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Blind Archers

Jiří Mojžíšek

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Iva Mojžíšková střílí   Jiří Mojžíšek střílí  

Interesting Innovative Opportunity for Blind Archers

An innovative method of aiming that could boost the interest of blind people in archery has been developed and field-tested in the Czech Republic. The method is based on a direct connection of the bottom edge of the butt with very simple bow-fitted sights by means of a nylon wire. The fact that the sights are part of the bow provides a blind archer with considerable freedom of body movement; thus, his/her way of aiming more closely resembles the aiming of sighted archers. The sights are so designed that, while aiming, the archer takes advantage of his/her fingertips’ sensitivity as in reading Braille.
The tight wire functioning does not mechanically facilitate the aiming itself; it rather resembles the application of a camera or a device for transmitting of electromagnetic or light signal between the archer and his/her target; obviously, the resulting cost is incomparably lower.
 The mechanical connection of the bow and target, in fact, utilizes a similar principle to that used in regular athletic disciplines for linking the runner with his/her trackguide.
After approx. nine months of field-testing, the described method has yielded highly promising results.
More detailed information can be obtained from  mojza@quick.cz
Communication can be conducted either in Czech or in simple English.

mířeidlo

The method is still in evolution, but the principle remains the same.
nová verze   nová verze

Process of the training:

      


Championship CZ  handicapped Archeres 2005
Společná Cesta-Common Way
EPC_Archery_Championships_2006
IPC Invitational Archery Tournament NOVE MESTO NAD METUJI 16. – 17.8.2007
IPC Invitational Archery Tournament NOVE MESTO NAD METUJI 16. – 20.7.2008


Defence of long-term activities and ideas of czech visually impaired archers

Czech mode of aiming for blind archers

Part 1 (practical)

The comparison standard devices used for aiming blind archers to our sighting device

A. Correspondence:
1. The both make possible to shoot without sight control.
2. In both cases touch is used instead of sight.

B. advantage of our device:
1. It is more light.
2. Smaller (more space-saving).
3. Cheeper.
4. there is used the more sensible part of body - finger-end - (standard devices use touch on back of the hand).
5. Aiming information is not distorted by change of archer position.
6. Our device make posible to train and take part in competitions with minimal help of an other person.
7. It does not need any complicated setting, so that also makes possible participation in common competitions (with seeing archers). Blind archers can respect standard rulles of these competitions (drawing lots of butt number, of target place, only six test-arrows, remove of competitor from 50 m to 30 m without any other test-arrows etc).
8. The device usually gives better results.

C. Disadvantage:
1. cold weather decreases sensibility of fingers more than sensibility of back of the hand.
2. Our method is not traditional.
3. It is not considered by IBSA rules.


Part 2 (emotional arguments)

Logical:
"We aim by sight - we have visual contact with target.
You aim by touch - you have tactile contact with target by aiming cord."

Advantage of our device:
1. Common blind person gets clear feeling of aiming already during the first lesson.
Training with standard devices we even did not get this feeling during several lessons.
2. Common blind person can go for his arrows himself during the first lesson so he has exact image of butt, distance of shooting line, and position of arrows on target.
3. During another lessons Blind archer learns how very simply to count his own score without sight control, it is very motivating.
4. Less dependence on assistants help paradoxically makes possible
for better integration blind archer among other archers. If he needs any help only a few times, he can turn to anybody near by, and communicate with him. Continual help of assistant to a certain degree isolates the blind person from others.

Disadvantage:
1. Some people suppose that the arrow is somehow leaded to target by aiming cord.
If we imagine ballistic curve of flying arrow, and stright cord ending on under margin of butt, we see, it is only ilusion.
2. Even skilled archers sometimes suppose that the aiming cord works as a stabiliser or returnes a bow to correct shoot position.
Aiming cord is (for right handed persons) fixed on right-side from vertical axis of a bow. It tries to turn a bow to left by its tension. Stronger tension - stronger tendention of a bow to turn away to left from correct direction.
If somebody can feel and respect this force and if he can aim by its stabilisation, his arrows would fly very far to left out of  butt.
3. I encounter the argument: "if you lean back contrary the tension of aiming cord, your body will get better stability."
If I use a rope or massive rod, and I fix it to butt,  this argument would be  right.
We can not use the tension of aiming cord for stabilisation, because
this cord is tensioned by hanging weight and its tension is constant during any moves of archers body.

Part 3 (procedural)

I know that FITA rules and IBSA rules are different in some points, but I suppose that FITA rules are primary.
Perhaps I ommited something, but during studying of FITA rules I did not find any point which would be disobeyd by using our tactile sighting device.

Jiri Mojzisek
Prague 13. 4. 2010

mailto:%20Mojzisek@braillnet.czMojzisek@braillnet.cz
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