In our coffee break interview today, we not only get to know a new colleague, Eszti, more closely, but we also get a glimpse into the world of a special sport, archery. As a junior consultant, she needs strategic precision day in and day out – just like in archery. Chatting with Eszti, we learn how she found this special hobby, what motivated her, and what we too can learn from the joy of patience, focus, and movement.

Clarity How did you get involved with archery? What sparked your interest?

Eszti – I must have been around 10 years old when my older sister fell in love with historical reenactment and, along with it, archery. I remember that when she received her first, a beautifully crafted, uniquely designed traditional bow as a gift, I fell in love with it too immediately!

Through my sister, the passion for historical reenactment and archery slowly caught up with the whole family, so not much later, I also started learning from the only archery instructor in Pécs.  

Clarity What type of archery did you practice (e.g., traditional, Olympic, field archery)?

Eszti – The instructor specifically trained me for Olympic archery, but both of us soon had to realize that the traditional line attracted me much more. The Olympic bow has many small components that support aiming (sight, stabilizer, etc.), but I felt these made the process too mechanical. In contrast, traditional archery is about shooting from instinct, looking inward, and recognizing the perfect timing needed to hit the target.  

Clarity What was your most memorable experience during your archery days?

Eszti – When we were preparing for our first competition. 

In the sports club in Pécs where we learned archery, the majority were Olympic archers. During training, it was a big challenge that the Olympic archers trained at a different pace and tempo than we did, which meant we often got in each other's way during practices. That is where the idea came from to establish our own, traditional archery club. Adults and children alike joined the club, mostly from Pécs and Nagykozár. One of the highlights of the club was when we organized our first archery competition. Competitors came from many towns within the Baranya county archery community, whom we already knew well by then. One of my favorite moments was when, in the days before the competition, we designed and made the targets together with the club members – it was then that I truly realized this whole thing is not about the sport, but about the community. We represented ourselves at many competitions with the club, achieving great results, and we became key players in the Baranya county archery community. We held demonstrations at events, and besides the competition, we also organized camps, thereby colorizing the local community life.  

Unfortunately, due to moving away, I could no longer remain an active player in the club, but what I received from this archery is much more than getting to know and mastering a sport; I learned how much power the realization of an idea has and that a tight-knit team is capable of anything for a common goal. I believe this also contributed to the fact that I love working in a team, planning, and executing together.

Clarity Did you experience any difficulties or challenges in archery that you managed to overcome?

Eszti – I find it very hard to accept when I make a mistake, but during competitions, I quickly had to realize that if I always focus on the ruined, previous shot, then the next one will be bad too. My dad always used to say in such times that "we let the bad shot go". I still think of this often today, even during work. If I make a mistake (e.g., during a presentation), I must not focus on the mistake, but let it go and only think about the next task. Of course, this does not mean that mistakes should not be evaluated afterward, but space and time must be given for that at another time.  

Clarity What skills does archery develop that you can also utilize in your work?

Eszti – Patience, perseverance, precision. 

The biggest challenges of consulting work are meeting short deadlines and frequently changing client needs, where speed is a key factor. However, it is not enough to be fast, one must also work precisely. Similar situations arise in archery too. Take a moving target, for example. Perfect hits require perfect timing. If you rush, you either release too early, or the arrow will bounce off the target. If you wait too long, you miss out and the target disappears. You have to prepare slowly, but at the right moment, you must act quickly and precisely. This requires a lot of patience and self-confidence alongside it. You have to listen to your intuition; it only works that way. In consulting, not every parameter is known, just as in traditional archery. You do not possess all the data, so you also have to listen to your intuition to perform the task well.

Clarity What advice would you give to someone who is just getting started with archery?

Eszti – Before you stand at the target, put on your armguard :D Archers often say that the bow punishes a bad shot, and this is regularly the case. If your posture is bad, you rush, or you jerk the bow, the string will very likely hit your forearm, which will cause a pretty nasty bruise. Above all, it is important to keep in mind that the bow is a weapon designed to cause injury, so handle it with caution and respect, otherwise you will get hurt as an archer too. 

Clarity Aiming or shooting – which part do you like more?

Eszti – Aiming, no question about it 😊 Shooting is a thoroughly prepared moment. If the aiming is not good, the shot is not good. The most important part of aiming is looking inward, finding the perfect moment for the shot. If you have that, you will definitely hit the target.

Clarity If you could personify a historical or movie archer, who would it be? 😊

Eszti – When I was regularly competing, my entire age group – including myself – was in Hunger Games fever. At competitions, I almost always went with my hair braided to the side so that it wouldn't bother me during shooting, so I was often compared to Katniss Everdeen. 

Thanks to Eszti for sharing her passion for archery with us – it is inspiring to see how we can find connections between competitive sport and community building, while also growing in body and soul. If you haven't thought about trying archery until now, perhaps she has now planted an arrow's worth of curiosity in you. 🎯