Ang-xious to be a marksman
student Paul Ang Toh Barn was hooked on archery when he felt the thrill and excitement of holding and using a bow for the first time two years ago.
And being a member of the archery club in the Malacca campus of Multimedia University (MMU), the 19-yearold Ang relishes the sensation of hitting the bull’s-eye.
Ang, who is from Muar, Johor, has already started the wheels in motion by taking part in several tournaments.
He competed in the last two MMU Closed tournaments, where he reached the semi-finals of the intermediate category in 2016 and won that particular section outright the following year.
And at an inter-varsity tournament, organised by the Archery Club MMU Malacca, in April last year, Ang reached the quarter-finals of the Intermediate category.
Ang tries to attend club training thrice weekly but during busy semesters, he will cut down to two days only.
“When I have extra time, I will go shoot some arrows if I get too bored with my studies,” smiled Ang, who is expected to graduate in 2021.
He has not suffered any injuries, only experiencing muscle soreness in his arms and shoulders.
Ang said his strengths as a recurve archer lie in his high level of endurance and stamina, traits which he garnered during his secondary school days when he was a middle-distance runner.
“With my high endurance and stamina. I can ensure that my results are consistent for a long period of time. However, my biggest weakness as an archer is having inconsistent bow arm and release.
“I tend to release my arrows before my bow arm is stable and pluck the bow string a lot, which results in inconsistent shots,” said Ang, whose idol is Dutch recurve archer Sjef van der Berg.
“I like Sjef because he has already achieved a lot at such a young age. At 20 years old, he reached the individual final at the 2015 European Games and finished fourth in the Rio Olympics a year later. He also has a unique style of follow-through which I admire a lot.”
Ang plans to improve his archery skills by learning from the club's seniors, and scouring the Internet for tips.
On the differences between a compound and recurve archer, Ang said a compound bow is easier to aim than a recurve bow as the string forces at full draw are reduced due to let-off.
“The compound bow is also smaller, more adjustable and has more model choice and market availability. On the other hand, the recurve bow is cheaper, easier to maintain and more stylish. The bow is normally taught to beginners. It is also the only bow currently allowed in the Olympic Games.”