IN years gone by practising with a bow and arrow was literally a life and death matter ? it taught skills which would help early man hunt and stay alive as well as fend off hostile tribes.

But from its primal roots, which some believe date back as far as 25,000 years ago, archery has survived and is flourishing with enthusiasts saying it is as much a cerebral sport as it is a physical one.

For the National Archery Association of Bermuda President David Hesketh the pastime has helped his concentration span at work where, as a chartered mathematician, he must focus on figures.

He says: "It's a mind sport as well as a physical sport. It's psychological. You have to believe you are going to hit the target, if you don't believe, you won't.

"It's about concentration, that's why so many people find it relaxing.

"You have to put everything in your peripheral vision completely out of your mind. The release is instinctive. It is not something you do consciously."

Hesketh, 57, got into the sport seven years ago after doing small bore rifle shooting in the UK.

"I thought it was time for a more gentlemanly sport.

"I took a class through the community education at Saltus, joined the club and worked my way up to President.

"It's like golf, if you play ball sports and have the required hand/eye co-ordination I can teach you to be reasonable proficient archer in a few hours. But to progress beyond that is incredibly difficult."

There's a lot of walking to fetch the arrows on the 90-metre target and pulling the bow is equivalent of lifting a 35-40 pound suitcase sideways.

He said good archery is done with the back muscles so he recommends pushing the bow away and pulling the string simultaneously rather than simply holding the bow steady and pulling.

It's a technique he teaches at the club which meets in the sports field of the Government Quarry at Bailey's Bay in Hamilton Parish.

"It's an excellent facility. Because archery is a dangerous sport we were having problems with Saltus because of access of the general public to the field.

"Remarkably people think we are always going to hit the target which is not necessarily the case."

A converted Police trailer is the clubhouse and full members use the sports field for tournament practice on weekdays as they hone their skills for international competitions.

The club meets throughout the year and there are more than 40 active members ? one third are female and one quarter are juniors.

Bermuda went to the Island Games in Guernsey in 2003 but were barred from the team competition because they lacked one player.

Bermuda's low ranking in the individual games led to the association hiring a UK Olympic coach to come out for two weeks to help raise standards.

"We realised how far we had to go. It proved excellent and really raised the standard. We are hoping to get him to come on an annual basis."

It's paid off with the team placing third in the Inter Island Games Postal League this year. The competition is a novel concept with each team notching up a scores on home soil which are then collated to work out the ranking.

Hesketh placed fifth in the men's league while fellow Bermuda resident Paul Harshaw came seventh and Ron Campbell 15th.

In the women's league Bermuda's Jeane Butterfield came second while Irena Peti came tenth.

In the junior league, which is a dominated by the Faroes, Bermuda's Colin Campbell came sixth, Tommy Senior came 21st and Jovon Virgil 25th.

For next year's Island Games in Shetland he is aiming to get Bermuda in the top three.

"The Island Games is our ideal avenue for getting international competition."

In one branch of the sport competitors must take on various different distances using 36 arrows. The men to 30, 50, 70 and 90 metres while the women do 30, 50, 60, and 70 metres.

"Everyone has a bogey distance. You need the will and strength to practice those distances which improves your scores."

The Olympic competition is a head-to-head knock-out contest shot at 70 metres. It is exciting and has garnered TV coverage elsewhere. Hesketh hopes this year's Olympics in Athens will raise the sport's profile here.

He says all ages can play the sport as well as the disabled. A wheelchair-bound contestant won the women's competition in the Island Games.

One of the first thing novices must find out is which eye they favour to measure distance. It is linked with which hand people favour.

"Quite a few people are left eye dominant but have been taught to be right handed since they were very young because it was seen as a bad thing to be left handed.

"When you are left eye dominant you are potentially a left-handed person. The chances are better than 50 percent and probably better than 75 percent chance."

At international standard people shoot with both eyes open because closing one eye increases stress, when total relaxation is needed to for maximum accuracy.

"You have to concentrate very hard so your dominant eye does most of the work otherwise you will be two feet astray of the target."

He said many people who more naturally left-sided had been shackled by social constraints which forced them to favour their right.

The association runs a community education programme of ten to 15 students at a time.

"I don't think we have had a failure yet.

"There are a few people who don't enjoy it and find it too physical but there is nobody who can't be taught to hit the target from 20 metres.

"The fact they can do it so quickly encourages a lot of people to join the club."

The sport is enjoyed by every single walk of life and every age.

"It's a sport you can take up, as many of us have done, in our forties and fifties. The oldest competitor at the Island Games was in their eighties. It's a very social game."

The club provides an introductory courses for newcomers with all the equipment and instruction provided. There is also a free one hour session for people who want to try it out.

"Come down on Sunday afternoon and see what it's all about."

Visitors to Bermuda can pay $15 per two-hour session and membership of the club is not required.

The Association of Bermuda is an affiliated member of FITA (The Federation International de Tir a L'Arc) who are the world governing body for archery.

Visitors able to prove they are a current member of any FITA affiliated archery club do not have to pay the visitors' fee.

There is also an active junior section to the club but competitors must be aged 12 years or older and be able to demonstrate they have sufficient height and strength to pull a five feet long 20-pound bow.

A parent or guardian must accompany all junior members for the first 12 weeks of membership.

Hesketh says: "We are never going to compete at the Olympics until we build up a large junior squad which comes through."

For more details e-mail: dheskethnorthrock.bm

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Adult member using the club's equipment: $125 for one year

Adult members using their own equipment: $75 for one year

Junior member: $65 for one year

Visitor's fee: $15 per two-hour session

The association also runs corporate fun days for up to 30 people at a time