ENGLISH
Archery clubs in Givatayim and the Olympic shooting center at Hertzliya
Many English speakers don't really need an introduction to archery. Most are already familiar with this fascinating sport. However, not many know that archery exists in the Promised Land, as well. Not just exists, but is alive and kicking hard enough to be recognized internationally: a young Israeli archer Itay Shanny has won the coveted international quota – and was the first Israeli archer to participate in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, where he won a prestigious 9th place!
Itay grew and developed as an archer right here, in Givatayim, having come here as a 12-year old boy. A great talent and 10 years of hard work have borne Olympic fruit. And Itay isn’t the only one – Israel boasts over 200 competitive archers, men and women, both teenagers and adults. There are also hundreds of recreational archers all over the country, people of all ages and from all walks of life. The youngest archer in Israel today is 7, and the oldest is well over 80 – and they all get along just fine on the shooting line!
Israeli archers shoot classic recurve (Olympic) bows, as well as more technically complex compounds. Some prefer the bare bow, or the more traditional English longbows or Asian composites. Nationwide competitions for all these categories are held about once a month, with dozens of enthusiastic participants from all over Israel.
At the 21st Century Archery Club in Givatayim, both beginner and advanced competitive archers are instructed by the certified archery coach Yuri Yogev. Teenagers between 13 and 18, as well as adults (albeit at later hours, following the workday), participate in two-hour training sessions which take place from twice to four times a week, depending on the level and the inclination of the archers themselves. The goal of these training sessions is, first of all, to establish the correct physical and mental foundation of the archers and to introduce them to the correct shooting technique. This approach, coupled with a lot of determination and commitment from the archers themselves, allows them to achieve consistent results – while enjoying the very process of learning, which presents the trainee with quite a few physical and psychological challenges.
Our primary archery club at Wingate Institute for Physical Education and Sports (near Netaniya) has recently moved to the Olympic shooting center at Hertzliya and is currently operating there under the aegis of Maccabi Tel-Aviv. Here we have at our disposal a full-size archery range which complies with international standards and allows us to conduct training and competitions at all ranges, up to the coveted 90 meters! The Hertzliya Archery Club provides training for young and adult archers, both beginners and advanced – most of the present National Team archers are our students, developed and coached by the very accomplished Level 3 International archery coach Yuri Yogev.
If you, too, wish to experience the indescribable feeling of shooting an arrow… If you, too, are fascinated by this, the most ancient and the most modern sport, a sport that develops self-control, mental concentration and precise application of physical effort… If you, too, want to achieve high athletic goals – or simply unwind after a hard day's work – your place is on the shooting line! Join us at the 21st Century Archery Clubs in Givatayim and Maccabi Tel-Aviv – Hertzliya!
To schedule a one-on-one introductory session at Givatayim, drop a WhatsApp message to Itay at 052-4398929, or at Hertzliya – call Yigal at 054-2608786.
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