By KT Leong
If you’re looking to try out a sport that’s easy to pick up and rewarding, you should consider archery. Not only is it thrilling and fun, but also beneficial as it teaches patience, focus and consistency. It is also accessible for everyone, from kids to seniors.
When you think of archery, you probably think that it is an exclusive sport that only people born with exceptional hand-eye coordination can play and that it needs a lot of space, like golf.
But surprisingly, archery is one of the most beginner-friendly sports that anyone, from kids under 12 to adults in their 60s can pick up. You actually do not need that much space to practice as archers can practice with as little as under 10 feet of length. It’s also one of the safest sports available, alongside games like ping pong.
But the great thing for Ipohites is that there are already some very budget friendly options available locally.
The Young Man’s Christian Association (YMCA) of Ipoh in collaboration with V Club Archery, has already started the YMCA Archery Range, which is now open to the public, with operating hours from 7 am to 11 am, and 4 pm to 7 pm daily. They offer an extremely competitive price of only RM15 per hour, with unlimited arrows. Unlike some other archery ranges which charge by the arrow, this means that archers can practice their archery to their heart’s content
Recurve bows will be available for renting at just RM5.00 per session with compound bows costing just RM10.00 to rent per session.
People can also visit V Club Archery at 7, Lapangan Perdana 19, Taman Lapangan Setia, 31350 Ipoh, Perak, who are currently offering the same pricing for their indoor range.
Michael Lim, who runs V Club Archery with his partners, has seen a growing interest in archery in Ipoh. Surprisingly, a lot of people gave it a shot during the Movement Control Order (MCO) era. However, archery is still considered a niche sport, so Michael has been working to raise awareness for this sport. He’s visited and given free lessons to Sam Tet (Primary and Secondary), Seri Botani International School and Fairview International School. V Club Archery are also coaching Tenby International School, who enjoy the same privilege to train for free at their range.
“My goal is simple: To make archery accessible to everyone in Ipoh”, said Michael Lim.
