Ben Hastings¿ interest in archery was piqued at a young age when he was allowed to string and unstring his elder brother¿s longbow. From there, he entered the target sports, pistol and rifle shooting, but in the aftermath of shootings in the late 20th century, these sports became problematic. His interest in archery was soon revived by a have-a-go session while on holiday. Ben now regularly shoots freestyle, barebow, longbow, and flatbow target archery.
Ben is an Archery GB Level 2¿licensed coach and Competition Judge and has been coaching for several years. He is also a member and senior coach of one of the oldest archery clubs in England. Ben coaches pupils of a school in Surrey and also started an after-school archery club at another local secondary school. He coaches beginner¿s courses and provides further coaching to all ages and abilities. His students range from beginner to Grand Master Bowman standard and have competed at almost all levels. He currently resides on the Surrey/Hampshire borders in the southwest of England.