Shooting a wooden bow in it’s origins was often a matter of life and death. Whether it was used for hunting or defending yourself, it was important to just hit. In my experience with shooting a wooden bow, people have mostly averted to just having fun and not focusing on the result too much. Lately I have been spending some time with Dutch Bowhunting Clan members Michael, Jaap and Stefan. (https://www.instagram.com/1nocknock/) Avid archers and bowyers, they take this game to a higher level than I anticipated before.  Steve Wijler and I gave a seminar some time ago, about getting your pers ..read more

At this year’s Vegas Shoot in February one of my dear friends Rod Menzer walked up to me and told me he had to show me something I would really get excited about. Donnie Thacker, A guy I shot within Vegas the year before, had made a prototype device that measures how much flex there is in a steel bar. Based on the amount of flex it could then light up a green or a red light. By only showing me this simple setup he was able to get my IT mind fired up. Mount this to a bow and you have a next-generation archery analytics tool. This could be a game changer, the next step for archery. The Vegas Sho ..read more

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to shoot with Ken Hargreaves, an ex-army serviceman who has just returned from the Invictus games. The Invictus Games were conceived by Prince Harry in 2013 after seeing the impact that sport could have on the wellbeing of injured, wounded or sick services personnel. They allow the unconquered men and women who have made great sacrifices for their countries, to demonstrate their tenacity once again. Captain Ken Hargreaves with his assistance dog Fred Ken is a straight-talking, down to earth squaddie who joined the army as a boy in the 70’s, and wor ..read more

Ki Bo Bae’s chosen shoot-off arrow People often say there’s nothing better than hearing your favourite band live- the atmosphere, the noise, the energy. Well, this summer I found out that the same applies for a big World Archery event- no amount of live-streaming could capture the electricity of the finals field! I visited Rome last month, while it was the home of the 2017 World Cup Finals. It completely blew me away. This was my first time in Rome and the first experience of a shoot this level, and it was brilliant- after usually seeing my archery heroes only on the livestreams, it brought ..read more

At Dutch Target, we take photography seriously. Many people still don’t realise how important good photography is to communicating values and aspirations. Even as we now expect our TV programmes to be in gleaming high definition, many people simply don’t realise the level of skill needed to deliver an image that is really special. In an era when pretty much everyone now has a high-quality camera on the phone in their pocket, photography has entered a different era, but it has undoubtedly reinforced the notion that taking a great shot is just a matter of pressing a button. You’ve probably see ..read more

Kang “The Destroyer” Chae Young in practice at Salt Lake City After breaking through with a triple-gold performance at Shanghai 2015 – which resulted in the World Archery media team giving her the nickname “The Destroyer” – Kang Chae Young had to suffer the agony of coming fourth in the Korean selection process before the Olympic Games last year. It was an experience that would test the hardest of athletes, although there may be something to be said for the character-building it gives you: Chang Hyejin had to go through the same experience at London 2012, After the consolation prize of becom ..read more

The 2nd Hyundai World Cup stage of the year has been and gone. The firmest fixture in the annual archery calendar, Antalya is one of the most prestigious, most relaxed and definitely the hottest of all the stages, temperature-wise. This year saw a handful of absences; the Korean and Chinese teams skipped it, and not every team was at full strength, but those that were shone pretty brightly and there were some memorable finals matches, capped off by an classic men’s recurve final between Brady Ellison and JC Valladont that eventually saw JC claim victory on the beach. Here are so ..read more

“When I was a child, I wasn’t an archer. I was living things, doing everything. I joined the Navy and saved lives at sea. I’m taking care of my family – those who are left. I trust my ability to continue something good in archery, but it will be how I want it to be:  bright, funny and pleasant. Too many bad things happened. No more. I’m breathing again, almost normally. Let’s see what’s next in the archery world, there’s a lot of changes to come!.” Exclusively on DutchTarget.com, a guest post from international compound shooting PJ Deloche, who talks about life, archery, and bounc ..read more

Oh Jin Hyek, back in action for Korea this season. It’s May, and the 2017 international outdoor season is about to start in full. One of the most packed schedules ever seen will climax with the World Championships in Mexico City in mid-October. Before that there’s an intriguing Hyundai World Cup calendar to enjoy with two new(ish) venues and a spectacular final in Rome. Shanghai is the perennial season opener, and since last year boasting a new finals field on the Lujiazui Village Green in the central Pudong district. The first fixture of the season since 2012, the 2 ..read more

With 13 Olympic medals, 28 World Championship medals, 9 world records and 14 World Cup medals between them, the Korean frontline team for 2017 is an extraordinary force. Retaining all of the gold medal winning Rio women’s team, and featuring just one rookie – the Korean army team’s Kim Jongho – this is one of the finest fields assembled for a World Championship year. After a three stage selection process, the other big news is that the Olympic champion Oh Jin Hyek will return to the big stage after a year in the wilderness. The frontline team is (left to right): Oh Jin Hyek Im Dong-Hyun ..read more