Who am I?

Hi. First the non-archery bits. My name is Alan Walker. I am in my late 50’s, married to Margaret, with two grown-up children, Ruth and Peter. A Londoner by birth, I now call Edinburgh my home (that's in Scotland, not England - overseas visitors please note). I was trained as a scientist and worked in the telecommunications industry for over 20 years, eventually becoming a senior IT manager.  Then, for the next few years I ran my own business.  I was a university lecturer, a researcher, an IT consultant, a project manager and a company doctor - usually all at once. That was fun, but one day I got an offer I couldn't refuse, and now I am back in IT. I am (or try to be) a practicing Buddhist, which  has, I believe brought me a clearer understanding of all aspects of archery.

I started archery in 1982. Since then I have shot just about every style there is.  I have made, shot (and broken) several traditional English longbows and American flatbows.  I have shot recurves and compounds with and without sights and for the past couple of years have concentrated on Unlimited Compound.  Until recently I shot far more Field than anything else, with a bit od 3D on the side, but for the last few seasons I have shot more and more FITA, until now I shoot little else.  While doing this I have been to lots of places, made lots of friends, coached lots of archers of all standards up to International level and I have met and spoken to many of the big names in the sport.  And my scores?  Very erratic.  On a good day I can manage 540+ Field Rounds and Master Bowman FITA's, but on a bad day...  well, have a look at the pages on target panic!

So What?

So, what’s my point? Why do I think all this is important? My point is that I have an unusually broad experience of archery and that I have come at it as a scientist and a professional researcher well used to sorting facts from fallacies.  Clearly, I have nothing to teach the top archers, but I believe that I do have information worth sharing with the average archer and, by bringing a mixture of scientific discipline and experience to bear can occasionally debunk some of the commoner myths and legends of our sport - of which there are many!

My philosophy can be summed up in two quotations.  The first the advice given me by an internationally renown professor whose special field was the nature and spread of knowledge: "…do your research, show your evidence, and quote your authorities… that is the nearest to the truth we can ever get at any one time… anything else is just tabloid journalism".

The second is the age-old sceptics motto: "Show me!"

Most of the articles are intended simply to be informative: times change and things move on, but they are my best understanding of the subject at the time of writing. A few may be more contentious, but while you may not agree with everything I say, I have done my best to follow the professor’s guidelines and, if I am simply guessing or passing a personal opinion, I will say so.  

Good shooting.