How to Teach Archery to Youth
Archery is a sport that can provide lifelong enjoyment, as well as teach patience, discipline and perseverance. Safety must always be the top priority when teaching archery skills, whether its a father teaching his child in the backyard or a range officer leading a shoot on an established archery range. Bows and arrows are not toys and should never be treated as such.
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Things You'll Need
- Archery range
- Bows
- Bowstrings
- Finger Tabs
- Arm guards
- Arrows matched to fit bows
- Target faces mounted on straw target butts or straw bales
- Ground quivers
Instructions
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Begin by explaining the fundamental rules of archery safety. Rule No. 1 is never shoot unless supervised by a responsible adult. Always keep your arrows pointed in a safe direction, either at the ground or toward the target. Keep your arrows in the quiver until the range officer says that you may begin shooting. Stop shooting immediately when the range office calls "cease fire," someone crosses the firing line or someone walks behind or around the target. Shoot only at your target, the one immediately in front of you. Never shoot a cracked or fractured arrow. Observe all state and local archery regulations. Always utilize an arm guard and finger tab or glove. Do not run while on the archery range. Anyone can call "cease fire" at any time if they suspect an unsafe condition.
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Next explain the equipment that will be used to shoot archery. Begin by showing the layout of the archery range. Point out its borders, which should either be fenced off or marked with caution tape. Explain all range commands. Explain the firing line and demonstrate how to position your feet while shooting by straddling the line. Demonstrate the use of arm guards, finger tabs, and shooting gloves. Demonstrate the proper way to string a bow and nock an arrow. Demonstrate the proper way to remove an arrow from the target.
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In the same way that people are either right or left handed, one eye is more dominant than the other. Knowing which eye is dominate will dictate how the bow should be held. Instruct your students to hold both hands straight out and form a triangle with their two thumbs and index fingers. Keep both eyes open and look through the triangle toward a distant object. Keeping the object in the center of your triangle, bring your hands back until they are touching your face. Whichever eye the triangle is surrounding is your dominant eye. RIght-eye dominant youth should hold the bow in their left hand and pull the bowstring with their right. Left-eye dominant students should do the opposite.
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Elementary school-age children should work one on one with a responsible adult when shooting. Older children can be put in pairs and work together or alone under the close supervision of a range officer. When more than one person is shooting, a range officer should be stationed at the extreme end of the firing line so he has the ability to see all shooters, the targets and beyond. Use a rope gate to keep people from freely entering and exiting the range without the permission of the range officer while shooting is in progress. Post a large red flag to warn passers by of danger.
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Use clear range commands to control step by step what each shooter is doing. The first command is "on the firing line." Shooters should step up to the firing line but not touch either the bows or arrows. On the second command, "pick up your bows," shooters should pick up their bows. The third command is "load one arrow." Shooters should pick one arrow from the ground quiver and load it into the bow. On the fourth command, "fire," shooters should aim, draw and then fire. Afterward, the range officer may repeat the third and fourth commands until all the arrows are fired, or he may issue a "fire at will" command and let shooters fire at their own pace.
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Tips & Warnings
Wood, aluminum or fiberglass arrows can be used to instruct children, but aluminum and fiberglass tend to be more expensive. Use them only if there is little chance the arrows will get lost.
When teaching archery to youths, learning safety must always take the priority over shooting technique. Make sure all archery equipment is securely locked away when not in use.
References
Resources
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