Our Coaches
Tom
Head Coach / Chairman & Founder
Tom has coached archery for 20 years across almost every domestic level of the sport, and started Archways TDH in 2017 as a space to deliver quality coaching to anyone who wants to improve and develop. While coaching is his main passion, Tom is a skilled archer himself, having won BUCS while at university and, more recently, winning county medals and being selected for the 2022 and 2023 Berkshire teams. An active member of the archery community, Tom has held positions on the Berkshire Archery Association committee for the past 4 years and was awarded the Mary Dolan Award in 2022 for services to archery at county level and beyond. Outside of archery, Tom works full time in emergency services, and enjoys tai chi, creative pursuits and sea kayaking.
"Archery has been a part of my life since I was at school. I found my love for coaching whilst I was studying at university, since then I have worked within the outdoor education industry and found myself in some very fortunate positions to learn from very talented people from all walks of the sport.
I achieved my AGB senior coach qualification in 2014; ArchwaysTDH grew as a concept for me when I was coaching in the Archery GB Regional Performance Academies. How do you apply the values and techniques of long-term development training, in an environment where the coach must adapt and challenge their conceptions as much as the archer? We don’t necessarily have all the right answers, but we do have ideas."
Imogen
Coach / Secretary
Imogen is an accomplished archer and keen coach, fitting a lot of experience into her first few years in archery. Some of her achievements include winning BUCS, competing in the Archery GB National Tour Final and, most recently, a silver medal at Veronica's Cup 2023. Imogen has trained with and learned from a number of well-respected international coaches and archers, and has a masters degree in Sport Psychology. This, along with her career in healthcare and personal experiences of performance sport, are distinctive qualities that Imogen brings to the Archways TDH coaching team. Alongside archery, Imogen likes travelling, reading and art.
"Having been interested in archery for as along as I can remember, I joined the local university club when I moved to Reading in 2018. I quickly discovered a passion for the sport and started going to Archways TDH shoots. Because Archways has been so invaluable to me, I wanted to give something back and I joined the team as secretary in 2019.
I went on to get a coaching qualification, to be able to pass on to others the same opportunities I was given. Archways is a training space that has something really special about it; at any shoot you'll find archers with very different goals, coming together, respecting and help each other as equals to succeed. The flexible, individualised approach to coaching is refreshing, and I think the culture we've created really sets us apart."
Oli
Coaching Assistant / Treasurer
Oli has a wealth of shooting experience which began as a junior archer. At university, he was president and armourer of the archery club, as well as on their team for national university competitions such as BUCS and BUTC. Since graduating, Oli has competed across the country at local, county and National Tour competitions. His breadth and depth of knowledge on archery equipment and techniques, as well as his training as a food scientist and experience playing rugby, makes Oli a unique and valued addition to the Archways TDH team, and he is now looking to gain the Archery GB Session Coach qualification.
"I began my journey as an archer aged 14 when I went to a local “Come-and-Try” and was asked to join so I could participate in the London Youth Games. Several years on, having finished my Youth games career as a champion, my passion for the sport has only grown having been privileged enough to always have found amazing support in the form of coaches and friends so I can continue to improve.
I joined the team late 2019 as a way of giving back by sharing what I have learnt to others. Coaching standards and availability are not equal wherever you go and with every individual archer being unique I see Archways TDH as a way of progressing past those barriers. By building an environment where everyone’s experiences are valued and can be shared it allows us all to self-develop through challenging ourselves."