Outdoor and Rec Athletics 0115 - Beginning Japanese Archery

Beginning Kyudo, Japanese Zen Archery: Archery was once considered the most elite of all samurai fighting arts. To be an archer meant you were beholden to defending your lord's stronghold from distant threats. After the era of great civil war had ended in Japan by 1600 A.D., the samurai warrior class were left with few methods to keep their practical skills on a battlefield honed. The need to repurpose their fighting arts turned them away from an emphasis of destruction of a target and closer towards self-refinement. Students will encounter a standing form of Zen meditation or Ritsuzen, by way of the Japanese bow. At the beginning level, students will concentrate on learning the first step-by-step form called Shichido, or The Seven Coordinations. This precise form represents the basic method of firing a single arrow. Students will begin by becoming acquainted with the equipment through simulated shooting and then graduate to live shooting at a short distance. The target, which is only seven feet away, serves the archer as a mirror, reflecting the status of his mind and spirit. Class will meet in the South Lounge, 2nd floor of the Robert Crown Center. 5-College students will be graded pass/fail.

This class my be used for CEL 1 requirements