If you’re looking for something new to try out in Kathmandu, try something fun and unusual such as Archery at The Best Archery, Jhamsikhel.
Archery is an ancient form of sport that goes back to our history often rooted in the medieval culture. And for me, it brings back a flood of memories from childhood spent watching The Mahabharata series, filled with mighty warriors in their shiny gold outfits who lifted their bows and once again did something miraculous. Whether that was Legolas from The Lord of the Rings series or Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games- our adolescence was spent admiring the fictional heroes who raised their magical bows to save the world once again.
There was, in fact, a more specific reason why our ancestors devoted so much of their time in perfecting this skill. Apart from the obvious reason of having to hunt in the then Agrarian society, there are several reasons why this sport is so relevant even in the modern times.
These questions ultimately led me to the one most popular archery hub in the city, The Best Archery at Jhamsikhel. Established just three years ago, the place already has three outlets in the city. Navin Basnet, the owner of the establishment along with being a skilled archer himself says that “Many people assume that Archery is a recreational sport. However, it is not only physical but also requires mental concentration and balance.” In simple terms, it is not as easy as it looks. Just try shooting just arrows on the target point, most probably if you are doing it the first time like me, you’ll miss the target about twenty times before actually being successful.
Yes, it might be a very recreational and entertaining today, especially if you want to de-stress from the hectic life and have some enjoyment with your friends. Archery is a great way to do that. With a bow in your hand and the target point before you, you might learn many things that you would not have imagined. Concentration and focus is one, yet if you don’t have the discipline to follow all the techniques that entails hitting the target point, you might never hit the bull’s eye and become jubilant.
Navin puts it quite clearly, “To put the target on the bull’s eye you need consistency and meditation.” Archers take years to be perfect in their skill and unlike other sports Archery is a work of patience. There is as much mental workout as there is a physical one. Drawing the huge bow places stress on the muscles of arms as well as chest, shoulders, and back. If you do this regularly the constant flurry of movements on the stress areas leads to muscle development in most major muscle groups of the upper body. It all depends on the time and dedication you spend on practicing and competing.
With helpful instructors and well-facilitated training halls, The Best Archery is one of the best Archery club in town to do so. If you seek a more in-depth course to learn this sport, The Best Archery also provides a basic discovery course of 10 hours which is guaranteed to help you get started on this meditative sport. But it is necessary to note that one’s skill in archery is bound to increase gradually as you move up on bows of higher poundage.
At the end of the day, with at least thirty trial and error cases I was finally was able to put an arrow about half an inch away from the bull’s eye. And yet my sense of achievement was great. If you are looking for something new to try out during the weekends just head over to The Best Archery to de-stress from the hectic work week or just have fun with your friends over laughter and chatter. And if Archery strikes a chord with you, I’ll warn you, you might want to keep coming back for more.
Contact info:
+977 1 5535065
Jhamsikhel, Lalitpur