had. Well done and thank you to all the archers who participated, we had some very impressive scores with some new club champs records too. These events are so important for our club and community. They are a great way to grow confidence and learn how external competitions work. More than that, however, these events ..read more

“If we could be truly excellent at only one thing, what would it be?” Mckeown, Greg . Essentialism - The disciplined pursuit of less. “Grow & Empower a Recreational, Modern Recurve, Target Archery Community in South Africa” It goes without saying that last year has been extraordinarily difficult for us as a company and as a team. The most challenging in the nearly 10 years the company has been in existence.  I have been working very hard in recent years to establish a team that can manage the Zoolake portion of the business so that I can begin to expand and bring our model to other a ..read more

RENEW YOUR ARCHERS OF ZOOLAKE CLUB MEMBERSHIP FOR 2021 The year is nearing an end as we get into the 2020/2021 holiday season. With the new year in sight, we remind you that annual club membership fees are up for renewal soon.  PAY YOUR 2021 CLUB MEMBERSHIP FEES EARLY AND SAVE! The new club year starts on the 1st of February and we will be implementing a minimal price increase, however, we are offering you an early-bird deal! Price Increases: (Effective from 1st January 2021) Club membership fees have been adjusted for 2021. The new fees are structured as follows: Student/Pensioner: R16 ..read more