How to teach a kid Archery.

[pegasus]

I would like to get some ideas of how you would go about teaching a kid how to shoot a bow. What would be a good starting bow, should he use a fingers or release, sights. I know that I need to make it fun, and not push him in shooting when he is not interested or he gets tried of doing it. (Just like coaching baseball, never push a kids into doing something that the parent wants) I have a 9 year old who was watching me practice with my older son this year and now he wants to start doing this. I would like to get him interested in hunting and ready to hunt for Archery when he is of legal age. Any and all information will be helpful.

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"The greatest thrill you can offer a child is to take them hunting"

[bulletslinger]

Pegasus.
I have a 9 year old that started shooting last summer.I started her out with a bow made by golden eagle that i got from wal-mart
I did not want to spend a lot of money on her first bow until i knew it was somthing she wanted to do and she realy enjoys it.She has a sight pin but no release (maybe on her next bow).I am no pro but #1 keep it simple to start

bulletslinger:

[marty]

What I did to get my kids into it was first I bought them a little red kiddie bow and set up a target with a animal target on it start out at 5 yards or so and let them go at it. Try to show them stance and follow through but don't keep sessions long. I started my kids with fingers and later they all went to triggers. Give them a bunch of encouragement and before long they be shooting right along side you.....marty

[Recurve]

I started out in archery with a class at YMCA summer camp, (Mystic Lake). I was around 10 years old. Later on my Dad bought me a fiberglass recurve and set up some bales of straw in the back yard. Safety was always stressed and supervision present. Soon the neighborhood kids were joining in. It was alot of fun.

I got away from archery as a teenager and never hunted deer with a bow, or a gun. Compound bows never appealed to me. I shot my friend's bow a few times but for me sight pins, trigger releases, etc. made it seem too technical and somehow took the simplicity and fun out of it.

In 1999 I decided to take up archery again and try my luck hunting whitetails. I bought myself a used recurve. Of course, I had alot to learn about proper set up, arrows, tuning, etc. I shoot instinctive style, although I didn't know that was what it was called when I learned. I wasn't long before I was grouping arrows in a pie plate at 10 yards, then at 20. What I found out, is that it is like riding a bicycle or throwing a baseball, once learned it is never forgotten. I have since taken three deer, including a nice nine point buck, in two seasons. Needless to say, I'm hooked.

I would suggest starting them out on traditonal equipment. The human mind has an amazing ability for eye hand co-ordination. Instinctive shooting is just pointing, looking, at what you want to hit. Proper form allows it to happen. Teach them the history of archery and the ethics of archers like Fred Bear and Howard Hill. They can always graduate to a compound set up and sight pins later on. Just my thoughts. The time you spend with your kids is the important thing. Have fun!

[shooter921]

Keep it simple, and try to make it fun. My 2 little cousins are taking lessons up to the local hunting store, and they are enjoying it big time.

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Time to get those reels back in the water, and catch some BIG fish!

[Airoh]

I have an old recurve, and a bow I built myself. I like to see their fingers on the string when they start out. You already know the secret when you said to make it fun. I try to get somebody new into the sport every year. Thanks for reaching out.

[Steve]

Bought my sons both used Bear RedBear recurve bows. Got them new string and let them shoot away when we are up north. Also took my oldest up in the stand with me. He only lasted an hour but he did see six deer.

[Markfaz]

pegasus,

I agree with everyone else on their tips. I especially wanted to add to Recurve's post. I started shooting a bow almost 20 years ago, and that was a recurve with no sights and I shot with fingers as triggers weren't an option back then.

I am a MUCH better shot now thanks to that experience of shooting instinctively for a long time. Having a youngster shoot without sights allows their eye/hand coordination to be built and when they eventually do go to sights and a trigger, they will be much better off. I have had two different times where I was drawing down on a deer only to realize the sight pin I was using was off simply because I had shot instinctively for so long. It definitely will help them become a much more consistent archer down the road.

Another thing I would like to second is to make sure you keep it fun. Start off at a very short distance and keep the sessions short. Make sure you use a lot of positive encouragent while they are shooting. Maybe put up a target of some animals instead of just a standard ring target to keep it interesting.

Good luck!! :)

[This message has been edited by Markfaz (edited 02-01-2001).]

[The Nailer]

Pegasus, I started my grandson shooting this past summer, he's five. I bought him a inexpensive red compound at K-Mart for around $17.00. At first I started w/ a regular target and he would get bored, so I brought out the McKensie and that helped a little. Finally I remembered at a show somewhere I saw kids shooting at balloons. So I invested two bucks in a big bag of balloons and he had a ball trying to break them. After a very short time he was hitting the target about 3 out of 5 times and he broke a couple of balloons in the process. He uses fingers and shoots instinctively. Lots of encouragement and keeping it fun seem to be the ticket. I just developed some pictures I took in the fall of him shooting and it's amazing the look of concentration on his face.

[This message has been edited by The Nailer (edited 02-01-2001).]

[Rodeo]

I too started my archry 20 years ago, so I don't really know what kind of "starter bows" are in the marked now. I started with a "Bear Mini Magnum" with a draw weight of 20lbs. Since I had no father, a nieghborhood friends father, showed us the ropes (safety, stance, posture, form). I started with fingers, and I still shoot with fingers.

What kept us interested in shooting was the balloon idea. We would shoot for hours just trying to bust that darn balloon. Also, we improved my lung capacity since we had to blow up the balloons once the "target" was busted. It also became competative. I had a great time.

After a season of shooting balloons, we then switched to "Judo Points", and walked around the small wood lots, shooting at stumps, leaves, dirt mounds. I truely appreciate "Pop Stahl" (my friends father) and the time he invested in me.

I wish you and your youngster well. It will be time he/she will cherish forever.

[flatsman]

I got my first bow by selling the junk out of the back of comic books a little fiberglass recurve about 20 years ago what fun that little bow was. I just made a little osage selfbow for my nephew can't wait to get him goin on it. I had some neighbors who shot every day and they would help me out by putting baloons on the target and that was a lot of fun. :)

[pegasus]

Thanks for all of your input. There has been several good ideas. I like the idea of shooting at ballons, also someone else told me that using letters and spelling out things would be fun.

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"The greatest thrill you can offer a child is to take them hunting"

[Joe Archer]

Pegasus, I think that the age of your son may be a better indication as to what type of bow to start with. For example, at 5 years of age I started all my kids off with "the little red compound from K-mart". At nine, I think your son is already a step up from this bow. A great bow that I know of is a Browning Micro-midas. This comes in a model that is adjustable from 15 - 45 pounds. It also has easilly adjustable draw lengths that anyone can do without a bow press. You can start your son on this bow now, and he can actually hunt with it when he is 12. As for technique, I would teach him to shoot as you do. If you shoot a release, get him a release...etc. Even at this age you want to help develop good form. Choosing your form and style will make it that much easier to teach it to your son. As for making it interesting, we always play a version of "P-I-G". Youngest son (10) goes first, if he makes the shot oldest son (14) has to make the same shot from 1.5 times the distance, If he makes it I have to make it at twice the distance. Soon, your kids will be kicking your butt, and you have to adjust the distance handicap. Anyway, we can spend an entire afternoon shooting together, and I NEVER get to shoot by myself anymore ;)<----<<<

[Tim Baker]

I think Joe brings up a good point and something that I have been thinking about now that my son is almost old enough to get a bow. He is 5 ½ and I plan to get him a bow when he turns 7. I’m not sure if I should start him with a recurve and fingers or the compound and release. I remember when I was 12 and went from a recurve to a compound it took some time and a lot of frustration to get use to the release. Now my son may always hunt with a recurve but chances are he won’t so why not start out with the compound from the beginning? Has any one started their kid with a release and compound? If so, do you think it is too much all at once?

I also want to say thanks for the other ideas to make shooting more fun.

Tim

[quix20]

i dont know if this was the right thing to do or not, but for christmas i bought my 5 yr old son one of the toy bows from meijers. He always wants to go hunting with his dad and grandpa and i figured why not get him started with something like that instead of a bow made for someone older. hasnt gotten it out to shoot yet (it is not an indoor toy) but he cant wait till he can.

was thinking about getting the little toy gun from cabellas that shoots the caps but my wife didnt agree with that. but he still goes rabbit huntin with dad and grandpa.

i think keeping it simple is the best part of teaching. albeit the frustrating part. i coach football at the 13&14 age level and if you dont keep it simple you lose them and they lose respect for whatever it is you are teaching them

quix20

[Tim Baker]

Quix20, my wife is just the opposite. My son has the cap gun from Cabela's but no bow until he is seven. We keep the gun in the gun cabinet and treat it as a real gun and not a toy.

Tim

[Ladykiller]

Also keep it simple, and don't be harsh on them. I just helped a guy out with his boy. I would like to teach the boy more, but I don't have time, and he was not sure about listening to me at first. What I saw was that the dad was being a little too pushy, but he could not see it. I am younger than him, and though I am 23, I can still see shooting from a kids perspective and we got him to be more consistent by just doing that. Remember to look at it from his perspective and get advice from others. The guy who's son I was helping is a proshooter, so I think it was hard for him to see it from a childs point of view.

[Ladykiller]

p.s. this sport is all about patience as you and i know. that is probably gonna be the hardest thing for your child to learn.

[Joe Archer]

Tim, my cousin started his son out with a compound and a release and had no problem at all. <----<<<

[InTheWind]

Whether you start them with traditional gear or modern gear with all the gadgets, get them started! They will learn from what ever tools and instruction you give them. You know your kids' limits and abilities.
Recurve's story of how he learned and then re-learned is almost exactly my story. Now that I'm back into it, I'll never give up the magic of bowhunting. My 7 year old son is learning on a 15# fiberglass longbow that his Poppa (my dad) bought for 50 cents at a yard sale. It's like new. The best part was when he first shot it. There isn't a toy or video game that could put the glow in his face like that stick in his hands. He loves to shoot now. Shamefully, more often than dad.
Squig

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"Live the code."-Fred Bear

[Recurve]

Originally posted by Rodeo:
I truely appreciate "Pop Stahl" (my friends father) and the time he invested in me.

The neatest thing about reading these posts, is seeing that there are fathers and mentors out there, who are and were willing, to take the time to spend with a kid and teach him/her archery. Nothing in the world substitutes for the time you invest in a relationship with your kids. It's too bad there aren't more "Pop Stahls" and Dads like him. If there were, there would be alot less trouble in our society today.

[woodencanoe]

I agree with everyone, get um shooting, keep it fun, but first tell them how important it is to do it safely. I helped my sons 5th grade class on last years overnight field trip.I was in charge of the archery station where I'd get about 25 different students every hour, most had never shot a bow before. I did the ballon on the straw bales. The first thing we went over was safety, then told them the basic's, never dry fire a bow, had one kid do it any way, leave the bows on the ground when we go to pull arrows, ect.. It all worked out great and the kids all said they liked the archery station the best.
woodencanoe.

[quix20]

tim baker,

i was hoping to get the gun for him, and keep it in my dads gunsafe and only let him use it when dad & grandpa are hunting for rabbits or pheasants. but my wife was dead set against that. i finally talked her into letting me get the bow for him because i plan on practicing all summer long so i dont miss the "big one" that i missed this year.

with that lets all remember that the sooner we start teaching the kids of the world about the great outdoors the more they will respect it as they get more and more involved in it.

quix20