Rey BelenHave you ever felt like being Legolas Greenleaf or Katniss Everdeen, even for a short moment?
Well, I did. It is a good thing it doesn’t have to cost me much to try archery.
And so can you.
How?
Well, Sandbox, an outdoor adventure park located at Alviera in Porac Pampanga, partnered with Occulus Archery, is offering archery starting this February.
Age and experience do not matter much, as newbie archers as young as 7-years-old (accompanied by an adult) can try archery.
Both newbies and experienced archers can enjoy this outdoor archery at Sandbox.
The packages priced at P400 for a one-hour session or P250 for a 30-minute session include basic coaching, bow and arrows, quiver, chest and arm guards plus one balloon target.
You can also bring your own equipment and shoot some arrows for only P 200.
There are also various novelty targets available such as famous cartoon villains to make the activity more fun and interesting especially for kids.
“Our mission is to erase the notion that archery is an elite sport. Anyone can enjoy it from kids to adults as long as they have the upper body strength to pull the string and concentrate on their target,” said Krizia Chu-Tranquilino, General Manager of Oculus Archery.
If you’re a newbie like me, it won’t be a problem. As professional archers from Oculus will teach you the basics.
In my experience, archery is like poker, it takes a minute to learn the basics, but will definitely take a lifetime to master. Hahaha.
In as short ad probably 5-10 minutes, I was able to learn.
It is to be noted that SAFETY is top priority here, aside from your enjoyment.
Coaches always remind of proper movement, on and off the range.
So in a very short session, here are a few things I learned.
- Focus is essential in this sports
- Proper stance and grip matter
- If you’re right handed, your right eye should be the open open, aiming at your target
- Your bow hand (holding the string) should be pulled as close to your chin
- Other hand (left in this case), should be straight, locked, to lessen wobbling of the bow and arrow upon release
- Once aim is set, release as quick as possible, to lessen tension from arms and back
If you compare my first photo to this one, it is far different. Both the stance and grip are better on this second photo. Very obvious that I was doing it wrongly at first is I tried aiming the target with my left eye open, even if I am right handed.
Again, I am no expert, just tried this once. But above are few of the things I remembered doing right during the session.
Archery is sure fun… Challenging, yet really fun.
It helps you calm yourself and help you focus. This might be best for kids as well, training them the essence of focus they can later adapt and use in other matters.
Maybe you’re wondering how long will it take you to learn it? With proper coaching and you’re inclination to learn, 1 hour is enough to learn the basic and enjoy.
But of course it takes longer to master it and fully rip the benefits of the sport.
I was able to do 3 sets (3 bows per set). Two sets of which were for the training, proper stance, grip and release.
The last set was for a test how did each one of us learned from our coaches.
How did I fare?
Well, during my first bow… Here…
Ahem… Effortless! Lol.
Kidding aside, archery is just great, as a recreational activity and most probably even as a sport.
I will definitely look forward to doing this again in the near future.
Though I wish I could have shot more arrows, yet, my time was through.
Aside from outdoor archery, there are other interestings things to do at Sandbox.
Though I wasn’t able to try any other attractions anymore, since a lot of people were there queuing up, I just wandered off to see how others are doing in each attraction.
The Aerial Walk is an obstacle course with horizontal and vertical elements from 17 to 28 activities that can challenge the physical and mental aptitude of groups and individuals while having fun.
There is the Giant Swing, tallest swing in the Philippines at 10 meters high. With this height, the needed gush for a “much-felt” acceleration is more “felt” Thus the loud screams of riders is very audible even far out the vicinity. Hahaha. If you want the rush, this is a must-try.
The Adventure Tower (which I really wanted to try) is a 15-meter structure housing three activities: Wall Climbing, Rapelling and Free Fall and serves as platform to get a 360-degree view of the whole Alviera.
Sandbox also has the Avatar One, which is first in Asia, a 180-meter zipline, roller coaster fit for those wanting the rush of speed, curves and heights.
Other oudoor activites also include ATV rides, mini-golf, and an open field for group activies.
Sandbox has activity packages for as low as P 340 only of select activities. Price increases along with activity add-ons.
Which brings to mind more reasons why I should go back in Sandbox at Alviera, to try what I have not tried when I was there.
It is said that more is to be expected at Sandox this year like extreme group activities (urban karting, airsoft, paintball) and dining choices.
Sandbox is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 9am to 5pm. You can check out how to book through their official site (http://www.alviera.ph) or through their Facebook Page (http://facebook.com/AlvieraPH).
Rey Belen
