AR An Exploration Into Para Archery FRASER LOUDEN
BRIEF // RESEARCH QUESTION What are the problems that are faced in disability sport, particularly archery, and how could we make it more accessible and bridge the gap between it and able bodied sport.
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1 CONTENT
UNDERSTANDING ARCHERY
PARALYMPICS
Covers key topics to help form a good understanding of archery.
Archery within the paralympics
ADAPTIVE ARCHERY
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Introduces adaptive archery and what people are currently doing.
15 PROSTHETICS Insight into current prosthetics and their manufacturers.
INSIGHTS & STATS Insights and stats about archery and disabled sport.
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The Bow
3
Recurve
Traditional
Straight Compound
types
Modern
Mainly Recurve Compound
RECURVE
UNDERSTANDING ARCHERY
Tip curves away from the archer when the bow is strung. The difference between recurve and other bows is that the string touches a section of the limb when the bow is strung. It has a faster and more powerful shot than a traditional bow of comparable draw weight.
Target Archery Hunting
The materials commonly used for modern bows are layers of fibreglass, carbon and/or wood on a core of carbon foam or wood.
The Recurve bow is the most popularly used bow in the U.K and is the only form of bow that is allowed in the Olympic games.
Compound bows are designed to reduce the force required to hold the string at full draw, hence allowing the archer more time to aim with less muscular stress.
However since Beijing 2008 the compound bow has been introduced in the Paralympics, presumably for its ability to be easier to draw back.
Limb String Arrow Rest Grip
Riser
Bottom Cam
COMPOUND Uses a levering system of cables and pulleys to bend the limbs.The limbs are much stiffer than those of a recurve bow. This stiffness makes the bow more energy-efficient than other bows. They build up considerable force, which allows for a more accurate shot.
TECHNIQUE
There are many different techniques for archery, and as you’ve just read sometimes these techniques can be totally unique. Also different bows require slightly differing techniques, however most of the principles remain. The following is a walkthrough of the basic technique required from a beginner in archery.
STANCE
Stand relaxed, with your feet parallel to the target and slightly apart.
GRIP
Keep a relaxed grip on the bow handle.
FINGER POSITION
PREPARE THE SHOT
Position the string in the first groove of your first three fingers and slide your hand up directly under the arrow until there is no gap.
Raise your out stretched bow arm level with the target, maintaining some flex in your elbow so your bow arm is not completely extended. Then raise the elbow of your drawing arm so it is at least at shoulder height, or slightly above. Turn your head to look directly at the target.
DRAW THE BOW In a smooth motion, keeping your bow arm level with the target and the elbow of the drawing arm up, draw the bow string back to the side of your face.
ANCHORING AIMING A consistent anchor point is the key to accuracy. Draw the string fully back to your face and use the top of your hand to feel for a comfortable, repeatable position. The string should be just in front of the eye so you can look directly down the arrow shaft, and not view it at an angle.
If the string is in front of your eye, you should be able to look directly down the arrow to judge your left/right alignment. The up and down alignment is the hard part!
RELEASE Let go!
FOLLOW THROUGH
Everything should remain as if you were still aiming. The only exception to this is that your drawing hand will have moved back slightly upon loose. Try to keep your head, bow arm and body in the same position as when you were aiming. Keep focusing on the target. Hold this pose for approximately 2 seconds after the loose.
Paralympic archery is split into three classifications:
W1
W2
ST
There are athletes who shoot from a Standing (ST) position. There are those who shoot from Wheelchairs (W1) and those who also shoot from wheelchairs whose disability has less impact (W2). Archers in wheelchairs position themselves in a 90-degree angle to the target. Athletes with poor balance may use body support, while a mechanical release aid is available for those with disabilities in fingers or both hands. Archers in the Wheelchair 1 class who are unable to nock arrows can also receive help to load arrows into the bow.
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THE PARALYMPICS
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
70m to target
In Numbers...
20 Sports 21 Disciplines Medals won:
ny
Germa
U.S.A
2,101
1,587
471 Medals up for grabs
4,200
Athletes
Nock
1.22m diameter
Flights Shaft
Archery and Wheelchairs For the archer in a wheelchair, stance, stability and balance can affect the shot in several ways. Front-toback balance keeps the archer from falling out of the chair when pulling back the string or releasing it. The archer needs to be stable in all directions and able to maintain balance; sometimes this results in form that is not technically perfect.
ADAPTIVE ARCHERY
Does the wheelchair fit the person? For comfort it is essential the wheelchair fits, if not it may be easier to use another. You can also use some sort of cushioning or padding. Does it have a solid seat? A saggy seat doesn’t help posture while shooting. A board placed in the seat can rectify this. Are feet on something solid? Placing them on something solid gives a firm ground to build up the technique and posture from. For some people you may need to strap the legs so they don’t react with the shot. How is their balance? If the person has poor balance, they may fall out of the chair or tip over during the draw or when the arrow is released, this is a good time to use a chest strap. What happens during the shot? Make sure the string clears the wheel as well as all body parts. If not a shorter bow can be used. What will happen during the follow-through? Make sure the release hand won’t hit anything. Also check the feet and the torso and make sure the follow-through won’t cause a loss of balance.
Pippa Britton, GB Paralympic Archer
VISUALLY IMPAIRED ARCHERY There are two separate classifications in V.I. archery. A person may be registered blind, but may still be able to see an archery target. These archers shoot using a bowsight, the same as a fully sighted archer.
If they cannot see the target they use what is called a tactile sighting aid. There is a spring loaded pin located on a tripod on which they press the back of their bow hand.
The archer can mark their foot placement using wooden blocks. They have a spotter who recalls the arrows positioning, for the archer to the adjust using the references available.
TACTILE SIGHTING AID
FOOT PLACEMENT BLOCK
SIMULATION GOGGLES In order to experience what it is like practising archery with varying visual impairments. I created 5 sets of ‘simulation goggles’ that would depict to the wearer 5 different impairments.
Glaucoma
Hemianopsia
Glaucoma occurs when the drainage tubes within the eye become slightly blocked. This prevents eye fluid from draining properly. When the fluid cannot drain properly, pressure builds up. This can damage the optic nerve and the nerve fibres from the retina.
Hemianopsia is the loss of half of the visual field. A person with hemianopsia only sees a portion of the visual field from each eye. The most common causes are stroke, brain trauma and tumours.
Macular Degeneration
Diabetic Retinopathy
Cataracts
Painless eye condition that generally leads to the gradual loss of central vision but can sometimes cause a rapid reduction in vision. Central vision is used to see what is directly in front of you.
Common complication of diabetes. It occurs when high blood sugar levels damage the cells at the back of the eye, known as the retina. One of the late stage symptoms are shapes floating in the field of vision.
Cataracts are cloudy patches in the lens that can make vision blurred or misty. Over time, the cloudy patches become bigger, and more of them develop. As less light is able to pass through the lens, the person’s vision is likely to become blurry or cloudy.
ARCHERY & AMPUTEES One might think that having an amputation may affect someones ability to practice archery. However as seen earlier with Matt Stutzman, there are many different ways to hold the bow. Despite having a prosthetic arm this archer still chooses to release the string using his mouth.
Amputee adapter device (below-elbow). This device is designed for the amputee using a prosthesis/terminal device with hook fingers. One end of the device is held by the hook fingers and the other end has a notch that allows the archers to draw the string. Upon full draw the archer is able to release the string/arrow given slight rotation of the prothesis.
Advances in prosthetics mean it can be used as the bow arm quite easily. Although the mechanical aspects of using it as the drawing arm is still quite complex, if the amputee still has one arm then the other arm (using top end prosthetics) can hold the bow.
The Michelangelo Hand Recreating as many of the numerous functions the complex hand can perform as possible in a prosthesis is one of the greatest challenges for medical technology. German prosthetic company Ottobock have tried to achieve it here.
Michelangelo Hand Thanks to four movable fingers and a thumb that can be positioned separately using muscle signals, the Michelangelo Hand offers innovative, neverbefore-seen gripping. Flexible Wrist Joint With the lock button the user can secure the wrist in a desired position. Soft Fingertips The fingers are made from a combination of hard and soft materials, thus imitating the natural hand in detail. Winning Design Awarded the 2011 German Design Award as well as the 2011 red dot product design award.
Understanding prosthetics
Prosthetics provide stability and function where there was previously none. Lower limb prosthetics are much more common than upper body as they are more valuable to the user and must undertake many different tasks. The knee joint is a similar joint to the elbow, that is used frequently in Archery. Below are some of the most popular knee prosthetics and some info.
Endolite Orion
Endolite Phoenix
Ottobock Genium
Ottobock C-Leg
Activity: Moderate Weight: 1.35kg Styling:
Activity: Low Weight: 0.6kg Styling:
Activity: High Weight: 1.3kg Styling:
Activity: Mod to high Weight: 1.1kg Styling:
Ottobock 3R80
Freedom Plie 2.0
Ossur Power Knee
Ossur Rheo Knee
Activity: Mod to high Weight: 1.1kg Styling:
Activity: Mod to high Weight: 2.7kg Styling:
Activity: Low to mod Weight: 2.7kg Styling:
Activity: Low to mod Weight: 2.7kg Styling:
THE GENIUM The Genium represents groundbreaking progress in the field of lower limb prosthetics. It is the result of extensive research and development for more than 14 years.
Gyroscope and Sensors The gyroscope and the acceleration sensor allow the acceleration and position of the Genium in space to be determined. An angle sensor determines the flexion angle and flexion angle speed of the joint.
Hydraulic Cylinder The hydraulic cylinder controls the Genium. It generates movement resistance for the stance and swing phase.
The Genium is the first of a whole new generation of microprocesso controlled, intelligent leg prostheses. It will redefine quality of life and everyday mobility for amputees.
Pyramid Adapter The pyramid adapter connects the Genium to the prosthetic socket.
Battery and Electronics In the Genium, the battery and electronics are enclosed and protected by the frame.
Inductive Charging The inductive charger is connected with a magnet to the back of the knee joint. This technology enables charging through clothing or osmosis. AXON Tube Adapter Additional sensors are integrated in the tube adapter. They not only measure the ankle movement but also the vertical force acting on the joint. The sensor data helps make a natural movement pattern possible.
Carbon Fibre Frame To withstand the demands of everyday life, the frame is constructed from carbon fibre, providing low weight and incredible strength.
Knee Sensor The knee movement sensor supplies data about the knee moment that arises and therefore provides important information to precisely determine the forces acting on the prosthesis.
Formed in 1919 in Germany by Otto Bock. In the early 20th century, Otto Bock transformed the way prosthetic limbs were made. Instead of carving wood to fit a patient, he applied manufacturing techniques and created separate components (like knees and feet) that could be combined, altered or customized to create a limb that was still unique to each patient – but wasn’t built from scratch.
They are a world leader in prosthetics, articficial limbs and wheelchairs. Ottobock won 3 Red Dot Design Awards in 2007 for the ‘C-Leg’ the prosthetic foot ‘Otto Bock Trias’ and the spinal support bandage ‘Lumbo TriStep’. Paralympic sprinter Heinrich Popow is an embassador for the company. He has won gold at the London 2012 Paralympics.
Össur was founded in Iceland in 1971 by Össur Kristinsson, a prosthetist. There was expansion in the 1990s and an acquisition strategy in the 2000s. Össur grew from being a prosthetics workshop with a few employees to a high-tech company that employs a staff of around 2,300 in 18 locations around the world.
Össur operates in three markets: bracing & support, compression therapy, and prosthetics. Össur’s Bionic Technology Platform is a part of the prosthetics market. Össur is a major sponsor of disabled athletes, including Paralympians and world record holders Oscar Pistorius, Jody Cundy.
BEAUTIFUL PROSTHETICS
Industrial designer Scott Summit who heads Bespoke Innovations applies good industrial design and rapid prototyping techniques to make beautiful prosthetics They interview amputees, find out what makes them tick, and design some really nice custom limbs based on their interests and tastes.
Bespoke Innovations was founded in 2009 by an Industrial Designer and an Orthopedic Surgeon whose mission was to bring more humanity to people who have congenital or traumatic limb loss. Each of our bodies are unique, as are our tastes and styles. Humans are anything but one-size-fits-all, and they want to recognise that fact. They achieve this by creating products that allow their clients to personalise their prosthetic legs. With about a million diabetic amputees in the U.S. alone, Summit and Bespoke have a huge market to serve. And as they serve them, they’re raising some very good issues about the product space that mass production should, and should not, occupy in the future. They use rapid prototyping in order to create the prosthetic coverings. It isn’t just a personal object it’s about changing the perspective on prosthetics and amputees.
STATISTICS & TRENDS There are 1,100 archery clubs in the U.K. Some clubs specialise in certain types of archery such as ‘Target’ or ‘Field’ and many have access to indoor facilities over the winter season for practising and shooting in competition at closer distances.
There are 45,000 archers in the United Kingdom. There are over 8 million in the world. 70% of the archers are male 30% are female.
13% of the total archers are disabled. Archery is one of the most accessible sports physically for those with disabilities.
1,100
Per 100 archers there are only 0.2 injuries. Showing that despite the perception it could be dangerous, Archery is quite safe.
45,000
There are 1.2 million wheelchair users in the United Kingdom.
CLUBS
ARCHERS
13%
38 per cent of people believe disabled people are a burden on society. If they could become more independent then this number could change.
0.2%
1.2 MILLION 38%
POPULARITY August 2004 August 2008
July 2012
According to Google Trends, Archery peaks in interest at the same times as the Olympics/ Paralympics. This would be because it is one of few times that it receives widespread coverage.
Para archery in recent years has become more talked about, however interestingly disability sport has declined.
Para Archery Disability Sport
ARCHERY IN POPULAR CULTURE Legolas (The Lord of the Rings) The original archer, Orlando Bloom’s bowwielding elf returned in the recent Hobbit film. We’ve known since The Lord of the Rings trilogy that Legolas and his archery skills were cool, now he’s returned to remind us.
Katniss Everdeen (The Hunger Games) Katniss made archery look really cool as a competitor in the cut-throat Hunger Games, Katniss could bring one weapon along into the kill-or-be-killed reality show. Her choice was her trusty bow and arrow, perfected from years of hunting in the wilds of District 12. Princess Merida (Brave) In Disney’s hit animated film Brave, Princess Merida doesn’t want to sit around and be a proper lady. Instead she would rather run around shooting arrows, and she certainly has better aim than all of the boys around her. Ultimately saving her family from an inconvenient curse.
WHY IS POPULAR CULTURE IMPORTANT? The $400m blockbuster hit The Hunger games has set off an explosion in popularity in Archery. The main character is a young attractive female who uses her shooting skills to survive. Jeremy Gutsche, the chief trend hunter at Trendhunter.com, notes that “Google search volume for archery has remained relatively constant” for archery over the years, but that’s not to say it hasn’t made a splash: He saw archery-infused fashion shoots crop up this year. However, he thinks a lot of it can be traced back to Jennifer Lawrence and the character of Katniss. “There is an extra appeal that happens when you have one of the hottest pop cultural stars taking up any new sport, and in this case it happened to be archery.” Popular culture can help to create appeal for things that people were currently unaware of. Archery doesn’t get much airtime apart from the Olympics, so this added exposure will surely only result in more interest.
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There are no major barriers in archery as generally it is an inclusive sport, catering for all ages, abilities and disabilities. The major first barrier for people who want to get involved is finding a Club as archery has increased in popularity and clubs are limited in numbers they can take because of facilities. I would say that we need more clubs with archery specific facilities. I think the reason for the increase in popularity is mostly due to the London Olympics coupled with some of the major films, with archery in them. The Hunger Games, Brave, the Hobbit ETC. As archery is regarded as a minority sport I do not think it gets as much publicity as it should generally. (Para Archery did not get as much publicity in London certainly.) I think there is considerable innovation in the Sport and it continues to develop all the time. However, I would like to see clubs with more archery specific venues, like football and rugby. I would also like to have a permanent, full time Centre of Excellence in the North East run by archers for archers. This would include coach courses, leaders courses. Archery Master Classes and it could also be used by schools.
INTERVIEW: HELEN GEORGE
Helen is the Chairman of the Disabled Commitee for GB Archery.
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Archery is one of the fastest growing sports in the UK and in North Tyneside. Hosting the Olympics and Paralympics helped an initial increase in participation and we are currently trying to maintain that. At the archery sessions that we hold here in North Tyneside, we are finding that we have many difficulties with those who have motor control issues. Often the coach will have to hold the bow and the person. If we could create a way to get them more involved freely and not upon the dependence of the coaches that would be great. The standard of disability sport products has improved in recent times however there is always room for improvement especially when you consider the prices.
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Karen is a former Paralympic wheelchair racer and is now Senior Sports Development Officer in North Tyneside.
INTERVIEW: KAREN LEWIS-ARCHER
INSIGHTS FROM ARCHERY SESSIONS
After attending multiple local Archery session these are the key problems I could identify for those present:
Those with motor control problems struggle to pull the bow string and also struggle pulling it back far enough for a good draw.
There is a lot for the coaches to do. They must keep an eye on other participants as well as instructing and aiding the participant who is currently shooting.
When the participant has a mental disability then it can often make it difficult to get them to participate to a level where it is not the coach doing 100% of the work.
The coaches often will wait for a call in order to release the string for the participant, if this takes a long time it can lead to discomfort for the coach.