Sarvjeet Kaur took up archery with her son as coach and came home from Abu Dhabi with gold

Two medals came home from Abu Dhabi in February: a gold and a bronze in compound archery at the Open Masters Games. They belonged to Sarvjeet Kaur, 57, from India, who had been shooting for about three years.

Her coach was in the stands. Jai Singh, 23, is her son, the youngest of her three children, and a professional archer who has represented India and hopes to reach the Olympics. He had been doing the sport for about a decade before his mother picked up a bow.

From the shop floor to the shooting line

Kaur was no stranger to sport. At school and college in Dehradun, in northern India, she was active in sport, The National reported. Then came work and family: she ran grocery businesses and a department store while bringing up three children.

She had retired when her son-in-law died, about three years ago. In the hard months that followed she saw a counsellor, who suggested she try archery. Her son was already competing. He took on the job of coaching her.

“When I started archery, it was just for fun. I never thought I would compete in it professionally.” — Jai Singh, to The National

Early wins at home brought her sponsors. Her first masters games, in Taiwan the year before Abu Dhabi, brought a bronze. She went alone that time, Singh said, and it was the first time she had shot in the rain. For Abu Dhabi he went with her, and, he said, she practised a lot, doing two sessions for practice.

What the medals were for

Kaur’s own account of the Games is less about the podium than about the people around it.

“It makes me feel more young.” — Sarvjeet Kaur, to The National

She described meeting people “coming out of retirement or former players coming back to compete in the sports they loved all through their lives. We make new friends.”

Singh put it another way: “She feels like she has some new things to do in her life.” She now spends most of her time practising, with her sights on the next World Masters Games, in Japan. The organisers give the dates as 14 to 30 May 2027, in the Kansai region.

Why this matters

Archery looks still, but drawing a bow again and again is work for the back, shoulders and arms. USA Archery, the American governing body, describes its adult programme as a chance to “make new friends” and get “a great upper-body workout”. The NHS (the UK health service) recommends strengthening activities for all the major muscle groups on at least two days a week, alongside 150 minutes of moderate activity. Archery covers part of that; add something for the legs and hips to cover the rest.

The other lesson is about how Kaur learned. She did not teach herself from videos. She had a coach who knew the sport, and a reason to turn up. Most beginners can have both.

How to start

In the UK, Start Archery, run by Archery GB, says clubs across the country run beginners’ courses taught by qualified coaches. The usual pattern is one 90-minute session a week for six weeks. All the equipment is provided, everyone is insured, and at the end the club will normally invite you to join. In the US, USA Archery’s Find a Club page lists clubs with certified instructors. Our guide to trying archery has both links and what to wear.

Prices and timetables vary from club to club, so check with the one you choose.

Learning from someone you love can be the best part. Sola Alegbe went from a fear of water to teaching swimming, and the riders of Girls Outside have kept each other on the trail for fifteen years.